FROM THE SPINE - JANUARY 2022 BOOK REVIEWS

 January 2022

In January, I celebrated my birthday, and then I got COVID. Being able to work from home kept me from going quarantine crazy. I’m ready for the warm weather to be back. I got my rock-climbing belay certification. Climbing with the auto-belay device is more of a trust exercise than I am used to. I also did a 30 day yoga challenge with Aubrey. We managed to do all 30 sessions despite having COVID. Yoga makes me feel uncoordinated and not athletic, so it has been a challenge for me. What have you been doing to get out of your comfort zone?

Here are the books I finished in January 2022 and my short reviews of them:

Short Stories

The Future of Work: Compulsory by Martha Wells (The Murderbot Diaries, #0.5)

Meet Murderbot (MB). This magazine story introduces MB to the world in a bite-sized chunk of human rescue, internal dialog, and hacking. MB doesn’t know why it rescues the humans. Technically, it shouldn’t in this case because the HubSystem tells him to stay put and wait for the Safety bot to save the human. Is MB a person or a machine? Reading this short is a quick way to decide if you like the MB vibe. It’s free at the link above. 

Ellie by Samuel A Mayo

Ellie has a gift…or is it a curse. She can feel the emotions of others like picking them up on an internal antenna. But the experience is dreadful. The only way she can redeem the pain is by helping those people whose emotions she senses.  

Fiction Books

Treasure Island (Audible Original) by Robert Louis Stevenson

There are many versions of this classic story and this one is a dramatized version done by audible. The young lad Jim Hawkins finds himself in the middle of a pirate treasure hunt with greedy Englishmen on one side and cut-throat buccaneers led by John Silver on the other. Following an old map from dead Captain Flint, they sail to Treasure Island where the pirates start a war against the rest of the crew. Jim walks the line between the pirates and the Brits doing the best he can to do the right thing along the way. The honest crew eventually gets the best of the pirates with the help of Ben Gunn who was marooned on the island for three years by Captain Flint himself. On the sail home, Silver jumps ship with a portion of the treasure, and young Jim returns home to his mother but he isn't the same boy he was before he went sailing with Pirates. This is a must-read for young boys. Any version will do, and this one is well-made. Thanks, Neale for the recommendation. 

This book is for boys, pirates, and treasure hunters. 

(Rated PG, Score 8/10, audio drama with full cast, 6:23) 

The Thief and the Red Mandolin by Samuel A Mayo (Black Armor Tales #1)

To read a longer review with spoilers click here.

Sam gave me this book a while back and I got it conflated with another book I'm not sure I ever finished. I cracked it open on Christmas break and it was great to read by the fire. The story includes three thieves, a bard, an elf, a small giant, a knight, a witch, pirates, ogres, and a journey. Two stories following the thief and the bard run parallel until they finally merge in a great battle. I enjoyed the characters, the descriptions and integration of the world and races, and of course the supernatural (magic). 

This book is for young thieves, musicians, and adventurers. 

(Rated PG, Score 8/10, paperback, 376p.)

The Christmas Pig by J.K. Rowling

Most kids have a special toy, blanket, or stuffy that goes everywhere with them and develops a personality and story. Jack has Dur Pig (DP). DP knows Jack like no one else, and DP listens to Jack as he grows and struggles through his parents’ divorce and moving to a new school. DP is Jack’s safe place till he gets chucked out the car window and lost. On Christmas Eve Jack and Christmas Pig (CP) (DPs attempted replacement) go on an impossible mission to rescue DP from the Land of the Lost. Jack and CP go from Mislaid to the three towns in the Land of the Lost. They dodge the Loser and his minions. Eventually, Hope flies them to find DP on the island of Beloved, but CP can’t go there. He goes back to face the Loser. Jack learns that CP has sacrificed himself to allow Jack to save DP. But on the journey, Jack has learned to love DP and CP. Jack says goodbye to DP and flies with Santa to save CP from the Loser. They have a showdown and Jack and CP make it home just in time for Christmas. 

This book would be fantastic to read with kids for Christmas. 

