August 2024
Every year in August I attend the Global Leadership Summit. I’ve had the privilege of attending as a volunteer which always pushes me outside my introvert comfort zone. The event is always two packed days of drinking from the firehose - amazing leaders, content creators, speakers, and (most relevant to this context) authors. I always load up my reading list from the year at the summit. The kids went back to school, so they are working through back-to-school adjustments, colds, and emotions. The heat might be starting to break. We’ve been getting some rain, but not enough. I’ve been working on physical healing. My surgeon and physical therapist seem pleased with my progress so far, and life is getting more normal and less painful. I haven’t worked through all the emotional trauma yet. I have less practice at that and fewer tools. I’m a work in progress.
Anyway, here are the books I finished and my reviews of them:
Fiction Books
The Dangerous Gift by Tui T. Sutherland (Wings of Fire #14)
This is a story of transformation, redemption, and growth. Snowfall is the brand-new queen of the IceWings. Her mother, Queen Glacier, appoints Snowfall as the next queen before dying of the magic plague unleashed on the IceWings by Darkstalker in Talons of Power (Book 8). Snowfall is terrified, nervous, paranoid, and crazy aggressive in her new rule. Her friend Lynx inserts herself into a role as royal therapist/friend/counselor/voice of reason. Snowfall finds herself in her first tribal crisis when a large group of foreign dragons lands on her beach after island hopping away from war on their home continent. The young queen greets the LeafWings, SilkWings, and Tsunami with fear and threats. Snowfall eventually listens to reason and the refugees travel to the town aptly called Sanctuary. There they rest, recover, and regroup. All of the dragon queens travel to Sanctuary to a dragon council to decide how to handle the new tribes of dragons and the enemy threat called the “othermind”. Snowfall grabs several magical items from her secret treasury including a tiara of strength, bracelets of invisibility, and a mystic ring of vision. Snowfall uses the strength and invisibility well enough, but it takes her several days to figure out that the ring she grabbed in haste is causing her to have visions from other dragons’ perspectives. These visions leave her shaken and confused as she processes deep emotions and information from dragons of different tribes. The ring is impossible to remove so she continues to have visions that correct errors in her assumptions and judgments. Snowfall even has a vision in the mind of a scavenger (human) which allows her to better understand the threat across the ocean. As the story unfolds, Snowfall learns how to lead with confidence and grace, power and wisdom. She even gets to see how magic was destroyed when she is ready. The next book should resolve the third prophecy. It’s set up well I think. I enjoyed the author’s use of hyperbole to show the power of empathy and “vision” or being able to see the world through other people’s eyes and experiences. Also, like the title says, and like we learned in Harry Potter, never treat magical objects flippantly, and don’t trust a magical object if you can’t see where it keeps its brain.
This is for evolving queens and scavengers that can speak dragon.
(Rated PG, Score 7/10, audiobook read by Shannon McManus, 7:51)
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan (Percy Jackson #1)
I thought Jet would be interested in this book, but I'll probably have to come back to it with him. He's stuck on dragons. Percy Jackson is a troubled 12-year-old boy with ADHD and dyslexia. Percy has been bounced from school to school because of behavior issues. Percy's life takes a very interesting turn toward the end of the school year when Percy is forced to fight his math teacher with a pen/sword. Percy moves from the normal mortal world into the mystical world of the gods. Percy defeats a Minotaur on his way to Camp Half-Blood, but not before the Minotaur crushes his mother and almost kills his friend Grover. Camp Half-Blood is a training ground for half-mortal, half-god (demigod) children. At the camp, Percy learns all about the dangers of being a demigod, but parts of his life make sense for the first time. His ADHD helps him defeat monsters and his dyslexia helps him learn Greek. Percy learns that he is the son of Poseidon, the god of the sea. Percy, Grover, and Annabeth get sent on an epic quest to recover Zeus’ master lightning bolt which was stolen from Olympus. The three teens battle their way across the country to LA to find the bolt, confront Hades, and try to prevent a war between the gods. Percy grows into his powers and personality on the quest. The gods care little for humans, and not much more for demigods, in their schemes and grudges, but Percy manages to confront them with power, grace, and honor. He makes friends and enemies along the way. From the rumblings at the end of the book, it felt like a bigger storm was brewing between the gods and the Titans. I guess I’ll have to find the next book to see what happens next.
