July 2023
The heat finally showed up. Early July was fairly mild for Kansas, but here at the end of the month, we are in our weeks of over 100-degree days. I broke my lawn mower last week and almost melted a few times while working on it in the garage. Millie and I used popsicles to recover. The kids decided that they wanted to plant some seeds they found so now we are trying to keep some sunflowers and some cantaloup sprouts alive in the heat. It’s funny to see where we accidentally planted some of the seeds in the process. We’ve also been doing lots of work in the basement. The kids taught me Framing 101, Facebook marketplace, and sealant application on cement. Next, we will do insulation and some electrical I think.
Here are the books I finished and my reviews of them:
Fiction Books
The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket
This little book was listed on my 100 Book Bucket List poster. I’ve been trying to put a dent in the books it holds, and this one looked like an easy win while I power through Rhythm of War. The more I think about this book though, the more I don’t like it. Maybe I missed the point. The author does give a disclaimer that it doesn’t have a happy ending. The book starts with the three Baudelaire children, Violet, Klaus, and Sonny at the beach. They are enjoying a little holiday, doing things they love. It’s all downhill from there. Their parent’s friend finds the children at the beach and tells them that their home has burned to the ground with their loving parents in it. The friend and his family provide a miserable home for the three children until their closest relative, Count Olaf, agrees to take them in. Count Olaf is a creepy, evil, stage performer who is after the children’s fortune. He abuses them until his plot is uncovered and then he runs away. The story is sad and gloomy. No redeeming fun. No magic, no (non-human) monsters or wizards, and even the writing style is dark, sad, and dreary. You can probably remove this one from your bucket list and find a much more interesting and positive way to spend your time.
This is for anyone needing a damper on their day.
(Rated PG, Score 2/10, audiobook read by a full cast, 2:29)
This book is infinitely more fun than The Bad Beginning. It starts with a young orphan being stolen out of her bed at night by a giant and being galloped off to Giant Country. There, Sophie is introduced to the BFG and nine other man-eating giants. The Big Friendly Giant (BFG) explains a great many things about how he is a good giant who blows wonderful dreams into the windows of the boys and girls of the world, whereas the other giants are always traveling to the countries of the world to eat human beans. Since the BFG never went to school, much of his vocabulary is fantastic and nonsensical. Sophie and the BFG devise a plan to save the humans of the world from being gobbled up by the giants. They mix up a very special dream from the millions of dreams the BFG has stored in his cave, then they deliver that dream to the Queen of England. When the Queen wakes from the nightmare about man-eating giants, she finds Sophie in her bedroom, waiting to explain and introduce her to the BFG. Together, the Queen, the BFG, and Sophie kick off a military mission to arrest the nine bad giants and bring them back to England to be imprisoned for their crimes. This is a very silly story similar to others by Dahl, but there are some prevailing themes, like learning to help each other, listening well, and being kind. The kids got a big kick of how funny the BFG talks, and how he likes whizzpopping even in polite company.
This is for anyone needing a good chuckle.
(Rated G, Score 7/10, audiobook read by David Williams, 4:25)
Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanderson (Stormlight Archives #4)
This is a massive book. It’s like five times longer than my average book. Because it is at the end of the series, Sanderson builds on many existing characters and an entire world of magic, lore, culture, and war. This book, like previous volumes, has three main story arcs. The biggest and most complex takes place in the tower of Urithiru. The second takes place in Shadesmar. The third and least involved is a collection of tangential, scattered chapters taking place in history and around the world of Roshar. The story is set one year after Book 3, and the humans are at war with the Listeners (called Parshendi in previous books). This is a war that has happened over and over in history, but in the past, the Oath Pact controlled how the war would end, causing it to repeat forever. This time the Oath Pact is broken because Honor is dead, bringing in new dynamics, and the potential for the war to be won or lost forever. Odium commands the traitor, Taravangian, to lure Dalinar and his army into a trap/distraction with the main force of the human army, away from the tower fortress Urithiru. Dalinar takes the army and most of the Radiants with him, hoping to win precious territory back from the Listeners. Once away, Taravangian’s army turns against Dalinar, causing his offensive to slow and sowing confusion and doubt in the human leadership strategy. As soon as the Black Thorn is away from Urithiru, Odium’s forces attacked the tower through hidden paths and tunnels into the basement. There they flip the tower’s magical defenses to knock out all the remaining Radiants except for Kaladin and Lift. Without the powerful Radiant defenders, the human army is quickly overwhelmed, and the enemy uses the oath gates to bring in large numbers of reinforcements. The tower’s defenses also cut communication between the tower and Dalinar, allowing the ancient Fused named Raboniel time to try to corrupt the Sibling, who is the spren of the tower. The human Queen, Navani, is taken captive and forced to continue her experiments to understand the properties of three different types of light (Stormlight, Voidlight, Lifelight), and their anti-lights. Together, Navani and Raboniel discover the way to kill spren, Radiants, and Fused forever, opening a way to end the war forever. Kaladin and his band of misfits eventually free the tower, after Kaladin swears the fourth ideal accepting that he cannot save everyone and that the greatest gift we have is the moments we share. Adolin and Shallan lead a mission to Shadesmar to convince the honorspren to join the humans. Without more honorspren to bond, the humans cannot create more Radiants, limiting their ability to continue to fight against the Fused. The mission encounters several challenges and ends with Adolin being tried by the honorspren for the crimes of previous humans. The trial is a farce, intended only to punish and publicly abuse Adolin, but it backfires when Adolin’s shardblade/deadeye Mayalaran is called as a witness in the trial. Miraculously, she speaks and proves that she and her peers chose to sacrifice themselves in the ancient battle, taking away any guilt that could be aimed at the humans. There are chapters devoted to Venli’s story, outlining the history of the Singers before their contact with the humans. The interludes provide interesting color for different secondary characters and events. There are many themes that Sanderson explores in this book. Some that struck me are the psychological casualties of war and how to treat them, ambition and its causes and effects, sacrifice, leadership, delegation, honor and how we perceive it, healing through connection and belonging, the blinding power of fear, the potential those of us who are different to use those differences as gifts rather than curses. Of all the books in this series, this one was the least impactful to me. Maybe it was because the magic got lost in the volume. Maybe I’m not ready for its wisdom yet. I definitely found the story to be challenging and interesting. I particularly found the experiments in light fascinating. They took me back to my optics class in college. Maybe in a few years when Jet is older, we will go through these together and I’ll get more out of it the second time.
