FROM THE SPINE - JUNE 2025 BOOK REVIEWS

June 2025

What a crazy month. Work has been crazy busy, so I took a week off to go to New Mexico. We had 4 parties in 3 days. We celebrated my niece’s graduation, my Grandma Lucy’s 90th Birthday, my other niece’s birthday, and I got to spend Father's Day with my Dad. I had the chance to play sled hockey with my nephew. It was such a fun, challenging, and humbling experience. Jet and I transplanted some little red maple trees. We bought a new lawnmower so Jet can help me with all the mowing. We are trying to teach some new skills and work ethic. So far, it’s going pretty well. 

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

Fiction Books

The Eye of the Bedlam Bride by Matt Dinniman (Dungeon Crawler Carl #6)

This is book 6. Floor 8 of the Dungeon. The floor is a recording of pre-doomsday Earth. The aliens running the Dungeon took a recording of Earth a few weeks before the Dungeon started, and they dumped the crawlers into that recording in their choice of city to start the floor. The floor is also a card game floor. Each crawler crew must capture six monsters, turning them into cards which are used in the combat system for the later stages of the floor. There are some bizarre monsters and cards generated by the AI. It generates monsters, icons, and nightmare creatures from different cultures around the world. The dungeon admins abuse the Crawlers by forcing confrontations with people/monster bosses from their pasts. Carl and his crew have to fight a hydra with heads from his past- an old boss, a friend, and a surprise half-brother that he didn’t even know he had. There are some interesting political/strategy developments tied to the upcoming Faction Wars on floor 9. Carl, Donut, and their friends have been disastering (new word I just invented cause I couldn’t think up a better one) the Faction Wars setup every chance they get. Faction Wars is supposed to be a game that the uber-rich play for fame and money, but Carl and Donut change the rules to force real danger to the Dungeon tourists. The plot takes crazy twists and turns as the Crawlers face a giant demon and are forced to face off against each other to win keys to the stairways to the next floor. The series, already dark, gets darker as the game progresses, the stakes get higher, and the AI devolves. It’s like the Harry Potter books. Each one is longer, more complex, and darker. I had to take a break from the series after this one.

This is for mature card gamers. 

(Rated R, Score 7/10, audiobook read by Jeff Hays and others, 26:46)

Domestication by Seth Ring (Battle Mage Farmer #1)

John Sutton is a stranger to the valley. He is a powerful magic user disguised as a retired soldier, trying to take up farming. John finds his farm and inherits two workers, Ellie and Ben. John is trying to figure out how to prevent the apocalypse. His first quest is to retire and start farming. After he rescues his cows, he completes the retirement quest. His new quest is to learn how to grow wheat in any conditions. It is fun to watch John rebuild the dairy farm. His bull and rooster have big personalities. Trouble seems to find John. He maintains a calm demeanor in the face of wolves, thugs, and dark monsters. I’m not sure I fully understand the magic system in the book/game setting, but I think that’s most of the point. The reader gets to discover more magic along with John. This story was a fun relief from the darkness of the Carl books. Thanks, Max, for recommending this fun series. 

This is for beginner LitRPG readers and aspiring farmers. 

(Rated PG, Score 8/10, audiobook read by Michael Kramer, 12:01, ebook, 370p.)

Germination by Seth Ring (Battle Mage Farmer #2)

The adventures of the overpowered farmer continue in book 2. John Sutton is still trying to complete his quest: Grow wheat. John builds a successful farm, expanding cheese and wheat production, but his progress isn’t enough to stop his accrual of Doom Points. This book focuses on the character evolution of Ellie. John helps Ellie to complete the process of becoming a magic wielder. She steps into her ancient bloodline power and learns to defend herself and others. John and Ellie study magic together and expand their knowledge, skills, spells, and enemies. Together, they ally with the horse people of the great plain, convincing them to trade rather than raid and pillage. John also discovers that his bull (who is a Beast, meaning he can consume and use mana), Ferdi, is feeding and protecting a special plant. When he investigates the plant, John gets a new quest to discover why his animals are becoming more intelligent and where the root of the plant leads. The quest ends in a tower raid and a proper boss battle. I like the characters, the hard work they do on the farm, and the way they are called to simpler times.

