FROM THE SPINE - FEBRUARY 2026 BOOK REVIEWS

February 2026

February was a roller coaster with highs and lows. We had a dark week when the kids had the stomach bug. We watched a lot of the Winter Olympics, including the bright spot of the USA Women's and Men’s Hockey teams collecting Canadian tears. At work, the talk has been all about AI. The weather has been everywhere from 10 to 80 degrees. 

Anyway, here are the books I finished in February and my reviews of them:

Fiction Books

The Time Machine by H.G. Wells

What do you think the future holds for man? What does the Earth look like after eons of time pass? This book is the author’s guess in the form of a story, told by an inventor who travels to the far distant future and finds his way back to his own time. In the future, the time traveler finds two types of humanoids: a bright, fairy type, and a dark, ape-like subterranean type. The inventor philosophizes with his friends as he recounts the adventures. His idea of how humans evolved changed drastically as he learned more about the future Earth. After relating his thoughts to his friends, the time traveler disappears again into times unknown. 

This is for students of philosophy, class, and human development. 

(Rated PG, Score 7/10, audiobook read by David McAlistair, 3:27)

The Boy Who Fell From the Stars by Ted and Rachelle Dekker

Religion has led to nuclear war, forcing humans to create an ark and send the best of the race into space to wait while the earth recovers. But when scouts return, they find dragons, released by the war and emitting toxic gases. So the council on the ark has created a team of dragon slayers. The dragon slayers are being trained to travel down to earth, hunt dragon queens, and kill them, paving the way for the rest of the humans on the ark to return to earth before they run out of air and water. The plot and setup for the series are very dramatic. The stakes are the fate of the human race, but the dragons are not their biggest enemy. The story is written for kids, so the language is clear and direct. There are some unshakable truths woven into the conversations between the main character, Jack, and his mother that really resonated with me as I read. First, “There is no darkness in light, and there is no fear in love.” I needed this reminder when I found it. Second, “You might be my son in this life, but you don’t belong to me. You are a gift from heaven, and to heaven you belong.” This truth is critical for me as a parent. I often forget it when my kids are sick. 

This is for little survivors and space nerds.

(Rated G, Score 9/10, paperback, 170p.)

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle

A crazy trio of former stars comes to the aid of the Murry family, whose father is missing. Mrs. Who, Mrs. Whatsit, and Mrs. Witch take Meg, Calvin, and Charles Wallace to rescue Mr. Murry by tessering (space and time-traveling) away from Earth. The party stops at a planet named Uriel so the children can see the darkness they will be fighting. The darkness is terrifying. The children fight it anyway, for love. The children rescue Mr. Murry from IT on a dark planet, but they lose Charles Wallace. Only love can help Meg rescue her little brother from the darkness and IT. The book is unique in style. It blends deep themes with fantasy, sci-fi, and clever writing. It is a classic now, but it took a while to stick. By defying classification, it baffled experts, publishers, and editors. I love the lessons in the book. It depicts the battle between good and evil in an accessible plot. Light overcomes the darkness. 

This is for explorers, rescuers, and misfits. 

(Rated PG, Score 9/10, audiobook read by Hope Davis, 6:27, paperback, 211p.)

Separation by Seth Ring (Battle Mage Farmer #7)

John and Ellie have their farm and their valley packed up in a tiny sphere. They are traveling through the void searching for a place to anchor their world shard and reestablish their home. They break into a dying world, learn about the power of faith, and save the world. They stabilize the mana enough to use a dimensional portal to get to Candle Scholar Tower. While there, they study, politic, and research, eventually discovering a Void Labyrinth which appears to be a potential new home for their farm. They build an adventure party- John, Ellie, Katryn, Cavvod, Ferdie, and Captain Worrell. The party goes hunting for the center of the labyrinth, the source of the void beasts, and the source of mana that will power their world shard stabilizer. This story was pretty consistent with the other books. I am not sure I follow all the logic supporting the magic system (still). There are two more books for me to figure it out. 

