December 2023
December went by really fast. Much faster than October and November. I spent the month stretching my knee back into bending mode. After being locked straight for the better part of six weeks it forgot how to bend and the scar tissue locked it up even more. This week at PT it was bending to about 90 degrees, which makes a huge difference in my mobility and ability to do normal things like drive and sit in chairs. I was able to go to the Skillet concert early in the month and that was fun even though I wasn’t allowed in the mosh pit with my crutches. We made it back to New Mexico for Christmas to spend time with my family. It was glorious. The roads were clear and I got to see all my people.
Here are the books I finished and my reviews of them:
Short Poem
What You Need To Be Warm by Neil Gaiman
This is a Christmas gift from my sister. It's a short poem created from a collection of memories about being warm. Winter is hard. We need light, warmth, connection, and safety to survive. We need kind words and hot tea. This little poem will help me make it through winter being a little bit more intentionally warm.
Fiction Books
This is a hard book to review because if I give you a plot summary, I’ll give away all the clever twists and turns it takes. It felt like someone took the movie Braveheart and The Hunger Games books and shook them all together, mixed them up, and spilled the result into a futuristic solar system sci-fi thriller. The hero is a Helldiver on Mars. A red. A slave. His people are fiery and fierce. They burn bright but fade quickly. This book is about one Red rising from slavery, attempting to change his stars, colors, and fate. I enjoyed this book, though it took me a while to get through it. I started it a few times, but it didn’t hook my attention. It took laying awake with my leg hurting to make me pay enough attention to it to get past the first couple of chapters and into the story flow. There are some interesting ideas about politics, humanity, democracy, leadership, and sacrifice that come out along the way. The characters are sharply crafted, and the plot is unpredictable. I’d be interested in your thoughts if you have read it.
This is for rebels, fighters, and schemers.
(Rated R, Score 7/10, audiobook read by Tim Gerard Reynolds, 16:12)
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter #5)
This book has a character who makes me so mad I get physically upset. Possibly one of the best-written bad characters I’ve read. To start the story, Harry and his cousin are attacked by dementors in their neighborhood. Harry keeps his wits and drives the dementors off with his patronis charm, but that means performing illegal underage magic in the presence of a muggle. So Harry has to go to a hearing to defend himself at the Ministry of Magic. The hearing highlights the injustice against Harry and Dumbledore by Cornelius Fudge and the other Ministry people who don’t believe that Voldemort is back. Dumbledore beats the rigged system and properly defends Harry, who is cleared of all charges. Returning to Hogwarts, the gang meets a new character, Luna Lovegood. She’s weird, but I enjoy her self-confidence and style. Professor Umbridge has been planted on the staff as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. She provokes Harry into speaking out, giving him many detentions where he is forced to write with a cursed pen which carves his skin and writes with his blood. The injustice of it all makes me sick. Slowly, Fudge uses educational decrees to bolster Umbridge’s power at the school where she tries to fire and evict Professor Trelawney and Hagrid. To fight the injustice and to learn practical defensive magic, Harry, Ron, and Hermione form the DA- Dumbledore’s Army. Harry leads the group in secret weekly meetings training the students in stunning, disarming, dueling, jinxing, and all kinds of other spells they find in the library and from Harry’s personal skill book. Throughout the book Harry dreams about a room in the Ministry of Magic called the Department of Mysteries. Voldemort is trying to bait Harry into visiting the room and removing a prophecy about them. Eventually, the Dark Lord manages to lure Harry and his friends to the Ministry where there is a massive fight between the students, the death eaters, the Order of the Phoenix, and finally a fantastic duel between Dumbledore and Voldemort. As a result, the world learns for certain that Voldemort is back and acting in the open. Fudge is forced to face the truth that he has been wrong for a year and the beginning of the second war has come. My favorite part is when Umbridge gets her comeuppance. Jet and I really enjoyed the illustrated version combined with the audible storytelling and we are sad that books 6 and 7 of the illustrated version have not been made yet.
This is for the misunderstood, persecuted, and feisty.
