Score: 96/100 (9.6 out of 10)
“Flying Penguin" by Dr. Asoka Jinadasa and Felicio Ferraz is clearly one of the best non-fiction books of the season! It's actually quite difficult to place though. We'd actually rated it a 9.3 at one point, then, 9.4, then 9.5. After several rereadings, we realized this is one of the most valuable texts in the entire cycle. What makes it tough to place? On one hand, it is a shotgun blast of different thoughts and ideas, some of which are backed by facts and data, others of which are greatly opinion-based and anecdotal. There's also a great deal of insistence by the authors on certain things like on a veganism and living a minimalist Buddhist lifestyle that may be somewhat bothersome to people who just don't buy into those ideologies or want to be preached to. On the other hand, despite this somewhat scattered, multi-faceted approach and some dogma, this book contains so much valuable, useful, helpful, and inspiring information in just 315 pages that we can't rate it any lower than our highest rating yet. 9.6 has become the magic number for our top-rated books, and this book certainly deserves it. So, let's dive in! What is it about this book that makes it so great? Well, for starters, the reader gets to learn from a legitimately amazing man in Dr. Asoka Jinadasa, a successful business man, doctor, and life coach who has maintained youth, energy, and zest into his golden years. He and co-author Ferraz happen to also be quite gifted writers and communicators who know how to really engage reader. They really get you to buy into some of their ideas. Heck, we even felt like drinking green tea and doing the relaxation activities after reading this! We're seriously making some green tea now. There's also some very good, practical advice on eating and drinking. For example, the authors encourage us to chew our foods dozens of times and thoroughly enjoy every bite before swallowing. There is actually research to support that this causes a person to eat about 12% less and thus stay leaner and healthier. The reader is also encouraged to drink water (as well as green tea), which is said to help your brain to work 14% faster. There are also some great breathing and stretching exercises akin to yoga. This kind of advice is very practical and quite useful. We never expect a book (or anything) to be perfect, but what keeps this book from achieving that ever-illusive perfection? For one, this book immediately bombards you in machine-gun fashion with a barrage of quotes by famous people, some of which have little to do with each other. For example, in between a quote about “changing the game” by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and a quote by Gary Vaynerchuck about being the best version of yourself, we get the following quote: “I became vegan because I saw what really goes on in slaughterhouses and dairy farms” - Ellen DeGeneres Ok... Then we get the quote: “Music has healing power. It has the ability to take people out of themselves for a few hours.” - Elton John So, if this section full of quotations were a section about the benefits of veganism or about the benefits of music, these quotes would make some sense. In this context, however, they stand out like a sore thumb (or two sore thumbs). They have little to do with self-actualization, business, or fulfilling goals, not to mention anything to do with the quotes before or after them. But we digress, if you don't like something then you don't have to like it. It's not forced upon you. You have free will and can decide for yourself. Take everything with a grain of salt. Another thing that we absolutely love—possibly our favorite aspect of this book—were the analogies and stories. We're almost immediately given the gist of the book via an analogy or story about fleas. The story goes that fleas can become conditioned to limit themselves just like some people limit themselves. The story goes that if you put a flea in a short cup with a cover, they will repeatedly jump trying to get out, hitting their head each time. Over time, they'll become so used to expecting to hit their heads that they'll stop jumping so high even if the cover of the container is removed. You get similar stories about how animals like elephants are put on a short leashes/ropes, then learn to be kept under control even after growing to be large and powerful. Human beings are also vulnerable to self-limiting thoughts and beliefs. There are other great stories in here. One of the ones we're familiar with involved the donkey in the well who used the dirt that was thrown on him to climb to safety. That gave us the amazing quote from co-author Ferraz that “Dirt thrown on you can bury you or uplift you.” There are other extraordinary original quotes from this book including: “If you win every game, your game won't improve.” “Every problem has an underlying opportunity.” “Control your fear, or your fear will control you.” There's another story that's just coming to mind about a man who desires to be king. The king actually lets him have his throne for a time, but the man has a sword dangling over him menacingly during an extravagant royal banquet. This so unsettles the aspiring king with the threat of being overthrown or killed that he gives the crown right back. Another story features a homeless man who is offered gold coins in exchange for something. He is asked for his limbs and even his eyes, but he rejects the offers saying that there's no point in having money if he can't move or see. Every single one of these stories is tied into the grand holistic scheme of this book. It's incredible! This book will help you to become a higher flying individual. Check it out!
