January 22 Book Review

Y’all, I didn’t think it was possible. I stated publicly that in no way was I trying to outdo the amount of reading I did in 2021 in 2022. Yet here I am and without trying I totally read 13 books this past month! It helped that work was a little slower and that I am reading The Witcher books and they are very fun. But yeah! 13 books. I’m not looking to recreate that again in 2022 but I wasn’t trying in January so maybe it is possible to out-read my 2021 total!

Terror on a Treasure Hunt

By: Winter Morgan

If one could ever go so far to say that “the plot thickens” in this series THIS would be the book. I personally, like Mr. Anarchy. Its also interesting to stop for a moment and think that in the Minecraft world many of the users are children. Thinking of these ageless-seeming characters as children changed my perspective a bit. Vor was still enthusiastically following along at this point so onward to the final couple of books in this series!

Summary Here

Propaganda

By: Edward Bernays

This book was a weird read. I didn’t look at when the original copyright was until after I finished and the WHOLE time I was trying to place it in history so I could think about it in the context of the day and I COULD NOT! It was written in 1928. I was shocked, honestly, that it is that old even though context clues were definitely hinting at it, I kept wanting it to be much more recent. Mr. Bernays would be absolutely shocked to see how propaganda has been applied since this book first came into print. I mean the man was thinking of it as an almost benign way of government and business interacting with its constituency but then again he had yet to see what the Nazis would do with it let alone how political parties function today. Worth the read if you’re into media, marketing, sociology, or people who have really put their foot in their mouths over time.

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Ghastly Battle

By: Winter Morgan

Well I’ll be…In this installment Winter Morgan actually toys around with some character development! The mains are all still around and people are getting briefed and mobs are popping up out of nowhere and all the regular fare for your Minecraft fan-fic. But maybe, actually, some of the characters are growing a little and learning from the past. There’s another book yet to go in this series so I guess we have to wait to see if the changes stick.

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The Last Wish

By: Andrzej Sapkowski

I love the short story format. I love the dialog. I love that in the background there is a very ominous texture coagulating. I love the allusion to humans and cultural elements from our current, real universe. I love the explanation of magic. I love that so much of what is going on is a bit of a mystery. I feel an epic story brewing and I am very excited to keep reading! For those of you who have watched the show - yes this covers some of the same ground that the first season of the show does. I still recommend reading it for deeper comprehension and especially if you plan to read the other books. The books are vastly more complex than the show and you will want all the extra background info you can pick up!

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Creeper Invasion

I really rather enjoyed the Steve and the Diamond Sword series by Winter Morgan. But this series is banal and so repetitive! I’m trying to listen and it is HARD. Vor, still loving it. Five books in and its the same book for the 5th time. Someone, no resolution. Not a fave.

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Sword of Destiny

By: Andrzej Sapkowski

Where to begin? The Show. I’ll start with the show. Part of this book still coincide with the show but if you are following along in the visual format, this is where reading the book would really start to fill things in. Additionally, if you don’t read these shorts you miss out on details that come much deeper into play in later books. Furthermore, you miss out on vignettes from Gors Velen featuring Molnar and the dwarves are some of the best characters imo.

This is on audible so I’m listening along and Peter Kenny is killing it! Y’all gotta know by now that I am a sucker for a good narrator and this man has some range! Top tier for sure.

As for the book itself, the vice grip of impending war and chaos is tightening in this book. I like book Yennefer WAY, better than tv Yen although I think that will change as the tv series catches up with Yen’s character development. The theme of destiny in this book is very interesting in the way it is teased out. Does it matter? Does it not? The book is another collection of short stories which I find myself really liking. I don’t mind that time is somewhat disjointed. If you want to read the series you are just going to have to get comfortable with that.

Summary Here

Blood of Elves

By Andrzej Sapkowski

What I didn't address while reviewing the last book that I need to address in this review is this: the translator is a fucking boss. I keep marveling at the diction and then I realize these books have all been translated from Polish to English and my mind is fucking blown.

In this book I finally got to know Ciri as more than a pawn of destiny. She is innocent enough but there is definitely some foreshadowing about her having a darker nature or at least a dark side.

There is a lot going on. Really its all the same background that has been bubbling the whole time in The Last Wish and The Sword of Destiny but in this book the concurrent political events are of equal importance to the more condensed story of the mains.