This is for void travelers, heroes, and warriors.

(Rated PG, Score 7/10, ebook, 403p.)

Theo of Golden by Allen Levi

I wonder if I could have enjoyed this book ten years ago. The beauty of the book is in the depth of the characters and the deep emotional ranges it made me feel. If you hate feeling things, you should not read about Theo. Theo is an old, mysterious gentleman who moves to the city of Golden from New York. Theo finds some amazing portraits for sale in a small coffee shop. He studies them deeply. He doesn’t understand why they haven’t sold. He decides to buy them and give them to their subjects as gifts. The story blends Theo’s bestowals, his past, and his interactions around Golden. The character development is so good. The dialogue is perfect. There are so many moments that echo with the feel of eternity. Some interactions gave me a glimpse into things unshakably true. I love these moments. Ten years ago, I don’t think I could have understood or appreciated a book like this, but maybe I sell myself short. 

There were three pieces of the book so good that I marked them for revisiting. One was a discussion between Theo and Asher about what makes good art. Theo thoughtfully tells him, “For anything to be good, truly good, there must be love in it.” That seems to be true for all work. 

Two was, “Sadness can make us bitter or wise. We get to choose.” We will all face sadness. How it shapes us is our choice.  

Three, “God gave us faces so we could see each other better.” We must be willing to look at people’s faces to know them and understand them, or we will fail to understand them, and that will let us dehumanize them. 

Thank you, Jimi, for this beautiful recommendation. 

This is for anyone needing a glimpse of kindness and heaven.

(Rated PG, Score 10/10, audiobook read by David Morse, 13:12)

North! Or Be Eaten by Andrew Peterson (Wingfeather Saga #2)

Book 2 of the WingFeather Saga picks right up where Book 1 (On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness) ends. The adventures of the Igiby family continue as they flee from the Fangs of Dang over the Mighty Blapp River and into the Ice Prairies. Stranders, a Fork Factory, toothy cows, Gray Fangs, Bomnubbles, and Snickbuzzards are just a few of the dangers the Jewels of Anniera must face in this tale. Can the Throne Warden protect the King as his duty and honor dictate? Can an old man be forgiven for his long-ago sins against the dragons? Listening to this with Jet, I had to deal with so many questions. The action and danger keep him nervous and trying to figure out what happens next. 

This is for adventurers, protectors, and rebels.

(Rated PG, Score 9/10, audiobook read by the author, 12:01)

The Hard Line by Mark Greaney (Gray man #15)

I love reading Gray Man books. They aren’t all polish and fancy ideas and self-improvement. They are gritty, dangerous, and entertaining. They talk about people as they really are- varying degrees of gray. We all have our strengths, weaknesses, and dark sides. We all have loves and hates and lines we swear we will never cross. We all have doubts. We all have mistakes we can’t go back and unmake. In this book, Court Gentry (Gray Man) and Zack Hightower are forced to face mistakes and consequences from their pasts. At the same time, they are working as members of Ghost Town, an off-book CIA task group that is trying to figure out who is killing members of the US intelligence community in DC. Like all the other Gray Man books, there are lots of gunfights, chase scenes, and political intrigue. If you don’t know Gray Man, think Jason Bourne, but more sarcastic. I don’t usually mention the audiobook narrators, but for this one, Jay Snyder is not at his best doing broad Irish accents. 

This is for ghosts, spies, and protectors. 

