March 2026
March has been a lot this year. The weather is schizophrenic, swinging by more than 80 degrees in four days. Most days started cold and ended hot. We set some heat records for March. We had spring break and most of March Madness. We all learned something about dealing with adversity and mean people. One of my favorite parts of March was watching the USA Sled Hockey team compete in the Paralympics in Milan. I got to play sled hockey with my Nephew last summer, and it was so hard. Watching the USA athletes fly around the ice and smash the competition was so fun. I hope we can watch Gabbon compete in France in 2030 and collect more Canadian Tears!
Anyway, here are the books I finished in March and my reviews of them:
Fiction Books
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
Ender is a third (child). His older brother is a genius and a sociopath. His older sister is a genius, but too empathetic. Ender is the perfect blend of both. Ender is chosen to save the human race from the buggers (aliens) who attacked Earth. Ender starts Battle School at age 6. The teachers are never fair, twisting circumstances to mold Ender into the weapon they need. At age 9, Ender is given his own army to command. At 10, Ender meets Mazer Rackham, and begins training to take control of the human fleet in deep space. Colonel Graff (played by Harrison Ford in the movie adaptation) does an amazing job stretching Ender to the end of himself as he prepares to be humankind’s last best hope to end the war with the Buggers forever.
Ender’s Game is an iconic book because, for many, the way Ender feels resonates powerfully with readers and their feelings from their youth. The battles of middle school specifically conjure memories, fears, regrets, and relatability with Ender’s story. The psychology of the story makes it extremely cathartic, putting feelings and struggles into words most would have trouble with.
Reading about Ender’s evolution in Battle School is my favorite part of the book. I love the visuals of the battle room, the team building Ender uses, his refusal to back down from authority, and his determination to win. I love the creativity of his solutions to unfair puzzles set by the teachers. I had totally forgotten the end of the book from my first reading. I’ve grown a lot as a reader, I suppose, being able to see the conclusions the author was driving now, rather than focusing only on the adventure and danger.
This is for fighters, survivors, empaths, and young aliens.
(Rated PG, Score 10/10, audiobook read by Stefan Rudnicki and others, 11:57)
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 royal 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 Kalmar 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 already has running theories that stretch into the next book, 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)
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
I found my 100-book bucket list poster this week while I was decluttering the house. This one looked like an easy win, helped by its instant availability of the audiobook through my library app. Katniss is a hunter. She hunts illegally to feed herself and her family in a post-apocalyptic community. Katniss volunteers as tribute in the Hunger Games- a brutal gladiator game designed by the capital to keep the twelve districts humble and subservient. Each district sacrifices one male and one female teenager as tribute every year to the Hunger Games. The twenty-four tributes fight to the death in front of the world in the arena. This book series is quite popular, partially because of the related movies. It’s good to have a teenage girl hero version of Maximus from Gladiator. Katniss is the girl on fire and the girl who defied the capital (an empire). There’s a love story. The survival aspects are fun. The gamesmanship/showmanship aspects are prevalent, but a little too obvious. It has a little something for everyone, like The Princess Bride. Some of my takeaways: There’s always a way out. Play to your strengths. Find water first. Kindness matters. I should be teaching my daughter to be a warrior and a princess.
This is for hunters, survivors, and rebels.
(Rated PG, Score 7/10, audiobook read by Tatiana Maslany, 10:35)
Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut
Have you ever read a book that you thought you had read, but then realized that whatever you were remembering, it was definitely not the same story? That’s how this book was for me. I thought I had read this book, maybe in high school, but none of it sounded familiar. The story is about Billy Pilgrim, who survives World War II, including the firebombing of Dresden, Germany. Billy is unstuck in time, so the narrative bounces between the war, his post-war life as an optometrist, and his alien abduction and life in a Tralfamadorian zoo. The story is broken into lots of little chunks, and it bounces around in time with Billy. There is quite a bit of anti-war flavor to the narrative. One of the fun things about fiction is that you can write all kinds of truths that might be politically unpopular without everyone taking them too seriously as threats. I imagine that’s how Vonnegut approached this story. He used the story to deglamorize World War II and show some of the hard truths in stark contrast to popular opinions. I did get to check this one off the 100-book bucket list.
This is for time travelers, reluctant soldiers, and abductees.
(Rated PG-13, Score 6/10, ebook, 231p.)