(Rated PG, Score 8/10, ebook, 333p) 

Non-Fiction Books

A Minute to Think by Juliet Funt

When was the last time you slowed down, just for a minute, to sit and think? For some of us, it’s been way too long.  We are too busy to think. Our brains need space and oxygen to work effectively. No oxygen = no fire. So what can we do to make space to think (white space like the blank spaces on your calendar)? We can take a strategic pause. Stop rushing from task to task, meeting to meeting, and just think. Let our brains rest and run free and make critical connections. The truth is we are trapped by habits of busyness, insatiability, conformity, and waste. Juliet describes these four thieves of time- drive, excellence, information, and activity. But these are excellent things you say. How can they steal our time? They steal our time when we take them to extremes (which is easy to do with these thieves). Taken to the extreme these thieves kill. Drive becomes an overbearing monster. Excellence leads to perfectionism. Information quickly becomes information overload. Activity turns into busyness for its own sake. How do we avoid these extremes? Use these simplification questions: Is there anything I can let go of? Where is “good enough”, good enough? What do I truly need to know? What deserves my attention? When attacking waste there are two approaches: tuna or krill. Krill are tiny little creatures that feed blue whales. In the same way, little improvements in efficiency can add up to a lot more white space. Alternately, tuna are massive fish that can be trophies. If you try to wrestle a tuna-sized time-waster, you may be in for disappointment if you don’t have the practice or credibility in your organization to pull it off. Another topic that Juliet addresses is hallucinated urgency- is it a critical task tied to a specific business outcome or is the deadline being used to abuse you and your staff arbitrary? Be clear about requirements and expectations. Don’t abuse your people when there aren’t actual consequences for missing due dates. Other topics and ideas that resonated with me from the book include: Email- touch it less. Compose it better. Ask for what you need. When deciding when to act ask yourself, Is it kind? Is it honest? Is it necessary? And ultimately, ask yourself, was this time well spent? Use the answers to guide your way.

 

This book is for folks who are too busy, overwhelmed, and interested in growing.

(Rated PG, Score 9/10, audiobook read by the author, 7:02)

Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance

“Do you think I’m insane?” Elon asks the author this question during one of their interviews, and it sets the tone for most of the book. Vance tells the story from Elon’s grandparents Elon’s childhood, the companies he built, all the way to the book’s deadline. All the while trying to make sense out of the man from South Africa. Elon has always been on a mission to send people to mars and on the way, he built SpaceX- a cutting-edge spaceship/rocket company. Elon hates the US being dependent on foreign oil, so he built Tesla- an electric car/solar power company. When the future Elon wants doesn’t exist, he just invents it through an indomitable will, his unbelievable work ethic, photographic memory, and incredible tolerance for risking his own fortune. The author also compares Elon to Tony Stark (Iron Man), but that vibe doesn’t fit for me. Elon seems like more of a physics nerd than a partier. The book covers Elon’s businesses and touches on his personal life a bit, but not enough to get a feel for who he is in private. Is Elon Musk insane? I think, like most geniuses, he lives on the line between insane and genius where the magic happens. 

This book is for nerds, techies, space junkies, and business gurus.

(Rated R, Score 8/10, audiobook read by Fred Sanders, 13:23)