(Rated R, Score 9/10, audiobook read by Jay Snyder, 15:02)

The Journey to the Silver Towers by Rachelle Dekker (And They Found Dragons #2)

The Dragon Slayers are stranded on Earth after they crash-landed at the end of book 1. Jack, Sammie, Miguel, and Marco are the children Dragon Slayers whose mission is to kill the dragon queen so that the remaining humans on the ark space station can return to Earth before they run out of air and water. The dragon's breath in the air drives each of the humans to the worst of themselves. Only Jack is immune. Jack and Sammie are rescued by Scalers who drink dragon’s milk, serve the red dragons, and live in fear. Jack finds that his blood will temporarily heal Sammie of the effects of the dragon's breath and dragon’s milk, but it wears off, sending her into fear and distraction. Jack discovers the Silver dragons after Sammie falls back into fear and chooses the reds. The Reds are fear. The Silvers are light. The fate of the humans will be decided by which type of dragons they choose to believe. I liked the action in this book better than the first one. The story makes more sense as the layers are peeled away. 

This is for dragon riders and survivors.

(Rated PG, Score 8/10, paperback, 167p.) 

Non-Fiction Books

Trust by Henry Cloud

This is an amazing book that found me at just the right time (as most books do). I’ve been wrestling with some ideas surrounding trust, even though I didn’t understand how big the trust aspects were. 

There are five sections in the book-

1. In the first section, Dr. Cloud explains what trust is, how we develop it during infancy and childhood, and how we rely on it in so many aspects of our lives. 
2. In section two, Dr. Cloud explains that there are five essential elements of trust: understanding, motive, ability, character, and track record. Each element is broken down in its own chapter. Dr. Cloud uses his search for a knee surgeon to explain how each element of trust contributed to his eventual selection of a surgeon while ruling out untrustworthy options along the way. For example, a surgeon could listen to your situation and empathize (understanding), express his desire to help you recover (motive), but be completely inexperienced in knee surgery, failing the ability and track record elements. We know and understand these ideas intuitively, but it’s so helpful to have a framework and language to discuss them. 
3. Section three contains ways to develop trust. 
4. Section four is a step-by-step process for restoring broken trust. 
5. Section five is a wrap-up with tips for not making the same mistakes in trust. 

I enjoy reading content by Dr. Cloud. He uses a good blend of psychology, wisdom, story, and plain language. He breaks big ideas into manageable chunks. He is hard on bad behavior. He provides wonderful perspectives on difficult issues. He calls it like it is. 

This is for anyone dealing with interpersonal trust issues (all of us). 

(Rated PG, Score 9/10, audiobook read by Michael Beck, 9:28)

Preview/Currently Reading-

Strong Ground by Brene Brown

The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks

The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer

The Apostle’s Creed by Ben Meyers

Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card

The Monster In The Hollows

A Wind in the Door

Beautiful Outlaw

I track my books in a database called Goodreads. It might help manage your reading lists. 

Final Thoughts- 

There was a clear theme in all of the books I read this month: Light overcoming darkness. I love this theme. It resonates with me this time of year. Clawing our way out of the dark of winter has been tougher since COVID. Fear and darkness, sickness and sadness; they hang on and don’t let go without light and deliberate focus on healing, motion, and (sun)light. Check in with your people and lift each other up out of the seasonal depression, and help each other thrive and bloom. 

I found this prayer in The Boy Who Fell From The Stars. It touched my dad-heart. I will pray it over my kids with tears in my eyes as I bless them and pray power and direction for them. I can imagine my mom praying these powerful words over me, too, just like in the story. 

[Child] of heaven, I pray all light and love go with you all the days of your life. May you know your worth deep enough to see the worth in others. May you see the narrow path, the only way, and not fear it. May you use innocence in the face of judgment. May you hear Yeshua’s voice and see him in all the things you face.

May you find light and life. 

Thanks for adventuring with me. 

Joshua

FROM THE SPINE - JANUARY 2026 BOOK REVIEWS

January 2026

Welcome to 2026. January is typically cold. Disrespectfully cold. This year has not disappointed. We celebrated Millie’s 10th birthday. We got some snow. It’s a blessing to be able to shovel snow on two good legs, cause I got yelled at for trying to shovel it when I was on my crutches. 

