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Seriously… I’m Kidding

October 24, 2018 by Ryan Leave a Comment

Background

Ellen’s book number 3. “Seriously… I’m Kidding is a lively, hilarious, and often sweetly poignant look at the life of the much-loved entertainer as she opens up about her personal life, her talk show, and more.”

My Thoughts

This was really a book about Ellen’s thoughts. Her thoughts were largely unfiltered and meandering in that off hand way she speaks. It really is her. Just her talking n’ stuff. How much you can take as gospel is anyone’s question. She riffs and then riffs on her riffs. I really enjoyed it but then again I find her very likeable.

Recommendation

If you like Ellen you will like this book. If you don’t like her, you really won’t get much out of it. It will seem like a waste of time… Which it may well have been.

Wishful Drinking

October 23, 2018 by Ryan Leave a Comment

Background

The autobiography of Carrie Fisher who is best known for her role as Princess Leia in Star Wars. She was the daughter of famous people and became famous herself. This is the story of her life, largely trying to escape from it.

My Thoughts

Ah, Princess Leia. As a boy growing up in the 80’s, she was pretty much the top of female desirability. (Well her; Belinda Carlisle, Kelly LeBrock, Michelle Pfeiffer, Daryl Hannah, Erin Gray, Elisabeth Shue, and a dozen others that made the 80s so fantastic.) Of course, I didn’t really care for the real names of these characters. I saw them as their on screen personas. After reading this, it is pretty hard to see Carrie Fisher in the same light.

I knew she had had her struggles with drugs and mental illness. However, I really didn’t know much about it. I wouldn’t do it justice by talking about the particulars here. Suffice it to say, she is very open. What a tragety that she passed just recently and her mother (who is very prominent in her life and her book) passed away as she was planning her daughter’s funeral.

Recommendations

This book is not for the weak in heart nor for children. If you want to keep Princess Leia pure in your mind then leave it alone.

Starship Troopers

October 22, 2018 by Ryan Leave a Comment

Background

Heinlein’s iconic book Starship Troopers is about a semi-dystopian future where aliens are not only real but we fight wars against them as well.

My Thoughts

Starship Troopers was something I saw in the movies a long time ago. I remember a few scenes from it but not much else. In my day job with the United States Marines, it gets referenced from time to time and is on the Commandant’s reading list. So… I thought I should read the book. The book is always better right?

In this case, yes. The book was pretty fantastic. I can understand why the Commandant would want Marines to read this as it has some pretty solid lessons as to why we fight, honor, and even where the swagger came from. If you want to get inside Marine’s mind. This is a good place to start.

Recommendations

I wouldn’t say this book is for kids based on the level of violence however I believe it is a solid read for pretty much everyone.

The City of God

October 20, 2018 by Ryan Leave a Comment

Background

Yet another of the Great Courses lectures. This one was by Charles Mathewes, Ph.D. from the University of Virginia.

To steal from the Great Courses page “Augustine of Hippo’s magnum opus The City of God is one of the greatest works of the Western intellectual tradition—so powerful, in fact, that one could argue all of Christian theology has been a series of footnotes to Augustine. Written during the transition from antiquity to the rise of Christianity, it is one of the key texts in defining our ethical framework into the 21st century. Yet even serious readers can be intimidated by a book that spans over 1,000 pages.”

My Thoughts

This was a pretty time consuming listen though I feel it was worth it. Pretty much most of the “ah hah” moments I’d had were discussed by Augustine of Hippo or “Saint Augustine” as we’ve likely heard of him. This lecture points out that not much is “new under the sun”. The ancients were pretty bright and most of the drama that we take on a daily basis had all been done before.

Recommendations

This work left my mind reeling a few times. If you can understand it all then you should start your own church. (You won’t be alone out there…)

Ready Player 1

October 17, 2018 by Ryan Leave a Comment

Background

Wade is just a poor boy, he needs no sympathy… In the future, the earth is broken. Ravaged by climate change and by a shortage of natural resources, it is a bleak time to live. However, you can virtually live inside a video game known as “The Oasis”.

The man who created The Oasis died a very rich man and will give his vast fortune to the first player who finds his Easter Egg.

