August 2023
We’ve been trying to beat the heat. We had quite a few days over 100 degrees F here in Wichita. Basement finishing is nice. It stays around 65 down there year-round. I’m almost done with the framing and getting ready for electrical work. The kids are back to school. I celebrated 15 years at Textron Aviation. And Aubrey and I took a trip to Gerhart, OR. It was a very good trip to spend time with Aleksandr and Autumn.
Here are the books I finished and my reviews of them:
Fiction Books
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
I snagged this book for free as part of the Included selection on Audible. It is narrated by Scarlett Johansson and is just as crazy as the movie. It is listed on my 100 book bucket list poster so I grabbed it and listened to it with the kids and then we watched the movie. Alice is supposed to be studying, but she follows a white rabbit with a waistcoat and a giant pocket watch down a hole beneath a tree. Alice falls into Wonderland where eating and drinking drastically change her size. The animals and residents of Wonderland are all very nonsensical. Alice bounces from event to event with no decrease in enthusiasm despite the crazy interactions. She takes part in a mad tea party, a rigged game of croquet, and is eventually put on trial by a raging queen of hearts.
This is for the dreamers, kids with big imaginations, and recreational drug users.
(Rated PG, Score 6/10, audiobook read by Scarlett Johansson, 2:44)
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
How many times have you laid awake at night and talked to God? That’s the conversation around which this “coming of age” book is framed. Margaret is a teenager who moves from New York to New Jersey. Her Jewish father and Christian mother have decided that she is no religion until she is old enough to make such an important decision, but she chooses to tackle this issue as part of a school project. The story covers her school year, making friends, learning from mistakes, and blazing new paths on her way to adulthood. Margaret learns about making assumptions and judging people based only on appearances or rumors. Circumstances take Margaret to synagogue and church. She ends up in confession but doesn’t know what to say. She sees different pieces of religion, but she fails to “feel God” each time. She experiences how people weaponize religion. She sees scars left over after decades of misunderstandings caused by religion. The other theme running through the book was the crazy hormones, changes, and physical unpleasantries associated with puberty and changing from a child to an adult. Although the stories were awkward and silly, I’m sure they have helped generate interesting conversations that are otherwise avoided. This story is on my 100-book bucket list poster, and it doesn’t fit with the usual books I read, but I found it to be very interesting. It had deep layers under the girly stuff. Margaret is a seeker and seekers are rewarded by finding what others do not.
This is for young ladies and anyone in danger of having to parent a young lady.
(Rated PG, Score 8/10, audiobook read by Laura Hamilton, 3:09)
Salvage System by Kevin Steverson (Salvage Title #3)
After defending their home system, Harmon Tomeral and Associates return the Salvage Fleet to an ancient system that will be their new home. Salvage System will soon be back on the list of gates on the net which means it will be open to anyone with the credit to pay the gate fees. It doesn’t take long for a fleet of mercenaries to attack the new system defenders. Harmon relies on many of the leaders under him to execute the defense of his system. By trusting his friends and allies, absorbing new info to adjust tactics, and executing those strategies, the Salvage fleet destroys the invaders. The leader of the invading fleet is an evil, wanted criminal. Using their young AI’s new skill to manipulate the system gate, they set a trap, capture him, and send him back to Earth to stand trial for war crimes. The fleet returns to their work colonizing the planets in their new system. After they have had time to repair their ships, rebuild their ranks, and welcome the first newborn beings to their planets, a Barlat refugee finds his way to their system. Harmon decides to take the Salvage Fleet to war to save the Barlat system from the Gritloth. The Gritloth invaded and enslaved the Barlat seeking Galacuss crystals (super valuable space stuff). Harmon hates bullies. The Salvage fleet takes all their expertise, their friends, tricks, and their just cause to the Barlat system where they fight the Grithloth to the last being. After freeing the system they are rewarded by the Barlat with a treasure in crystals, and they help the Barlat establish a better defense for their system. As Harmon says, “When you see a wrong you do what you can to make it right.” The book introduced me to some fascinating ideas about how to colonize a new planet/system and some of the challenges such an undertaking would involve. The author also uses the story to introduce moral dilemmas about when to use force of arms to attack and who to defend. Like the other books in the series, I enjoyed the characters, the hero, and the fact that the good guys face challenges and overcome them together.
