FROM THE SPINE - JUNE 2020 BOOK REVIEWS

June 2020

Thanks for going on this adventure with me. 

Please comment with any feedback. I am interested in your thoughts on the email layout, reviews, style, grammar, books, and anything else you want to share. 

So, why am I doing this? Well, a lot of reasons I guess. I want to write more. I want to practice reviewing the books I read so that I am actually participating in the creative process and not simply consuming media for the sake of consuming it. I want to share ideas. I want to connect with you all. I want to make my high school humanities teachers proud. I want to sharpen my ability to communicate ideas. I want to share the joy of learning. I want to argue with you about ideas to strengthen my logic, personal philosophy, and language skills. 

Here are the books I managed to finish in June 2020 and my short reviews of them:

Fiction Books

Agent In Place (Gray Man Book #7) by Mark Greaney 

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 super model 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 might be the most complicated plot so far. This is an expertly woven story of action and adventure. 

I recommend this book for the spy-craft fans who like the Bourne books, Mitch Rapp, or Bond, but of course if you are like me and have to read series in their proper order, start with book 1- Gray Man. (Rated R, Score 8/10) 

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

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 and into Skree. 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. (If you have no idea what these words mean, I recommend the Kindle version which has illustrations) 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?

I recommend this book for everyone but read Book 1 in the series first (link above). (Rated PG, Score 8/10) 

Pont Neuf by Max Byrd 

I'm not really sure I understood this short book set at the end of World War II. Annie March is a war correspondent in Europe covering life during the war. Her camera captures the scenes and gets her access to areas she might not have had without it. She sees many tragic scenes as she travels through Europe covering the war. She sees that Eros and Thanatos are often mixed up together.

I recommend this for World War II buffs. (Rated R, Score 2/10) 

How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell

I picked up this little gem after watching the movie about 50 times. It’s always hard to compare books with movies and in this case the storylines are very different. I really like the humor in the movie, and I was hoping that the book would be funny also. I was not disappointed. It’s a funny and clever book. The main character, Hiccup, finds himself in trouble at every turn. Being the son of the Chief, expectations for him to be the hero are high. His dragon, Toothless, is a selfish little turd of a dragon, who proves to be very difficult to train. The path to becoming the hero and a fully accepted member of the clan turns out to be the hard path indeed. 

I recommend this book for adventurers. (Rated PG, Score 7/10) 

The Indwelling (Left Behind Book 7) by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins

The Indwelling takes place at the halfway point of the Tribulation (3 and a half years in). It basically covers the week between the assignation of Nicolae Carpathia (which happens at the end of Book 6) and the indwelling of a resurrected anti-christ Nicolae Carpathia by satan himself. The Tribulation Force, which was scattered across the US, Europe and the middle east, regroups and is forced to find a different hiding place in Chicago, which is believed to be uninhabitable by the CG (Global Community) because of radiation. The book also describes events from Revelation 12 in visions seen by Tsion Ben-Judah. The accuser is cast out of heaven and no longer has access to the throne of Almighty, so he turns his anger on the Tribulation saints, thus beginning the Great Tribulation. 

I recommend this book for those interested in end times. (Rated PG/PG-13, Score 6/10) 

The Silver Chair (Chronicles of Narnia Book 6) by C.S. Lewis

This book introduces Jill Pole who joins Eustace Scrubb on a Narnian rescue mission. They are called out of England by Aslan to rescue the enchanted Prince Rilian. Alsan gives Jill four Signs to guide their way. The two children team up with Puddleglum the Marsh-wiggle and travel to the land of the giants in search of the lost prince. After several missteps and almost being eaten by the gentle giants, they find themselves back on track and captured by earthmen, who take them to the Prince deep underground. They are able to save the prince, destroy the silver chair which controlled his enchantment, defeat the evil queen and rescue Narnia from an enemy invasion. The children learn to follow Aslan’s Signs and grow close in their adventures. At the end of the story Alsan helps them set things right at their broken school in England. 

Even though this book is part of a series, it can be read alone. 