This is for 

(Rated PG, Score 8/10, audiobook read by Michael Kramer, 12:00) 

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

Anne Shirley is a hilarious little orphan girl. She has bright red hair and too many freckles. Matthew and his sister Marilla Cuthbert accidentally adopt her. They were hoping to adopt a young orphan boy to help Matthew on the farm, but there was a mix-up, and Anne won Matthew’s heart before he could send her back to the orphanage. Anne has so many crazy ideas and so many words. For example, on her first trip to Green Gables, she renames Barry’s Pond as The Lake of Shining Waters. Trouble finds her several times. But she also has a quick wit, a fiercely loyal heart, and holds a grudge like an elephant. Gilbert Blythe is a young boy who calls Anne “carrots” in school. It takes him many years and the rest of the book to convince Anne to forgive him and become friends instead of rivals. Anne slowly wins the hearts of her neighbors in Avonlea. She saves a baby who nearly dies of croup, she calls it like she sees it, and she uses her big imagination to tell funny stories. Millie and I laughed our way through this heartwarming story. There is a sad part toward the end when Matthew suffers a sudden heart attack. We didn’t like that as much. Millie’s favorite part is when Anne meets her bosom friend Diana. The two little girls become fast friends with secret codes and adventures. We could all use more light and life, and imagination in our lives like Anne. 

This is for anyone who needs a fun, positive story.

(Rated G, Score 10/10, audiobook read by Susan O’Malley, 10:39)

Cultivation by Seth Ring (Battle Mage Farmer #3) 

Farmer John Sutton is trying to fend off the apocalypse. His doom points keep counting up toward 100. When they hit 100, the apocalypse will begin. But John can’t figure out why his points go up or down, so that’s why he’s farming and researching magic. His single quest, to grow wheat, persists. A storm is building in the peaceful valley. There is an undead army that is shuffling toward the farm. John and his farm family must protect the farm and the people of the nearby town. As they rally the townsfolk, John finds an old friend, Katherine, who was also summoned from Earth and developed into a powerful sage. Katherine seeks John’s help and protection after being driven out of her country by the evil organization called Infinitum. John and his powerful friends face off against an evil necromancer and his cronies. The final battle feels cheesy, and the team discovers that it is a trap for John. The necromancer tries to steal John’s body, but the plot backfires. In the end, the sages discover a door to another realm and develop a way to save their world from mana poisoning. 

This is for zombie apocalypse fans.

(Rated PG, Score 8/10, audiobook read by Michael Kramer, 12:28)

The Wild Robot Protects by Peter Brown (Wild Robot #3)

This is the Wild Robot book that almost never was. The author wrapped up the story in the first two books so well that she didn’t want to start a new story. Then she found an idea about protecting our homes (local and global) and couldn’t let it go. So, we get one more story about Roz. Roz is a wild robot who lives on a wild island. She loves the animals there. She keeps the peace and helps those in need. Her son, Bright Bill, and all her animal friends live there. One day, a dangerous threat comes to their home: the poison tide. The poison tide chokes out life on the island and forces many animals to flee. When the danger reaches a pinnacle, Roz takes action. She learns how to swim and sets out to find the Great Shark, who should have the wisdom to end the poison tide. Roz meets many sea animals on her adventure, which takes her to the great cold north. At the end of her journey, Roz finds a human mining operation. The mining is the source of the poison tide. Roz tries to convince the humans to stop creating the poison. The animals take a slightly more aggressive approach. In the end, Roz returns to the island to help raise her grand-goslings. 

This is for anyone who wants to protect their home. 

(Rated PG, Score 7/10, audiobook read by Kathleen McInerney, 4:48)

Non-Fiction Books

10 Rules for Resilience by Joe De Sena

This is not your normal parenting book. The author is the founder of Spartan Death Races, so he has a different perspective than most humans and parents. Here are the ten rules: 

Rule 1: You can’t, until you can- Build a better belief system. 

Rule 2: Earned, not given - The power of hard work and delayed gratification.

Rule 3: Commit to no bull$hit - Eliminate the excess and excuses. 

Rule 4: Live your values - Find your true north and communicate it.

Rule 5: Fail forward - Learn to embrace falling in the mud. 

Rule 6: Dedicate to a daily routine - How schedules lead to success. 

Rule 7: Discipline breeds responsibility - The impact of integrity. 

Rule 8: Into the wild- Find joy in exercise and resist devices. 

Rule 9: Raw courage- Getting a grip on fear. 

Rule 10: Ready for anything- Have grit, change the world. 