Fathered By God by John Eldridge

Every young man is asking himself this question: Do I have what it takes? We all feel fatherless at some point. We all know what it’s like to be wounded by our fathers. In this book, Eldridge breaks down the stages of the male journey: Beloved Son, Cowboy, Warrior, Lover, King, and Sage. These stages are the pattern for how men will be challenged, grown, and embraced by God as he leads them to himself. As a boy, each of us looks to our dad to see if we are the beloved son. In boyhood we want to know if we are dangerous, do we have our dad’s attention? Boys can be crushed by an overbearing, harsh, or critical dad. Looking to God, we all want to know, are you there God? Do you love me? Am I your beloved son? As the boy grows to be a teenager and young adult, he enters the Cowboy stage where adventures and danger test the man. This is when the man learns about good and evil, easy and hard, danger and safety, comfort and hardship. In the cowboy stage, the young man is asking the questions, “what am I made of?” And “what is this world made of?” Next comes the warrior stage. How do you train the warrior? Hardship. The warrior spends this stage finding and fighting for the truth. The quality and character of the warrior and his effectiveness and power come from the lessons he learns in the previous stages. If the warrior was not confirmed as a beloved son and did not learn about good and evil in the cowboy stage, the warrior will not fight for justice and may even use his strength to abuse others. The lover stage can come at the same time as the warrior stage, but this is the time in the man’s journey when he learns about beauty. In a healthy journey, the lover will learn to love and seek God first. The lover will find God in the beauty he brings in nature, in poetry, and in healing. The man spends this stage learning to love and be loved. Next comes the stage when the man is the king. When is a man ready to wield power? You can tell the power of a king by how the people in his kingdom are thriving. God teaches us how to fight by putting us in situations where we must fight. Will we let him teach us? Friendship with God makes a good king. How many leaders act like a friend of God? We men were made for this stage. We are made to be good kings who will use our power to build up those in our kingdoms. Our families, our workplaces, our teams, our communities should all be areas we can build people up. Finally, men can become a sage like Yoda, Gandalf, or Dumbledore. In this stage, men are gray with the weight of many winters. They can offer their wisdom to men of all ages and in all stages of their journey. At this stage, men can be tempted to disappear and relax, but we need these men and their wisdom more than ever. We need to sit at their feet with humility and questions and ask them for their wisdom. In my experience, we call the sage the “old guy”. The old guy knows how to do all the things and fix all the problems and use all the tools. Old guys are so valuable to younger men who know how to ask the right questions. This is an amazing book filled with hope and power for men on their journeys. Thanks, Seth for the recommendation. 

This book is for men, young and old, who are looking for ways to understand their journey better. 

(Rated PG, Score 10/10, audiobook read by the author, 6:23)

Life is Messy by Matthew Kelly

We don’t always acknowledge this in our social media world, but life is messy. Life is messy  because we are messy. This book is also messy. There isn’t a nice, clean outline with chapters each fitting into their place. The chapters are more stream-of-consciousness. They touch lots of themes and ideas. Here are some of the notes that stood out to me: The way forward always requires that we take responsibility for our part in the mess. Simply slowing down improves almost everything in our lives. There is evil in the world and we need to get better at naming it and fighting it when we see it. Evil- profoundly immoral. Social media is systematically dehumanizing us. How do we rehumanize ourselves? Empathy. What are you avoiding that you should be confronting? Addiction to comfort is death. Inspiration leads to creativity. Make a list of 20 ordinary things that bring you joy. Everyone is fighting a battle you know nothing about. 

It’s one of life’s most delightful paradoxes: The more joy we bring to others, the more our joy expands. Words are powerful. Be careful how you talk to yourself.  

This book is for anyone struggling to have a perfect, comfortable life. 

(Rated PG, Score 7/10, Paperback 152p.)

The Dichotomy of Leadership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin

After writing Extreme Ownership, Jocko and Leif soon found that they needed a follow-on book to help explain some of the applications of their leadership principles. This book is the result of that effort. For each chapter in this book they take a principle/dichotomy, explain it in the context of their combat experience in Iraq, then they work it into a business example. Here are how I noted them: 1-Be ready to lead and know when to follow. Care deeply about your men and still execute the mission at risk to those men. 2-Micro management, extreme ownership, and hands-off leadership need to be balanced. Leaders can take too much ownership. 3-Leaders cannot be too overbearing or too lenient. Use your leadership capital wisely. 4-Some under-performers need to be led. Some need to be removed from the team for the greater good. 5- Training must be hard, but not impossible. Train hard. Train smart. 6- Leaders must be aggressive and act to accomplish missions. Losing your temper is a sign of weakness. Sometimes a moment of study is needed before aggression. 7- Disciplined, not rigid. 8-Hold people accountable; don’t hold their hands.

9- Leaders must be ready to lead and follow for the benefit of the team. Lead well, not by rank. 