I recommend it for adventurers. (Rated PG, Score 7/10) 

The Last Battle (Chronicles of Narnia Book 7) by C.S. Lewis

All worlds come to an end, and this is the story of the end of Narnia and, of course, the conclusion of the Chronicles of Narnia. Eustace and Jill return to Narnia to aid Tyrion, king of Narnia, who is fighting to save Narnia from an evil ape’s scheme and a Calormen invasion. Their help, though valiant, does not end in victory over the invading army. All seems lost when the king and those fighting with him are forced into the stable where they fear Tash will finish them off. Instead they find the great lion Aslan. Aslan calls forth Father Time and the stars and the old Narnia comes to an end. The new Narnia, which keeps all the best bits of the old Narnia, is more real and more amazing than the old. Aslan calls those who seek him farther up and farther in to his country. The sons of Adam and daughters of Eve learn that they will never have to go back to their old lives in England, because those lives were ended in a train crash. The ending of Narnia is a peek at what the return of Jesus might look like for those in our world who believe in him and how a new earth might be made when the old passes away. It makes me long for heaven. 

I recommend this book for those interested in heaven. (Rated PG, Score 7/10) 

Non-Fiction Books

The Obstacle Is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph by Ryan Holiday

This is a phenomenal book about Stoicism and its practical application to everyday life situations and problems. How can you steal fortune from misfortune? There are three disciplines to focus on, which will allow you to take any obstacle and use it as a launch point: Perception, Action, and Will.

1- Perception- How do we look at the world and our problems? How can we reframe problems so that we can see possible benefits that we can pull from our circumstances? Find the opportunity. 

2- Action- Are we victims or are we heroes? Are we letting things happen to us or are we happening, with purpose to our lives? Follow the process. 

3- Will- Do we have the guts to try, and fail, and try again? Do we crumble under pressure or do we stand up strong, absorb the energy and channel it into action? Who are we when things are going wrong? Are we building things that are bigger than ourselves? Persevere. 

I recommend this book for anyone interested in actionable philosophy. (Rated PG-13, Score 10/10)

Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin

Extreme Ownership is the best leadership book I have read in a while. Jocko and Leif trade off writing sections in the following form: Story, Principle, Application to Business. The chapters are broken up into three parts: Winning the War Within, Laws of Combat, and Sustaining Victory. Of course, chapter 1 is Extreme Ownership, which shows how the most effective leaders have to take extreme ownership of everything in their world- the good, the bad, the wins, the losses, the failures, and so on. Only when a leader is willing to take responsibility for everything that affects the mission can they truly make the hard decisions and commitments it takes to lead and win in tough environments. The rest of the book is built on this principle as the authors cover other topics like Check the Ego, Cover and Move, and Leading Up and Down the Chain of Command. 

My top 3 take-aways:

1) Prioritize and Execute. Relax. Take a look around. Make a call.

2) Simplify. 

3) Don't ask your boss what to do. Tell him what you are going to do.

I highly recommend this book to anyone hunting for some actionable leadership improvement content. The lessons are simple, clearly explained, and supplemented with examples from the military and the private sector. (Rated R, Score 9/10) 

Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah

It is interesting that this book found me during the racism riots of 2020. It helped me see racism in new light and hues. Trevor Noah describes the racism of his experiences in ways that are relatable and honest, without too much bitterness or anger. The stories are funny, and sad and reinforce historical truths. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to those who are seeking to understand racism. (Rated R, Score 7/10) 

Final Thoughts- 

Of all the books I read in June, I think Pont Neuf was the worst because it didn’t really agree with me. I didn’t like the style or language or connect with the characters.

I think that The Obstacle Is The Way was the best because of its applicability and because it triggered this email creation. 

So, that’s it for June. Send me thoughts, questions, answers, criticism and jokes. Again, thanks for your patience, grace, and participation. Feel free to pass this email on, and if you know of anyone who wants to be on the list for July books please have them contact me.

FROM THE SPINE - JULY 2020 BOOK REVIEWS

July 2020

Welcome to July’s edition of my reading adventure. I need a name for it. Please think up your best suggestions. This month I have tried to incorporate feedback and some of my own new ideas. I added the media type that I used to read each book, and a preview list for books I am currently reading in case you want to read along. 

I didn’t get through as many books this month because I was watching the MLS is back Tournament and actually working at my real job now that my furlough weeks are over (for now). 

Here are the books I finished in July 2020 and my short reviews of them:

Fiction Books

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley 

This very interesting book was originally authored by Mary Shelley as a Ghost Story in a small contest with her husband and another gentleman. As you may know, Frankenstein is the name of the scientist who creates a monster, not the name of the monster himself. So many Halloween costumes get this wrong. The story ends up being somewhat like the movie Inception- in several places, it is a story within a story, within a letter. Keeping the layers straight can be a challenge, especially as the story gets started. The story is deeply philosophical, and not written just to be scary. The arc of the story is really about the transformation of the young Frankenstein from a youth, to an ambitious scientist and creator of life and ultimately regretting his creation and his quest to destroy the monster he had blindly created. There is also a parallel arc of the monster’s development- his growth, learning of language and human history and tendencies, and his ultimate destruction of his creator. 