This is for space explorers and sci-fi fans.
(Rated PG, Score 8/10, ebook, 289p.)
The Monster in the Hollows by Andrew Peterson (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 Jewels’ mother and the Queen of Anniera) and Podo Helmer (the grandfather). The welcome the family receives is not what they expected. The Hollows 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 Hollow's 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? Reading this with Jet, I had to answer questions at each twist. He has running theories that stretch deep into the next book already as well as ideas about the cover art. Fear makes people do strange things; it also provides a trigger to help us think about where our greatest opportunities lie.
This is for monsters, little boys, and anyone dealing with bullies.
(Rated PG, Score 9/10, Audiobook read by the author, 9:18)
Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson
Several people told me they were reading this book, so I jumped on the bandwagon. This is one of Sanderson’s earlier novels; you can tell if you look closely. It’s not as polished. It’s not as tight. It’s rougher. Grittier. But those aren’t bad things- I loved it. He built a different magic system based on “burning” metals. Burning each metal gives access to different powers, for example, burning steel allows a Mistborn to physically push metal objects. Vin is the main character. She’s a skaa (slave class) thief. Her whole 16-year life has been abuse, danger, and scrambling to survive. She’s tough. The hero, Kelsier, finds, recruits, and trains Vin as a Mistborn. He is so different from the others in her life. Kelsier uses trust to build instead of abuse and fear. Kelsier is building a revolution. The fellowship he is building is a crew of different burners who specialize in specific metals. Vin trains with each of them to take her talents to the next level. The crew is working to build an army, destabilize the ruling class, and create a revolution. The evil enemy is the Lord Ruler. Kelsier is betting everything for a chance to kill the Lord Ruler. His motivation is layered but based on revenge. The Lord Ruler is immortal. He defeated a great evil and assumed the throne. He established the Inquisitors- powerful monsters who enforce the law and quell dissidents. Like all good heist stories, this twists and turns. The character development is fantastic. Growth, redemption, and sacrifice- these are built in several of the crew as they come together to create a revolution like nothing the world has ever seen.
This is for thieves, rebels, and anyone who loves adventure and wonder.
(Rated PG, Score 9/10, audiobook read by Michael Kramer, 24:39)
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
I had this one on hold at the library for a while and it finally kicked loose. It was a bit rough and awkward… just like the teenage boys that make up most of the cast. Thomas wakes up in an elevator shaft being raised into a glade. His memories have been strategically wiped. The teenage boys he finds indoctrinate him into their world which is limited to the glade and the maze. The boys have created their own rules and order. They work each other hard so that they don’t lose hope. Each night the entrances to the maze shut which keeps out the Grievers. No one’s ever survived a night in the maze. But Thomas’s arrival triggers things to change. The next day, Teresa is loaded into the glade with a message that everything is changing. The boys, led by Thomas, start aggressively tackling the maze with a new idea of how to defeat the maze based on patterns the walls of the maze have been showing. Can they defeat the maze? The book feels like a video game, complete with cut scenes, boss fights, and plot twists. It also felt like a mix of Lord of the Flies, The Hunger Games, and The Matrix.
This is for wild young boys.
(Rated PG-13, Score 6/10, audiobook read by Mark Deakins, 10:50)
Non-Fiction Books
Parenting: Getting It Right by Andy & Sandra Stanley
This is a fantastic book on parenting. My favorite aspect of Andy’s (and Sandra’s) writing style is their clarity. They don’t use big, expensive words. They use small, concise words and keep the concepts simple, actionable, and relatable. To start, the Stanleys describe their definition of parenting success: building functional adult children who want to be around them and each other. Their goal is to build strong relationships and teach children how to protect and value people through relationships. The rest of the book supports that goal. They break the parenting journey into four stages: The discipline stage (birth to Pre-K), the teaching stage (Grade school), the coaching stage (Middle and High school), and the friendship stage (College and beyond). To keep things easy they didn’t have a lot of rules. One main rule is: “Honor your mother.” By stressing this rule, the family gains a great, relational perspective. To support this rule, three things are never tolerated- disobedience, disrespect, and dishonesty. The second rule is: “Never tell a lie.” Lying breaks the relationship. The book covers discipline in a way that I have not heard before. The goal of discipline is to teach children how to restore the relationship that they have damaged. This takes confession and restitution. As children get older, the consequences should be very creative, and they should focus on restoring the relationship with the person who was wronged. There are some great examples in the book, like forcing the boys to buy flowers for the babysitter and deliver them to her at work along with handwritten apology notes. The book also includes practical wisdom about schedules, priorities, and communication. One piece of wisdom I am trying to implement: Only raise your voice when there is danger. Not in anger. To round out the book, the Stanleys cover marriage wisdom and spiritual formation. I will probably buy a copy of this book and see if I can convince my wife to work through it with me. The content and approach are simple, yet profound.