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Score: 92/100 (9.2 out of 10)
“A Poetic Spanking” is an ambitious collection of poems by Anthony Toomer reflecting on his spiritual relationship with God, his romantic feelings, and his advocacy for social justice. This collection actually isn't one singular book but three, each of them focusing on one of the aforementioned topics. Toomer has a superb grasp of rhythm and beats. Most of these aren't plain ole' poems, many of these are straight up raps! Our editor was both a poet and a rapper, and he particularly appreciated these flows. We could literally imagine Toomer standing at the pulpit or on stage, rapping about his love for Jesus, his wife, and social justice. How cool is that? It is very possible that if a poetry book like “Shadows of the Trees” by Michael Cook wasn't in this cycle, this book would be at the top of the list of poetry books. No, it's not perfect, and it actually has its issues, but it has the things that matter the most: heart and soul. We want to make something very clear: we greatly admire and appreciate what the author was trying to accomplish with many of these poems, especially his powerful and passionate expressions of his Christian faith. As mentioned before, we can imagine some of those Christian poems being recited in church, with the exception of “Where is God?” (which contains a derogatory term for didactic purposes). However, remember, it's our job to be critical of all works that come our way, even the ones with aspects we personally like. When it comes to poetry, as with any literary medium, there's a consideration of “taste.” This book does have some things we love to see. As mentioned before, almost all of these poems are rhythmic and have a distinct beat. Some of them tell a story, albeit stories from the Bible or from current or historical events that we're familiar with. There are a few issues. For one, the large majority of these poems, probably with only about four or five exceptions, have the same ABAB ABAB ABAB ABAB rhyming scheme, almost exclusively relying on end rhymes. There are other minor things. In “God Don't Play” there is an erroneous statement (perhaps intentionally left in) that Sodom and Gomorrah were leveled, then Noah built the Ark because the world would be flooded. This is chronologically incorrect because Sodom and Gomorrah were cities that existed at the time of Lot, who lived during the time of Abraham, and Abraham lived many generations after Noah. Now, it is very likely that the author knew this, but just decided to present it like this because it “flowed” better. The author wasn't trying to present things chronologically, but just to list examples of God's wrath. The use of the transitional word “then” just become problematic for the above reason. The other thing about the Christian sections of this book, which is probably our favorite section, is that some of them do sound like the “death and damnation” people who go out on the streets wearing A-frame signs and passing out flyers about how everyone's going to hell and the world is ending. There are even sections that blame the pandemic and police brutality on mankind's rejection of God. There may be a degree of truth to that from a religious perspective, but just think about that premise for a moment. People are constantly saying that the world is going to end. Amazingly, Jesus himself said that no one knows the time or the place of the end but the father. He said that there would be wars and rumors of wars as well as earthquakes. Guess what: these likely weren't intended as specific predictions. They were intended to put across the message that the end could come at any time because there are always wars and earthquakes somewhere on the planet. The premise that COVID was part of the plagues of the end-times from the book of Revelations just seems cringe-worthy. Was the Spanish Flu and the Bubonic Plague part of the end-times from the book of Revelations? Which of the seven seals, seven trumpets, or seven bowls of wrath does this plague correspond to? Because you can't just pull some event that's relevant and tragic, then say it's a fulfillment of end-time prophecy. That's not how end-time prophecy works. The topic of police brutality dominates the social justice section of this book. The “N” word is used rhetorically multiple times, mostly during this section. For that reason, it's not nearly as offensive as its usage in another series of book that we've read that we're going to choose not to mention. At the same time, if you're advocating for this kind of derogatory language to not be used against minorities, why would you use it? That's a problem we have with its usage in rap lyrics and everyday speech too. It has become like saying "brother" or "bud" among some Blacks, and it really shouldn't. Japanese people don't go up to each other and call each other "J**s" and Chinese people don't go up to each other and call each other "Ch****." Jewish people don't go up to each other and call each other "K****" and Filipino