Before you can teach your kids the rules, you have to chase them yourself. The thing is, these are tough rules. Listening to this book triggered some shame and some guilt, and some reevaluating my life choices. I quit reading it for a bit while I processed some of it. Most of us (including me) are addicted to comfort, sugar, and safety. We pick the easy way. We avoid discomfort. We have all the excuses. But that’s not what we are made for. We are made to do crazy hard things. We are made to move. We are made to build and create. We are made for more. 

This book has already challenged me. It changed my mind. It reminded me that I’m dangerous. It gave me permission to do weird stuff that challenges me. It challenged me to challenge my kids. It prompted me to take a walk in the rain (then the lightning got aggressive and Aubrey rescued me). I’m teaching my kids some of these lessons now. 

At the end of the book, Joe lists these 12 Challenge Questions:

1. What am I doing for my kids that they could be doing for themselves?

2. When my children are experiencing difficult emotions, how can I take a step back and let them experience those emotions?

3. What should I say no to the next time my kids push for it?

4. What do I want my kids to see me doing? 

5. What one rule do I want to enforce on a daily basis? 

6. What is one mature behavior I can demand from my children? 

7. What fears, from ticks to a fear of heights, am I discussing in front of my children, and how can I talk about it in a way that is productive? 

8. What would be an exciting and slightly scary challenge for my kids? 

9. What outdoor game or activity would be fun to play with my children? 

10. What natural wonder would I like to take my kids to experience? 

11. What must my children accomplish before they get screen time? 

12. What is something I am good at that I’ve always wanted to teach my children? 

Have you ever done an obstacle course race? How do you feel about burpees? When was the last time you got really muddy? One other challenge in the book that I am pondering is this: Do something new every week. 

This is for anyone looking for a good motivational kick in the shin.

(Rated R (language), Score 9/10, audiobook read by the author, 7:03)

Preview/Currently Reading-

Whisper by Mark Batterson

Prepared by Mike Glover

Fermentation by Seth Ring (Battle Mage Farmer #4)

This Inevitable Ruin by Matt Dinniman (Dungeon Crawler Carl #7)

Firefight by Brandon Sanderson (The Reckoners #2)

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

Final Thoughts- 

I’ve been pondering an idea for a few years now. It’s a slippery idea. It’s hard to put into words, but it goes something like this: I want to create a special token to give to young graduates like my niece Kayden or close family friends. This token would be like a challenge coin, or card, or something difficult to accidentally destroy. There would be a message to go with the token, which would explain that the bearer of the token was entitled to one rescue/conversation/action from me. Just call, and I’ll come and help. No judgement. Just help in a time of trouble. Just a friend or uncle. The intent would be to communicate that life is crazy, and sometimes we find ourselves in crazy situations and just need help. Sometimes we have questions that don’t feel safe for our normal group of people. When I was talking to my friend Aleksandr, he described it like a “break in case of emergency” situation. When I graduated, one of my uncles took me aside and told me that if I ever needed anything, I could call him. I’ve never had to make that call, but it has been a comfort to know that I could. I wish to provide that safety net feeling to others, but I need some help figuring out how to best communicate the gravity, sincerity, and authenticity of the promise. I would love to hear if you have similar stories or ideas about how to execute this idea more clearly. 

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. 

FROM THE SPINE - MAY 2025 BOOK REVIEWS

May 2025

May is a busy month. We had soccer, dance, school activities, graduations, retirements, and Aubrey took a trip to Scotland just for fun in the middle. I managed to keep the kids alive. We finished the dance season, soccer season, and the school year. The May rains have been a relief. Oh, and there’s a new Murderbot show on AppleTV+. I’m cautiously optimistic about it so far. 

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

Fiction Books

Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan (Percy Jackson #2)

Percy Jackson is bad at following rules. Lucky for him, the rules are meant to be broken, ignored, or circumvented in his weird in-between world. Percy is a demigod. He is half human and half god, so he moves between the worlds kinda like Harry Potter. Percy and his half-brother, Tyson, end up at Camp Half-Blood early because there is trouble. Someone poisoned the tree that protects the camp from evil monsters, so the protection is decaying. The only cure is the Golden Fleece, which is lost in the Sea of Monsters. Percy, Annabeth, and Tyson head out to save Grover and find the fleece. They encounter all kinds of monsters, perils, and adventures. Percy learns about seeing beyond his friend's exterior and his insecurities to find the real value and power in his friends. He also sees how his friends are gifts from the gods. Percy makes hard choices and sacrifices in his journey. Will they be worth the pain? 

This is for young people learning how to distinguish between right and wrong. 