(Rated PG, Score 7/10, Audiobook read by Jim Dale, 26:28, Illustrated copy, 565p.)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter #6)
It felt like Book 6 was rather darker than the previous books. Harry spends the book learning about the darkest type of magic with Professor Dumbledor and trying to figure out what Draco Malfoy is up to. Professor Slughorn adds a new personality to the Hogwarts staff, giving Snape the Dart Arts job he’s been after for a long time. The whole wizarding world feels the tension between wishing for normal and the fear of the dark lord returning. Harry and Dumbledor piece together Voldemort’s history and develop the beginnings of a plan to destroy him. They learn that Voldemort has split his soul into seven pieces in an attempt to remain immortal. Each piece is hidden in a Horcrux. Each one must be destroyed before the human form of Voldemort will become vulnerable. Just as they work out the plan and start hunting for the Horcruxes, disaster strikes leaving Harry and his friends devastated. From the beginning, there has been enmity and confusion between Harry and Snape. This book takes that to the next level. Listening to the stories again reinforced how complex that relationship is and how difficult writing it must have been. Dumbledor is my favorite character in these books this go-round. I enjoy his wit, patience, and wisdom. I’m looking forward to the final book and resolving some of the mysteries I’ve forgotten.
This is for seekers, rebels, and those intent on standing up to evil.
(Rated PG, Score 7/10, audiobook read by Jim Dale, 18:32)
Non-Fiction Books
Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life by Arnold Schwarzenegger
I didn’t know what to expect from this book when I grabbed it from the library. I’ve always found Arnold to be an interesting character. I’ve seen the work he does with the big fitness festivals and his movies of course and I knew he had gotten into politics. I knew he was smart, but I think I sold him short because of the silly movies he’s been in. I was surprised and impressed by the clarity of his story. He deliberately outlines the four major acts of his life: bodybuilding, acting, politics, and philanthropy. This book is based on advice given to him by his father: be useful. The following are his descriptions of seven tools to help one be useful. 1- Have a clear vision. Start big, then zoom in. Get clear as you work toward your goals. Look at your work in the mirror. Like Arnold posing in a mirror, reading reviews of his movies, or listening to his constituents, we must accept feedback on our vision and refine our methods as we work toward our goals. 2- Never think small. Don’t have a plan B, because then you become your own doubter. 3- Work your ass off. Work works. Productive pain means growth. Reps reps reps. Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast. Follow up and follow through. Make sure the work gets done. No excuses. Do the work. 4- Sell, sell, sell. Know who you need to sell to. Part of selling is just describing your vision to people. Don’t try to be someone you aren’t. Don’t be ashamed of who you are. Be real. Take responsibility. 5- Shift gears. Don’t complain about a problem unless you are willing to try to solve it. When you feel the urge to start complaining, switch gears and look for the positive side. Learn from failure. Break the rules. Risk is all made up. 6- Shut your mouth, open your mind. Be curious. Learn from everyone. Change your fate. Change your stars. Put your knowledge/brain to good use. 7- Break your mirrors. Give back. Volunteer. Give. Do something. Look for others to help. None of us are self-made men. Others help us. Help others. I like that he read his book with passion and style. I like his hard work mantra. Overall, I found this to be a fantastic book. I intend to take some of these lessons and intentionally start trying to use them in my work and at home. Specifically, sell, sell, sell, and shift gears. I think those could help me be more effective in my current job. We’ll see.
This is for workers, terminators, and hustlers.
(Rated R, Score 9/10, audiobook read by the author, 6:19)
Preview/Currently Reading-
The Ideal Team Player by Patrick Lencioni
Beginner’s Pluck by Liz Forkin Bohannon
Defiant by Brandon Sanderson (Skyward #4)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter #7)
Day of War by Cliff Graham (Lion of War #1)
I track my books in a database called Goodreads. You might find it helpful in managing your reading lists.
Final Thoughts-
I’ve been thinking a lot about discipline and mental toughness over the last several weeks as I have been trying to rehab my way back to fully functional adult mode. Jocko says discipline = freedom. I say discipline = discomfort = better mobility = the ability to drive = freedom. It’s kinda the same thing, but a real-life connection between the hard work I have been putting in each day stretching out my knee and the resulting freedom that comes with being able to bend my knee enough to drive again. What are you working on that can show the relationship between discipline and the results you want?
At some point last January, one of my friends put out a challenge to do 10000 pushups in 2023. He set up a group spreadsheet to track progress. I’ve done a lot of challenges, but never one so long. I thought I could get through that amount of work much more quickly than it ended up. I didn’t finish until today, but, the important bit was that I did finish. I lost 6 weeks after my knee injury but managed to break the big goal down into daily wins. I’m going to do the challenge again in 2024 with some good friends. You should join me. Text me and I’ll add you to the fun. Here’s a little quote I’ve been using for motivation: "Strong People are harder to kill, and more useful in general" - Mark Rippetoe.
Here are my 2023 Top Book Lists:
Thanks for adventuring with me.
Joshua
PS. Instagram: Fromthespine
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