March 2022
The world is opening back up, the weather is finally turning warmer (ironically, there is snow on the ground outside as I edit this), the rain came back after months of drought, and I think I am finally through a super busy time at work. We finished the certification of a new airplane (Cessna SkyCourier) and wrapped up some other important projects. March was exhausting. Also, my March Madness bracket exploded early when Kentucky lost. I suspect I am not alone.
Here are the books I finished in March 2022 and my short reviews of them:
Short Stories
Fortunately, The Milk by Neil Gaiman
Sometimes dads can stretch the truth about a quick trip to the corner store into a fantastic story involving pirates, aliens, hot air balloons, time travel, volcanoes, ponies, dinosaurs, badly named items, and vampires. Fortunately, the milk makes it home for breakfast.
They take my kids to the school library a couple times a week, and because I’m not there to monitor their choices, and because they are kids with lots of energy and not always a lot of sense, they bring home a wide variety of books. Also, they don’t read stuff in order. This month we’ve read several books from the Dragon Masters series. The Doogle says there are 22 books in the series. With Jet’s help we read books 1, 4, 14, 2, 3, and maybe 12 (I stopped tracking when we blasted to book 14 out of nowhere). The first book introduces Drake, a young boy, who transforms from being an onion farmer into a Dragon Master when he is chosen by the Dragon Stone. Drake and the other Dragon Masters go on adventures and missions in these books. The illustrations are excellent and the stories are fast-paced enough to keep Jet constantly asking to read more (in spite of his inability to stick to the series in order).
Fiction Books
This is an older book and it took me a while to figure out what it was all about. It’s a novel written about the Second Korean War. Being separated from the first Korean War by seventy years now, I’m sure some of the edge and relevance is lost, but I can imagine this story scaring some folks pretty good back when it was published in 1989. The story is told from several vantage points- an American fighter pilot, a new commanding infantry officer, several soldiers in the North Korean command structure, and even from the oval office. The book touches on politics, economics, and war tactics. The author describes several air and sea battles in great detail including a lot of technical details about planes, tanks, and submarines. The main plot is Red Phoenix, which is the strategy used by the North Koreans. They stockpile armaments from the Russians in and near the DMZ (demilitarized zone), then during a time of political upheaval caused by student protests and economic sanctions from the US, the North Koreans try to punch through to the heart of South Korea before the UN can react. The war nearly escalates into World War 3 when the Russians and Chinese get involved. The tide turns when the UN troops are able to hold off the North Koreans long enough for the UN and US forces to regain air supremacy and allow superior tech and numbers from the US to reinforce the South. The story certainly illustrated how global situations can be escalated quickly by a few people acting with crooked intentions. Thanks, Nolan for the recommendation. This audiobook is “Included” for free if you have an Audible membership.
This book is for those with longer memories, history buffs, and wargamers.
(Rated R, Score 6/10, audiobook read by J. Charles, 23:28)
The Witches Boy by Kelly Barnhill
This is a fantastic story involving some unruly magic, a rogue forest, a witch (who is more like a healer), a boy stepping into his destiny, and many other events leading to the freedom of the magic and the stones. Barnhill’s writing style is like a kid-friendly Neil Gaimanish style- it’s creative and unique and expressive, with colorful characters and adventures. Ned and Tam are young twin boys. Their mother is Sister Witch, who tames a small bit of magic. The boys build a raft and try to sail the river to the sea, but the raft breaks apart and the boys are swept downriver. Tam drowns and Ned gets very sick. Sister Witch, not willing to lose both boys, uses magic to stitch Tad’s soul to Ned’s body. The magic saves Ned’s life but jumbles his words. The story also involves a Bandit King and his daughter Aine. The Bandit King has a magic pendant, which he uses to bend the world to his will. He sees Sister Witch heal the Queen with her magic, and he plans to steal her magic out of a greedy heart. The Bandit King and his army of thieves try to steal the magic while Sister Witch is gone to see the Queen. Ned takes control of his mother’s magic to save it from the thieves, but that backfires when they just kidnap him. Ned battles the magic (which has a will of its own), and eventually, it helps him escape into the rogue forest. Ned meets and befriends a young wolf, and also meets Aine, who tries to lead them out of the forest. Eventually, the forest leads the trio to the nine stones, who are responsible for and fate-tied to the magic. The stones, the boy, the girl, the wolf, and the magic all come together just in time to make the world right. The way Barnhill describes and uses magic in her story is unique, and I enjoyed the way the story is woven together.