This is one of those books where the author plays with space/time by revealing layers of meaning through a variety of POVs. If you want a straight forward answer for questions in your book, you may think twice about embarking on this journey. If you enjoy plots unraveling in slow and methodical ways then you are likely to really get into this series.

The map is extensive, the video game is epic, the fandom is fully engaged. I find those all to be perks and at this third book in there series am fully committed to this series. Great high fantasy!

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History of Bourbon

By: Ken Albala

Meh. This was definitely not a podcast but it felt almost like a podcast. I am not a fan of podcasts, generally speaking. I do like info about random things. This book satisfied some of that drive for me to pick up more information. But it also felt like more for more’s sake. This history of bourbon wasn’t contextualized to give it any historical weight or significance. This book was comprised mainly of the following three parts: facts about bourbon, the history of the bourbon market, the author’s own thoughts and feelings or experiences with bourbon. Didn’t hate it didn’t love it.

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The Time of Contempt

By: Andrzej Sapkowski

So far this was my favorite book in the series. I love the dynamic between Ciri and Yennefer. I think rebellious but innocent Ciri is fun and cute. The interactions between Yennefer and Geralt at the sorcerer’s ball as well as Geralt’s individual charades were very funny and endearing. But I also had a sense that shit was about to go down and it really did go down in this book.

Ciri has a Muad’dib moment in the Korath desert that was amazing and totally unexpected. This book played on my emotions more than the others as yet. All the aforementioned good features of the previous books continue. The very elaborate plot also thickens.

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On Color

By: David Scott Kastan

Random but enriching. There was a little science, a good bit of history, and a certain poetry to this book. It was written for the sake of writing about color. In a way, it feels frivolous. There was no message or meaning or over-arching theme except that maybe “we all see color differently.” Nonetheless it felt good to read it for all of those same reasons. Just shy of beautiful it still has a grace about it. Not my most favorite book of all time but I like the way my ideas of color have softened a little after reading On Color.

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Baptism of Fire

By Andrzej Sapkowski

To me, things slow down a lot in this book. Whereas before the story was moving over the timeframe of weeks and months, here, we are slogging a few days at a time through various character’s POV. This is an observation not a complaint. Geralt goes through some really gnarly shit but is surrounded by awesome people that keep his story fresh and fun. Regis becomes a new favorite for me, personally. The vignette of “the bridge” was amazing and another hint at “destiny.”

Meanwhile Ciri is going through some shit. At this point pretty much the only true protagonist is Geralt. Shit is kinda confusing but not so much that its annoying, but just enough to keep me on my toes.

BoF and the series as a whole has taken on a bit of a LOTR feeling. There is a lot of questing and journeying going on at this stage in the story. I’m very curious where this is all going.

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Wishes and Wellingtons

By: Julie Berry

Vor really liked this book. I liked the setting and the characters but the story felt like it could have lingered longer and explored the fantastical element a bit more. For a story that was built around having a personal genie, there was rather limited magic and adventure.

I rather liked the message and how various plot points worked themselves out. There is a second installment available and I liked it enough to pick up with round 2.

Summary Here

The Tower of Swallow

By: Anrzej Sapkowski

Some AWESOME vignettes in this book. The story is very complex at this point but with the introduction of a few well actualized characters the plot unfolds in a very interesting way. It’s kind of crazy how many questions get raised throughout the series and that even at this stage more questions are being raised. The story runs so seamlessly from book to book I have to go back and reference what is happening in each. Likewise in each book there are really beautiful character driven moments as well as brilliant dialog and awesome fantasy-scapes. I mentioned that they dialog is good enough to be extracted in large segments for the show but I didnt linger so I’ll go back now. At times it is poignant, scary, and even gut-bustlingly funny. 👏👏👏 so. good.

Summary Here

November Book Drop

Lo, friends! Tis almost the end of the year. I almost cannot believe it. I have two more of these reviews to go before we are into 2022. Next month I will do a Top Ten List in addition to the normal review. As of the time of this entry, I am 120 books into the year. Hopefully I can keep up this pace next year too! I managed 12 books this month to make up for the last couple of months of slacking ;-)

God Emperor of Dune

By: Frank Herbert

I still love this book. I’ve read through the series five times and I still love this book. I am more critical of it than ever and I still love it. Its dense. Leto can be pompous. The Duncans can be obtuse. Nonetheless, the philosophical through-line is very clear and rings true even after so many years. It is an odd masterpiece. It sticks out like a sore thumb in the series as a whole, but it’s really great. Related aside: I run a Dune Stan account on Instagram. www.instagram.com/dunequotes I’m the OG Dune Quotes page on Insta since 2016. If you want to cheat and get some quote samplage, check it out. If you like what you see there, you’ll like the books.

