December 2021
December has gone by as a blur of activity. Winter is tricky, and in Kansas so far, it hasn’t decided to be winter. The only snow I’ve seen was on the road in the mountains of New Mexico. I’m ready for the rush of the holidays to die down. I need some time to rest and reflect as the new year starts. I’m not usually a big resolution person, but I like to set goals for the year to make sure my priorities are in alignment with my values. Decisions are easier to make if you know where you are headed. One of my goals for 2021 was to read and review 100 books. I didn’t think I was going to make it, and I almost didn’t. But just this week I wrapped up 100. I think next year I’ll be a little more deliberate about which books I read and how I try to absorb the truths and lessons from them.
Here are the books I finished in December 2021 and my short reviews of them:
Fiction Books
The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell
Sanger Rainsford is a big game hunter who falls off a ship in the Caribbean near a creepy island. Rainsford swims ashore and finds an extravagant chateau, home to a Russian Aristocrat, General Zaroff. Zaroff is an extreme hunter; so extreme that he has been hunting men on his ship-trap island. When Rainsford learns that Zaroff hunts men, he becomes angry and upset and asks to leave, but it’s too late. He’s already fallen into the trap. Zaroff gives the American gear, food, a knife, and a few hours of a head start, then Zaroff hunts Rainsford. Rainsford uses all his experience to try to outwit the hunter: he sets traps, doubles back on his trail, and eludes the hunter for 3 days. That should have been enough to win his freedom, but one can hardly trust a man twisted enough to hunt humans for sport. Side note - this book is the basis for Savage Son by Jack Carr.
This short book is for hunters, conservationists, and men of all ages.
(Rated PG, Score 8/10, ebook 28 p.)
The Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch
Brits are weird, and this story is a prime example of how all their weirdness is pretty normal for them. Peter Grant is a constable in the London Metropolitan Police who finds himself recruited into a very small department in charge of magic and supernatural police matters. Peter slowly learns magic and meets the centuries-old keepers of London's rivers: Father Thames and Mother Thames, who are having a little spat. Peter is tasked with negotiating peace between them. Peter also gets dragged into a sick and twisted re-creation of a play. A ghost, Punch, is using people as props and leaving them dead in his wake. By the time Peter figures out enough of the plot to trap the ghost; his friend, his teacher, and several others are injured or dead. The story is fast and there are some funny one-liners mixed in. This story wasn’t my style with lots of gore and unnecessary British swearing. Thanks, Kate, for the recommendation.
This book is for Londoners, wizards, coppers, and detectives.
(Rated R, Score 6/10, audiobook read by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, 9:57)
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Kya, the Marsh Girl, is abandoned by her family as a child. Showing incredible resiliency, she survives alone in the swamp. Her story is one of solitude, strength, courage, and self-reliance. The novel captures the whole of her life, from her youth in the swamp, her adolescence learning to read, her young adult life establishing her independence, and her older life finally passing away. The main drama of the novel is the murder mystery thread that is woven with the other personal bits. The town golden boy is murdered and the Marsh Girl is the primary suspect. The town’s old biases crowd into the courtroom for the murder trial. This is a sad, lonely story punctuated with scattered connections and broad strokes of hope lived out in the sticks where the crawdads sing.
This story is for survivors, loners, and outcasts.
(Rated R, Score 7/10, audiobook read by Cassandra Campbell, 12:12)
Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells (Murderbot #6)
Book 6 takes place on Preservation Station where Murderbot (MB) is protecting Doctor Mensah. The action kicks off when MB finds a dead body. Still trying to gain the trust of the station security people, MB plays nice and joins the investigation. Since MB agreed not to hack any of the station systems, the investigation takes a lot more hands-on work. MB scans the murder scene and finds that the body has been cleaned of contact DNA evidence and also, the victim’s travel bag is missing. The station goes into lockdown and MB goes hunting for the transport the victim came in on. MB stumbles into the middle of a slave trafficking ring and realizes the dead human was in charge of helping some former slaves who were being moved to freedom. MB rescues the refugees, arrests some of the smugglers, and gets shot in the process. Finally, MB confronts the combatbot who is the murderer, and shuts it down before anyone else gets hurt. By solving the murder, MB gains the respect of the station security chief and agrees to help if needed in the future. This is the last published book in the series, though it looks like three more are planned.
