October 2020
October is always such a weird month. The weather is changing, the kids are already tired of school, and here comes Halloween, a full moon, a time change, and the election all in the same week. Get your helmet.
Here are the books I finished in October 2020 and my short reviews of them:
Fiction Books
“All animals are equal, some are just more equal.” How many of you had to read this book in high school? It’s not a long book, and not very complicated. It starts with farm animals rising up and outing the farmer and earning their freedom. The animals establish their own government, led by the pigs, and start off on a glorious experiment of freedom and independence. As the experiment goes on there is conflict, and negotiations, and adjustments, and eventually the pigs take the place of the farmer as the dictators of the farm. The lessons of the book are plain: freedom is fragile, you can’t believe everything you hear or everything you read, and blindly working hard for a cruel master will only wear you out. The book was initially aimed at Stalin and Russia, but it has served as a parable for many free people ever since.
I recommend this book to high school freshmen, those seeking to understand government better, and anyone who loves freedom.
(Rated PG-13, Score 6.5/10, audiobook read by Ralph Cosham, 3:11)
Hearts, Keys, and Puppetry by Neil Gaiman
This is a strange, short story that seems to be a parable about a young girl dealing with fear, self-forgiveness, honesty, recovery, and inner demons. The girl gets sucked into a fantasy world inside her mirror. There she has to solve a puzzle, find doors, and keys, and in the end, save herself and her brother.
I recommend this book for anyone needing a quick book win.
(Rated PG, Score 7/10, audiobook read by Katherine Kellgren, 1:45)
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
This is one of my favorite stories: the story of Nobody (Bod) Owens, a boy who is raised in a graveyard. Now, before you get all weird and judgey, hold on. It’s not a horror story. It’s a kid story like The Hobbit is a kid story. The Man Jack kills Bod’s family when he’s a toddler, but Bod escapes into a nearby graveyard. The dead in the graveyard protect and adopt the boy. Silas agrees to be the boy’s guardian. Bod is given the freedom of the graveyard, meaning its protections, and secrets and powers to share with the dead. I love the descriptions, characters, and dialogue. I especially like the part when Bod is trying to learn how to fade. Bod makes friends who teach him powerful things, which come in handy when the Man Jack comes back to finish what he started all those years ago. The author has a remarkable voice and gift as a narrator. If you are an audiobook skeptic, this one might change your mind.
I recommend this book to everyone. It’s so good.
(Rated PG, Score 10/10, Audiobook read by the author, 7:37)
Invitation: Cycle One of the Harbingers Series (Harbingers Book #1)
After reading Cycle Two of this series last month, I decided to go back and reread cycle one. These stories felt shorter the second time through. Here are the four stories, each written by a different author through the eyes of one of the four characters (Tank, the Professor, Andi, and Brenda): Story 1- The Call by Bill Myers introduces all the characters and their quirks. The four come together and try to rescue a student from a sketchy school for students with weird gifts. Story 2 - The Haunted by Frank Peretti takes the team to the pacific northwest - to a town with a house that comes and goes mysteriously, and seems to be able to judge people, giving nightmares to the bad and images of heaven to the redeemed. Story 3 - The Sentinels by Angela Hunt is set in Florida along the beach as the team investigates massive fish and bird deaths. Something is killing wildlife and taking their eyes. Story 4- The Girl by Alton Gansky introduces a small girl from another dimension bearing a message for the team. She is hunted by a monster from her realm. Tank battles the monster in a brutal, bloody fight to save her.
I recommend this series to anyone searching for meaning in the struggle and the unknown.
(Rated PG, Score 7/10, Audiobook 9:04)
The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander (Book 1 of The Chronicles of Prydain)
I promised last month to work up some review for the littles. This book (and series) is great for all ages. In this book, Taran, a young man, is whisked away on an amazing adventure. Taran begins as a young assistant Pig-Keeper, with dreams of fighting and adventure, but when evil invades the realm in the form of the Horned King and a host of evil soldiers, Taran finds himself in many dangers. Along his journey, he collects a band of misfits and together they form a fellowship on a mission to warn the House of Dôn of the Horned Kings impending attack. The characters in his group include Gurgi, a half-man, half-animal who was living in the woods, Princess Eilonwy (who is hilarious), a bard named Fflewddur Fflam, and a dwarf named Doli. Taran makes many mistakes as he leads the others, and yet, there is a feeling of destiny about him. Despite his weaknesses and mistakes, his love, courage, and faithfulness allow him and his friends to destroy the Horned King and save each other.