(Rated PG, Score 7/10, audiobook read by Jesse Bernstein, 7:55)

Caliban’s War by James S.A. Corey (The Expanse #2)

It has been a while since I read Book 1, so it took a while to remember some of the characters, but the author made it extra interesting by introducing a new setting (Ganymede) and a group of new characters. Eventually, James Holden and the crew of the Rocinante are reintroduced and mixed into the drama. Most sequels are just extensions of the previous storyline with the same cast. This one felt different. The story is about an arms race between Mars and Earth while everyone tries to ignore the dragon growing on Venus. There is a group of children who are kidnapped, and finding them becomes Holdon’s task. That storyline combines with the political and military escalation between the two planetary fleets. There are two new characters that I enjoyed: Bobbie- a Martian Marine who survives the initial assault on Ganymede, and Chrisjen Avasarala, who is a UN (Earth) official. She is a little old lady with a dirty mouth and big ideas. They are both working through their journey of grief, and they help each other. I hear there is a good show created from this book series (The Expanse), but I haven’t watched any of it. I’ll read the books first. 

This is for Martians, Belters, and anyone who enjoys a good space battle. 

(Rated R, Score 8/10, audiobook read by Jefferson Mays, 21:00)

Alone by Morgan E. Freeman

Maddie is a normal teenage girl navigating the angles between her parents and trying to fit in. Bad luck and even worse timing led her to be abandoned in her small town in Colorado. Everyone evacuates, and Maddie misses the transport. She wakes up to find herself truly alone. She spends the rest of the book learning how to survive. She faces all kinds of challenges and hardships. Her only companion is George, the neighbor’s abandoned Rottweiler. Together they roam the town and the surrounding area, scavenging food and water. The library becomes their only source of new information. Maddie learns how to drive, farm, and understand the world through books and poetry. There were two ideas that stuck out. First, good correspondence always begins with gratitude. Second, this quote: “Loneliness and insanity are twin houseguests, and it’s hard to entertain one without inviting the other in as well.” Thanks, Jennifer, for the recommendation.

This is for young people who think they have a hard life. 

(Rated PG, Score 7/10, audiobook read by Gail Shalan, 4:50)

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

Brian is a 13-year-old boy battling his way through his parents’ divorce. His mom gives him a hatchet before sending him to his father for the summer in Canada. On the way, in a small single-engine Cessna, Brian flies as copilot. Midway through the flight, the pilot suffers a massive heart attack and dies, leaving Brian alone at 7,000 feet with no idea how to survive. Brian calls for help over the radio, but can’t reach anyone who can help. Eventually, the plane runs out of gas and Brian crash-lands the plane through some trees into a lake, barely surviving and swimming to shore. Now he’s all alone, concussed, and confused. Brian struggles against the wild, learning hard lessons, winning small victories, and is ultimately transformed from a scared boy into a toughened survivor. The bugs try to eat him alive, the wildlife tries to kill him a few times, and hunger becomes an ever-present motivator. He learns to find berries and eggs. He teaches himself how to fish and then how to hunt. He learns how to make fire with the hatchet and some flint he finds in his shelter. He learns how to use his senses to survive. He learns how to hear the animals and how to see past the colors to find the birds he hunts. He learns to prioritize food and safety. “First food, then thought, then action.” He learns to stay busy to keep his thoughts from wandering. One day, after months on his own, nature tries extra hard to kill Brian. He is ambushed by a moose, which nearly crushes and drowns him in the lake. After he escapes to his shelter, everything he’s built and collected is destroyed by a tornado. But he isn’t shaken. He started with just the hatchet, and he can rebuild everything again. The next day, Brian sees that the tornado has left him a gift- it moved the plane wreckage to a place where the tail is visible above the water. He builds a raft and floats out to the wreck, hunting for the survival pack it holds and the wealth of survival gear in it. It takes him a whole day to free the pack and haul it back to his shelter, but inside, it has miracles like food, a gun, fishing gear, and an emergency transponder. Brian isn’t even done cooking his first meal out of the stores when a plane drops down on his lake and parks on his beach. A hunter/trapper heard his emergency transponder and came to his rescue. Brian survived almost two months on his own in the story. Listening to this story made me want to do some more camping and survival training. My kids are just about big enough to handle some next summer, I think. That will be great because it will give Aubrey some quiet time. 

This is for boys, survivors, and nature lovers. 