This book is for space crime solvers, hackers, and humanitarians.
(Rated R, Score 8/10, audiobook read by Kevin R. Free, 4:24)
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
The cover of the hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy says “don't panic”, which is pretty good advice when you're hitchhiking around the galaxy. Arthur Dent is an ordinary human just trying to keep his house from being bulldozed. Ford Prefect rescues Arthur from being vaporized by thumbing a ride off the planet right before it is accidentally removed from space to make room for a hyperspace expressway. Arthur and Ford end up with Zaphod Beeblebrobrox, President of the galaxy, on an adventure using the "infinite improbability drive" on the Heart of Gold spaceship. The crew ends up finding the lost planet of Magrathea where the inhabitants make luxury planets for the obscenely rich. They learn that earth was a supercomputer whose purpose was to calculate the ultimate question to the answer of life the universe and everything (which was determined to be 42). The earth was five minutes from completing the calculations when it was destroyed. The mice who had ordered the earth for that purpose were furious. At the end of the book, the crew heads off to the restaurant at the end of the universe. Adams' style is silly and eccentric and I love it. This book made me chuckle all the way through.
This book is for sci-fi nerds, adventures, and anyone needing a light and fun read.
(Rated PG, Score 8/10, audiobook read by Stephen Fry, 5:51)
Home by Martha Wells (Murderbot 4.5)
Normally, I like to read series exactly in order. It's a weird quirk I have. But my library didn't have this one until after I had moved on in the series. This is a short story told by Dr. Ayda Mensah instead of Murderbot. The story shows the tension and recovery the doctor is going through after being rescued by Murderbot in book 4. Being held hostage as a bargaining chip isn’t the sort of treatment one just sleeps off. The short narrative also hints at the relationship Dr. Mensah is building with Murderbot as it protects her and learns to interact with humans as a person rather than being treated like a thing. Being from the Dr.’s view, the language is much softer, less technical, and less sarcastic. The author also attempts to discuss the delicate blend of man vs machine in a world where the lines are extremely blurred. Are machines with human parts people or things? How can we tell? Interesting questions as we advance in biotechnology.
This short story is for readers who have read at least book 4 in the series.
(Rated PG, Score 8/10, ebook, 226p.)
Turns out Jocko can write fiction in addition to his leadership books. This is his first novel. It’s short, and his writing style is unique. He doesn’t use a lot of words when just a few will do. This is the story about Johnny and his brother who relies on him. It’s a story about life choices, internal narratives, and the inevitable. Arty is Johnny’s brother who is autistic, but who has found a happy place working in a laundromat. When the owner confides to Johnny that he has to sell the laundromat (which would be devastating for Arty), Johnny and his best friend Goat start scheming a way out of their dead-end jobs. They set a plan in motion and follow it to its devastating conclusion. Listening to the interview at the end of the book helped add a lot of color to the story and the themes Jocko had in mind when writing the story. We all deal with suffering and struggle. How we handle it defines who we are.
This book is for the protectors, the discontent, and laundry masters.
(Rated R, Score 9/10, Audiobook read by the author, 4:19)
Non-Fiction Books
In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whale Ship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick
Nantucket was the capital of the whaling world. Sailing from Nantucket, the whaleship Essex should have been very successful, returning Nantucket with a hold full of whale oil to sell. Instead, the ship was attacked and sunk by an 80-foot sperm whale in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The story of the Essex sinking and her crew’s subsequent struggles is the inspiration for the Herman Melville classic Moby Dick. Essex was attacked by the giant whale while her crew was hunting other whales. The crew ended up split up into three small boats, thousands of miles from land. Together they decided to sail toward South America. Their seamanship and discipline led two of the three ships to their eventual rescue. Many of the crew died of starvation or after giving up hope. Some of the crew members only survived by eating their dead companions. The end of the story tells how each of the survivors lives out their remaining days. This book is extremely well researched, organized, and written. Thanks, Stephen, for the recommendation.
This book is for sailors, historians, and cannibals.