Anyway, here are the books I finished in January and my reviews of them:

Fiction Books

Preservation by Seth Ring (Battle Mage Farmer #6)

This whole series of books is about a warrior who just wants to retire peacefully to his farm. John, the farmer, is an incredibly powerful mage with a supreme physique. In this book, he learns a lot about philosophy and growth through hardship. John works through a beast invasion, marries Ellie,  and takes her on a weird inter-dimensional honeymoon. John finds himself in several weird situations as powerful people try to figure him out and, in some cases, try to kill him or Ellie. The newlyweds visit Soaring Cloud Tower to learn more about how to stabilize their world. They attend an auction, hoping to buy a world shard, but the auction is interrupted by Uray Lothric, a supreme mage who is hunting John after they battled in an earlier book. John also gains a new family of enemies when the Gustav clan kidnaps and tries to kill Ellie. To defeat these enemies, he learns to master his domain (fire). He becomes enlightened. Interestingly, this journey is described using the same language as the journey into Aslan’s country- further up and further in. John learns to control his fire to both destroy and protect, to heal and attack. I liked this book better than the last one, but it still feels like the author cheats by inventing new wrinkles in his magic system to solve plot holes as the stories go on. 

This is for protectors and heroes. 

(Rated PG, Score 6/10, ebook, 406p.)

The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis

The Chronicles of Narnia series begins with this fantastic creation story. Digory meets Polly, and the two children find themselves in the middle of a magic experiment. Digory’s uncle Andrew is a minor magician meddling with powers he doesn’t fully understand. Uncle Andrew tricks Polly into trying on a magic ring, which takes her to the wood between the worlds. Then he sends Digory to bring her back. Digory and Polly visit a dying world named Charn as the experiment progresses. There, Digory awakens a powerful and evil enchantress named Jadis. Jadis forces the children to take her to the magician who sent them, then she tries to take over our world. Digory and Polly use their magic rings to take the witch Jadis back to the wood between the worlds, and then into a brand new world called Narnia. In Narnia, they watch the great lion Aslan sing the world into existence. Jadis panics, attacks Aslan, and then runs away. Unfazed, Aslan continues his creation, and then he sends Digory on a mission. Because Digory brought the evil witch into Narnia, he is tasked with retrieving a fruit from the far-off tree of life, which he must plant in Narnia to protect the land from the witch. Digory and Polly travel by flying horse to the mountains, where Digory finds the tree of life and the witch who tempts him to take the fruit for his own. Digory almost caves, until the witch goes too far and suggests they leave Polly behind. The cruelty of that thought snaps Digory back to himself, and he understands the evil of the witch. He and Polly return to Aslan, and Digory plants the tree that will protect Narnia from the witch. Digory thinks that by following Aslan’s command, he has sacrificed his chance to heal his sick mother, but Aslan knows his heart and allows Digory to take a fruit from the new tree. Aslan sends Digory and Polly back to London, where the fruit heals and restores Digory’s mother. The children plant the core of the fruit with the magic rings, and the resulting tree eventually becomes a wardrobe- the wardrobe in the second book. There were two truths that this book illustrates that resonated powerfully with me: first, that Aslan knew the mother’s pain and suffering, and understood Digory’s grief. He does not waste our tears. Second, that fruit gotten at the wrong time, or in the wrong way, will cause you to despise it. I think this means that context matters more than we understand, and having the discipline to enjoy pleasures at the right time received in the right way, is important. 

This is for readers of all ages, especially adventurers.