(Rated PG, Score 8/10, audiobook read by Peter Coyote, 3:42)

The River by Gary Paulsen

Brian is trying to work his way back into a normal life after his adventure in the Canadian wilderness in Hatchet. He can’t quite get used to the amazing amount of food available in the city after starving and scavenging to survive. Brian is visited by some men who seek to learn from his experience. They teach survival courses, but none of them have ever had to survive like Brian. They want him to do it again. They try to convince Brian and his parents to allow Brian to participate in a field experiment where they will study his survival mindset and psychology so that they can more effectively teach their courses. His parents object. Why would they let Brian go back into the wild after thinking he was dead? Brian eventually convinces them that his participation could save many lives. Brian and Derek decide to go back to the wilderness near where Brian was stranded previously. They fly into a lake, and Derek plans to document Brian’s thoughts and actions as they survive. Brian forces the pilot to take all the survival gear except a radio. He is convinced that the experience will not be real with the gear. Brian and Derek set up camp, find food, and begin the process of getting to know the land, but it’s all too easy. So, of course, nature and fate add some tension. Brian finds himself in an impossible situation and must face the river to survive. This book is much shorter than Hatchet. It doesn’t quite live up to the first book. 

This is for little survivalists.

(Rated PG, Score 7/10, audiobook read by Peter Coyote, 2:31)

The Butcher’s Masquerade by Matt Dinniman (Dungeon Crawler Carl #5)

Carl is in trouble- all kinds of trouble. But Carl likes trouble. At the end of book 4, he and his fellow Dungeon Crawler friends tricked a lot of important people, pulling off a stunt that will have ripple effects for the rest of the series. (Who knows how many books that will be?) So Carl wakes up between floors in a legal dilemma. He demands a lawyer, and remarkably, he gets one. Through some skillful negotiations, Carl gets several concessions, including some new spells and bodyguards/mercenaries. Book 5 is all about Floor 6 of the Dungeon called The Hunting Grounds. On this floor, Hunters join the Crawl from outside the dungeon. They are typically ruthless killers who rampage the floor, killing the crawlers and looting their gear in preparation for the Faction Wars, which will be on the 9th Floor. Carl, Donut, Mongo, Katia, and Mordecai work together to eliminate the Hunters before they can get powered up. They make some powerful enemies and some new friends. Mongo even finds a dinosaur girlfriend. The story pushes everything to a climax at an event called The Butcher’s Masquerade, where the top 50 crawlers and the remaining Hunters gather for a ball. There are many moving pieces to the story when they converge at the ball. I probably need to re-listen to that bit just to sort it all out and catch some of the nuances. The Crawlers face Queen Imogen, who is the first country boss they find. They must defeat her to survive. These books are getting longer and much more complex. They hold a lot of political and emotional complexity for books that are supposed to be like a video game. Not quite as confusing as Game of Thrones, but getting close. There are a few moments the author creates where there is no right way out for the characters, only hard choices with heavy consequences. It’s interesting to see how these moments play out and how the characters change. “The goat’s demeanor had greatly changed from the first time I’d met him. Trauma does that, I thought. It’s an explosion with your heart at the center. It changes everything all at once.” There is a lot of evil and trauma in our world. All we can control is how we act. 

This is for crawlers, fighters, and dungeon anarchists. 

(Rated R, Score 9/10, audiobook read by Jeff Hays, 23:33)

Agent In Place by Mark Greaney (Grayman #7)

The gray man is back in action on “vacation” this time (so he's not on assignment for the CIA), working to rescue a Spanish supermodel from an ISIS attack in Paris. From there, his mission gets more sketchy and more extreme. His fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants style leads him to Syria on a rescue/kidnapping mission with undesirable company. This is book 7 of the series, and it is the most complicated plot so far. This is an expertly woven story of action and adventure. It is interesting to observe Court’s motivation and inner dialogue evolve through the book series. His external dialogue is interesting, too. I’ve never been a good trash-talker, so it’s fun to read the banter between the deadliest man and those around him. He doesn’t hold back. I recommend this book for the spy-craft fans who like the Bourne books, Mitch Rapp, or Bond, but if you are like me and have to read series in their proper order, start with book 1 - The Gray Man.

This is for seekers of justice and peace.
(Rated R, Score 9/10, audiobook read by Jay Snyder, 16:26)

Non-Fiction Books

Think Again by Adam Grant

This is a tough book. It’s all about learning how to be wrong gracefully and then learning and thinking again. It takes a lot of courage to admit when you are wrong. And yet, we are wrong about all kinds of things all the time. What a gift to be able to treat being wrong like a gift. What if we could all say, “That was wonderful- I was wrong. I am now less wrong than I was before.” 