(Rated PG-13, Score 8/10, audiobook read by Scott Brick, 10:03)
The Grasshopper Trap by Patrick F. McManus
I'm pretty sure that most of this book is fiction but since it's written by an outdoorsman it can be considered "based on real-life”. I have included it in the non-fiction section but it probably belongs in the humor section. I don't know how McManus knew the story of my first pocket knife but he managed to include it as a funny chapter in this book. I guess my experience is part of a pre-destined pattern going way back to cavemen getting their first sharp rock. A young person will do these four things when they receive their first pocket knife: 1 - they will whittle a stick. 2 - they will cut themselves, typically on their non-dominant hand. 3 - they will sharpen the knife because “only dull knives cut people”. 4 - they will promptly lose the knife. In my family, we all have pictures with our first knives and in one hand and a Band-Aid on the other hand. I'm not sure if any of us knows where our first knives are. McManus uses a lot of sarcasm and hyperbole in his writing along with a lot of outrageous characters who participate in his outdoor hunting and fishing stories. Rancid Crabtree, Retch Sweeney, and Crazy Eddie live up to their names in fantastic style. One of the funniest stories in the book is the title story where Rancid Crabtree and Crazy Eddie help to build a grasshopper trap (basically a big net on the front of a pickup truck) that the young boys have to drive while Rancid collects grasshoppers in the net. Let's just say it doesn't end well for Rancid and the police get involved. This funny book was just what I needed to lift me up. Thanks, Dad for recommending this author.
This book is for fishermen, the young at heart, and anyone needing a good belly laugh.
(Rated PG, Score 9/10, paperback, 214 p.)
The leaders at Textron Aviation (where I work) have been reading this book lately. I decided to reread it for a refresher. Jim Collins and his research team set out to learn what factors allow a good company to become a great company. They studied public US companies that went from good stock market performance to great (3X the market) performance for at least 15 years. They used comparison companies in the same industries that did not transition to great companies to compare and contrast factors leading to success. They dedicated a chapter to each of the following factors: Good is the enemy of great, level 5 leaders, first who—then what, confront the brutal facts (yet never lose faith), the hedgehog concept, a culture of discipline, technology accelerators, the flywheel, and the doom loop, and from good to great to built to last. My favorite ideas from the book are the level 5 leadership concept, Stockdale Paradox, and culture of discipline. Level 5 leaders are self-disciplined people who are willing to do whatever it takes to make the company successful. They are not rockstar personalities. They are servant leaders who are humble and passionate about the cause. They blame themselves when things go wrong and blame their people when things go well. The Stockdale Paradox - “you must maintain unwavering faith that you can and will prevail in the end, regardless of the difficulties, and at the same time, have the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.” The easy way is to run from or ignore the brutal facts. Great leaders face those facts head-on, controlling their destinies, instead of becoming victims of circumstance. The culture of discipline idea sums up most of the book. The goal is to have disciplined people, thinking disciplined thoughts, and taking deliberate disciplined actions all in the same direction toward the companies simple goal. If a company can achieve this, it does not need to spend time motivating, or disciplining, or explaining. The results speak for themselves and the right people will understand and join the cause with energy and clarity.
This book is for those looking for the next level.
(Rated G, Score 8/10, Audiobook read by the author, 9:59)
Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins
I know soldiers sometimes use colorful language, but Goggins seems to have taken it as a personal challenge to see how many bad words he could cram into a single book. If you want to read this book and are easily offended by swear words, make sure you get the "clean edition". Goggins tells his story of growing up in extremely hard and abusive circumstances. He tells how he overcame many obstacles and challenges to become a Navy seal, an ultra-marathoner, and the face of recruiting for the US Navy. Goggins’ stories are crazy and extreme. For example, he had to go through Hell Week three times to get into the Seals. His methods for dealing with challenges are outlined in this book. I'm not sure if I fully understand them. They focus on using physical challenges to develop mental toughness. The author’s goal in the book is to inspire others to work harder, achieve more, and be the best version of themselves possible. His tactics sound a lot like, "pull yourself up by your bootstraps, and don't let anyone keep you down." I was able to glean a few ideas from the book, but it was a tough read and I didn't like the huge ego I felt coming through the pages at me. I have found that using pure willpower and ego to accomplish goals can lead to hollow victories and destroy relationships. Coming from a very sheltered background and not being a minority probably prevent me from being able to relate to Goggins’ story and methods.