I recommend this to anyone who loves a challenging read or ghost story. 

(Rated PG-13, Score 8/10, Audiobook)

The Adventures of Peter Cottontail by Thornton W. Burgess

My mom recently gave me a 50lb box of books from our childhood reading days. I am going to read them to the kids in an attempt to brainwash them into loving reading like I do. We started with Peter Cottontail. The chapters are short so I have been reading one or two at meal times. Peter Rabbit spends most of the book hippity-hopping around the Green Meadow looking for food and trying not to be food for Reddy Fox. The other animals in the Meadow come in and out of his adventures and usually get a good laugh at Peter or Reddy’s expense. Some of the adventures have a moral aspect; some are just for fun. The next book in the series is The Adventures of Johnny Chuck. 

I recommend this book for kids and the young at heart. 

(Rated G, Score 8/10, Paperback)

Whittington by Alan Armstrong

I’m always listening for book recommendations. My “Want To Read” book list is always growing faster than my “Read” book list. My mom recommended this book recently and I found it in my library app which jumped it to the top of the list. Whittington is a stray cat- a talking cat who finds a new home in a barn full of animals who, like himself, have found the protection and kindness of an old man and his grandchildren. Whittington finds his place in the barn family of animals by working out a truce with the rats who were causing trouble in the barn. As the book progresses, Whittington the cat tells the barn animals a great story of his cat ancestors and a boy named Dick Whittington (for whom he is named). The book weaves together the cat’s story of Dick Whittington, the barn’s stories of the seasons, and the children’s stories of school and growing up. This is a story of how we need each other and of growing stronger through hard work, and how being kind adds value to both the giver and the receiver.

I recommend this book to anyone who loves talking animal books. 

(Rated PG, Score 8/10, Audiobook) 

The Sandman adapted by Dirk Maggs

The Sandman is an Audible Original production based on the graphic novels (comic books) written by Neal Gaiman. It's not a normal audiobook because it has music, sound effects, and many voice actors. There are 20 episodes and each one is unique. The series is dark and horrifying in places. I suggest not binge listening to them. I adjusted to one episode at a time to process the dark and crazy stories. The Sandman, Morphius, is the lord of dreams. These are stories about him and his powers. As you know, dreams are slippery and evasive things to understand and predict and remember; so are these stories. The Sandman interacts with many characters in these stories- humans, fairies, demons, lunatics, nightmares, death, desire, Shakespeare, and on and on. Some of these characters show up in other works by Neil Gaiman. This is the Sandman's story of imprisonment, revenge, restoration, challenges, and victories.

I recommend this audio production book to the brave adult who is not easily offended, scared, or prone to have bad dreams. 

(Rated R, Score 9/10, Audiobook)

Non-Fiction Books

As Many Reps as Possible by Jason Khalipa

Jason is something of a legend in the Crossfit/Fitness community and this book describes his journey and personal methodology for fitness, business, and life as titled. This is a small but challenging book. Each chapter ends with reader exercises (mindfulness and physical) that helped me engage with the materials. The AMRAP (As Many Reps As Possible) mentality is made up of the following five disciplines:

1. Know your WHY – What is your great purpose? Knowing your purpose is the starting point for leveraging great motivation and efficiencies. 

2. Focus on what you can control. Everything else is a waste of energy. 

3. Work hard! Very simple, but difficult to live. 

4. Switch gears- be present. Live in the moment. 

5. Re-evaluate – Make sure you have a big picture look at your priorities and adjust as your life changes. 

As I worked through the reader exercises and read through the chapters which describe the disciplines above, I applied them in specific areas of my life. The physical exercises (workouts) allow for a mini-experiment for each topic immediately. This was super helpful and insightful for me. The work hard section resonated with me from my upbringing. My parents (especially my Dad) always taught us to work hard and give more than expected. There is no magic or shortcuts. Lot’s of things in life can be accomplished by starting early, getting dirty and working like you mean it. 

I recommend this book for those wanting actionable tools to face and overcome challenges. 