people don't slap each other on the shoulder and say, "What's up, F***?" So, why would people who don't want a word to be used (and, for the record, we don't want the word to be used), keep popularizing its usage? If you want something to stop, then stop doing it yourself. That's literally like telling your kids to stop swearing by swearing at them to stop or telling people to stop shooting each other while shooting at others. Again, if you want something to stop, then stop doing it yourself. If you want the "N" word and the pain that it carries to disappear, then stop using it. There's also a poem that's a bit troubling called “Revolutionary Fervor, or, the Po-po Was Scared Shitless” which seems to advocate that Black communities arm themselves militantly (like the Black Panthers) and make life a living hell for police officers. This section is as much anti-police as it is anti-racism, which is troubling. We believe that Black lives do matter, but we've never been in support of the extreme stance of “ACAB” or that “All Cops Are Bastards.” We have family who are police officers, neither of whom have murdered or abused anyone. As we've read in “Black, White and Gray All Over” by Frederick Douglass Reynolds, a former police officer who happens to be Black and happens to have had a wild life outside of law enforcement, police officers deal with unbelievable amounts of BS on a daily basis including life-or-death situations. To say that Blacks should be going out of their way to “make the Po-po scared shitless” sounds nuclear. An earlier poem called “Where is God?” actually does point out that Blacks and Black communities should hold some personal responsibility. Turning to crime and violence should not be common-place, and Black on Black violence must also be addressed. Being poor is not an excuse to steal and murder. There is a complaint in the poem titled “Why?” that goes: “You have many holidays named for White folks, We only have one of which we can speak.” What? Which holidays named for white folks are you talking about? Did you mean Columbus Day, which we don't even celebrate and which most of us spend either complaining that it's not even a day off or that Columbus was an a-hole? Did you mean Christmas, which celebrates the birthday of a Hebrew guy in the Middle East? Did you mean Easter, which isn't even a day off, in which we celebrate the resurrection of that awesome Hebrew guy in the Middle East and the coming of spring? Did you mean President's Day, which celebrates all presidents including #44, Barack Obama? Did you mean Veteran's Day, which celebrates all US military veterans including Black ones? Did you mean Memorial Day, which celebrates all soldiers who've died in combat including Black ones? Did you mean Thanksgiving, which celebrates us being thankful for God's blessings, and some white folks having lunch with some Native American folks? Did you mean St. Patrick's Day, which isn't even really a holiday in the US, in which people use it as an excuse to get drunk off their rockers? Did you mean Father's Day? Mother's Day? There are Black fathers and Black mothers who are celebrated on those days, right? There's Juneteenth, which is a big deal now. There's even a whole month, February, called “Black History Month.” And, of course, there's Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which is a legitimate holiday unlike Columbus & St. Patrick's Day, one in which people actually have the day off to honor it. Do the math. Blacks make up just over 13% of the population of this country, and 8% of the months of the year are dedicated to them and their history. What about Latinos and Hispanics who make up about 50% of the population of this country? No month for them. Asian Americans and Jews are even smaller minorities, and they get persecuted a lot too. FDR's internment camps, anyone? No month for them. Much of the history that we learned in social studies and history classes regarded civil rights and the Civil Rights Movement. To say that it's not being taught, and that Black people need more holidays each year is pretty flawed thinking. Over a quarter of a million white Union soldiers died in part to set Black men, women, and children free. Summer Taylor was run over and killed by a Black driver while protesting to protect people of color. Thousands upon thousands of white folks in America have taken it upon themselves to advocate for people of color. To put forward the premise that America is anti-Black kinda craps on all of these people and their sacrifices. This social justice section is also a section that's relentlessly political including the outright, no-frills, non-poetic statement that “Biden is the man with the master plan.” How much more blunt and obvious can you get? Hey, if someone wrote a poem that started with the line, “Trump is the man with the master plan,” we would roll our darn eyes and turn to a different page too. Don't drink this political Kool-aid. This author should be the first person to point out that God alone is king, and that all these