10-Plan, but do not over-plan. 11-Be humble, not passive. Humility is the most important quality in a leader. 12- Leaders must be detached from the details, but not so detached that they lose control. In all these examples, balance is the key. Being self-aware and situationally aware helps leaders to know which way to push the balance. 

This book is for leaders, warriors, and anyone looking for something to stretch their brains. 

(Rated PG-13, Score 10/10, Audiobook read by the authors, 10:34)

Preview/Currently Reading-

Here are the books I am currently working through:

Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lingren

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

Kelly: More Than My Share of It All by Clarence L. Johnson, Maggie Smith

I track my books in a database called Goodreads. You might find it helpful in managing your reading lists. 

Final Thoughts- 

How many books are you trying to read this year? I think I’ll try for 100 again. That’s about 9 books a month, which is a lot. I am going to hit some longer books this year so 100 may not work out. It’s all a big experiment. 

If you want to see what books I am reading, I started a Fromthespine Instagram. I’m posting pictures of book covers as I read them. 

Thanks for adventuring with me. 

Joshua

FROM THE SPINE - DECEMBER 2021 BOOK REVIEWS

 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.)

Final Spin by Jocko Willink

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.)

Good to Great by Jim Collins

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.)

Soul Keeping by John Ortberg

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

PS. Please feel free to forward this to your reading friends. If they want to be on my email list, let me know. 

PPS. Send me book ideas, brand ideas, or questions. I love the feedback.

FROM THE SPINE - NOVEMBER 2021 BOOK REVIEWS

 November 2021

In November we vote, thank Veterans for their service, and thank God for his provisions. I’m going to say thank you by having another giveaway. The details are at the end of this email. I’m thankful for this community of readers. Thank you for all your feedback, book ideas, and connections. 

Here are the books I finished in November 2021 and my short reviews of them:

Fiction Books

Exit Strategy by Martha Wells (Murderbot #4)

Murderbot still doesn’t know what it wants to be when it grows up, but now it has a problem. The evil corporation (GrayCris) that it has been researching in books two and three thinks that Dr. Mensah sent a rogue SecUnit (Murderbot) to sabotage them and blackmail them. So they snatched Dr. Mensah. Book four is the story of Murderbot rescuing Dr. Mensah from GrayCris again. Murderbot is reunited with Dr. Mensah’s crew who is trying to ransom Dr. Mensah back. With Murderbot’s help, the team sets up an exchange, steals the Dr., and manages to make it to their shuttle. GrayCris, thinking Murderbot has all the blackmail data with him, tries to destroy the whole ship. Murderbot manages to trick the vicious attacker and save the crew, but he suffers a complete meltdown and takes months to recover. Murderbot still doesn’t like humans or having emotions about them, but it is beginning to show a pattern of saving the ones that are good to him. 

This book is for the snarky reader, the rushed reader, and sci-fi fans. 

(Rated R, Score 7/10, audiobook read by Kevin R. Free, 3:46) 

Ballistic by Mark Greaney (Gray Man #3)

The Gray Man is being hunted. The CIA, Russians, and quite a few other acronyms are after him.  He dodges a kill team in South America and is making his way back north when he learns about the passing of an old friend in Mexico. Court stops by the grave of Eddie Gamboa (who saved Court’s life several years earlier) in Mexico to pay his respects. At the grave, Court meets Eddie’s pregnant wife who is in a war with the Mexican drug-lord Daniel de la Rocha. Court steps in and does his best to protect Eddie’s family against multiple attacks by the assassins of Daniel de la Rocha, the crazy drug lord who killed Eddie. De la Rocha’s men capture the Gray Man and Laura, Eddie’s little sister, but with the help of the CIA, Court escapes. Then Court goes ballistic on de la Rocha’s operations. Court attacks the operation at all levels- bankers, money launderers, drug distribution, drug manufacturing, and crooked cops. Court costs de la Rocha millions upon millions of dollars in a few days causing an eventual show-down with the mad drug lord. This is a crazy intense story from start to finish; it is not for snowflakes. Knowing a little Spanish helps.

This book is for action junkies, thriller fans, and outlaws.

