February 2021
Here we are at the end of a very cold month. I am ready for the sun to start warming up the earth and the spring magic to spring back to life. I struggle to stay active in the cold months like a bear. As the weather warms, my motivation to move and explore and work outside grows steadily. What type of projects are you getting ready to start?
Here are the books I finished in February 2021 and my short reviews of them:
Fiction Books
The Monster in the Hollows by Andrew Peterson (The 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 mother and Queen of Anniera) and Podo Helmer (the grandfather). The welcome the family receives is not what they expected. The Hollow 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 roles through schooling, squabbling with the Hollows children, and through their family ties. As winter falls, animals are disappearing from the farms surrounding the Hollows. Eventually, the people of the Hollows, hearts hardened by fear, capture and attempt to execute the little Fang for murder. There are some excellent twists and turns as the end of the book plays out. Who is the Monster?
I recommend this book to those faced with prejudice or injustice and adventurers.
(Rated PG, Score 8/10, ebook)
This is a book I have been trying to get read for over 5 years. I bought the hard copy when it first came out based on all the other Peretti books I have loved over the years. I just couldn’t get into this one. I finally got the audiobook and got far enough into the story to properly engage. For my Harry Potter fan friends, the story mechanics of this book reminded me of the Time-Turner used by Hermione in The Prisoner of Azkaban. The story is about magicians Dane and Mandy Collins, who are about to retire at the age of 60. Mandy is killed in a car accident. Dane is trying to recover after the tragic accident. Mandy wakes up as a 19-year-old, without her memories, but with new magical talents. The two magicians find each other, not knowing what has happened or why. Their hearts just know the love they had. As the young Mandy’s magical powers grow, the story gets more complicated. To avoid spoilers, I’ll just say that the magicians follow their love, and all the clues to set up a final magic show, put their chips all in, and hope that love can find a way to unite them after the showdown.
I recommend this to time travelers, and those who love wonder and awe.
(Rated PG, Score 7/10, Audiobook read by the author, 18:07)
Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman
If you’ve ever read older mythologies or epics like Beowulf or The Odyssey and enjoyed the content but struggled with the language, this is your solution. Gaiman takes his favorites of the old Norse stories about the gods you know from Marvel movies- Odin, Thor, and Loki and he rewrites them in his effortless and captivating style. He starts by telling the story of how Thor got his hammer, and how the gods got their wall around Asgard. Next, he describes Loki’s children which eventually sets the stage for the end of all things. Thor’s hammer is stolen and we learn how he gets it back. There is the mead of poets and the story about how it was made and comes to the gods. Thor and Loki go to visit the giants who trick them in contests of strength and will. Loki gives away the apples of immortality and then is forced to get them back or be tortured. In all these stories, Odin is the wise old father to the gods. Thor is very strong, funny, and not very bright, but enthusiastic. And of course, Loki is the trickster, both helping and hurting the gods with his schemes. At the end is Ragnarok, which is a foretelling of the end of all things- how the world will end in fire and ice. The greatest battle and destruction of things for rebirth.
I recommend this book to the tricksters, the smashers, and the wise.
(Rated PG-13, Score 8/10, ebook and audiobook read by the author, 6:29)
The Terminal List by Jack Carr
This thriller is an action-packed adventure/revenge story about James Reece- a Navy SEAL commander who gets caught in a national web of greed, death, and lies. Crooked politicians, businessmen, and even Navy brass are working together to create a miracle drug that will prevent PTSD. The problem is, the experiment causes brain tumors in test subjects. Reece and his team happen to be some of those test subjects, but they don’t know it. To wipe the slate clean and cover their tracks, top-level decision-makers in “The Project” force Reece and his team into a mission where they are ambushed by ISIS. But Reece doesn’t die. He survives. The rest of his team and several other sets of Rangers are sacrificed in the ambush. Reece is blamed as the cover-up continues. Things go from bad to worse as Reece is shipped home where his only other surviving teammate is killed in a sloppy suicide fake. Ultimately, Reece’s wife, daughter, and unborn son are gunned down in his home as The Project leadership tries to tie up loose ends. Reece, with everything taken from him, having a brain tumor that he assumes is terminal, and nothing else left to live for turns to revenge. He writes a list- the Terminal List - the names of those who are responsible for all the evil raining down on him. He goes to war. He uses the decades of war skills he has honed working as a SEAL to dismantle the enemy. Carr doesn’t seem to settle the question about the morality of it all. Vigilante justice is a slippery animal. Is Reece justified in his actions? Thanks, Chris, for the recommendation.
