June 2026
June has been a completely different type of month compared to the others this year. The World Cup of soccer has taken the US (and Mexico and Canada) by storm. If you haven’t seen the soccer or social media circus yet, look into the Tartan Army, Norway fans rowing the whole stadium, Cape Verde’s 40-year-old bus driver goalkeeper, or Europeans discovering American food. My friend Seth invited me to go to the Argentina vs Algeria match. I’ve been dreaming of going to a World Cup game since we last hosted it in 1994. It was amazing.
We have had record rains, tons of grass mowing to do, and a break from the kid-activity chaos. It was a much more positive month.
Below, you will notice some new book links mixed in. I started an affiliate account with bookshop.org. They donate a portion of their sales to local bookshops. It feels like a way to vote with your $. I hear I’ll get a cut too, but this has yet to be proven.
Anyway, here are the books I finished and my reviews of them:
Fiction Books
The Stranger by Albert Camus (Bookshop.org affiliate link)
Google tells me that this book is an existential masterpiece. I don’t think I agree. Maybe I’m not literary or mature enough for that yet. In part one, Mersault attends his mother’s funeral. The Algerian setting and traditions for the funeral are quite bleak. After the funeral, Mersault begins a casual affair with Marie, spending time with her and refusing to say he loves her. It’s weird. Mersault also gets drawn into a spat between his neighbor, Rabymond Sintès, and his mistress. Mersault, Marie, and Raymond go on an outing to the seaside to spend some time with some friends who live there. After a morning on the beach, trouble finds the crew. The scenario ends with Mersault shooting a man five times in cold blood. The second half of the book describes Mersault’s murder trial. The prosecution, instead of focusing on the murder, spends most of its case examining Mersault’s emotional distance at his mother’s funeral. Mersault seems aloof and confused most of the book, and the last chapters record his descent into fear and oblivion as a condemned man. This book showed up on my 100-book bucket list and a list of short reads I’ve been working through. I didn’t really enjoy it because I found it to be dark, confusing, and weird. Maybe I needed a book club or college class to give it better context, meaning, and impact.
This is for philosophers and existentialists.
(Rated PG-13, Score 6/10, ebook, 105p.)
Perelandra by C.S. Lewis (bookshop.org)
After returning from Mars in Book 1 (Out of the Silent Planet), Ransom is sent to Venus, which is also called Perelandra. He is sent by the Oyarsa of Mars on a vague mission, without much explanation. He finds himself in the birth cycle of Perelandra, where there is only a King and Queen (think Adam and Eve) to care for the floating islands and animals. The King and Queen were separated by a storm, and Ransom meets the Queen. Ransom learns that, like our creation story, Maledil (God) has left the King and Queen with one command solely to prove their obedience: They must not stay overnight on the fixed land. Ransom and the Queen are soon joined by Weston, the great physicist from the first book, who has traveled to Perelandra by spaceship on a mission to deceive and destroy. Weston is the embodiment of evil sent to cause the fall of the King and Queen. Eventually, Ransom realizes that his mission is to overcome the evil threat by physical force. After a long struggle, Ransom defeats Weston, and Perelandra is saved from the evil attack. Like most of C.S. Lewis’ books, this one is crammed full of philosophy, theology, and deeper meanings. I was surprised by Jet’s ability to understand a lot of what was being said and inferred in the dialogue. He continues to impress me with his grasp of language and context.
This is for students of the great story.
(Rated PG, Score 9/10, Audiobook read by Geoffrey Howard, 7:48)
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (bookshop.org)
This is a hard story about human struggle, finding your identity in a community/culture, and redemption. If you are looking for puppies and rainbows, this is not your jam. Amir is a young Afghan boy growing up in a wealthy home with his father and Hassan, his servant and closest friend. Amir and Hassan battle kites together. Amir, aching for his father’s love and affirmation, is overjoyed when he wins the yearly kite-battling tournament, but his victory is overshadowed by an act of cowardice that eats Amir for the rest of his childhood. Amir watches Hassan suffer unspeakable abuse at the hands of the local bullies and fails to intervene. This failure leads to shame so great that Amir forces Hassan and his father out of their home. The Soviets invade Afghanistan, destroying peace, and causing Amir and his father to flee to America. They build new lives in San Francisco, but the guilt and shame follow Amir. Many years later, Amir is called back to Kabul, where he learns the truth about his family and is offered a chance at redemption. The cycle has the architecture of a fairytale, but is balanced with the irony, pain, and fear of a true story.
There is so much tension in this story. The tension is uncomfortable and caused me to recoil in places. One of the things I’m learning this year is that there is only growth where we are willing to be uncomfortable, which makes this book a growth opportunity. There are so many aspects of this life that I wish were untrue or never were, yet they are, and to ignore them is to ignore pieces of people who desperately need to be seen.
This book aligns well with what I learned from The Looming Tower, offering a proper Afghan perspective on the circumstances that counterbalance the Taliban view. The more I ponder this book, the more it grows on me.
This is for readers struggling with self-forgiveness and slingshot slingers.
(Rated R, Score 9/10, audiobook read by the author, 12:01)
Minecraft: The Island by Max Brooks (bookshop.org)
People tend to love Jack Black or hate him. My kids mostly think he’s hilarious because he’s the voice of Bowser in the Super Mario movies. Jet asked specifically for the audiobook version of this book narrated by Jack Black, because he also plays Steve in the Minecraft movie. In the story, the narrator wakes up washed up on an island in the ocean, and has to learn to survive in this new blocky world. He learns the way of the cube: plan, prepare, prioritize, practice, patience, persevere. He learns to take care of basic needs like food, water, and shelter. And he learns all kinds of other rules of the Minecraft world by trial and error. The voice of his conscience is Moo, a Minecraft cow, who teaches him the ways of the Minecraft world. I got to ask Jet all kinds of questions about how things work in the game. There are some great developmental themes for young readers. There are plenty of funny and silly moments.