(Rated R, Score 9/10, audiobook read by Jay Snyder, 14:09)

Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne

I guess science worked differently back in the mid-1900s, or at least fictional accounts of scientific journeys worked in a way that I find sketchy. Harry and his uncle professor Hardwick head off on a trip to find the center of the earth based on a coded message found in an old book … because science?! Anyway, they travel to Iceland, hire a guide (Hans), and climb an old volcano. They find a steep chimney in the volcano and using ropes, they descend into the depths. The trio follows the path down for several days, eventually choosing a wrong path, which almost kills them when they don't find water. They backtrack, choose a new path, and eventually find more water by chipping a hole in the rock and tapping an underground water vein. The water follows them on their trip to an underground sea. At one point Harry gets lost, panics, smacks his head, and almost dies. At the giant sea, Hans makes a raft, and the crew sails for many leagues finding ancient species of fish, sea monsters, and weather. A violent storm tosses them around for several “days and nights” (cause they can’t see the sun underground) and eventually spits them out on the shore. The group finds a massive chunk of granite blocking their path so they do the only logical thing – they blow it up. The problem is the blast drains the sea into an abyss that was on the other side of the blockage. Riding the raft the adventures plummet to the depths on the moving water and then get blasted to the surface of the earth through an active volcano in Italy. Thanks, Mom for sending this to me. 

This book is for adventurers, young explorers, and scientists. 

(Rated PG, Score 7/10, paperback, audiobook read by Norman Dietz, 10:07)

Dead Eye by Mark Greaney (Gray Man #4)

Gray Man has a bad habit of making very powerful enemies like the CIA, Mexican Drug-lords, and Russian Mob bosses. At the start of book four, he is trying to eliminate some of the threats against him by executing a one-man takedown of his previous Russian employer. He assaults the Russian stronghold from a microlight airplane, kills Gregor Sidorenko, and shoots his way clear. The problem is that CIA contractors at Townsend House track Court by drone as he runs away. Townsend House singleton operator Dead Eye then begins to hunt Court for his ends. Dead Eye is like the dark side version of the Gray Man. He has the same training and skills, but he is a psychopath. Dead Eye and Court leave a trail of bodies across Europe as they careen toward an inevitable confrontation. Along the way, we learn the details of the Kyiv op that Gentry is legend for, and Court makes a single ally in the Mossad, who gives Court the keys to get back to America. 

This book is for cowboys, Bourne fans, and people needing a book that will keep them up past their bedtimes over the holidays. 

(Rated R, Score 8/10, audiobook read by Jay Snyder, 14:05)

Network Effect by Martha Wells (Murderbot #5)

Murderbot stars in his first full-length novel. It’s just a longer story than the first four. Same snark, same allergy to emotions, same saving the humans. Murderbot starts the story on a survey trip trying to save his humans from space pirates. The team escapes, killing a few of the hostiles only to be captured by a different spaceship and dragged through a wormhole. Turns out the different ship is ART, the ship that helps Murderbot in book two, but ART is in trouble. ART’s crew has been kidnapped by alien-contaminated humans. Murderbot helps restore ART, find and rescue his crew, and destroy the alien construct that attacked the humans. Along the adventure, Murderbot gets captured by the bad guys. ART, the humans, and a new rogue SecBot team up to rescue Murderbot. Murderbot is used to be expendable, so it has lots of emotions about being rescued. It hates having emotions. The interior dialog that narrates the story is hilarious. 

This book is for adventurers, alien-seekers, and jokesters. 

(Rated R, Score 7/10, audiobook read by Kevin R. Free, 12:47)