politicians—right, left, down, or up— are inferior to his rule and his will. People have adopted this cult-like mentality about their politics, and things like this really aren't helping. If anything, it just allows Black voters to be exploited for more votes and campaign contributions year after year after year, always with these false promises that things will get better. If you're waiting for any leader but God to make your life better and make you feel fulfilled and content, then you're hanging onto an illusion. Do you really want to be pandered to and lied to constantly? Do you really want handouts and false promises of equality? How about some actionable advice? How about the next generation accepts personable responsibility for the things they CAN change? Pull up your pants, tighten your belts, and run for office like Obama, start a business like Daymond John, or make yourself famous or great like the many, many, many great Black individuals who've made a name for themselves in this country instead of making excuses. But we digress. This is a solid poetry book filled with some great rhythms and beats. Really quickly, there's a middle-section including the author's love poems that are fun, interesting, and sometimes funny to read, especially in contrast to the Christian boy scout leader personality he put across in the opening section. The second section is actually quite raunchy, but some of the imagery, particularly involving the author's wife, is very beautiful. Check out this poetry book on Amazon! Score: 93/100 (9.3 out of 10)
“Goodbye Orchid” is a darker and more dramatic love story than the previous book by Carol Van Den Hende, “Orchid Blooming.” What do you do with a character who has it all? You wreck them, that's what! And this is probably one of the best examples of an author effectively using that literary technique. Notice we said “wreck” and not “ruin.” While there were times when Phoenix (and Orchid) in this book were annoying or even unlikable, that seemed to be the point. Characters, like real-life people, should be complex. They should have highs and lows, especially if they've experienced the degree of trauma that these two characters did. Something a bit grating about the previous book in the series was that Phoenix was such a perfect person. He was rich, he was athletic, he was successful; he was charming, he was kind, he was sensitive; he was loved by all; he had a mother and brother who loved him, and, of course, the main heroine loved him. Yes, he was a bit bothered by the loss of his father and his father's high expectations of him, and he also had a bit of a love-hate relationship with his twin brother who was everything he wasn't. However, that still doesn't change the fact that he was verging into Gary Stu territory throughout much of the previous book. Oh, yeah, he had abs. We constantly had to be reminded about how fit and athletic his rocking hard body was, particularly his “stomach muscles.” And, what's funny is, even in this book in which he's totally wrecked, barely able to move and function on his own, he still has abs, and nurses and other women feel the need to point that out to him constantly. Anyway, going back to the point, him experiencing the colossal train accident that he does at the beginning of this book is perhaps the best thing that could've happened for his character. It humanized him and made him seem real in a way that the previous book just didn't. The problem arises that in this book he becomes almost a different character entirely. The accident seems to turn him into a psychological monster who yells at people, swears at people, slams doors, and throws things. These are things we expected someone more hardcore and rugged like Caleb (his twin) to do, not Phoenix. However, this is arguably a good thing. Going back to the thesis of this review, what do you do with a character who has it all? In wrecking them, taking away the things which seemed to make them “whole,” you give them room for personal growth. Another good thing about this whole circumstance is that it changes the dynamics in virtually all of the major relationships in the book. Caleb, who was once the free-spirited, don't-tell-me-what-to-do prodigal son, is forced to transform into a more caring, nurturing, and protective person for the sake of his brother, whom he actually loves. You could even say he becomes more familial and less anti-social as a result of what happens to his brother. People, indeed, show their true colors when the stuff hits the fan, and Caleb truly steps up. This is full of too many ironies to cover in one review, but Caleb, who had once been Phoenix's foil, pretty much switches places with him. He becomes a more mature and upstanding character similar to how we saw Phoenix in the last book. At the same time, Caleb is still Caleb. He's still the tattoo-covered, foul-mouthed, aggressive “hot” twin brother, but he just has more wrinkles and layers. So, you may have noticed from this review that this book is very much focused on Phoenix's side where as the