This is for anyone with little people or planning to have little people.
(Rated G, Score 10/10, audiobook read by the authors, 5:07)
This is a collection of articles, letters, essays, and talks by C.S. Lewis written across many topics including theology, philosophy, language, pain, government, naturalism, and books. The title implies that the tables have turned in society and instead of man being judged by God, God is on trial (in the dock) and being judged by men. It is interesting how we have come here to this post-Christian society. These shorter bits of text allow the reader to approach some of these ideas in bite-sized chunks for better absorption. In some cases, I wish I had a translation written to me more like I was five years old. There were some ideas that I held on to and have been pondering. In one article, Lewis develops the idea that you can’t have a “Christian” political party, only Christian citizens, so the best approach to healing the country would be to work to convert your neighbors. I was also reminded that reading old books is a great way to get back to basics and get away from some of the more trendy writing that may not be as deep. There was some political discussion in a few different articles where Lewis expressed concern about how the vocabulary used by those in power can be abused to generate even more power and control. For example, if a criminal is deemed to be sick rather than dangerous, it becomes the job of the system to cure him. In the process, they also get to define what the sickness is and how to determine if or when such a person is cured, thus taking all the power to institutionalize anyone they deem sick. I’m sure this is a very old strategy for those in power, but the implications are daunting.
This is for anyone needing a brain stretch.
(Rated PG, Score 7/10, audiobook read by Ralph Cosham, 10:54)
Preview/Currently Reading-
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
The Warden and the Wolf King by Andrew Peterson (Wingfeather Saga #4)
I track my books in a database called Goodreads. You might find it helpful in managing your reading lists.
Final Thoughts-
Have you ever been in a situation where the people around you lost their minds (usually collectively), and though you were close to the situation, you could see that they were all acting emotionally? We talk ourselves and each other into doing and saying crazy things sometimes. We say things we regret. We set hard requirements and boundaries where none really exist. We issue ultimatums. We demand perfection from others, forgetting that we are not perfect. We hurt each other. I imagine Margaret’s parents (from the book above) and grandparents doing all these things in the years before the story. I’ve seen religion tear families apart. It’s the perfect weapon to wield in pride, fear, or anger. That’s why that book has power. It gives us words or characters to discuss those types of situations in a safer way. It lets us be ok, not being ok. It lets us remember that we are not alone, and hopefully that we are not always right.
I’ve wrestled and pondered the idea of what it takes to walk away from faith or to be forced to choose this person or that family or that faith. It’s a messy idea. Life is messy.
But reading the Parenting book I had a light bulb moment that I want to share. There’s a chapter where Andy talks about spiritual development, and how he wanted to react to his kids walking away from their faith. He said, if they ever walked away from their religion, he would walk away too. The point wasn’t that his faith was weak. In fact, it was quite the opposite. He wanted to have a faith so strong that it could handle him leaving religion to preserve his relationship with his kid if that was going to be what it took. That’s what it is to love no matter what. That’s a huge no matter what: walking away from religion. But it’s what Jesus did. He left the church, the religious people, and centuries of traditions, all to find and to love us. I want to love like that- no matter what. I want my love and my actions to be relational. I want to build relationships based on love and trust, and if a little religion gets in the way, I want to have the courage to walk away from religion (but not away from my faith), lean into the relationship, and love anyway and trust that in the end, I chose well.
Thanks for adventuring with me.
Joshua
PS. Instagram: Fromthespine
PPS. Please feel free to forward this to your reading friends. If they want to be on my email list, let me know.
PPPS. Send me book ideas, brand ideas, or questions. I love the feedback.