Non-Fiction Books

Winning the War In Your Mind by Craig Groeschel

“A lie believed as truth will affect your life as if it’s true.“ What lies are you believing? What negative self-talk are you constantly repeating in your inner dialog? Groeschel shares the tools he has used to battle his own lies and negative thoughts. We are becoming our strongest thoughts, so we better be pretty careful what we spend our time and energy thinking. Part 1 describes the replacement principle- Remove the lies and replace them with the truth. Examine your thoughts, write them down, and then, with an open mind, examine and critique them. Find the lies, and then seek out God’s truth. Claim those truths in your life and refute the lies. One of the lies I am trying to replace in my life is that I don’t have “enough” (enough money, enough food, enough emergency fund, and so on). God has always provided for me and I am learning to turn to replace the lie of scarcity, with the truth of God’s provision. Part 2 teaches the rewire principle- rewire your brain and renew your mind. We fall into patterns of thinking; good and bad habits of thought. We must be deliberate about building the correct neural pathways that provide truth, renewal, and purpose. I am building new pathways by memorizing God’s word. Part 3 outlines the reframe principle- reframe your mind and restore your perspective. This is the same principle as described in “The Obstacle is the Way”. How can we take our circumstances and see them in new ways that make them more meaningful? How can we turn problems into opportunities? How can we see unanswered prayers as blessings later down the road? I am reframing problems at work as opportunities to learn and grow. Part 4 wraps up with the rejoice principle- revive your soul and reclaim your life. When you stop looking at your problem and start looking at your God, he can calm your heart and help you solve the problem. When you look beyond your problem, you are better able to see how it will help you grow. When you praise God instead of worrying, it changes your brain chemistry and makes you healthier, happier, and more resilient. This is the hardest lesson in the book. It takes a new level of maturity and resilience to choose to praise God in stressful and devastating moments. I’m not there yet, but I’m trying. 

This book is for anyone looking to improve their thought life. 

(Rated PG, Score 8/10, audiobook read by the author, 4:59)

Atomic Habits by James Clear

Habits are fascinating to me. The psychology and physiology that drive habits are not always super intuitive. In the book, Clear breaks down habits and how to use them and stack them into your daily life. The goal of using habits is to start small and allow small, incremental changes to stack up to remarkable gains and success over time. A habit is a pattern- a cue, a craving, a response, and a reward. Our bodies and brains are wired to use habits to free up brain capacity for more important tasks. The power of habits comes in the automaticity they provide. When presented with a cue for an established habit, we will execute the rest without a lot of energy or thought. So, how do we use habits to do the stuff we want to do (workout, eat better, read, journal, meditate, save money, and so on) and stop doing stuff we don’t want to do (eat all the cookies, watch too much TV, or spend all your money on things you don’t need)? The bulk of the book is written to answer this question using the following methods: 1- Make it obvious. 2- Make it attractive. 3- Make it easy. 4- Make it immediately satisfying. In each of these sections, Clear gives examples of habits you can build or unbuild by using the method. 1- Make it obvious. For habits that you want to build you should make the cue obvious. Put healthy food out in the open in your home and hide or throw away the bad food. If you want to read before you go to sleep, put a book on your pillow when you make your bed. If you want to work out daily, put your workout gear somewhere obvious. Create the optimum environment for your habit to thrive. If you want to break a habit, hide the cues. 2- Make it attractive. Clearly understand why you want to build the habit. We imitate the people we are close to, the crowds we see and the powerful around us. Pick the influences around you to model. Use anticipation of rewards to drive good habits. Use anticipation of punishments or penalties to kill bad habits. Use accountability partners to make habits fun, like workout partners, pen-pals, and financial coaches. 3- Make it easy. Sometimes all you need is a quick win to get some momentum. Make execution as easy as possible or incentivize yourself to complete the habit each day.  If you want to start a workout habit, start going to the gym for 5 minutes each day, then permit yourself to leave. Start a journaling habit by writing one sentence each day and then stopping. Eat better by adding one vegetable per day to your diet. Focus on action and practice, not depth. 4- Make it immediately satisfying. We repeat behaviors that have immediate rewards. Track your progress. Sometimes just tracking a habit is enough of a reward to keep it going. Never miss a habit twice. Missing the second time is the start of a missing habit. There are many useful, practical, actionable tips in this book. I have been trying habit stacking to add new behaviors to habits I already have in place, for example, I am adding a sleep breathing routine to my nightly bedtime ritual. It’s helping me get to sleep faster. I added a thankfulness journal to my morning writing routine. Thanks, Adrian for the recommendation. 

This book is for anyone looking to improve through automation, get big results from small changes, and anyone looking to understand behaviors/habit mechanisms.