(Rated G, Score 10/10, audiobook read by Kenneth Branch, 3:56)

The Strength of the Few by James Islington (Heirarchy #2)

There are three connected worlds to keep track of in this sequel. Res is the world described in The Will of the Many. Obiteum is a desert world filled with death, pain, and acid waters. Lyceum is an older world with ancient traditions. When Vis completes the labyrinth at the end of book one, he gets copied into the other two worlds, becoming synchronous. Only a synchronous human can prevent the cataclysm. In each world, Vis must learn how will works, and survive dangers at every turn. In Res, Vis tries to protect his friends as war breaks out between the ruling factions of Military, Religion, and Governance. In Obiteum, Vis is trained by Caeror, who ran the labyrinth also, but did not survive in Res. Caeror trains Vis to survive and prepares him to try to stop the cataclysm. In Lyceum, Vis trains as a farmer, then as a warrior. He learns to be calm and still, and remember the wisdom of the past. This is a complex book that develops each version of Vis in parallel. The book ends with three cliff-hangers, of course. It looks like book three won't come out till sometime in 2027. I enjoyed the character development, the complexity, and the different paths. I would also like a pet alupi (giant wolf) like Diogo. 

This is for fantasy readers, protectors, and fighters. (Read The Will of the Many first.)

(Rated R, Score 10/10, audiobook read by Evan Morton, 30:08)

Rapport: Friendship, Solidarity, Communion, Empathy by Martha Wells (Murderbot 2.5)

Perihelion (Peri) is a Machine Intelligence (MI) on a research transport that is recovering from its interaction with Murderbot in book 2. Peri has a snarky way of interacting with its crew, preferring the younger people to the older ones. In this short story, Peri is accompanying the crew on a mission and using some new tricks it learned from Murderbot, like network hacking and surveillance. I’m pretty sure Iris is Peri’s favorite crew member. Iris coaxes the truth out of Peri, and their dialogue reveals that Murderbot and Peri developed some amount of rapport during book 2, expanding Peri’s emotional range and skill set. I think the author is wondering if MIs will need friends, too, and if they do, what will those relationships look and feel like? I suppose the entire Murderbot series explores the relationships between MIs and humans. 

This is for Murderbot fans.

(Rated PG, Score 8/10, ebook, 34p.)

The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

The four Pevensie children get shipped out of London to their uncle’s house in the rural countryside to keep them safe during the war. They discover the wardrobe, which is a portal from our world to Narnia. Narnia is many centuries older than in book 1, and the White Witch has made it always winter and never Christmas. The arrival of the children and Aslan marks a change in the balance of power. But one of the children, Edmond, turns traitor and tries to sell his siblings to the witch for power and tasty food. Aslan orchestrates Edmund’s rescue just before the White Witch can execute him. Enraged, she gathers her army and arranges a meeting with Aslan, where she claims the traitor’s blood as her right, citing the deep magic written on the Stone Table at the dawn of time. Aslan negotiates with the witch, then moves his camp and helps his leaders prepare for battle. That night, Aslan offers himself as an innocent sacrifice for Edmond, and the evil army kills him on the Stone Table. You are missing out if you haven’t read this book or seen the movie. I won’t give away the ending here. This story holds many truths and powerful moments. The theme of redemption is especially powerful. I enjoy this book each time I revisit it. 

This is for adventurers, traitors, and beavers. 

(Rated PG, Score 8/10, audiobook read by Michael York, 4:21)

Wishtree by Katherine Applegate

Red is a wishtree. She is 216 rings old. Every year, the people of the community come and tie their wishes to her branches for good luck. Red protects families in her hollows- raccoons, opossums, and a crow named Bongo. Millie and I listened to this fun little story. My favorite part was learning how all the different animals name their babies. Crows take on the name of their favorite loud sound, skunks are named after good smells, and possums are named after the things that scare them. Red protects two houses. Samar is a young muslim girl who lives in one. Stephen is a young boy who lives in the other. Someone in the neighborhood carves a hateful word into Red- leave. The police get involved. The adults get sketchy. The tree’s owner starts talking about cutting Red down. So Red, faced with the end of her time, breaks the rules and talks to the kids. And the kids listen. The animals, the kids, and Red come together to everyone’s benefit. 

This is for baby animals and young humans who love trees. 