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The Golden Goblet

By: Eloise Jarvis McGraw

This was a mom-and-me read. It took a little while for Vor to get into it. I had to stop and give context quite a lot in the beginning. The first two thirds of the book were rather slow. There was a lot of repetition and a lot of setup for the ultimate resolution. However, the resolution felt very rushed and lacking in detail especially when compared to the rest of the book. I think it was worth a read but I’m glad we did it on our own terms. I think if I were one of the many kids that are forced to read this in school I would have resented the hell out of the ending and pacing.

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Falling Free

By: Lois McMaster Bujold

I really enjoy this woman’s writing. It is fast-paced and funny. It is clever and imaginative. She does characterization really well, too. I randomly read the 5th book in this series first because its called The Vor Game, so duh, had to. I thought I would circle back eventually. I invited Matt to start reading the series with me and he cosigns on all of the above. This series does not ask as much of you philosophically as Dune. It does not hold your heart in its hand like Red Rising. It does not get into the mathematics of things like The Three Body Problem. But its unique with fun characters who are not your typical heroes. Highly enjoyable. Caveat: this book doesn’t fit into the series in a neat and tidy way. I am still waiting to see when it does. Supposedly it does…I guess we’ll see.

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A Little History of Economics

By: Niall Kishtainy

This was everything I hoped it would be. It was informative and not boring. The narration was great and for a subject-matter book was perfectly easy to follow in audio format. My take-away is that I think we need a new theory of economics that takes into account people’s (individual and societal) time and the quality of their environment to calculate a true economic status. I was also reinforced in my belief that most economists, while probably well-meaning can really fuck off with this pseudo-science bullshit. If you’re going to make shit up, maybe try looking beyond the material. I wanted an overview and an interesting read to compliment some of the heavier reading I’ve done on the subject such as Road to Serfdom. For that, this book was wonderful. Nothing against the book, I just think most of this field of research is so terribly subjective that it’s absurd.

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Five Children and It

By: E. Nesbitt

For Victorian-era children’s literature this was quite good. Compared to more contemporary authors, not so much. But giving credit where credit is due, this is a very imaginative and fun story that Vor was able to follow and enjoy despite the more antiquated language-structure. Taking a moment for broader reflection, I think it’s interesting how language has changed and how it requires a concerted effort on the part of younger readers to invest into classic literature. I’m thinking to myself as we are listening: “Vor doesn’t know wtf thou means.” We have run into this language disconnect several times now. The first time was with Beatrix Potter but I thought the content of those books was weird and have passed on the rest of her repertoire. Vor and I both enjoyed The Secret Garden, The Wizard of Oz, The Princess and the Goblins, and to some extent The Golden Goblet - all of which are written in a more formal, dated version of English. FCandIt was above the threshold of enjoyment as well. As a parent, be ready to patiently explain if you’re reading this with a kiddo.

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Shards of Honor

By: Lois McMaster Bujold

Another fun read by Bujold. I loved getting to know the world through this love story. Love story? Yes. But not sappy, stupid shit. In this context the love story is a fun narrative device and ultimately is just a background thread tying the other events of the book together. As mentioned above, if you are expecting any continuity between Falling Free and SOH, you will be frustrated. Consider the context of FF as informative of the larger galactic context in SOH and leave it at that. Cordelia, Arol, Bothari, etc are all interesting characters unto themselves and interact in a way that left me feeling that the psychology of the characters was consistently considered when placing them in inter-relational situations. Well done.

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The Practicing Stoic

By: Ward Farnsworth

I liked the book more as it progressed but, overall, would be curious to see if there is a better overview of Stoicism out there.

The good:

The Stoic principles are great. So, if you are a true beginner to the subject, you’ll probably get a lot out of this.

The organizational structure is really well done for what Farnsworth is attempting. The practicality and nuance of the subject-matter blooms the longer your keep reading but could indeed be taken piece-meal if one so chose.

The bad:

The organizational structure. This is a very personal preference, but I would have liked to experience the propositions in context. I would not have known that ahead of time, though.