(Rated PG, Score 9/10, Hardcover)

Up from Slavery by Booker T. Washington

This is a little hidden-gem of a book which I found to be super interesting and great for adjusting some of my perspectives on life, hardship, work ethic and race. It added a ton of color and perspective to the Post Civil War rebuilding effort that I had not been exposed to before. This is Booker T. Washington’s autobiographical account of his life. He was born a slave and emancipated as a youth as the Civil War ended. His greatest desire was to get an education. He made many sacrifices to this end. Eventually he left home to attend a school called Hampton where the school administrator General Armstrong raised him up to be a man of education, hard work, and invested in the betterment of all those around him. After graduating Mr. Washington endeavored to create a school in Tuskegee, Alamaba, where young people could learn trades, hard work, and many other useful skills like reading and writing and so on. Mr. Washington was a strong believer that each student should learn a trade and the value of doing hard work for the value it provides to the worker and to the community. He insisted that they build their own school buildings and grow their own garden and many other projects that propelled the school forward in the community. By learning trades at the same time as getting a book education the students were able to secure their financial futures by learning how to do things that people were willing to pay to have done. In today’s society we seem to value school for it’s own sake, rather than valuing the skills and work-ethic it should be creating in our students. Mr. Washington believed that with hard work and skill, a man would be valued as a citizen for his worth no matter his skin color. 

Ultimately, I found his perspectives, conclusions and personal policies to be extremely practical and applicable across all types of people. 

I recommend this book for everyone, especially those trying to better themselves and those around them.  (Rated G, Score 10/10, Audiobook and ebook)

Preview/Currently Reading-

Here are the books I am currently working on. Join me if you will:

Mission Critical (Gray Man #8) by Mark Greaney

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

To Hell With the Hustle by Jefferson Bethke

The Adventures of Johnny Chuck (Book 2) by Thornton W Burgess

I track all the books I read in a database called Goodreads. You might find it helpful in managing your own reading lists. 

Final Thoughts- 

The Sandman was by far the most challenging book I have listened to/read in a long time. It’s dark content and themes wore me out given all the darkness we are dealing with in the country right now. 

Up from Slavery was a surprising bright spot. It really resonated with me and it was my favorite book this month. 

Please reply with any feedback. I am interested in your thoughts on the email layout, reviews, style, grammar, books, and anything else you want to share. 

If you have suggestions for a name of this publication please text them to me right now-before you forget. 

If you are wondering why am I doing this, have a look at my June email. It gets into the details.

Thanks for the love and feedback.

Joshua

FROM THE SPINE - AUGUST 2020 BOOK REVIEWS

August 2020

Welcome to From The Spine. Here’s my new logo designed by my talented friend Beau Cline.

Here are the books I finished in August 2020 and my short reviews of them:

Fiction Books

Matilda by Roald Dahl

Matilda has an odd Harry Potter vibe for me. Probably because the characters are very British and the parents are oppressive. Matilda is a magical little girl who teaches herself how to read, reads all the children’s books at her local library, and begins reading through many adult books all before she starts real school. Her family does not notice or encourage Matilda’s brilliance, even after a visit from Miss Honey (Matilda’s first school teacher). Matilda and Miss Honey form a bond of trust as their stories merge. Matilda saves Miss Honey from injustice and poverty and Miss Honey saves Matilda from life on the run with a criminal family. 

I recommend Matilda for anyone who likes to root for the underdog. 

(Rated G, Score 7/10, Audiobook Read by Kate Winslet, 4:17)

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

This is the story of a dad and his young boy walking on the road in post-apocalyptic America. Life is an epic struggle every day. There are not many people alive, but the ones that are alive are lawless and starving. Everything has been scavenged, so they must be extra clever and lucky to find even the smallest usable pickings from old homes. They walk the roads heading south, looking for warmer weather, food, and good people. The mantra they have is that they are the good guys and they are carrying the fire. Fire seems to be their symbol of life and hope. The writing style McCarthy has is unique-he abandons punctuation in his dialogue. He uses very descriptive and dark words. He implies a lot of things about his world setting through the character's interactions rather than stating them outright. This is a hard, dark book, but it ends with hope. 

I recommend this book for the tough and the strong. 

(Rated R, Score 7/10, ebook and Audiobook read by Tom Stechschulte, 6:41)

An Acceptable Time by Madeleine L’Engle (Time Quintet #5)

This is book five in the series of stories that start with A Wrinkle In Time. The main character is Polly, who is the daughter of Meg from the first book. She is taking some time away from her family to study with her genius grandparents (Alex and Kate Murry). While she is at their house in New England a time gate opens and pulls her back 3000 years into history where there are strife and tension between the two tribes living in the area. The Murry’s friend Bishop and Polly’s friend Zach are also pulled through the time gate and play key roles in the drama. 