This is for young readers learning about Minecraft lore and older readers trying to keep up.
(Rated PG, Score 7/10, audiobook read by Jack Black, 6:17)
A Swiftly Tilting Planet by Madeleine L’Engle (bookshop.org)
The world stands on the edge of a knife with its fate held by a madman threatening nuclear war. Charles Wallace is given an ancient bit of power and a charge to change the course of history. The unicorn, Gaudior, carries Charles Wallace to several historical moments where he goes within certain characters and learns the story of the ancient Welsh people who brought their powers to America and then on to South America. There are themes in each moment that Charles Wallace and Gaudior see. They see gifts of power in the Welsh and in the Native Americans. They see brother fighting against brother for power, control, and peace. They see evil trying to destroy the best might-have-beens. Charles Wallace is supported through the night by Meg, a new dog, a kitten, and BZ (Meg’s mother-in-law). The family stands in the gap between the evil that could have been and uses the Rune of St. Patrick to solidify the might-have-been that led to peace.
This is for protectors, healers, baby unicorns, and time travelers.
(Rated PG, Score 9/10, audiobook read by Jennifer Ehle, 7:21)
Non-Fiction Books
400 Things Cops Know by Adam Plantinga (bookshop.org)
Adam Plantinga is a writer who took up police work to get material to write about. Law enforcement certainly gets a unique view into the human condition. I really enjoyed Plantinga’s writing style. It covers the basics of police work, expounds on the challenges they face, and generally maintains a positive yet realistic view of the job. The chapters are things cops know by topic. For example, Chapter 1 is 27 things cops know about shots fired, and Chapter 2 is 18 things cops know about the use of force. Topics cover everything from quick quips to longer discussions of police tactics, scenarios, or struggles. Plantinga makes quite a few disparaging remarks about firefighters. These are some of the funniest parts of the book and further entrench the rivalry between the two groups of public servants. Other topics are hazards, working with the public, juveniles, seasonal policing, chases, booze and drugs, investigations, traffic, death, hookers and johns, domestic violence, thugs and liars.
This is for aspiring police officers, non-fiction readers, and maybe aspiring drug dealers.
(Rated R, Score 9/10, audiobook read by Mark Boyett, 7:04)
Travels with Charley: In Search of America by John Steinbeck (bookshop.org)
Sometimes you need a good book with plenty of sarcasm, character, and less plot tension to ease your mind and keep you from going to that dark place for a bit. This book fits that bill. I was nervous about it after reading The Grapes of Wrath, but this book is nothing like that. The author buys a sturdy truck and adds a camper to the bed. He loads in enough gear and supplies to cross the country four times, and takes off on an adventure. He takes his standard poodle, Charley, along as wingman. Starting in New York, the pair drives up to Maine, where they are expected for a visit with some family friends. Next, their path takes them across the northern states as the season turns into fall. They wander down the west coast and head back through the southern states. Charley makes friends all over the country, breaking down social barriers and marking all the trees. The author spins philosophy, geography, and heavy doses of hyperbole, sarcasm, and wit into the tale. There are several deep discussions disguised as small talk, lubricated by food and drinks. There are some prophetical moments and some tangential rants. Poor Charley gets sick a few times, but pulls through when he gets some good healthcare.
I enjoyed this book a lot. Charley has fun characteristics of his own, and others are imagined onto him as the story goes. The adventure feels somewhat like Greenlights, Dear Bob and Sue, and Flight of Passage. I was impressed by the lack of automotive trouble they have on the road. I guess that’s to be expected with a brand new truck, but this was the 60s, and all he had to deal with was a blown tire. The story gets darkest when Charley and John face the desegregation tensions in the southeast. They make it through and power back home to New York. Thank you, Peggy, for this recommendation.
This is for wanderers, road-trippers, and explorers.
(Rated PG, Score 9/10, audiobook read by Gary Sinise, 7:58)
Currently Reading-
Beautiful Outlaw by John Eldridge
Hidden Potential by Adam Grant
Cyberpunk 2077: No_Coincidence by Rafał Kosik
I track my books in a database called Goodreads. It might help manage your reading lists.
Final Thoughts-
Here is a quick mid-year goal check-in for the 2026 goals:
~ 10,000 squats -> stronger legs- [5294 complete]
~ Read 100 books -> stronger ideas [53 complete]
~ Cook 50 meals-> better nutrition, stronger body, happier wife [maybe 6…I need a better scoreboard for this one]
~ Hike the La Luz trail to complete my knee recovery journey. [Completed 5/30/26]
I’m struggling to think up something to replace the La Luz goal. Suggestions?
In May, I was struggling with some feelings of overwhelming responsibility. Most places I go, I get to be (or have to be) the adult. I’ve been challenged to let go of all the responsibilities that are not actually mine to carry. One prime opportunity to practice this was my World Cup adventure. I got to be a passenger, with no jobs. Grady did all the driving, and Seth managed tickets, parking, navigation, and lunch decision-making. All I had to do was ride along, tell bad stories, and have the experience of a lifetime. It’s been lighter, giving up the rocks I’ve been carrying that aren’t mine. You should try it if you’ve been too responsible.
When I was getting food at Kansas City stadium (I had the best brisket sandwich, possibly ever), I overheard a dad tell his son, “Don’t worry about the money! We’re at the World Cup! It’s like heaven!” I’ve been pondering that since. What would it take to have more moments like that? How could we create that level of celebration, joy, whimsy, and feasting more often? Should we, as sons of the king, be living like that every Sabbath?
Thanks for adventuring with me.
Joshua
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