TPS was not at all a bad book. You might like it way more than me. It didn’t light me up and ultimately, I have been a practicing Stoic for many years due to my personal integration/amalgamation of many spiritual practices. So at the end of the day, I wasn’t blown away with the book or topic but that doesn’t mean you won’t be.

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Foundation

By: Isaac Asimov

Better the second time around. I listened to this book about 3 years ago. My take away then was: men talking stressfully at each other. Now, everyone is going batshit about the series on iTune. Since the positive reception of the show and my take-away didn’t fully line up, I was starting to think I was losing my edge or perhaps that my listening skills were not fully developed at the time I initially read the book. But, no. I was right. This book is like 90% dialog. The difference in my reception this time is in the knowing. I was familiar with the ideas the book was attempting to convey and that was helpful. Secondarily, I am way more familiar with early Sci-Fi as a genre and its nuances and short-comings. See more on that below. All in all, I liked the ideas much better this time because I wasn’t waiting for there to be action and could just sink my teeth into the dialog. Spoiler alert - there is no action. If you want a version of the story with action, definitely just watch it.

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Netherwings

By Django Wexler

Well, shit. This was a good story. It was a middle-grade story but it was good enough to have me fully invested after about the 3rd chapter. Middle-grade books are really doing it for both Vor and me lately. They are dramatic enough with ample action and suspense to keep me invested while being just predictable enough that I’m not worried about sex and gore and major psychological trauma for Vor. For Vor they also hit a sweet spot. He’s not a baby so kid’s books are often too babyish for him but on the flip side, when it comes to hard copies, he could not actually read read these books yet. But that doesn’t mean he is not ready for the content. He is. So audiobooks work well for him to engage with stories that are at his maturity level if not his “reading” level. I’m really excited for him to gain mastery of reading text so he can start to choose books on his own from the library at school. In the mean time, he continues to surprise me with insightful and penetrating questions for books on this level that show me he is, very much, paying attention to relatively complex narrative structure and drama despite the medium. I hope we get more from this author in this dimension asap.

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Barryar

By Lois McMaster Bujold

I am pretty well won over at this point and am a full-fledged fan of Bujold’s writing. The first half of this book is a little slower. The second half is a full court press. If you have read any of her other books, Barryar holds true to her witty/sardonic, character-forward approach. Cordelia and Bothari shine and the set-up for Miles to enter the scene is perfect. Highest Barryaran marks!

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The Unfettered Mind

By: Takuan Soho

Not suspending disbelief or applying a critical mind - kinda stodgy. The metaphors were poetic but rigid. This was a very restrained work. Now, if we apply some perspective to the content, that same observation turns from critique to praise. I think restrained would be a compliment for the intersection of Zen and Swordsmanship! It’s a beautiful work and the narrator has a buttery baritone voice that is naturally suited for this gorgeously formal writing style. The question of whether or not you will like this book is likely going to boil down to whether or not you have enough historical basis to place the piece culturally. And, from there, whether you have an interest in Zen or Swordsmanship.

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The Einstein Intersection

By: Samuel R. Delany

Good vintage Sci-Fi. To me, that means it was kinda weird, a little obscure, had enough detail to give you a sense of what was going on but left quite a bit up to the imagination. I wouldn’t want the same from more modern works. I’m learning to take the early stuff as a sub-genre and appreciate them in that context. This is probably one of my reading take-aways for 2021 as a whole.

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June Book Drop

When I started writing book reviews, I didn't have the foresight to realize I might one day need to indicate the year to which each post belongs. As I approach this fifth Book Drop installment, I realize keeping my website up-to-date and regularly sharing on this platform has become a habit. I enjoy it and hope that one day more people interact with me on here vs. social media. Lately, I have spoken to more and more friends who are fatigued, or just plain done, with social. Social media is flashy. By its flashy nature, it is not intended to keep our attention. I’m surprised things like Instagram have had the longevity they have enjoyed. I mean, they have a place and can be fun and even useful at times, but I don’t think the place for social media is at the centerpiece of a full and actualized human life.

I took a little break from writing weekly because the previous two posts required a big effort to research and write. I’m using this post as a palette cleanse. I managed to read another 11 books this month. I was excited about a few in particular (noted below). If you’re keeping tabs, I've read 11 books per month this year with a running total of 66 books. Is that a humble brag? Maybe a little. Moreso, let this encourage you to get off social, turn off your screens, and embrace literature. For me, listening to audiobooks has made it possible to be an artist, athlete, entrepreneur, mom, and foreign-language student while maintaining a high volume of reading.