The People of the Wind (good guys) and the People Across the Lake (bad guys) are at odds. The far side of the lake is in a deep drought, and the tribe there has more members, so they have resorted to raiding the People of the Wind.  With winter approaching and food supplies rare, war is coming. Then Polly shows up. The native tribes of 3000 years ago believe Polly is a goddess because of her fiery red hair and magic from the future (flashlight, paper, pencil, and scissors).

Zach betrays Polly to the People Across the Lake, hoping in return that their healer will heal his heart which is failing fast. The problem is, that the People Across the Lake don’t really care about Zach; they care about the rain and they think that the sacrifice of a powerful goddess will appease the Mother (nature) and bring rain. The People of the Wind are too few to mount a military rescue, so hope falters as the full moon approaches and the time of the blood sacrifice looms. Like all the other books in the series, it all ends up working out in the end. 

I recommend this book for anyone who has read the previous books in the series. 

(Rated PG, Score 6/10, Audiobook read by Ann Marie Lee, 9:42)

The Giver by Lois Lowry

Jonas is about to turn 12. He is nervous because in his time (way in the future) the 12-year-olds are all given their assignments. That is, they are told what job they will have in their communities. The elders have done their best to take away all the crazy risk involved in things like choice, and individuality. The world seems pretty ideal as the story progresses, but it doesn’t feel right. It feels like something is off. During the assignment/promotion ceremony when Jonas turns 12, everything changes. They skip Jonas, holding him to the end. He is special and has been selected for a high honor. He will be the next Receiver of Memories. 

Then Jonas meets The Giver, who is the old Receiver of Memories. The Giver has been burdened with holding all of the memories of the community, and along with those memories, the feelings, and the colors, and the music that accompanies them. This allows the citizens of the community to live in sameness. The Giver’s job is to pass these memories on to Jonas who will carry this burden for the community and allow for the sameness to continue undisturbed. (The sameness feels a lot like the people on Kamazots from A Wrinkle In Time). Jonas spends a year receiving the burdens and joys of the memories from the Giver. With the memories he gets feelings and colors, and he realizes that his world is not right, so he and the Giver hatch a plan to force the community to handle their collective memories and feelings and return to the risky world of feelings like love. 

I recommend this book for those who love color, and life and who treasure vivid memories. 

(Rated PG, Score 8/10, Audiobook read by Ron Rifkin, 4:47)

Mission Critical (Gray Man #8) by Mark Greaney

Gray Man teams up with Anthem (Zoya) and Romantic (Zach Hightower) in Poison Apple which is a sub rosa (off the books) CIA program. The CIA has a mole who is selling secrets to the Chinese, Iran, and other anti-American actors. The action starts with Gray man finding himself in the middle of a shootout during a compromised handoff of a prisoner who has info about the CIA mole. Anthem escapes a death squad ordered to wipe her out at a CIA safe house, and cons her way over to the UK in search of her father (General Zakharov) who everyone thinks is dead, but is actually an active Russian spymaster working in the UK. Romantic is ordered to lean on the shortlist of CIA employees who had access to all the recently compromised ops to figure out who the mole is. The chase leads to the Five Eyes spy conference where the leaders of all the English speaking intelligence agencies will meet in Scotland. The ultimate plot is against that conference.  A bioweapon being made to infect the top spies with pneumonic plague. It’s up to Poison Apple to spoil the attack. 

I recommend this book to the Mitch Rapp and Gray Man fans for sure. 

(Rated R, Score 8/10, ebook)

The Phantom Toll Booth by Norton Juster

There is a bored boy named Milo who finds himself on an adventure to the Lands Beyond by way of a Phantom Toll Booth. He meets a watchdog named Tock, a Humbug, and many other delightful characters as he travels. They find themselves on an impossible quest to rescue the princesses Rhyme and Reason and thereby restore wisdom to the land. The writing is very clever and creative and tricky. Many of the ideas are plays on words. When he finally makes it home, Milo finds that life is not nearly as boring as he had thought before his amazing journey. 

I recommend this book to anyone who loves a good pun.