I recommend this book for anyone (young or old) who loves an adventure story.
(Rated PG, Score 9/10, Audiobook read by James Langton, 5:05)
Non-Fiction Books
Make Your Bed by William H. McRaven
This book is based on a commencement speech made by the author to a college class getting ready to head out into the world. The intent was to give the graduating students practical advice for the real world and inspire them to change the world a little at a time. Here are the ten lessons presented in the book (the parenthetical references were given to me by my good friend Seth as a follow-on tie to Biblical parallels):
1- Make your bed-start every day by doing something you can be proud of. (Prov 10:4)
2- You cannot paddle the boat alone-rely on others and help others. (Ecc 4:12)
3- Only the size of your heart matters. (I Tim 4:12)
4- Life is not fair. Drive on. (Matt 20:1-16)
5- Failure can make you stronger. (Jam 1:2)
6- You must dare greatly. (Isaiah 41:10)
7- Stand up to the bullies. (Prov 28:1)
8- Rise to the occasion. (Prov 24:16)
9- Give people hope. (Ecc 9:4)
10- Never, ever quit. (Luke 18:1-8)
These lessons came from Navy Seal training, but they are accessible and practical to all of us. Thanks, mom, for teaching me early, to always make my bed.
I recommend this short book to anyone needing some ideas for self-improvement.
(Rated PG, Score 8/10, audiobook read by the author, 1:53)
The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11by Garrett M. Graff
Everyone who lived through it has a story about 9/11, and that’s what this book is. I don’t think I’ve ever read or heard a book structured like this one. It is thousands of pieces of people’s stories sifted together to tell each chapter. It’s like a book version of one of those big pictures made up of lots of little pictures, which by themselves wouldn’t be much, but together are amazing. Lots of little stories, each contributing to the big picture.
There are lots of behind-the-scenes types of stories from prominent Americans including the POTUS, VPOTUS, firefighters, police, and pentagon workers. The book includes many insights from the people who survived the most powerful attacks on American soil.
Here are some small pieces I found fascinating:
~ The FAA guy in charge of the US airspace on 9/11, was on his first day in that job. He grounded every plane in the sky except military and Airforce 1.
~ Before 9/11 a skyscraper had never collapsed.
~ Hospitals scrambled to receive thousands of people needing treatment after the planes hit the trade centers. Very few people survived who needed treatment compared to those expectations.
~ Air Force 1 is capable of cruising at nearly the speed of sound.
~ The Secret Service is required by law to protect the President even, and especially if he is trying to put himself in harm’s way.
This book is very powerful. It is necessarily dark and scary and emotional. It affected me deeply over the days I worked through it. It highlights the best and the worst of humanity.
I recommend this book to those who want to know what really happened on that day almost 20 years ago when the world changed forever.
(Rated R, Score 10/10, audiobook read by a full cast of over 45, 15:55)
It Worked for Me: In Life and Leadership by Colin Powell
This is a collection of stories and memories from the great American General and public servant Colin Powell. The stories come from all areas of his life and career which spans from the Army to Capitol Hill. He writes of his successes, failures, and leadership style. The stories make him relatable and human and provide tons of color to understand his decision-making and approach to leading. This quote from the afterword sums up the book well, “A life is about its events; it’s about challenges met and overcome-or not; it’s about successes and failures. But more than all of these put together, it’s about how we touch and are touched by the people we meet. It’s all about the people.“
I recommend this book for aspiring leaders, people wondering about the WMD thing, and people interested in American history.
(Rated PG, Score 8/10, Hardback 279p)
Preview/Currently Reading-
Here are the books I am currently working on. Join me if you will:
First: What It Takes to Win by Rich Froning
The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien
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-
October is always a heavy month- a reminder that life has cycles. Death is one of the cycles we try to forget about or run away from, but it comes back to find us disguised as winter. But, there is also hope in the cycles- hope that spring and summer will come again. Hope that we can rest and hibernate a little while winter does its thing. Hope for the holidays approaching, and bulking season, and no wasps outside to battle. Hope in bonfires, and ski season, and Christmas lights. What are you hoping for this winter?
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