Jakes Quest For The Five Stones

By: Hanit Benbassat

This was not a great book. The thought behind the book was nice enough. The world-building was meager. The characterization was lacking. The sound design was distracting. There was absolutely NO nuance to the subject matter. I will have a little grace and say, it is a book meant for children so perhaps there is some benefit to being blunt. It felt terribly rushed. And that was all before I listened to the epilogue wherein the author tries to pass Atlantis off as having been a real place where people could manipulate energy and matter with the use of crystals 😩. I would recommend skipping this book entirely.

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Temple Grandin

By: Sy Montgomery

I learned some things about Temple Grandin. Her story is definitely interesting. I wanted to dig a little deeper into books exploring neurodiversity. I’m not sure I loved that this book was written by someone else about Temple. Temple has written books of her own so I think, in the future, if I decide to read about her in greater detail I will choose one of those. This book was a good jump off point for getting the basic understanding of who TG is and what she has done in her life to make her stand out. Not a waste of time but I wasn’t super pumped about it by the time I was done.

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The Mystickwick School of Musicraft

By: Jessica Koury

This was a good one! In fact, this is the second time Vor and I read this book. It definitely is giving Harry Potter vibes as far as the magical school is concerned but its it’s own book for sure. The characters deal with loss, failure and social dynamics. There are satisfying obstacles the main characters have to overcome. There’s an implied diversity to the cast of characters. There’s enough drama and resolution to be satisfying but there are some mysteries as yet unsolved so Vor and I both want another installment.

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The Doors of Eden

By: Adrian Tchaikovsky

This book started as a mystery/disappearance novel. The scope then started to expand and bloom. The past ramped up significantly from the beginning to the middle. And before I knew it I was careening toward the end. There were no dull moments for me. I was happy to gain some insight into the author’s worldview. He incorporates vibrant and convincing LGBTQ main characters and takes some time to skewer bigotry in a way that is clearly pointed at real-world archetypes. If you enjoy Tchaikovsky’s other works of biological sci-fi or like the lore of cryptid-hunting and want a mind-bending twist, you will enjoy this book for sure.

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Camp Cacophony

By: Jessica Khoury

This book was released this month in the “included” catalog for Audible which is why we re-read The Mysticwick School of Musicraft. In the process of writing these reviews I discovered the sequel Vor and I were hoping for has been released as well. This is a prequel. It is a perfect little snack of a book. It is nice and consistent with the vibe of the original and is a nice way to get some more details on the life of our heroine. If you read and enjoy the first Mystwick book I recommend you check this out as well.

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The World’s Strongest Librarian

By: Josh Hanagarne

I liked this dude immediately. He is your ever-sensible, metal-loving, always-sardonic, frequently-irreverent dude-friend from high school or college. If you didn’t have one of those, I suggest you find the nearest middle-aged dude in a Black Flag shirt and interview them for the position immediately. Your life will be improved with laughs and refreshingly non-toxic masculinity.

I think we sometimes shy away from listening to neurodivergent or disabled people because of how painful it is to imagine ourselves on the receiving end of the social bullshit they often have to wade through. Furthermore, empathizing with the physicality of such things is not the easiest thing for able-bodied people in our culture. It takes a will to self-teach in order to gain the perspective and compassion to not suck at empathy in general and specifically for the aforementioned communities.

Books like this are important because they allow readers from all communities insights that, one hopes, will engender the kind of empathy discussed above. Its easy to follow Josh from a child to an adult. Its easy to envision him as your friend or brother. It is therefor less difficult to imagine the terror of feeling no control of your body. It is easy to envision yourself, as a parent, worried for the well-being your child who may have inherited one of your less-desirable traits.

This is a great, approachable and relatable read. File it under memoirs and definitely check it out at some point.

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Unspoken: A Memoir

By: Luke Daniels

I knew this book was going to rip my heart out. But I also fully trusted the author. Luke Daniels is the narrator of many of Vor and my favorite books. You can tell from the way he handles characterization and the subject matter he gravitates toward that he is a man that knows his way around a story - even a tragic and personal story like the loss of a small child.