(Rated PG, Score 8/10, audiobook read by Nancy Linari, 2:33)

Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis

Have you ever accused the gods? Have you ever felt hard done by, used, tricked, or abused by the gods or fate? This book is a story like that. It is a retelling of the myth of Cupid and Psyche, told from the perspective of Psyche’s older sister, Orual. Orual writes the story as an accusation against the gods. She accuses them of taking Psyche from her and destroying their happiness. The kingdom sacrifices Psyche to the gods to save itself from a famine. They chain her to a tree at the top of a mountain and leave her there for the god of the mountain. But Orual finds that Psyche has not been eaten by beasts, but instead claims to be the bride of the god of the mountain. Orual cannot see the god’s palace and believes that Psyche is being manipulated by a rogue or criminal. Orual manipulates Psyche into disobeying the god. The god becomes enraged and sends Psyche away from him forever. The rest of the story is about Orual’s development as queen and her lessons in love, loss, grief, and the journey to self-realization. 

This is for princesses, demigods, and readers of Greek myths.

(Rated PG, Score 8/10, audiobook read by Wanda McCaddon, 8:06)

On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness by Andrew Peterson

The Igiby children- Janner, Tink, and Leeli live in the Glipwood township, which is occupied by the Fangs of Dang. The evil Fangs oppress the citizens. On Dragon Day, the Igibys end up in a scuffle with the Fangs, which escalates over the course of the book. Their mother Nia bails the Igiby children out of Fang jail. They try to keep to themselves, but a showdown is inevitable. The Igiby children’s grandfather, Podo, leads the clan to Anklejelly Manor, where they take shelter in a secret weapon stash while the Fangs battle the deadly creatures from Glipwood Forest. In the morning after the battle, all the Fangs are dead, which buys the Igibys some time to prepare for their journey to the cold north and discover old secrets of who they really are - the Jewels of Anniera. Being a fantastic work of fiction, in a totally made-up world, this little book is so fun and creative. The characters are colorful and memorable, and there are many lessons woven into the narrative. 

This is for small adventurers and bigger adventurers who can tag along.

(Rated PG, Score 8/10, Audiobook read by the author, 8:19, hardback, 304p.)

Non-Fiction Books

I started several non-fiction books, but didn’t finish any this month. I’ve been distractible. 

Preview/Currently Reading-

Strong Ground by Brene Brown

The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks

The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer

Separation by Seth Ring (Battle Mage Farmer #7)

Trust by Henry Cloud

The Apostle’s Creed by Ben Meyers

I track my books in a database called Goodreads. It might help manage your reading lists. 

Final Thoughts- 

Aubrey’s Grandpa Buzz passed away on the 17th. He was 100 years old. We honored him last weekend. Words fail to express the emotions we’ve been wrestling with. It’s been tough. 

Pastor Robert crafted this poem and read it for Grandpa Buzz. It honors him well.

A Poem of Honor

A hundred years of morning light,

From Hoisington to distant shore,

He stood within the thick of fight,

Then brought the peace of home once more.

The whistle blew, the game was played,

With steady hand and honest eye,

In every bond and friendship made,

He let his light reflect the sky.

With Betty’s hand held fast in his,

A polka beat, a silvered floor,

They knew what true devotion is -

A love that lasts forevermore.

The Purple Heart, the Mason’s square,

The quiet work, the silver hair,

A century of grace and prayer,

Is gathered in the Master’s care.

So rest now, Buzz, the race is run,

The dance is through, the prize is won.

A century’s work is grandly done,

Beneath the light of God’s own Son.

A hundred years is a long time to live. I pray that I will run my race well. 

Thanks for adventuring with me. 

Joshua

PS. I’m looking to grow and improve this little experiment. If you have benefited from it and would like to support my ability to buy better books or run with some other ideas I have been working on, here is your opportunity. You could think of it as an investment or buying me a coffee.