August 2026
August has been hot - so hot they cancelled some soccer practices and games. We used the racquetball courts to train those days. We spent August packing, cleaning, and doing lots of paperwork. We moved to a new house and sold our old house. Now we are trying to figure out where we put everything we packed and find spots for everything. Moving is hard work.
Anyway, here are the books I finished and my reviews of them:
Fiction Books
Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston
Amari is a young black girl from the hood. She’s trying to make her way in the world, but she’s starting from a disadvantage. Her single mom is struggling to make ends meet, and her older brother has disappeared. Everything changes for Amari when she gets drawn into a world of magic. Her brother leaves her clues and an invitation into the magic world he discovered. Amari must brave the challenges of learning so much about her new world, and she seeks to find her lost brother at all costs. She makes new friends (and new enemies). She steps into her new powers and learns to control them. She also sees that even the magical world is full of prejudice, deception, power struggles, and kind souls. Humans, after all, are still human, even if they have magic powers. Amari is drawn into a desperate hunt for an ancient artifact that would unleash ancient evils upon the world. Can she solve the puzzles, piece together the clues, and defeat the Night Brothers?
I enjoyed the novelty of this story. It blends magic and lore from many different backgrounds in new ways. I found myself cheering for Amari as she made hard decisions and evolved through the challenges she faced. Here are some questions and themes the book wrestled with: Life is not fair. How we deal with that fact shows our character. For example, Amari comes out of poverty to compete with the rich kids. What (or who) are we willing to fight for? Amari fights for her family. What lies or illusions are we believing? What lies or illusions are we creating or perpetuating? Amari is an illusionist. She has to learn how to use her powers safely. How can we give others the hand up we needed? How can we embrace our gifts and grow them for ourselves and others? I did struggle a little with the teen girl vibe. Never been a teen girl, so it was a stretch to feel all the same feels.
This is for readers who believe in magic, mysteries, and thrills.
(Rated PG, Score 8/10, audiobook read by Imani Parks, 11:12)
Remember Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn and their shenanigans. This is the deeper, darker side of that story, following the slave Jim, who is a very complex character. Jim runs away from his owner and family when he hears that he is going to be sold. He hides out on an island for a bit before floating down the Mississippi River with Huck. Jim decides he is going to earn enough money to buy his wife and daughter to free them from their former owner. Jim hides his education and philosophical musings behind a mask of slave speak. The longer he is free, the more the mask slips away. Eventually, Jim’s transformation is complete. He becomes James, a free man who has the power of words and ideas driving him forward and rescuing other oppressed slaves.
One particular part of this book that resonated with me was when Jim gets bitten by a rattlesnake and spends several days in a fever dream trying to recover. With only the renegade boy Huck to care for him, he is lucky to live. Here’s their conversation when Jim is recovered enough to eat again: “I’m glad you didn’t die,” Huck said. “I’m a right pleased about that my own self.” I stared into the fire. “ Dying can ruin a good time.” Watch out for those rattlesnakes.
This is a very challenging book. I can see why it would win awards. It is filled with brutal truths and the sins of our American slavery past. The type of things you can only tell in story form, because they are too ugly and raw to be faced on their own. We humans have immense power for cruelty, self-deception, and violence. We also have immense power for love, rescue, redemption, and connection. Like James, we need to use our words and actions to free each other and rescue the powerless. I hope we can learn from our history and build a better today and tomorrow for our kids.
This is for philosophers, historians, and seekers.
(Rated R, Score 9/10, audiobook read by Dominic Hoffman, 7:49)
Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman (DCC#1)
It’s been a while since I read this first book, and with all the popularity and hype, I wanted to revisit it while we wait for book #9. This was my first LitRPG book- the characters end up in a role-playing game. The world (Earth) is destroyed and changed into a big game for the universe to watch. Carl and his ex-girlfriend’s cat, Princess Donut, get sucked into the game as contestants (Crawlers). It’s like Survivor, but a dungeon video game- but real life to them. They enter the dungeon as Level 1 on Floor 1. Donut gains the ability to talk and gain status as a crawler by eating a magical pet biscuit. They start by defeating a group of goblins. Next, they find a training room and a mentor who teaches them all about the game. Each floor collapses after a set time. Each deeper floor is filled with worse bad guys. Carl and Donut work together to gain levels, find treasure, build weapons, and stay alive. This book only covers the first two floors of danger and chaos out of eighteen. This is the type of book you should not read to wind down. It will get your blood pressure up and hook you into reading way past your bedtime.