Overconfidence is dangerous. Overconfidence and pride keep us from being able to reconsider our beliefs and incorporate new data into our paradigms. Arrogance = ignorance + conviction.  

This book is organized into three sections: 

1- Individual Rethinking- This section is about the battle in your own head. Honestly evaluating your beliefs, opinions, and understanding, and then being humble, curious, and having a learning/growth mindset. 

2-Interpersonal Rethinking- This section is about how we disagree, argue, and persuade others. The author suggests making these interactions more like a dance. Read the other side. Listen. Give good feedback. Find all the things that you agree on first to build trust and the relationship. Then the differences are smaller and easier to resolve. There is a chapter on what it takes to rethink deep sports rivalries (Red Sox vs Yankees) and another about the science of teaching people how to rethink childhood vaccinations. The lessons are about how to listen well in order to inspire change. 

3- Collective Rethinking- This section is about creating communities of lifelong learners. A lot of people are never taught how to think or rethink. If you go along with the majority, you don’t have to use your brain and make your own decisions. The author outlines ways to teach students how to question their textbooks and reimagine the learning process. 

Here are some of the ideas that resonated with me as I worked through the book: 

~Dropping one’s tools creates an existential crisis. Without my tools, who am I?

~Admitting when you are wrong is honorable. 

~Taking responsibility is taking your power back. 

~To harness the power of disagreeable people, create a challenge group. 

~Use spirited debate. Lean into task conflict, not personality conflict. 

~Beware the HIPO-Highest Paid Person’s Opinion.

~This is a powerful question: What evidence would change your mind? 

I enjoyed this book. I like the author’s mix of intelligent perspective, research, humor, and practical application ideas. Rethinking comes pretty naturally for me. I think we were taught to be humble and curious. We also learned not to trust or believe everything we read, heard, or saw. I’m interested to see if I can use the practical ways of helping groups rethink. 

This is for anyone interested in learning how to think better.

(Rated PG, Score 10/10, audiobook read by the author, 6:40, paperback, 320p.)

The Lord’s Prayer by Wesley Hill 

I like these little books in this series. They have bite-sized wisdom and insight into areas that can be forgotten or lose their power through repetition. This book contains a chapter for each phrase in the Lord’s Prayer from Matthew 6 and Luke 11. I’m sure you’ve heard this prayer before. We prayed it before every soccer game in high school, so even my heathen friends knew it.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial, and deliver us from evil. (Doxology) For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever. Amen.

The author goes through each petition, giving history, context, and color about why Jesus taught his disciples to pray with these words. There are some deep theological truths and some practical notes. When addressing the question about why we should pray, the author uses this quote from C.S. Lewis, which resonated deeply with me: “I pray because I can’t help myself. I pray because I’m helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time, waking and sleeping. It doesn’t change God. It changes me.” I have found this to be true in my life lately. Giving things to God changes me. It relieves stress, reminds me who is in control, and reminds me of my priorities. 

This is for anyone looking to pray deeper prayers. 

(Rated G, Score 9/10, hardback, 120p.)

Preview/Currently Reading-

Whisper by Mark Batterson

Prepared by Mike Glover

The Eye of the Bedlam Bride by Matt Dinniman (Dungeon Crawler Carl #6)

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

Final Thoughts- 

Aubrey found this Read Your Color Survey. My reading color is red. My mom always said red was my color. I think in this case, it just means action and adventure. Take the survey and send me your color. 

There was a fascinating conversation in Caliban’s War that I’ve been pondering. Chrisjen is trying to save the human race. She’s dealing with two human space fleets and a new threat growing on Venus. Her spouse tells her, “It’s not all your responsibility.”

Her response hit hard: “It’s everyone’s f***ing responsibility, but I’m the only one who’s taking it seriously.” 

There are so many things in this world that are everyone’s responsibility. Being an adult means taking at least some of those important things very seriously. Being a parent means teaching the kids to take responsibility for themselves and their actions. Being a professional means seeing the work that needs to be done and then having the guts, grit, and cleverness to get the work done in spite of the politics, lack of resources, and doubters. As I pondered this, I remembered the Jordan Peterson idea about the path of maximum responsibility also being the path of maximum adventure. Take your path of maximum adventure very seriously. 

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.