My Comments

I haven’t been able to put this one down. I love all the 80’s comments and references. It’s like being brought back to my childhood. I’m excited for the movie and I’m glad I read the book first. I could do without the profanity and if you stop and think about the dystopian world in which they lived, it is pretty terrifying… Still, fun story.

My Recommendations

I’d wait till I was 14 or so to read it due to some of the scenes being a little off color and the general bad language. However, I have a hard time thinking most people (who didn’t grow up playing video games and role playing games in the 80s) won’t get most of the references. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Warriors #6: The Darkest Hour

October 14, 2018 by Ryan Leave a Comment

Background

In Warriors #6: The Darkest Hour, Firestar is the leader of ThunderClan. Tigerstar has further schemes to take over the forest and it is up to Firestar to lead the clans back to their former glory.

My Comments

I enjoyed the ending of the series. I felt I had accomplished something… I took my time reading it and really did enjoy this last book. There were some heavy handed moments, some serious foreshadowing, and one very anticlimactic part but on the whole it was really enjoyable.

Recommendation

A must read if you started the series.

Warriors #5: A Dangerous Path

October 11, 2018 by Ryan Leave a Comment

Background

In A Dangerous Path, Thunderclan Deputy Fireheart has a lot to deal with. The clan leader Bluestar thinks everyone is a traitor and their warrior ancestors have abandoned them. Tigerstar is the leader of Shadow Clan. And there is a pack of dogs loose. What will it all mean?

My Comments

Again a fun book and closer to the end of the series. In this book, we learn more of Starclan and see the end of Bluestar. As Fireheart had been named deputy, it was up to him to figure out what to do. Tigerstar was minding his Ps and Qs but it wasn’t a surprise when we found out he was behind the current tragedy to befall the ThunderClan. All and all, I enjoyed the book. I found the love interest to be about the level of a preteen which is the level of the target audience. Good book…

Recommendations

You have to read them all!

Warriors #4: Rising Storm

October 9, 2018 by Ryan Leave a Comment

Background

Book 4 of the Warriors series is Rising Storm. Our good friend Fireheart was able to see Tigerclaw banished but is he really rid of him? What of his wee kittens? Will they grow to be like their father? (Well, we don’t find out in this book…) Bluestar, the leader of the Thunderclan, starts losing her marbles just after Fireheart is made deputy. Now it all falls to him… Sort of…

My Comments

A fun read but a little heavy handed on the Tigerclaw eyes and such.

My Recommendation

Good book and an easy read. However, be sure to start with Book 1.

Pandora’s Lab

October 9, 2018 by Ryan Leave a Comment

Background

This book is about how science has gone wrong. How usually well meaning people have created something that can’t quite be put back into the box. “These unwitting errors add up to seven lessons both cautionary and profound, narrated by renowned author and speaker Paul A. Offit. Offit uses these lessons to investigate how we can separate good science from bad, using some of today’s most controversial creations—e-cigarettes, GMOs, drug treatments for ADHD—as case studies. For every “Aha!” moment that should have been an “Oh no,” this book is an engrossing account of how science has been misused disastrously—and how we can learn to use its power for good.”

My Comments

This was a very interesting book. I was particularly interested in the examples from history; how mustard gas was created, why DDT was banned and so on. Similar books make me want to do a lot of fact checking. I didn’t agree with a few of the examples such as e-cigarettes as I don’t think the verdict is in just yet with what their influence will be. Still it was a great read.

Recommendation

Great book. It includes stuff everyone should know but should be taken with a healthy dose of skepticism.

Understanding the Fundamentals of Music

October 5, 2018 by Ryan Leave a Comment

Background

This is yet another of the Learning Company’s “Great Courses”. It takes a learner through the very basics to some fairly advanced theory while giving a history of Western music along the way.

My Comments

There are over 23 hours of content in this course and I had to slow my listening down so I could hear the music properly. I LOVED IT! I can’t say enough good things about this course. I kept bothering my family about something I learned that day or something I thought was hilarious. Great, great, great course.

Recommendations

Everyone should listen to this course by Robert Greenberg. Play it for your spouse, neighbors, friends, distant relations, and children (including in utero).