This book is for adventurers of all ages, the outcasts, the warriors, and the magicians.
(Rated PG, Score 9/10, audiobook read by Ralph Lister, 9:58)
Gunmetal Gray by Mark Greaney (Gray Man #6)
The sky was gunmetal gray when Court Gentry finally lost. Of course, that’s the type of luck Court has. This book starts with the Gray Man landing in Hong Kong on an operation for the CIA. Court is hunting a Chinese defector; a kid hacker (Fan Jiang) who disappeared from a trade show trip and who is now being chased by the US, Russia, China, and the Brits. Court leaves a trail of bodies through Hong Kong and Vietnam, with a brief detour into Cambodia where he loses the kid, and on into Thailand. Court also meets and fights his Russian counterpart (Zoya Zakharova), who turns out to be a woman, which complicates a lot of things. Court and Zoya team up to escape the Chinese and rescue Fan from the Thai and Italian Mobsters who kidnapped him. Court and Zoya make a gnarly ninja team. The plot is fairly complex as Court works for the CIA and the Chinese and against the Russians and other groups wanting to exploit the hacker’s skills. Court isn’t any good at taking orders or working as part of a bigger team, so he consistently disobeys orders and flies by the seat of his pants. The Gray Man books all help us to contemplate what is good, what is evil, and where is the gray area? This one draws in themes of freedom, choice, and what is really best for us.
This book is for action junkies and Gray Man fans.
(Rated R, Score 9/10, ebook, audiobook read by Jay Snyder, 16:54)
Non-Fiction Books
The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek
There are two types of games: finite and infinite. For finite games, there are clear rules, a beginning and end, and players choose to play. Soccer is a finite game. In an infinite game, there can be many players who don’t even know they are playing, there is no clear set of rules, and there is no clear beginning and no clear ending. In an infinite game, the point is to keep playing as long as possible. Life is an infinite game. Sinek argues that companies are using a finite mindset when they would be better served to be using an infinite mindset. Leaders are choosing short-term tactics to “win” and it is causing long-term problems. Sinek points out that many public companies have been working quarter to quarter trying to maximize shareholder earnings using finite methods like layoffs to meet arbitrary projections. They should be focusing on the long-term by investing in employees and giving value to customers and in the end, those methods would take care of the long-term success and short-term success too. Companies that can unite in the service of a just cause are better able to weather storms and focus on results. Sinek defines a just cause as being for something, inclusive, service-oriented, resilient, and idealistic. In order to keep the focus on the just cause, companies need a CEO who will champion the just cause and communicate it clearly over and over. A strong CEO will build trusting teams, protect from ethical fading, and build the will and resources to succeed in the future. Sinek also touches on the need for companies to have existential flexibility which allows them to change and adapt in order to survive. Working for a big, public company for several years, I have seen finite-minded leaders make extremely poor choices for short-term “wins” that end up crippling our capabilities for long after those short-term choices are gone. I have also seen some brave leaders who are willing to do the right things for their people in spite of the pressures they get to do the easy things or cut corners. Seeing the trust and success of those leaders willing to take the harder road with an infinite mindset has been encouraging to me as I learn to lead.
This book is for anyone who leads.