This is for young people looking to feel less awkward and alone and anyone who loves Greek mythology.
(Rated PG, Score 7/10, audiobook read by Jesse Bernstein, 10:02)
Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
I’ve had this book on my list for years and it finally popped up in an audible sale. I haven’t watched the movie in a long time, but it felt like they matched up pretty well. The story is about a small island 100 miles off the coast of Costa Rica where a group of scientists and visionaries are building a park with real live dinosaurs. The park is still in development and recent issues, accidents, and problems have caused the investors to be nervous enough to send a team of experts to the park for a weekend inspection to determine the viability of the park. The experts include a paleontologist, a paleobotanist, a mathematician, and a lawyer. Two grandkids are also visiting John Hammond, who is the old, eccentric personality driving the park toward completion. The staff on the island include guards, the biologist who brought the dinos to life, a systems guy running the main control room, and a big-game hunter who is in charge of the dinosaurs out in their areas. As the inspection begins, the visitors tour the main compound, the labs, the nursery, the control room, and eventually the grounds. Everything is going well until one of the computer programmers gets greedy. He crashes the compound computers and takes down parts of the security systems. As he tries to steal frozen dino embryos. A big storm messes up his plan and chaos overtakes the island. In the chaos, the staff fights to regain control of the island and the visitors fight to survive. During the story, the experts discover that the dinosaurs (who are supposed to all be female) have found a way to breed. Life finds a way. Eventually, the survivors are evacuated by helicopter, and the Costa Rican military firebombs the island hoping to destroy the dinosaurs and the lab. Judging by the length of the series, I’m guessing some dinos survive or the biotech needed to make them is revived. The ‘90s tech in the book is pretty funny. There is a strong philosophical warning about the developments made by scientists. Science only asks “can we?” rather than “should we?”. There is also a great warning about allowing greed to drive the development of new tech. I enjoyed the adventure aspects and most of the mathematical framework ideas. Some of the doom and gloom without proposed solutions wore me out. I suppose all we can do is take care of our people where we are and trust the Maker for the rest. At least we don’t have to be fit enough to outrun a T-Rex.
This is for dino hunters, dreamers, and adventurous philosophers.
(Rated R, Score 8/10, audiobook read by Scott Brick, 15:10)
My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
This is my favorite “running away from home” story. The narrator, Sam Gribley, runs away from his huge family and aims to live off the land in the mountains on the family plot. He hitches rides and walks until he finds the right town, and then the local librarian helps him find Gribley farm in old records. No one expects him to last a week in the wild, but he proves to be resilient. He learns how to fish, and forage, and most importantly he masters the skill of making fire. The book chronicles his adventures and lessons throughout a summer, fall, and brutally cold winter. This is a wonderful book. The tone is light, positive, and humble. The boy finds, steals, and raises a baby falcon named Frightful. He relies on the bird for company and small game which she hunts. Eventually, the boy becomes famous, making his way into newspapers all over the area. Jet and I got some good chuckles out of the way he described the antics of the wildlife as well as the weirdness of some of his woodland recipes. This book makes me want to run away from home… a little.
This is for little woodsmen (or woodswomen) who need a little adventure.