(Score 8/10, Rated PG, audiobook read by the author, 5:35)

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand

Louis Zamperini was a wild child. He grew up stealing and running. Eventually, he poured all his energy into his running, becoming an Olympian in the 5,000-meter race in 1936. Louis wanted to win the Olympics in the mile, but World War II crushed that dream. Louis joined the Army Air Corps and becomes a bombardier on a B-24. His plane, Superman got shot up, but the crew managed to get it home. The crew is assigned to a different B-24, the Green Hornet, which crashes into the Pacific on a search mission. Zamperini, his pilot (Phil), and one other crew member survive the crash and manage to stabilize in two rescue rafts. One of the men dies after losing hope at sea. Louis and Phil crush the record for survival at sea (previously 24 days) by lasting an incredible 46 days before being captured by the Japanese. Out of the frying pan and into the fire. The two men are abused as prisoners of war by the Japanese for the next two and a half years. They are moved from prison camp to prison camp, made to endure brutal cold, starvation, degradations of the most inhumane kinds, and almost killed. Louis and Phil are separated as the war goes on, but both men survive to the end of the war. Louis makes it back to America after Japan surrenders and tries to get back to normal life, but he has no idea what normal is. He gets married and has a child, but suffers severe PTSD and turns to alcohol to drown out the pain. Louis’ miracle turnaround came in a revival tent listening to Rev. Billy Graham. Louis gives his life to God, and God heals his heart and his psyche. Louis forgives his captors and goes on to live a long and full life after his conversion. This is a story of unbelievable pain and matched resilience; a heartbreaking story of grit, power, and will. Thanks, Aunt Sandra for the recommendation. 

 

This story is for the tough, the historians, and those in need of a different perspective.

(Rated R, Score 9/10, audiobook read by Edward Herrmann, 13:56)

Walking with God by John Eldridge

I think I needed this book in this season. It was deeply comforting to my soul. These are stories and feelings from a year of walking with God, talking to Him, learning to hear His words. I’ve always been impressed with Eldridge’s insights. He has a way of writing truths that resonate and ring true. He describes spiritual concepts through his own experiences, giving them color, texture, and depth that help me to understand. The book is seasonal, starting in Summer. Things are good, warm, growing, thriving, listening, and learning. Fall comes and with it a literal fall off of a horse where Eldridge breaks both wrists and loses most of his autonomy. Winter comes with cold, dark, oppressive attacks, and short tempers. Eventually, Spring comes back around and brings hope, restoration, healing, and new life. This isn’t a practical how-to guide like a map; it’s more like a journal holding clues and examples and hints. I’ve never been able to stick to journaling, but I’m going to try to start again. I’ve long been one to talk to God, but I want to learn to listen to His voice for answers more diligently. Spiritually, I’ve been going through a fall/winter season. I’m walking with God out of if it one day at a time. This book was a very helpful reminder that spring is coming. Winter doesn’t last forever. Thanks, Aubrey for the recommendation.

This book is for the seekers, the prayer warriors, and the tired. 

(Rated PG, Score 10/10, hardcover, 218 p.)

Preview/Currently Reading-

Here are the books I am currently working through:

Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins

The Grasshopper Trap by Patrick F. McManus

The Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch

I track my books in a database called Goodreads. You might find it helpful in managing your reading lists. 

Final Thoughts- 

I’m thankful that I live in this amazing country, at this crazy time, with ya’ll for friendship and support. I’m also thankful for my Dad. Happy Birthday, Dad!

So, here are the book giveaway details: I’ll give one entry for a suggestion for a book, a blog comment, a brand/business idea for From the Spine, and referrals (friend’s email to join my mailing list). I’ll draw a winner or three on December 15th. Entries can be turned in by text, email, blog comment, or carrier pigeon/screech owl. Millie is my super-impartial drawing helper. Prizes will be the winner’s book of choice. 

Thanks for adventuring with me. 

Joshua

PS. Please feel free to forward this to your reading friends. If they want to be on my email list, let me know. 

PPS. Send me book ideas, brand ideas, or questions. I love the feedback.