(Rated PG, Score 9/10, audiobook read by the author, 6:56)
Ikigai by Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles
Ikigai (sounds like “icky guy”); what is it? It doesn’t translate directly as far as I could tell, but it is something like “the thing you love to do that brings you meaning and satisfaction and fulfillment.” So, how does that relate to long life and happiness? The authors spend this book studying those aspects of life in Japan that seem to lead to long life and happiness, including the way the Japanese follow their Ikigai. Following are some of the aspects they write about in detail: Eat less. Stop eating when you are 80% full. Eat more vegetables. Grow your own vegetables. Move. Be active. Work in your vegetable garden. Visit friends. Dance. Do yoga. Reconnect with nature. Develop a sense of gratitude. Live in the moment. Meditate. Breathe well. Take joy and pride in menial tasks. Live in the moment. To summarize- To follow your Ikigai you need something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.
This book is for anyone looking for practical ways to improve their quality of life.
(Rated PG, Score 8/10, audiobook read by Walter Dixon, 3:18)
Into the Region of Awe -Mysticism in C. S. Lewis by David C. Downing
This is an excellent book I didn’t even know I wanted until it landed on my desk as a hand-me-down. It was a challenging read. Mysticism is by nature hard to explain. In order to help us understand, Downing first helps define mysticism as a “direct experience of God, immediate as a taste or color.” This definition seems pretty straightforward until you try to put into words what your dinner tastes like or the color yellow. So, of course, stories are a good way to express something that avoids direct description. I’m sure you have had experiences like this where words totally fail to convey the experience you had. Downing reviews Lewis’ life and those mystics who affected Lewis’ experiences and development. Next, Downing discusses mysticism as Lewis wrote about it. He devotes a chapter to the mystical elements in the space trilogy and another chapter to The Chronicles of Narnia. I enjoyed this new perspective on Lewis’s work. I have read many of Lewis’s books and enjoy them. This was a good way to revisit those works through a new lease. Lewis’s view of God and heaven and the supernatural elements inspire most of the ways I think about these things because they ring true with my experiences. Thank you, Peggy, for keeping me in mind when you came across this book.
This book is for anyone seeking to better understand their own mystic experiences.
(Rated G, Score 9/10, Hardback, 207 pages, audiobook read by Simon Vance, 6:15)
The dip is the valley you have to go through on your way to being the best in the world at something. The dip is the struggle that makes the journey worth it. In movies, it’s the part where Rocky is training for the big fight, or the hero tries all the shortcuts only to learn that there are no shortcuts to resolve their big problem. The dip is the difference between a fun idea and a product that changes the market. It’s all the work you put into learning an instrument or a new sport or perfecting your craft. The dip crushes people who aren’t committed. The dip becomes a competitive advantage when you are on the other side of it. So, knowing this, what do we do with it? First, we recognize how this applies to us in our projects, hobbies, jobs, industries, and families. Next, we decide if we have the guts and commitment to make it through the dip and really become world-class. If we don’t have what it takes, the dip will turn into a cul-de-sac where we spin and churn and suffer without hope of breaking through. If we don’t have what it takes, Godin argues that we should quit. If we do have what it takes, we should quit everything we are not excelling at to focus on getting through the dip as fast as possible. This book was short and direct and offered great perspectives on choosing what matters. It helped me see how what my group does at work is a really big competitive advantage for my company because no one has the guts or cash to stand up similar capabilities.
This book is for anyone looking for language to describe the struggle in their journey.
(Rated PG, Score 8/10, ebook, 89 p.)
Preview/Currently Reading-
Courage is Calling by Ryan Holiday
I track my books in a database called Goodreads. You might find it helpful in managing your reading lists.
Final Thoughts-
I’ve been pondering this idea lately- Do dangerous things carefully. I wrote a little bit about it last month. I think it’s a core theme for me in my life. I love to be dangerous. I love to do hard things. I love to run power tools. I love weapons. I love to make people uncomfortable doing things they wouldn’t dare try. But all those things come with being careful or deliberate. I’m not reckless. I don’t like getting hurt. I don’t like risk for danger’s sake. I like watching the kids do dangerous things carefully; learning what they are capable of and where they can learn more. I’d love to write a book about all these ideas.
I’m going to do another book giveaway. To enter, send me ideas of something dangerous you did or do. I’d love to hear about how it challenged you and helped you learn too. I’ll draw a winner or two on April 15th and send them the book of their choice.
Thanks for adventuring with me.
Joshua
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