I wasn’t wrong to trust him. I also wasn’t wrong about how heart-breaking this story is. Despite the utter tragedy of this story, Luke guides you through steadily and knowingly. He provides levity without making light. He takes pause for breath in the way only a consummate professional knows how to do.

I don’t even know the man personally but I’m proud of him. We need to share our humanity with one another. This book is a triumph to that end.

Summary Here

Red Rising

By: Pierce Brown

My Gawd. I loved this. Not too long ago but before I started writing reviews, I read The Owner Trilogy by Neil Asher. I’m going to draw a couple similarities. Here they are: lots of action, sci-fi, space, very-masculine main character, a grudge against the ruling caste. One can also draw some similarities between this book and The Hunger Games. There are those on the internet that would have me feel basic for liking this book. I dunno, man. First of all, I’m listening to it and Tim Gerard Reynolds is a fucking boss of a narrator. He bodies the fuck out of this. Darrow veritably jumps out of the headphones and into real life the way this guy reads. For that alone, its a masterpiece. But I will take a moment to give some credit to Pierce Brown, too.

Hyper-masculine, though he is, Darrow is a complex character. Furthermore, the way in which his perspective his shared through Brown’s writing is nuanced. This is a first person narration but at times Darrow is unreliable. He is honest with himself in layers and thus, as the reader, you don’t get all of his intention up front. This style of writing keeps things interesting. I’ll also take a moment to acknowledge that I am an Aries moon and rising sign. I identify with Darrow - with his quick temper and aggression. I’ve tempered these traits of mine over the years and learned nuance but I would most certainly be in House Mars if I were in this book. So, there’s that.

Shout out to Shannon who recommended these books to me in 2017. I finally got around to them. This book is not without major losses from start to finish but the end was very satisfying. I’m looking forward to the rest of the series.

I have more thoughts that veer away from review and more toward speculation and philosophy. I love when a book sends my mind on tangents that get incorporated into my worldview.

RIYL the two series listed above and ASOIF but without the pomposity and 1000 POVs.

SIDENOTE: I almost always read things people recommend to me. Put them in the comments if you want to be my reading bestie.

Summary Here

The Other Animals

By: Rachel Hamburg

The purpose behind this book is very cool. Again, this heads into the territory of mental health and neurodivergence. If you don’t like short-stories you might want to skip this one. That is not my preferred genre but this looked like one of the better offerings in the Audible “included” catalog so I decided to give it a go.

Some of the stories were better than others but they were all enjoyable to me. I will admit that the slightly morbid thread and animal themes tying all the stories together reminded me heavily of one of my friends (also a writer), Seth Meeks. Seth is one of the few people who revels in diction and will discuss word-choice with me ad nauseam. Something that reminds me of Seth is going to get high marks by default.

With Seth as my guiding beacon for this book the two stories that I liked the most are: Death and Company about a trio of vultures and Rectangles the story of a crow attempting to decipher the human ritual of burying rectangles in the ground.

If you enjoy breaking from run-of-the-mill perspectives you will likely find this book worth your time.

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Arlo Finch in the Valley of Fire

By: John August

YEEEEEEES!!! Vor and I both LOVED this book. What great world building! This guy is a screen-writer and it shows. This book could easily be converted to screen. It is so easy to get wrapped up in this story. Arlo and the scouts are the perfect vehicle to teach life lessons to kids. I think Vor may be a little ahead of the game as far as listening comprehension goes since we have been doing reading and audiobooks in tandem for so long already but I would say the sweet spot is going to be readers/listeners from ages 7-10. And also 36-year-olds.

You get: encouragement to love nature, a push to find wonder in nature, guidelines for being a decent human being that are easy to discuss with young children, action, danger, magic and mystery.

A perfect kids’ adventure novel!

Summary Here

Hyperion: Cantos #1

By: Dan Simmons

Fun fact: I get it from my mama! Yes, my mom has been reading sci-fi since the early 70s. She’s the first person to put a sci-fi book in my hand. She and I still regularly share book recs and reading lists. This be one of them! I can remember being freaked out by the cover of this book my entire childhood! I probably would never have read it for that fact but Matt picked it out and I love sharing reads with him so I went for it.

It was likened by one reviewer to the Canterbury Tales. Its not an obvious comparison but its there. Unsettling at times, the diversity of characterization that you get from one story-line to the next is impressive. The book is a vice, tightening slowly toward the inevitability of The Shrike.