This is for anyone with a few weeks of free time they need to fill.
(Rated PG, Score 7/10, audiobook read by Kate Reading and Michael Kramer, 57:26, Hardcover, 1230p.)
North! Or Be Eaten by Andrew Peterson (The Wingfeather Saga #2)
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 over the Mighty Blapp River and into the Ice Prairies. 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. 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? Listening to this with Jet, I had to deal with so many questions. The action and danger keep him nervous and trying to figure out what happens next. Jet got the box set for Christmas so we are reading along and enjoying the illustrations. Up next - Book 3, The Monster In the Hollows.
This is for adventurers, protectors, and rebels.
(Rated PG, Score 8/10, audiobook read by the author, 12:01, hardcover, 330p.)
Only the Dead by Jack Carr (Terminal List #6)
Only the dead have seen the end of war. We seem determined to pour all of our resources and energy into war. James Reese has been arrested by the FBI for conspiracy to assassinate the President of the United States. He spends three months buried in solitary confinement in a super-max prison while the authorities prove his innocence. During that time in the dark, Reese’s internal dialog stretches his psyche to its limits. His friends come to his aid when he is released, ready to take the fight to the people responsible. Reese is searching for a safe deposit box that holds secrets collected by his father. These secrets are so dangerous that The Collective is willing to kill a standing president in an attempt to remove Reese from the picture. The secrets incriminate The Collective for manipulating markets, events, and wars going all the way back to World War II. These people are obsessed with power, and Reese threatens them all. The Collective is planning a Black Swan event (an event that changes the course of history, like the Kennedy assassination). They are planning a nuclear strike against Israel using nuclear materials with Iranian signatures. This will draw the US into a war in the middle east and allow Russia to take over Ukraine and allow China to invade Taiwan, changing the world’s dynamics forever. Like in his other previous adventures, Reese starts killing his way up the food chain to find those responsible for these atrocities. He finds old friends and uses their influence and resources to find the package of data left by his father. Throughout the book, Reese battles the thoughts and doubts that would have him quit, leave his path, and disappear in fear. The internal struggle was an interesting reminder that we all have thoughts and doubts that don’t originate with us. They could come from our friends, our enemies, the devil, or our past, but we do not have to be controlled by them. As the story progresses, Reese’s demons afflict him less and less but never go completely away. This book makes me want to retire to Montana, set up a self-sufficient ranch, and leave the world and its chaos behind. Carr is deeply distrustful of politicians and global leaders. He is highly critical of them to the point of being a modern prophet. I think I would benefit greatly from a wiser, older perspective on these threats and accusations. Let me know if you are up for that sort of discussion. Thanks, Aleksandr for sending me this story and for your insight into the stories and lessons it holds.
This is not for the faint of heart. It is for warriors, protectors, and conspiracy theorists.
(Rated R, Score 8/10, audiobook read by Ray Porter, 15:17, Hardcover special first edition, 564p.)
Non-Fiction Books
For the first time in three years, I didn’t finish a non-fiction book this month. :(
Preview/Currently Reading-
Parenting: Getting It Right by Andy & Sandra Stanley
Salvage System by Kevin Steverson (Salvage Title #3)
I track my books in a database called Goodreads. You might find it helpful in managing your reading lists.
Final Thoughts-
Always be a student. Ask good questions and then actually listen to the answers. I constantly encourage my children to ask good questions. When Millie and I were working on the mower she asked me so many good questions. I love these discussions. They give me a chance to teach, and coach, and learn how to communicate better. I am a better human when I’m curious. That’s a Ted Lasso truth. This darts scene is one of my favorite scenes, probably ever. Be curious and be kind to people.
Thanks for adventuring with me.
Joshua
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