previous book had predominantly taken Orchid's perspective. Orchid should really be flying high in this book, and she kind of is in a sense, but not in a way that really resonates with us as readers. Her accomplishments doing business in China should be this big, huge thing that we really get behind after the last book, but they seem like such an afterthought in light of what's going on with Phoenix. It is so incredibly frustrating to read how ignorant and dumb both Orchid and Phoenix approach situations. They constantly jump to conclusions and have misunderstandings, literally and figuratively giving themselves self-inflicted injuries due to pure stupidity and lack of communication skills. Now, the above is a very common and often-practiced storytelling technique, prevalent in both romance and comedy. Misunderstandings are a great way to breed drama. They intentionally build tension, drama, and frustration, usually crescendoing in a resolution. We're probably a bit jaded of this technique, especially done in this manner. The decisions and conclusions that Orchid and Phoenix come to and made throughout the majority of this book are somewhat understandable but teeth-grinding none the less. First of all, Orchid jumps to the conclusion that Phoenix is a jerk who hates her all of a sudden because he doesn't contact her for a while. Yes, she has abandonment issues, but... c'mon, girl, are you that stupid? Another thing that's a bit troubling is that, yes, she eventually calls to check in on Phoenix at his workplace (concerned about his well-being), but doesn't specifically ask how he is, she instead asks if she can talk to him. And Phoenix also acts so frustratingly foolish and irrational throughout this whole novel. This could've been a really compelling part of this book, but when you think about it: Phoenix is still a spoiled brat. Phoenix is pretty much Titus from Final Fantasy X—he's this gifted, whiny dude who is constantly trying to live up to his dead father's high expectations. He has a lot: he has an extremely successful business, he has a hot Asian girlfriend, he has a loving brother and mother, he has employees who'd jump in front of a bullet for him, he has other girls who still want to pounce on him, and none of these things are things that were taken from him. If the author was really going to go all-out, she would've wrecked Phoenix's business and shown how those with disabilities are treated with insensitivity at times. Almost every single person that Phoenix encounters after becoming disabled is head-over-heels, bend-over-backwards supportive of him. So, let's address the elephant in the room, and this is sorta a spoiler (although it comes up relatively early): Phoenix is a double-amputee. He has lost an arm and a leg due to a train accident, an accident caused by him trying to save a homeless man on the tracks (kinda like an old Bollywood movie). This is very fitting for this particular series because it is inspired by wounded veterans. Phoenix, who spends about half the book pouting, throwing tantrums, and bemoaning his loss of limbs, grows and matures as he is brought to a facility that helps wounded veterans—heroes who sacrificed a lot for the greater good. They never asked to be disabled for life, but many of them have found a level of peace and acceptance of their situation. They've also found hope. This peace, acceptance, and hope are things that Phoenix is pushed to gain for himself, and that shows growth. That's great. The problem is that, well, this book has a few issues that irritate us. For one, this book managed to make us hate not just one but two of the main protagonists, Phoenix and Orchid. In fact, by the end of the book—which seems like a forgone conclusion—we were almost rooting against the pairing in favor of Rena and Phoenix. There are two takeaways from that: 1. You pretty much know that this book can only end one way no matter what happens, 2. Rena supersedes Orchid as a compelling female protagonist. Rena is actually there for Phoenix in his darkest days. She sees the beauty in him no matter what he looks like, although he still has abs because... of course he does. Rena doesn't look down on Phoenix because of his disability. She truly loves and cares about him. Yes, Orchid was somewhat “robbed” of the chance to do that herself because Phoenix was acting like an irrational idiot after the accident, but Orchid... well, it's just something about her that just grinds our gears. Orchid is such a stereotypical millennial. She's this person who just crumbles at the sight of everything. Everything triggers her. She's like that friend you had in grade school who was allergic to everything and had to be on a neutralizer six times a day. She can't eat what everyone else eats, she can't see what everyone else sees or experience what everyone else experiences because she has all these mental blocks—these walls—up. She can't see a scratch on her face that takes less than 10 stitches without freaking out and calling herself “hideous.” Everything reminds her of her