The Warden and the Wolf King by Andrew Peterson (Wingfeather Saga #4)
Janner turns thirteen at the start of the book and gets blind-plopped in the middle of nowhere as part of a Durgan ritual designed to test the young man’s skills at survival, orientation, and navigation. During his trip back, the Fang army attacks Ban Rona with an air assault- Bat Fangs. Kalmar alerts the backup troops about the secret assault and saves the city from being overrun. Leeli discovers that her whistle harp has the ancient power to turn the tide of battle. She also uses her dog-speak gift to send messages and to send reinforcements where they are needed. The Fangs pull back, and the city stands for the moment. Kalmar knows that the only way to win the war is to cut the head off of the snake- Kalmar goes after Gnag the Nameless in the Castle Throg. On his way, he finds Janner and a young troll named Oood. The trio heads toward the deeps of Throg. On their way, they go through Clovenfast, and they meet the queen and spark hope with the creatures there. On the doorstep of the deeps, a herd of toothy cows takes out Oood. The boys make it into the Castle Throg, steal the ancient stone, and run away from a Bonnifer Squoon spider creature. But Gnag isn’t in his castle. He is capturing Leeli. The boys are captured at the bottom of their escape route from the castle, and the children are taken to the Isle of Anniera, where Gnag forces the jewels to open a secret chamber called the Fane of Fire, where he steals a much bigger ancient stone of power. The final battle is a crazy mix of all the creatures, including the dragons, ridge runners, fangs, and cloven. The end of the book is a story of ultimate sacrifice as the Wingfeather brothers seek to heal the fangs and the cloven who will be the seeds that begin the renewed kingdom of Anniera. This is my favorite book in the series. It is the most complete. It ties up almost all of the loose ends. It takes you through the darkest depths, and tension and sorrow and loss, but restores your hope. It’s a reminder that we are all loved and named by the Maker. It says that little boys are made out of much more solid stuff than we give them credit for. Let’s challenge, teach, and grow them. Let’s help them do dangerous things, carefully.
This is for adventurers, seekers, and healers.
(Rated PG, Score 10/10, audiobook read by the author, 13:46)
Sci-fi this intense is like learning a new language. The author dumps you into a strange land with all kinds of new words for things you’ve never seen or heard of before. This is a seminal example of world-building. As the story unfolds, the pattern of the book becomes clearer: there are seven strangers on a pilgrimage together. They decide to share their stories, and they draw numbers to determine who will tell their story in which order. Each story is a big chapter, shining new light on the overall narrative. Each story builds out its own characters, explores new worlds, unwraps deep motives, and adds to the drama. The uniting thread is always the planet Hyperion and the Shrike pilgrimage to the Time Tombs. The Time Tombs are a set of artifacts that do not experience time normally. There are claims that they are a weapon from the future sent to the past with malicious intent. The stories are very unique, and the characters come from strikingly different backgrounds. There’s a commander, a poet, a private investigator, a priest, and an intellectual. Each pilgrim is willing to risk it all for resolution. I’ll have to hunt down book two to figure out what happens next. The writing style was a bit more… adult than I’m used to. There is a lot of violence, complexity, and sex. The story challenged my imagination and comprehension. During the Private Investigator’s story, the narrative language felt a lot like The Neuromancer, which was fascinating.
This is for cyber cowboys, pilgrims, and Benjamin Buttons.
(Rated R, Score 8/10, audiobook read by Marc Victor and others, 20:44)
A Wind in the Door by Madeleine L'Engle (Time Quintet #2)
Meg and Calvin get drawn into a quest to save Charles Wallace. Charles Wallace is sick. He has mitochronditis. His mother and doctor are working to diagnose his illness, and they think it is tied to his farandolae, which are causing his mitochondria to fail at energy production. Meg and Calvin meet a cherubim named Proginoskes, who looks like a drive of dragons. The kids and Progo meet a teacher named Blajeny, who leads them through three epic tasks. First, Meg has to identify and name Mr. Jenkins, who has been copied by evil Echthroi who are trying to destroy humans through Charles Wallace. Mr. Jenkins joins the crew, and Blajeny takes them into one of Charles Wallace’s mitochondria. There, they learn why Charles Wallace is so sick. His farandolae are refusing to deepen because they are being deceived by the Echthroi. Working together against the Echthroi, the team must get Sporos to grow up and deepen to complete task two. For the final task, Meg must save Mr. Jenkins from the Echthroi who attack him and try to ex him. This is an amazing story about how we are all tied together from the galaxy down to the microscopic. I love the story structure of the three tasks. I love the description and personality of Proginoskes. It gives light to the creatures I’ve read in prophecy and Revelation. I listened to this book with Millie, who I hope will take some of the strength of Meg and the courage of Calvin, and the magical power of naming.