Not my favorite by a long-shot but a worthwhile and well-written read. The story is not at all wrapped-up in the first book so I will refrain from further commentary until reading onward!

Summary Here

March Books

Roots: The Saga of An American Family

By: Alex Haley

Stellar. Probably many of you have seen at least one of the TV adaptations but as a work of art, the story is so powerfully told via the written word that this is 100% worth the time and emotional energy it takes to read. In the parts of the story that are easy-going, the characters are so real its easy to become invested. That of course makes the tragedies so much harder to bear. I think this book will hit even harder for readers with an understanding of trauma and epigenetics. For a primer on both, scroll down a bit and consider reading The Body Keeps The Score in tandem with Roots. For the internet version here is the Wiki on Trauma and the Wiki on Epigenetics. No human with empathy could possibly be unmoved by this book. It is truly remarkable. Can’t recommend enough.

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Becoming Fluent: How Cognitive Science Can Help Adults Learn A Foreign Language

By: Richard Roberts and Roger Kreuz

This book was a fun trip down memory lane for me. It is a great pick-me-up for adult learners in general. Furthermore, it is a 101 on the Psychology of Learning and teaches some of the best tools I remember studying in undergrad in a concise and clear way. You will come away with methods to apply to all you endeavor to learn, not just language. I felt like the authors did omit one worthwhile tidbit I use to this day if I have to cram facts into my brain for recall - primacy and recency. So here again, I present to you a Wiki on Primacy and Recency Effect.

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Taming The Tiger Within: Meditations on Transforming Difficult Emotions

By: Thich Nhat Hanh

A short read, this is a nice intro to shadow work in no such specific terms. Definitely recommend if you are dealing with difficult emotions or the echoes of such. Shadow-work is an important concept to be able to apply to oneself for personal growth. This book is a really approachable explanation and guide to beginning to integrate memories and emotions that maybe don’t feel so great to suppress.

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Super Mario - How Nintendo Conquered America

By: Jeff Ryan

Fun AF!! I can’t praise this enough for a fun read. It was welcome amidst the heavier hitting reads this month. You get a deep-dive into Nintendo. I had NO idea what a powerhouse they are. The nostalgia factor is through the roof and inspired me to download MarioKart on my phone just to dip my toe back into that world. Highly recommend to anyone who enjoyed Nintendo games growing up. I feel like this book is guaranteed to bring a smile to your face if you had any affinity for Super Mario, Donkey Kong, Zelda, Pokémon, etc. The writing is punchy and fast-paced. This is another one of those books where the real-life people seem larger-than-life. Enjoy!!

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Twain’s Feast

By: Andrew Beahrs & Nick Offerman

In its written format, this is a solo work by Andrew Beahrs. The audio version is narrated (in part) by Nick Offerman. In his own right, Nick Offerman is an entertaining author. I very much enjoyed Paddle Your Own Canoe and Gumption. Furthermore, he is really easy to listen to as a wind-down before bed. Not every narrator is. I also am familiar enough with N.O. to know him as highly progressive and thus to be mightily curious about him attaching his name to a book about Twain, who I’ve always viewed as racially problematic. My take-away and what I will share is this: I wouldn’t run out and get it nor would I read the actual book vs. listening. I wouldn’t however recommend against it. Controversial topics are not glossed over. They are also not covered exhaustibly as this book is about something specific. I think if you have a special interest in Twain, early American literature or Offerman you will find it enjoyable. To me and probably everyone else - palatable. Given the book’s subject matter that seems fair.

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The Body Keeps The Score

By: Bessel Van Der Kolk, M.D.

Wow. And when I say wow I mean…the term masterpiece is used on the cover and I can 100% endorse this book as such, personally. That being said, Neuropsychology was/is my area of interest almost over-archinginly so. It’s what I studied in college. I considered pursuing it for Ph.D. work. Hell, I still consider going back to pursue it. But this book is so much more than an overview of brain structure and function. The anecdotes are heart-wrenching and as a trauma survivor, myself, this was a very difficult read. A book of this size would normally take me a couple of days to get through. This book took me 2.5 weeks with lots of breaks for walks and being in my feels as well as unexpectedly being triggered into panic attacks. The thing is, as much as I know about the various methodologies that are covered in the second half and even with 13 years of actively working to reset my brain from childhood trauma, it still was impactful. Everyone has been touched by trauma because its either you who experienced it or its impacted someone you know. This book is important for everyone to read. Period. Underscore. If you have also experienced trauma, personally I recommend you plan a lot of self-care while reading. But please do not shy away. We are on the edge of huge break-throughs in how we work with the brain + mind-body connection. You can be on the front lines of that with the right knowledge, much of which is covered in this book. For further reading and inspo (and less painful anecdotes) I also recommend The Brain’s Way of Healing by Norman Doidge.