parents and their accident. Everything reminds her of Phoenix and his stomach muscles. We hate to make this comparison because this book is superior to anything in Twilight, but remember in Twilight when Bella was just hallucinating and dreaming about Edward constantly, just waking up screaming in the middle of the night because he wasn't there with her? Remember Bella, the girl who doesn't “like music?” We almost got that kind of vibe from Orchid in this book, the girl who doesn't even like orchids, not to mention meat and people who aren't as into social activism as much as her. Phoenix is not immune from our hateful gaze either. At times, he is insufferable. Yes, he's experiencing a truck ton of trauma, our editor suffered a similar fate, but he acts like a whiny, petulant baby for at least half of this book. What he does to “protect” Orchid just comes across as cruel. And he's so vicious to her when they reunite. It's not a reunion at all, it's a tongue-lashing. It's nothing like any reunion in any book. Can you imagine if in Forest Gump, instead of Jenny running into the water at the Washington Monument, she just started shouting expletives from the crowd and telling him to shut his mouth and screw off? What kind of reunion would that have been? It was very difficult deciding which was the better novel between “Goodbye Orchid” and its prequel, “Orchid Blooming.” “Blooming” was mostly standard, classical stuff. “Goodbye” took a lot more risks and had a lot more twists and turns, but it also turned us against the main characters. We're going to award a slight edge to “Goodbye Orchid” because we admire the risk-taking and character development in this book. Check it out on Amazon! Score: 92/100 (9.2 out of 10)
“Orchid Blooming” by Carol Van Den Hende is a heartwarming, classical love story centering on a tragically-orphaned woman, the titular Orchid, as she struggles with her self-doubts, trust issues, and phobias. Her co-star to tango with in the novel is Phoenix, a successful businessman, accomplished athlete, and dedicated philanthropist who is also wrestling with internal strife despite what outwardly appears to be a complete and happy life. Like with any good love story, these two have a lot of gaps that need to be filled. They can live without each other, but they are clearly better together. While “Goodbye, Orchid” (the companion piece and sequel) centers on Phoenix, “Orchid Blooming” seems to center mostly on the titular character as she grows from an insecure and vulnerable woman to one who is confident, ready, and willing to try new things. It is arguable which of the two character is more compelling as a main protagonist because each has their own quirks that makes you pay attention to their hero's journey. This is fitting since this emphasizes the fact that they do make each other (and the story) better. The moments when they are together, having banter and having their will-they/won't-they moments are the best in both books. We get a lot more of that, thankfully, in “Orchid Blooming.” An amazing dynamic to consider in these novels is that Orchid has about as high to climb in “Blooming” as Phoenix has to fall in “Goodbye.” This is something we love to see as readers/reviewers. We want to see characters who have arcs that move and develop as much as reasonably possible. Orchid in this book is clearly a very damaged and guilt-ridden person whose life is guided by fear, doubt, and regret. However, it is clear from the opening pages that there's hope for her yet as she is seen striving for a competitive assignment at her job. There's more to that than meets the eye, however. The assignment is to China, where her family roots lie. Apparently, her family had left China in the midst of the Communist Revolution there, and her mother held on to some of the nuances of Chinese culture until the day she and Orchid's father died in a car accident on a snowy day. Her desire to go to China is much deeper than simply gaining prestige or getting more pay, it's doing right by her parents and reconnecting her with them—that massive gaping hole in her that seemingly can never be filled. She ultimately feels responsible for their deaths since they had been coming home to relieve her babysitter at the time (and probably feels some degree of survivor's guilt), and it's this self-hate and self-deprecation that followed her for much of her life. What's incredible is that despite all of these sad and negative things, Orchid still seems like a character who has a great deal of hope and potential. Many of her self-limiting thoughts are just that: self-inflicted. If she can overcome them, the reader can imagine how great she could do and how happy she could potentially be. Rounding out Orchid's character are a number of perks or pet-peeves about her, depending on how you look at things. A lot of these things spring from her witnessing her parents' accident, especially their presumably mangled bodies. Orchid is incredibly fearful of blood and gore, something which greatly influences the events of the