I recommend this to the warriors, and students of war and political science.
(Rated R, Score 7/10, audiobook read by Ray Porter, 12:03)
Non-Fiction Book
Get Your Life Back: Everyday Practices for a World Gone Mad by John Eldridge
This is a practical book holding keys to your escape from the crazy world we live in. If you feel rushed, frazzled, confused, anxious, tired, depressed, and/or overwhelmed, you are not alone this book contains practices you can use to start fighting back:
- Take a One Minute Pause at strategic transition moments in your day. Eldridge made a free app specifically for this practice. Meditation apps could help too.
- Practice benevolent detachment. Let go of all the crazy of the world. It’s not your crazy and you can’t control it. You were never meant to carry the burden of all the suffering of the world that you can now see through the news and social media.
- Drinking beauty. Get out in nature and see beautiful things. “Beauty comforts. Beauty heals. Why else would we send flowers to a hospital room or a funeral?”
- Simple unplugging. Let go of all the electronic chaos around you. Turn off all notifications and let your phone work for you, not the other way around.
- Practice kindness toward yourself. We can be our harshest critics. Ease up.
- Allow time for transitions. God is in the in-between moments.
- Get outside. Fresh air and vitamin D heal a myriad of ills.
- Remember who you love. “Your secret weapon against the enemy’s hatred is to love God right then and there, in the midst of the sorrow, whatever it may be… Make an offering of your suffering. Love God in it.”
- Stop comparing yourself to others. “Envy cannot bear to admire or respect. It cannot bear to be grateful.”
- Act like our losses matter. We have all lost so much, especially over the last year. That matters. Take the time to process and heal.
- Use the gifts of memory for healing. Is there a place with special memories that you can go back to in your mind to heal and restore your peace? Photographs and mementos can help take you to those memories too.
This book is written from a Christian perspective, though the practices apply equally to those who may not share that view. This book is full of wisdom, practical ideas, and challenges to get out of the chaos and heal.
I recommend this book to the tired, the downtrodden, and the weary.
(Rated G, Score 10/10, hardcover, 215p)
If You Didn’t Bring Jerky, What Did I Just Eat? By Bill Heavey
As the subtitle describes, this is a collection of Misadventures in Hunting, Fishing and in the Wilds of Suburbia. Heavey is an outdoor writer for Field & Stream who has a subtle, self-deprecating style and sense of humor. His humor runs from hyperbole to irony, nuanced and bold. If you aren’t paying attention you will miss some of the best jokes. Heavey seems to have a love/hate relationship with gear which has developed over the years. The gear-maker’s ability to always have new and more expensive gear that the avid outdoorsman can buy every season seems to be unsporting to the poor outdoor writer living in the suburbs. Heavey describes several deer hunts, Alaskan Caribou hunting, and mountain lion hunting in Arizona. Heavey also tells about fishing trips including a bass fishing tournament he attended in Cuba. While most of the stories are humorous, there are a few that sneak up on you with deep emotional and serious feels. Hat tip to my Dad for the recommendation on this one.
I recommend this to the gear heads and the outdoor types.
(Rated PG, Score 7/10, audiobook read by Ian Patrick Williams, 6:46)
Preview/Currently Reading-
Here are the books I am currently working through:
A Fine and Pleasant Misery by Patrick F McManus
The Water Keeper by Charles Martin
The Neil Gaiman Reader: Selected Fiction
The Essential Calvin and Hobbes
I track all the books I read in a database called Goodreads. You might find it helpful in managing your reading lists.
Final Thoughts-
Last month I asked for positive and uplifting books and was rewarded with many good ideas. There are a few listed above, some on my currently reading list, and several on my To Read list. Thank you for the recommendations.
As my nephew Max helped me learn, there are two types of books- those that keep you up late, and those that put you to sleep. Choose wisely. I hope you find more of the kind that hook you into staying up late.
Joshua
PS. This month, I am interested in feedback on the following two questions:
- Who do you know that might like to receive this email?
- Would any of you be interested in purchasing From the Spine gear? If so, what type? (T-Shirts, Hats, Bumper Stickers, Hoodies, pocket knives?) My sister made me a From the Spine water bottle and a journal. I think they are phenomenal. I could work on getting more made up if there were interest.