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Astrophysics For Young People In A Hurry

By: Neil deGrasse Tyson

This was a cute book and BONUS, if you listen to it on Audible its narrated by Lavar Burton!!! I Stan. Anyway, I read this with Vor who is 5. He liked it. We will listen again when he is older. Comparing this to Tyson’s book on the same subject for adults I am still wanting something in the middle between the two! But for kids this is great and for a really fun refresher on the basics this is also great for adults reading along with their kids.

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Stargazer

By: Dan Wells

This is the 3rd installment in this trilogy. Of the three it was my least favorite but also that’s like ranking cookies, ice cream, pizza, etc. You can only go so wrong here. All three books are quite fun and well done. This is a series intended for kids and as an adult I was delighted by the application of science to the world-building. If you love sci-fi and want to pass that on to the younger generation this trilogy does the work for you. If you are a person who loves sci-fi and occasionally needs to cleanse your palate of empire, killer AI, intergalactic battles etc, this would be a fun and fresh break. Anyhow, I thoroughly enjoyed all three books and would rank them 1, 2, 3 in their chronological order. I could totally stand an expansion of the series beyond 3 books.

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The Double Drastic Time Capsule Caper

By: Van Temple

This is one for the kids. It was structured enough to be enjoyable as an adult but we aren’t moving mountains or changing the game with the story. It is good-natured and appropriate enough for very young kids. The protagonists are quirky and fun for the little ones. I think it would be a little boring past the age of 8-10 depending on how advanced your kid’s reading skills are.

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Young Samurai: The Way of the Dragon

By: Chris Bradford

This is the 1st of 2 books Vor and I started reading together that I decided are not a good fit for him. But I have a thing. If I put the book in my library I read it unless it is extremely offensive or terribly written. This book has excellent reviews but I find it to be middling. It did however grow on me as time went along. The reason I immediately didn’t love it for Vor was the subject matter was a little too mature for him. Then I realized the main character is a white person in 18th century Japan and he’s the “hero” of the story. A white savior book is never going to sit well with me. That being said, some of the cultural issues I thought were going to be mismanaged turned around significantly as the book continued. Definitely not appropriate for little kids. It turns out there is a lot of violence and I also don’t like to condition my son toward heteronormative romance at this stage of his life. This book makes overtures in that direction as well. All complaints aside it was an adventurous story and not terrible at least as I sit as a white person who thinks they like Japanese history but is also white and has a limited perspective on such.

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The City of Brass

By: S.A. Chakraborty

BUYER BEWARE!! I thought this book was written by a woman POC. It is not. In that regard I feel like I got fleeced. I’m a little salty tbh. I have forgiven it as much as possible because damn if this isn’t a fucking interesting and fun world with great characters and so many layers of intrigue. I listened to a podcast with the author. It seems as though the Arabic world-building is done from a place of reverence and respect - she’s Muslim by conversion as well as being married into the culture she’s writing about. That this is not a POC author is challenging for me. UGH!

Judging from the reviews people of all backgrounds seem to love this series (its a trilogy). Despite my moral dilemma the story is really damn good so now I’m hooked. It’s also being Netflix’ed as we speak. The negative reviews largely center around the “slow” pace of the book. That was laughable to me, a person who regularly reads sci-fi with an entire encyclopedia of specialized terms and with series that have 10+ books. I don’t even know what these people are reading to consider this book slow. Some reviews do call Chakraborty out for cultural appropriation. I don’t even know. This is a topic I’m regularly examining - appropriation vs appreciation/reverence because as a white yoga teacher its baked into my very existence. I do know the story is great, the author is Muslim and a Middle Eastern scholar. I’m going to assume she gets most of it right with some significant oversights that being white are unavoidable.

RIYL vast empire-building, castle intrigue, mythical creatures and stories that don’t blow their load in the first 100 pages.

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