next book. As an extension of this, she's also a vegetarian because the sight of blood and death disturbs her too much, including blood from a medium-rare steak. On the other side, we have our main male protagonist, Phoenix. Phoenix seems to have the world. He's pretty rich, he's incredibly fit and handsome (something which is ironic considering the events of the next book), he seems to have a loving brother, and his charisma is magnetic. So, you'd think he'd be a Gary Stu, right? The perfect man with the perfect life. Kinda, but not really. Something about Phoenix is that despite his hard outer shell, he's quite soft on the inside. Primarily, he has a crippling fear of failure and letting people down bestowed on him by his father, a man who had incredibly (and sometimes unreasonably) high expectations. Phoenix really is a good and likable guy, at least in this prequel. He supports a noble charity that helps wounded and disabled veterans, including those who suffer from PTSD (an “invisible” wound), and he's also very sensitive to Orchid. Orchid really seems to need someone like Phoenix, someone who sees that the catacombs in Paris might be too much given her phobia and tries to guide her away from them to protect her sanity and preserve her happiness. Phoenix has a foil in the form of his twin brother, Caleb. Yes, his foil is also a twin brother. As foils go, Caleb is very different personality-wise from Phoenix. He is angry, negative, vulgar, blunt, and sometimes insensitive, although he does excuse himself sometimes for the things he says. We get the vibe that he may be even more handsome than Phoenix, but is a lot darker and gruffer. Caleb does seem to love Phoenix, but you can sense that there may be some animosity seeing as Caleb runs tattoo parlors and Phoenix runs an above-the-ground charitable business. When you get to the next book, you'll see how ironic some of this is as the Caleb is challenged to adopt a more positive, optimistic attitude to inspire his brother who at that point undergoes arguably the darkest period of his life. Phoenix himself seems to be a foil of Orchid since, at least outwardly, it seems as though Phoenix is a more “complete” person while Orchid is clearly missing a few pieces. There is also a pretty humorous and somewhat villainous character in this who is often just called “Princeton” or “Mr. Princeton.” He is the favorite for the China assignment that Orchid is vying for, and so serves as her rival. This is a mostly standard and somewhat generic love story that's written in an appealing way. A rich guy with a dark secret meeting a insecure girl who doesn't realize how truly great and beautiful she is... well, that's pretty par for the course. The book is also not as twisty or turny as one would hope with so much hype around this love story. What elevates this book a little is that there is an element of dealing or coping with internal issues that permeates the book. Mental health and overcoming trauma seem to be at the heart of this. Orchid really has a lot to wrestle with and overcome over the course of this book. Check out this intriguing romance on Amazon! Score: 94/100 (9.4 out of 10)
"We All Have Spots” is a really, really special book to us. It spoke to us in a way we weren't expecting, and it did this with art that initially underwhelmed us. This isn't the most beautiful book in a picturesque or artistic sense, but it is one of the more beautiful books in the simplicity of its delivery and the weight of its message: that we're all valuable despite our differences. Another message that the book puts across is that despite how we feel from time to time—whether sad, mad, or lonely—we are never truly alone. There's always someone out there who cares about us or can relate to us. Yes, the message is very similar to “The Only Blue Crow” but is presented in a different way. “We All Have Spots” follows a little leopard named Logan who is separated from his prowl after oversleeping. Silly Logan! He embarks on a fun adventure through the jungle and safari lands in search of the other leopards, only to run into various other animals along the way. On his journey, he learns that there are all kinds of other animals out there other than leopards and that all of them are unique and cool in their own ways! One of the other phenomenal things about this book is its simplicity. This book is incredibly simple in its presentation, its art, and its writing. And, because of that, it's also incredibly easy for children of all ages to follow. We love to see that in a children's book. Most of the pages consist of only one or two lines, all of them simple, containing a subject and a verb. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what's going on in this children's book, and it shouldn't. Lastly, Logan is just such a lovable little leopard character. His face is always full of emotions and expressions. There are times when he's excited or happy to find a new friend. There are times when he looks sad, concerned, or confused. He's really a character you get behind and connect with. We highly recommend this children's book! It may not be the most artsy, colorful, beautiful thing you've ever seen, but it follows such a likable, lovable character on such a heartwarming adventure! Remember that you are accepted and that you belong! Check it out on Amazon! Score: 95/100 (9.5 out of 10)
