June 2021
May was rainy and mild. June has been hot. We got some road trips in, some swimming, some bike riding, and lots of popsicles. The fireworks are already keeping me up late. It’s going to be a long week at this rate. What are some of your 4th of July traditions?
Here are the books I finished in June 2021 and my short reviews of them:
Fiction Books
No County for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy
A young man, Llewelyn Moss, finds himself in the middle of a huge drug deal gone wrong out in the desert. He takes the cash from the deal. $2.4 million. He finds himself running from both sides of the deal: the Mexican drug dealers, and a sociopath named Anton Chigurh. Sheriff Ed Tom Bell also tells part of the story as he cleans up the mess from the drug deal and tries to help Moss survive the chase. This is the story of the decline of the culture in the south, the influence of drugs on the people and the communities, and the recovery of the country from the Vietnam War.
This book is for the old men who need to be reminded that they matter, and young men who need encouragement to stand up to evil.
(Rated R, Score 7/10, audiobook read by Tom Stechschulte, 7:29)
Beartown is a hard, heavy book. Beartown is a hockey town. The people and the town derive their identities from hockey. The financial future of the town depends on the success of the youth hockey club. Going into the team’s biggest game, the town and the team are torn apart when the young hockey star rapes a 15-year-old girl. Bachman paints the characters and the situations, the emotions, the complexities, the pain, the tension, the grey, the nuances, all the feelings into this story. Bachman is so good at writing tension and situations and emotions that the reader can connect to. He leaves you feeling the pain, aching with the characters, understanding the emotions. He takes you through hell in the story but brings you back with some hope. Here’s my favorite line from the book: “People don’t do what we tell them to, they do what we let them get away with.” Evil thrives when good is silent.
This book is for parents, and friends, and people with secrets.
(Rated R, Score 7/10, ebook and audiobook read by Marin Ireland, 13:11)
On Target by Mark Greaney (Gray Man 2)
Court Gentry is all patched up after book one, with a narcotics addiction to show for it. Court starts the book by eliminating an Irish hitman. His new handler is a Russian who is both crafty and brutal. While getting his next mission assignment and details sorted, Court is kidnapped and recruited by the CIA and his former team lead Zach Hightower. So the Gray Man is planning and executing two missions for the rest of the book- one for the Russians to assassinate President Abboud of Sudan, and the other for the CIA to kidnap the same man and turn him over to the courts for war crimes. Court’s mission is riddled with side-tracks, injuries, chases, fights, explosions, rescues, and eventually, more enemies than one man should have.
This book is for action/adventure junkies, Bourne and Rapp fans, and those interested in geopolitical games.
(Rated R, Score 8/10, ebook and audiobook read by Jay Snyder, 12:35)
Non-Fiction Books
Kill the Spider by Carlos Whittaker
Have you ever found yourself cleaning out cobwebs in your life only to find that the spider who makes them is still alive, well, and making more messes? Carlos defines cobwebs as things in your life that we use as medications like alcohol, obsession with work, pornography, and bingeing on food or Netflix. These are symptoms of a deeper problem. The goal of the book is to help you identify and kill your spider- the lie you bought into that is causing pain in your life. Carlos’s lie was this - God has abandoned me. Searching for your spider takes courage, intentionality, and help. Some of us have avoided facing our spiders for so long and fed them so well that they are epic monsters. The only way to truly heal is to hunt and kill them. Each chapter of the book includes reflection questions to help on the journey. Thanks to Aubrey for recommending this book.
This book is for people who hate spiders, and those seeking deep healing.
(Rated PG, Score 8/10, audiobook read by the author, 4:37)
Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard by Chip and Dan Heath
When you are trying to change someone or some group of people, there are three areas to consider: the rider, the elephant, and the path. Each of these areas is addressed in a section of the book. The rider is the brain, the engineer, the high-functioning part of the person or organization. To convince the rider to change, you need data and a logical argument. The elephant is the emotions, the heart, the guts, the instinctive part of the person or organization. To get the elephant moving in the right direction you need all the feels. You need to appeal to the soul and stop thinking so hard. The path is the environment, the buildings, the physical location, the tools, the tech, or the procedures. To get the rider and elephant directed down the road of change, you can shape the path. If a process is broken, you can revise it. If two groups need to work more closely together, move their desks closer. There are stories to illustrate each idea. Here are some ideas that caught my ear: “Clarity dissolves resistance.” And, “Hope is elephant fuel.”
This book is for the brave leaders of change.
(Rated PG, Score 8/10, audiobook read by Charles Kahlenberg, 7:43)
The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy
This is a short book that has a bunch of ideas to make your life better. The main theme of the book is aimed at teaching the value of making small, deliberate, consistent investments in your life as they mature and compound over time. This applies to money, nutrition, exercise, education, mentorships, and other areas. There are plenty of practical tips you can apply right away, from time management to habit development. Hardy encourages readers to be 100% accountable for their own choices and destiny. By being accountable, you have the power of choice and action. You will no longer be a victim. One idea that was new to me was to keep track of the ratio between the time you spend on entertainment vs the time you spend on education. The time you spend educating yourself is an investment for the future. This book is included for free with an Audible membership.
This book is for anyone looking for tools to be more successful.
(Rated PG, Score 7/10, audiobook read by the author, 4:44)
Even though they lived and wrote at different times, their ideas are interestingly arranged in a way that feels like a natural debate. The author begins by describing the lives of both great scholars, then he stacks their ideas against one another, topic by topic. Part one debates belief systems and world views: Lewis the converted Christian, and Freud the materialist. Part two debates choices in life and the reasons each man chose his path. As I listened to the arguments of both sides I was struck by the interesting idea that even though both men held their beliefs strongly, one was hopeful and joyful, even in death, and the other was cold, bitter, and afraid until his self-inflicted end. Thanks for buying this book for me mom.
This book is for truth-seekers, debaters, and cynics.
(Rated PG-13, Score 10/10, audiobook read by Robert Whitfield, 7:58, Hardback 295p.)
Preview/Currently Reading-
Here are the books I am currently working through:
Savage Son by Jack Carr (Terminal List 3)
I track my books in a database called Goodreads. You might find it helpful in managing your reading lists.
Final Thoughts-
So, here’s a little surprise for those of you who made it this far - I’m doing a book giveaway! It’s been a year since I started From The Spine, so I’m celebrating a year of books by giving back. To enter, reply to this email, or text me your name and your favorite book. If you don’t know your favorite book, which book made the biggest impact on you? Or, which book do you give away? I’ll draw a winner and send them the book of their choice.
The Challenge will close at 9:00 PM Central Time, Sunday, July 18th, 2021.
Thanks for adventuring with me.
Joshua
PS. Past emails can be found on my blog here.
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PPPS. Send me book ideas, brand ideas, or questions. I love the feedback.