This book is for those needing more mental toughness, the abused, and the minorities looking for a story to relate to.
(Rated very R, Score 3/10, ebook, 363 p.)
I think the devil has been spending a lot of time making us forget about our souls. Orgberg’s main goal of this book is to remind us that we are souls and we need to take care of our minds, bodies, and most importantly, our souls. The soul is the life center of a human. One thing our souls need to be healthy and well is rest, but when was the last time you were able to truly rest? We are only free when all of our parts are integrated- our wills, our bodies, our minds, and our souls. Only when these things are in alignment can we be in peace. If one of these aspects gets disintegrated we can feel it in our souls. We can also affect the peace of others’ souls by blessing or cursing them. Practicing silence helps our souls rest. Practicing gratitude helps our souls recover and focus on others. I’ll have to read this book again to glean more of the nuances from it. Thanks, Bryant for the recommendation.
This book is for the tired, stressed, restless, and seekers.
(Rated G, Score 9/10, audiobook read by Tommy Cresswell, 6:09)
The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason
This is a set of stories for teaching principles of wealth-building for those who seek to build their fortunes. The ancient city of Babylon was known for being a center of wealth and wisdom in the ways of growing gold. Here are the five laws of gold: 1 - A part of all you earn is yours to keep. Save 10% of everything you earn. By saving 10% and living on 90% you will always have coins in your pocket. 2- Gold invested wisely will multiply. 3- Seek wisdom from people who have experience investing. 4- Unwise investments fly away. 5- Wealth runs away from fools and gamblers. The way the stories are told makes the principles easy to understand and easy to apply. Building wealth is all about behavior. The concepts are simple. The execution is difficult.
This book is for anyone seeking wealth.
(Rated PG, Score 8/10, audiobook read by Richard Ferrone, 4:53)
A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking
Sounds like a history book right? It is if you remember it’s written by a super-smart theoretical physicist. Hawking breaks down time back to the big bang. Along the way, he does a deep dive into relativity, singularities, black holes, quantum mechanics, and all the math in the middle. The book describes mankind’s attempt to understand how the universe started and how it works by developing a universal theory of life, the universe, and everything. The scientists want to understand how it all works. The philosophers should be helping us understand why it all works. Hawking does not answer these questions, but it is clear that he and his peers are struggling mightily to find the answers. It feels to me like they are trying to prove (or disprove) God’s existence with math and science.
This book is for people wondering about universe origins, science geeks, and philosophers.
(Rated G, Score 7/10, audiobook read by Nelson Runger, 7:12)
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy
Some books are therapeutic. This is that type. Mackesy wrote this book for everyone- from eight to eighty-year-olds. It’s filled with over 100 beautiful drawings of the boy, the mole, the fox, and the horse as they interact. The dialog is simple and very profound. The boy is lonely when he meets the mole. The mole loves cake. The fox is usually silent because he’s been hurt by the world. The horse is the strongest. The characters look at the wild which is scary and beautiful with storms, night, snow, and spring. This book was a Christmas gift. Thank you, Peggy. Thanks, Phil for telling me about this beautiful book.
This book is for everyone. It is deeply therapeutic. Get the hardback and read it with a cup of tea to refresh your soul.
(Rated G, Score 10/10, Hardback)
Preview/Currently Reading-
Here are the books I am currently working through:
Treasure Island (Audible Original) by Robert Louis Stevenson
Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lingren
I track my books in a database called Goodreads. You might find it helpful in managing your reading lists.
Final Thoughts-
One of the ideas that came out of my book giveaway was to add a search feature to my blog (Thanks, Nolan). Using the search feature made it way easier to make the following collections and it allows you to search for books to see if I have already reviewed them.
Top Five Fiction Books of 2021
5. This Is How You Lose The Time War
4. The Murderbot Diaries
3. Little Lord Fauntleroy
2. Balistic
1. The Hail Mary Project
Top Five Non-Fiction Books of 2021
5. The Enneagram Type 5: The Investigative Thinker
4. A Grief Observed
3. Boyd
2. The Captain Class
1. Walking with God
My top book of the year is Turn The Ship Around. This book had the biggest impact on my thoughts, vocabulary, and actions this year.
Thanks for adventuring with me.
Joshua
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