This is for gamers and not for anyone easily offended.
(Rated R, Score 8/10, audiobook read by Jeff Hays, 13:31)
Carl’s Doomsday Scenario by Matt Dinniman (DCC#2)
Carl and Princess Donut start book 2 right where book 1 left off. They are trapped in a video game. Earth is now Dungeon Crawler World, which is a combo game/reality TV show for the alien universe. The surviving humans are contestants. Carl and Donut survived the first couple of training floors in book 1, so they get to pick race and class attributes. Mongo, their pet velociraptor, is growing along with them. As he learns and levels up, his size changes dramatically. At the start of the book, he’s chicken-sized, and at the end, he’s more like a horse. Mordecai, their game guide, gets promoted to be Donut’s manager, which means they drag him around Over City. Floor three is called Over City, and it has new enemies and dangers. Carl gets dumped into a creepy circus quest. He and Mordecai prepare a plan that morphs and adapts as the story plays out. He ends up cutting a deal for later floors, reuniting a family, and rescuing Donut and Mongo along the way. When they find a bigger town, they get stuck in a new quest. They have to solve a Sky Foul mystery. The quest takes them to the end of the floor. The author does a good job dressing up deep struggles and tensions in gore and game dressing. Like a good video game, the story is complex, the plot is unpredictable, and there are deeper themes, but you can easily get lost in the design and graphics. My favorite character is Mongo. He’s funny.
This is for mature gamers.
(Rated R, Score 7/10, audiobook read by Jeff Hays, 11:28)
On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness by Andrew Peterson (Wingfeather Saga #1)
Jet loves this series, so we are revisiting it. It is predictable in a time when a lot of life seems chaotic. 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, and they try to keep to themselves, but a final 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. Plus, 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.)
North! Or Be Eaten by Andrew Peterson (Wingfeather Saga #2)
In book 2, 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)
All Systems Red by Martha Wells (Murderbot #1)
Murderbot is a human/machine hybrid in charge of security for a survey team on a distant planet. It struggles with human interactions/emotions, preferring the humans in its charge to perceive it as a robot rather than a person. Murderbot has to step up its security game after its team is attacked by violent predators on the planet, then by an unknown, rogue team of surveyors with hacked security bots. The bad guys wipe out a different survey team and try to hijack Murderbot when it investigates the other team’s habitat. Murderbot’s team rescues him, and they work their way off the planet to safety. Thanks, Lucas, for the recommendation.
This book is for sci-fi fans and socially awkward humans.
(Rated PG-13, Score 7/10, audiobook read by Kevin R. Free, 3:17)
The Monster in the Hollows by Andrew Peterson (Wingfeather Saga #3)
After they escape from the Gray Fangs in the north, the Jewels of Anniera sail south to the Green Hollows. The Green Hollows were originally home to two of the main characters in the story- Nia Wingfeather (the Jewels’ mother and the Queen of Anniera) and Podo Helmer (the grandfather). The welcome the family receives is not what they expected. The Hollows Folk guard their land fiercely. Their main enemy has been the Fangs of Dang. Now, a little Fang (Kalmar) has found his way into their peaceful community. The little Fang is treated with contempt and shame, and only by offering her life as collateral is Nia able to secure Kalmar’s freedom. As the story unfolds in the Green Hollows, the three children deepen their gifts and royal roles through schooling, squabbling with the Hollow's children, and through their family ties. As winter falls, animals start disappearing from the farms surrounding the Hollows. Eventually, the people of the Hollows, hearts hardened by fear, capture and attempt to execute Kalmar for murder. There are some excellent twists and turns as the end of the book plays out. Who is the monster? Fear makes people do strange things; it also provides a trigger to help us think about where our greatest opportunities lie.
This is for monsters, little boys, and anyone dealing with bullies.