(Rated G, Score 7/10, ebook and audiobook read by Rainn Wilson, 4:41)

Out of the Silent Planet by CS Lewis

Ransom is kidnapped and taken to a strange planet (mars) as a hostage. There, he escapes his kidnappers, meets the indigenous creatures, learns their language, and ultimately meets Oyarsa, the ruler of the planet. Ransom learns that earth is a fallen/silent planet full of bent people and that though Malacandra (Mars) is dying, it’s people are much more whole and happy. 

 

Click here for a slightly longer review.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in space/time travel or philosophy.

(Rated PG, Score 10/10, paperback 158p and audiobook read by Geoffrey Howard, 5:26)

Non-Fiction Books

To Hell With the Hustle by Jefferson Bethke

Are you stressed out, tired, overworked, stretched thin, over-caffeinated, and under-rested? Most of us are. This book has some ideas about how we got here and how we should change to get out of that place. 

So where do we start? We start by looking at who we are and how we got here. We are the sum of our choices, habits, and rituals. Bethke points out that we are at a crazy point in time. We absorb more info and noise in one day than most people in history would have been exposed to in a lifetime and it’s eating us for lunch. “Hurry is violence on the soul.” We are overwhelmed, overloaded, overstimulated, and depressed. He says, “ll tell you what we have left behind. We left behind meaning.  And I want it back.” 

Bethke argues that we are not meant to live this way, and if we don’t create boundaries and space to recover and rest, we will hit a wall where our bodies will force a reboot (think illness or mental breakdown). “Here’s another way to put it: the big difference between chaos and shalom (peace) is rhythm.”  But what is rhythm? Rhythm is making choices day to day, week to week, season to season, and year to year that give us time to rest, slow down, breathe, be present in the moment, and recover. Rhythm is the power of saying no. Rhythm is being able to sit in silence. 

Those are grand ideas, but what does that look like in real life? Bethke’s position is that we need to go back to the idea of Sabbath. What’s a Sabbath? I’m still not actually sure because it’s something I’m learning about. Here’s what the book says: it’s a mini act of rebellion. A counter-culture, aggressive stand against hurry and work and stress and screen time. It’s one day a week that you take as a family or home to rest, celebrate, and put down your phone. Bethke and his family try to make it 52 mini Christmases each year- celebration food, family, traditions, rituals. Each with the intent of restoring peace and calm and bringing them back to the most important things. 

For me, this is an idea that my family has been pondering lately. We are trying to make Sundays special. We just started, so I’m not sure how well it’s going. We are just trying to be intentional and practice. Each week we get a little better. Silence and saying no and resting and taking time to be present are all things that require deliberate practice. But I think it’s a discipline worth chasing.  

The book was very interesting; written from a Christian perspective, and still applicable to anyone living in these crazy times. 

I recommend this book for the tired seeking ideas to find rest.

(Rated PG, Score 7/10, Paperback 184p, ebook)

Dear Bob and Sue by Matt and Karen Smith

Matt and Karen quit their jobs to go on an adventure: visiting all of the United States National Parks. This book is a collection of emails from Matt and Karen to their friends Bob and Sue. Each email is a recap of a day in their travels. Some days are at the parks, some days in-between parks. They are equal parts funny and informative. Both authors are sarcastic and enjoy irony, and funny things happen on adventures if you look for them. At each park, they take a picture by the park sign, get their National Parks Passport’s stamped using the official park stamps, and they do a lot of hiking. To make things more affordable, they eat a lot of peanut butter and jelly on their hikes and celebrate with pizza and beer. The book took me a long time to get through because it’s long; 59 parks worth. It took Matt and Karen over two years to visit each park. 

I recommend this to anyone who likes hiking, nature, and a good sarcastic joke. 

(Rated PG-13, Score 8/10, Paperback 322p)

Preview/Currently Reading-

Here are the books I am currently working on. Join me if you will:

The Adventures of Johnny Chuck (Book 2) by Thornton W Burgess

One Minute Out by mark Greaney (Gray Man Book #9)

Procrastinate on Purpose: 5 Permissions to Multiply Your Time by Rory Vaden

First, Break All the Rules: What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently by Gallup

I track all the books I read in a database called Goodreads. You might find it helpful in managing your own reading lists. 

Final Thoughts- 

This month Audible introduced a new feature for members called INCLUDED. This feature allows members to stream titles in the program or download them for free. I am a huge fan of free books, so I am excited about this new program. A bunch of CS Lewis books and other classics are INCLUDED, so expect to see some of those on my list soon. 

Have a book that you want me to read and review? Send me a note and I’ll see what I can do. 

Have a book you just read and want to talk about it? Give me a call!