(Rated G, Score 9/10, audiobook read by Michael Crouch, 4:36)
Dragonslayer by Tui T. Sutherland (Wings of Fire Legends #2)
This is a fun spin-off story written about the scavengers (humans) and filling in some story gaps from the Wings of Fire story arc. There are three main story threads/characters- Ivy, Wren, and Leaf. Ivy grows up in a cave village called Valor living as the daughter of the Dragonslayer. Her dad is the lord of the village. He rules with wealth, fame, and some treachery. The Wingwatchers are a group of young humans who guard the entrances to the caves. Ivy and her friends aspire to be Wingwatchers when they grow up. Wren is a seven-year-old girl who lives in the village of Talisman. The Dragonmancers rule the town with fear and dragon lore. They sacrifice Wren to the dragons because she steals one of their books, but Wren is too feisty to just sit around and wait to be eaten. Instead, she runs away, finds an abandoned baby dragon, befriends it, and grows up into the first human who can speak dragon. She names her dragon Sky and he becomes the first dragon to speak human. Together they roam the wild, mapping it out and enjoying freedom. Leaf is Wren’s older brother. Everyone in Talisman lies to him about Wren. They make him believe that Wren wandered off and accidentally got eaten by a dragon. Leaf is crushed and turns to revenge. He trains extra hard to become a Dragonslayer. As the characters grow, their worlds come together as they adventure, hunt treasure, and cause mayhem in the dragon’s world. They work together to save Valor from the Dragonslayer’s foley and hand it over to a proper leader. Then they dethrone the Dragonmancers in Talisman. There is just as much drama for humans as there is for the dragons. Both humans and dragons abuse each other and get greedy for power, treasure, and control. There are also a few good souls who can look beyond their own wants and needs and work for a greater good. Wren is for sure my favorite character. She reminds me of my daughter - feisty and creative.
This is for bridge-builders, dreamers, and gentle warriors.
(Rated PG, Score 8/10, audiobook read by Shannon McManus, 12:44)
This is a dangerous book (it will make you cry). It is a middle school saga with some high school drama gently mixed in for flavor. August (Auggie) Pullman has an extremely rare genetic disorder that almost killed him as a baby and left him permanently disfigured. He says that whatever you are thinking when you hear this, his face is probably worse. This is the story of his first year attending public school at Beecher Prep in the 5th grade. Middle school is brutal for normal-looking kids, but for Auggie, it is a daily gauntlet of discomfort and abuse from ruthless kids. The story is told from several different perspectives as the school year goes on. Auggie is a smart kid, has a good sense of humor, and a wonderful family who love him deeply so he can weather the storms and press through the challenges he faces. The story forces the reader to see the world through different perspectives and gives a very enlightening glimpse into Auggie’s world, thoughts, and inner dialogue. Clearly, the author wanted to teach people about how to handle discomfort and still be kind. At the end of the book the school director is giving out an award and he explains how he hopes that the kids will be “just a little kinder than is necessary”. This part floored me. “Greatness lies not in being strong, but in the right using of strength. He is the greatest whose carries up the most hearts by the attraction of his own.” Auggie’s heart carries up the most hearts. He inspires people to be just a little kinder than is necessary, and in so doing possibly helps others to see the face of God. This is what we are called to; being kind enough to point other people to the maker. Be careful where you read this book. It will make you feel all the things.
This is for wonderers, kids, and anyone who will have to deal with middle school.
(Rated PG, Score 9/10, audiobook read by Kaya McLean and others, 7:10)
How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell
I picked up this little gem after watching the movie with the kids about 50 times. It’s always hard to compare books with their movies; in this case, the storylines are very different. I like the humor in the movie, and I was hoping that the book would be funny too. I was not disappointed. It’s a funny and clever book. The main character, Hiccup, finds himself in trouble at every turn. Being the son of the Chief, expectations for him to be the hero are high. His dragon, Toothless, is a selfish little turd of a dragon, who proves to be very difficult to train. The path to becoming the hero and a fully accepted member of the clan turns out to be the hard path indeed.
I recommend this book for little heroes in development.