(Rated PG, Score 9/10, audiobook read by the author, 9:18)
Non-Fiction Books
Hidden Potential by Adam Grant
This book didn’t really resonate with me. It didn’t give me the lightbulb moments or new language for ideas I’m used to getting from Adam Grant. Maybe the timing wasn’t right.
The book aims to show ordinary people how to unlock their hidden potential for greatness. The book is divided into three parts. Part I describes how skills of character are developed. We can develop our character through discomfort, soaking up feedback like a sponge, and focusing on improvement over perfection. Part II covers methods of motivation: using play to tackle the grind of training, building resilience through plateaus and setbacks, and training together to overcome long odds. In Part III, Grant examines systems of opportunity, like the case study of the education system of Finland, discussions on finding talent hidden in your organizations, and finally, the fight of José Hernández to become a NASA astronaut.
One of Grant’s biggest points of emphasis in the book is that it’s not how far you rise, but what you overcome along the way. Each of us starts at a different point on the journey. Each of us has different paths, struggles, helpers, and guides. Let’s maximize our opportunities and lift others with us.
This is for young leaders, teachers, and coaches.
(Rated PG, Score 6/10, audiobook read by the author, 7:21)
Night of the Grizzlies by Jack Olsen
This book tells the story of two deadly bear attacks that happened in Glacier National Park on the same night in August, 1967. The author starts with a history of the park and the progression of humans into the wilderness, pushing the bears farther and farther north. The story is about the tension between humans and bears, and how park officials had plenty of warning about the odd behavior of two different sets of bears around Trout Lake and Granite Park Chalet. Staff at the Chalet had been feeding the bears food scraps daily for many summers. The bear at Trout Lake had been behaving strangely for months, with none of the timidity that other bears showed. The summer of 1967 was unusually dry, and lightning had ignited many fires in the park, so ranger staff was spread thin. Rangers elected to ignore reports of bears acting aggressively while dealing with more pressing threats. The author made it clear that the general attitude and understanding of grizzlies was that they were afraid of humans and as long as you didn’t surprise them, they wouldn’t attack. I’m not sure why the two attacks happened so close together in timing, or why the two victims were so similar, but it is clear that the warning signs were easy to see. The book is a unique balance of documentary content painting the beauty of the park, mixed with horror and suspense because the inevitable bear attacks are coming. It is fascinating. For me, the moral of the story is to always respect nature, especially the big, scary animals.
This is for hunters, conservationists, and backcountry campers.
(Rated PG-13, score 9/10, audiobook read by Kevin Pierce, 6:40)
Currently Reading-
Many Waters by Madeleine L’Engle
I track my books in a database called Goodreads. It might help you manage your reading lists.
Final Thoughts-
This quote found me recently:
“‘It’s dark because you’re trying too hard,’ said Susila. ‘Dark because you want it to be light. Remember what you used to tell me when I was a little girl. “Lightly, child, lightly. You’ve got to learn to do everything lightly. Think lightly, act lightly, feel lightly. Yes, feel lightly, even though you’re feeling deeply. Just lightly let things happen and lightly cope with them.” I was so preposterously serious in those days. … Lightly, lightly—it was the best advice ever given me. … So throw away all your baggage and go forward. There are quicksands all about you, sucking at your feet, trying to suck you down into fear and self-pity and despair. That’s why you must walk so lightly. Lightly, my darling.’” — Aldous Huxley
My Granny passed away this month, and as I was processing the big emotions that come with such a loss, my siblings helped. My brother had this perfect idea. We (separately, cause we are scattered across the country) went to the store and got some Cap’n Crunch. We even decided on the same two kinds. Opening those boxes was like opening a window to the past. The smell immediately took me back to when Granny would visit, and she would bring us each a box of Cap’n Crunch. It was a treat. It was a gift. It was consistent. It was one of the things we looked forward to. It was light. It was kind. It was (now) healing. So, when you are taking yourself too seriously, try something light, like Cap’n Crunch. When you are sad, reach for those moments when you were most alive and free, like a kid on a sugar high. Nothing heals a pity party better than generosity. Shake off fear by connecting with your favorite people.
Thanks for adventuring with me.
Joshua