This is for drives of dragons, younglings, and teachers.
(Rated PG, Score 8/10, audiobook read by Jennifer Ehle, 5:27)
Non-Fiction Books
The Big Leap is a quest to live in your Zone of Genius. To leap, you must break through four barriers which cause upper-limit problems: 1- A false belief that we are fundamentally flawed in some way. 2- A false belief that by succeeding, we are being disloyal to and leaving behind people in our past. 3- A false belief that we are a burden in the world. 4- A false belief that we must dim the bright light of our brilliance so we don’t outshine people in our past. These barriers lead us to sabotage ourselves as we start to achieve success. When we live in our Zone of Genius, we can thrive in love, abundance, and creativity. The author also spends a couple of chapters discussing our perception of time and how to solve relationship problems. I struggled to get through this book for a while. The main concepts seemed a bit out of my experience, and the language was too fluffy. I got some useful perspective out of the Einstein time chapter. We must take ownership of time and make the most of what we have. Claiming we don’t have enough time is typically dishonest and makes us the victim. When we decide what to do with our time and intentionally spend it on the most important things, we become the masters of it. Sorry, Mikey, this one didn’t resonate with me in my old age.
This is for self-saboteurs and anyone stuck.
(Rated PG-13, Score 5/10, audiobook read by the author, 5:27)
War is a Racket by Smedley D. Butler
“A racket is best described, I believe, as something that is not what it seems to the majority of people. Only a small “inside” group knows what it is about. It is conducted for the benefit of the very few, at the expense of the very many. Out of war, a few people make huge fortunes.” This is a fascinating short book describing how war is a racket. It is written in plain, conversational, yet convincing language to the Everyman. It talks about who makes war profit, who pays the bills, how to smash the racket, and concludes with “to hell with war”. I was impressed with the numbers presented in the text, particularly the troop numbers and financial figures. It would be interesting to dig in and see how the numbers for the earlier wars lined up with numbers from some of our more recent wars in terms of cost, loss of life, and misuse of resources, as argued by the author. The author presents some common-sense solutions to the problem: remain neutral, defend our own land, and change the conscription model to force conscription of capital and industry before any humans can be drafted. Of course, these make too much sense and threaten the wealth and influence of those making the rules.
This is for a quick read, historical perspective, and an interesting peek behind the curtain.
(Rated PG, Score 8/10, audiobook read by Victor Craig, 0:40, ebook, 81p.)
On The Shortness of Life by Lucius Annaeus Seneca
We’ve been faced squarely by death over the last few years. We lost Grandpa Buzz and my cousin Eddie already this year. As my 13-year-old nephew said, “Why do people keep dying?! It’s SO annoying!” I feel that. It’s a pure sentiment. Death reminds us how small and out of control we are. This book is filled with stoic ideas about how short life is and how important it is to live well with the time we have. We waste our time with petty worries. We get our priorities out of order. We forget to enjoy nature. We leave important things unsaid. We can fix these things. Let’s control what we have and live well.
This is for stoics, anyone needing a quick book win, and anyone who is alive.
(Rated G, Score 7/10, audiobook read by Jeffrey Ito, 1:00)
Preview/Currently Reading-
The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer
The Apostle’s Creed by Ben Meyers
Beautiful Outlaw by John Eldridge
Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan
Wingfeather Tales by Andrew Peterson
I track my books in a database called Goodreads. It might help manage your reading lists.
Final Thoughts-
Looking at the books I finished this month, there’s a lot of battle, war, chaos, and adventure. In the face of all that, there are beautiful (and ugly) characters who grow, rise up, overcome, adapt, and persevere. There were several instances in which characters sacrificed themselves so that others could live. There’s also a whole lot of weird out there. So it goes. I’m trying to figure out how to be more resilient and calmer in all the weirdness and chaos. I’m trying to learn how to bring people together and make connections.
This weekend is Easter. Easter is about all these things, too. For me, it’s especially about sacrificial love, resurrection, and redemption. Let’s celebrate and honor these things while we hide the eggs.
Thanks for adventuring with me.
Joshua