(Rated PG, Score 7/10, audiobook read by David Tennant, 3:30)
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
I heard that this was possibly one of the greatest novels ever written, so I had to pick it up. There are several Kindle versions available for free or for $.99, but I found the audio version in the library app. The story is about a young Russian man in St. Petersburg named Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov. He is very poor but proud and brooding. The plot is an experiment in thought reflecting a theory that Raskolnikov is developing. He believes that some men are above the law and that these men are so great, smart, powerful, and cunning that they can act any way they please as they change the world. He uses Napoleon and others as examples. As I write this I can think of several other examples of my own. Raskolnikov believes that he could be one of these great men so he begins an experiment. He aims to kill an old lady and steal enough money to begin his rise in the world. If his theory is correct and he is one of these great men above the law, his destiny will prevail and his actions will be justified (or forgotten or forgiven) by history. The devil is in the details though. Raskolnikov works out all the details and executes the plan. He kills the old woman and almost immediately he falls apart (tactically, emotionally, spiritually, and even physically). The story progresses over several days and follows Raskolnikov as he avoids the police, broods, abuses his family, and denigrates those who try to help him. It’s quite a long and sad story filled with poverty, ruin, and despair. Some of the dreams and conversations and philosophical tangents were beyond me. Russians are strange to me. In the end, Raskolnikov must choose between turning himself in for his crime and facing Siberia or throwing himself in the river to drown. All men have great struggles. That’s life. Some men handle these struggles with grace and kindness and grit. Others fold or lash out and destroy. This is one of the more challenging stories I’ve read lately with the foreign names and twisting plot.
This is for advanced readers, philosophers, and ponderers.
(Rated PG-13, Score 7/10, audiobook read by Anthony Heald, 20:28)
Non-Fiction Books
The One Minute Manager Meets the Monkey by Kenneth H. Blanchard
This is a fantastic short book packed with leadership lessons. The main lesson is about monkey management. A monkey is the next move. It could be a phone call, a memo, research, a decision, or an announcement. Whatever the next thing is that will keep projects moving - that is the monkey. There are four rules for managing monkeys: 1- Define the monkey. 2- assign ownership of the monkey. 3- Insure the monkey. 4- Schedule monkey check-ups. Some people, like myself, really enjoy being helpful and effective. We tend to jump in and grab up lost monkeys that we see wandering around unguarded and uncared for. This leads to monkey overload. Following monkey management rules helps us find proper homes for these wayward monkeys instead of causing burnout. The book has other helpful monkey tips:
~All monkeys must be handled at the lowest organizational level consistent with their welfare. ~The best way to develop responsibility in people is to give them responsibility.
~Assigning involves a single monkey; delegation involves a family of monkeys.
To wrap up the book the author describes three kinds of organizational time: 1- Boss-imposed time: any time you spend to keep your boss happy. 2- System-imposed time: any time you spend staying employed and keeping the machine cranking (think time cards, performance management, and annual training). 3- Self-imposed time: all the time you spend doing things that make you happy about your job. The author describes how the goal is to spend the least time doing boss and system things because you manage the monkeys and delegation effectively, which maximizes the time available for things you love and things you are gifted at. One final takeaway from me: shoot all the monkeys that don’t deserve to be worked. It doesn’t make any sense to do things well if they ought not to be done at all.
This is for anyone looking for practical ways to get better at work, especially new managers.
(Rated G, Score 10/10, Hardcover, 136p.)
Preview/Currently Reading-
The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene
Life to the Fullest by Bryant Westbrook
SpecOps by Craig Allison (Expeditionary Force #2)
12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos by Jordan B. Peterson
The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingles Wilder
I track my books in a database called Goodreads. You might find it helpful in managing your reading lists.
Final Thoughts-
August was a busy month with a lot of different stories and lessons to ponder. To follow up with last month’s final thoughts, I’ve been pondering empathy and how to care for the suffering of others without letting it crush me. The serenity prayer seems to be a good start for an approach. So I have been searching for wisdom, serenity, and courage.
Some men at work also read the book about the monkeys and we have been holding each other accountable for shooting unnecessary monkeys and not letting each other hoard any more than is necessary. It’s been great for morale and gives us better language to help tackle some of the issues we struggle with.
I’ve done a lot of physical healing since my big injury last October, but I think I still have some emotional and psychological trauma to deal with. Having not had to deal with these things before, I’m still working through that process.
Something big to ponder: What pain do you want in your life? What are you willing to struggle for? For me, lately, I’ve been struggling with stairs. My injured leg is not strong enough to handle step-downs like a normal leg and that’s a lot of bad words. Stairs are the enemy. So, I’ve been going to the Y and spending time on the stairclimber. It sucks. It hurts. It makes me sore for days. It’s making me much stronger. Here’s the article that got me thinking: The Most Important Question of Your Life.
What are you willing to suffer for?
Thanks for adventuring with me.
Joshua
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