“Shadow of the Trees” is now our highest-rated poetry book ever! And it's for good reason. This poetry book brings poetry back to the basics, back to the heart and soul of what made poetry so appealing to begin with: the rhythm, the beats, the cryptic stories, and the feels. Poetry seems to have taken the same sharp left-turn that the rest of art has. A working golden toilet served as a mockery to high art in 2011. Paint thrown at a canvas is now considered “imaginative and creative.” Likewise, “poetry” seems to just have become the medium of those who write crappy prose. Poetry is not a medium to fall back on if you stink at grammar and spelling and just need an excuse for that. We see that too much in other contests, and it disgusts us. Poetry should be beautiful and artistic. Poetry should be rich and substantive. Poetry isn't taking prose and turning it into calligraphy, cuneiform, or kanji. It's also not your depository for complaints and junk. Author/poet Michael Cook really gets that. Or, we should say, he got it while he was writing these poems back in the 1990s. Every single one of these poems is tight, well-structured, and maintains a definitive rhythm. And, perhaps more importantly, these poems “say” something beyond the words themselves. Let's start with the poem “Holocaust of Reason.” It is an unrelenting assault of a poem with the persistent use of the “an”/”on” sound while pounding with aggressive words and imagery like blood and floods, reason and treason, death and earth. The poem has multiple interpretations, but one of our favorites is that despite humanity's progress through multiple generations, there are still unanswered or unanswerable questions such as: Why do certain people suffer and die? What happens when we die? Do we have an actual, verifiable purpose on this Earth? Why, despite our growing prosperity, is there so much starvation and poverty? These questions seem to reverberate throughout the course of this book, giving it a very consistent existential theme. Something you'll notice about this book is that when Michael Cook decides on a rhyme, meter, or line scheme, he sticks to it with religious fervor, very rarely deviating into single lines for emphasis like in the poem “Wrapped Funeral Amazement” when he sprouts “Save Me!” and “Will you survive?” This book is rich with quatrains. We've got ourselves a modern-day Nostradamus! The easiest rhymes to pull off are generally end-rhymes, and Cook does indeed use end rhymes a lot, but he also shows a great deal of proficiency in just latching on to certain sounds in words. For example, in “White Rails of Hope,” the poet clings onto the “O” sound in words like hope and know. In “Lament,” the poet clings to the “E” sound in words like “sealed” and “revealed.” Our absolute favorite rhyme in this book took the phrase “summer's mist” and married it with “inquiries of an anarchist.” That stanza is arguably our favorite in the entire book as well, because there's a high degree of mystery, intrigue, and emotion in it. Let's just present it really quickly: “The gentle breeze of a summer's mist, inquiries of an anarchist. Floating pollen populate the air People yelling that life's unfair.” The first line gives you a false sense of comfort and security that is quickly shaken by line two. It's like the rug has been pulled out from under you. The poet then returns to the natural imagery, but then brings it back to humanity in crisis. And there seems to be a great deal of crises in this poem. “Life's unfair” is something that a petulant young person might say, and is generally a pretty cliché phrase in poetry or prose. However, in this context, it is teamed with words like “anarchist” and “populate.” So, this gives us the sense that there's something else going on: a movement, a protest, a struggle, a battle, a war of some sort. At the end of this poem, there are dead bodies decaying and man is said—either figuratively or literally—to have gone extinct. And by the way, how about considering that impressive use of alliteration and the O's in “Floating pollen populate?” Another poem we'd like to focus on is “Wounded Sky.” This is one of the shortest poems with some of the shortest lines in the book, but the beat is so distinct and catchy that we couldn't help but mention it. It sounds a lot like “Who We Be” by DMX, and we wouldn't be surprised if the poet hadn't heard the song around the time that he wrote “Wounded Sky.” The lyrics are 100% completely different, but the beat is similar. It goes Duh duh. Duh duh. Duh duh. Duh duh. Duh duh. Duh duh. Duh duh. Duh duh. Probably the wildest and craziest poem in this book is “The Children.” What in the heck is up with this poem? It is so dark and so chilling, filled with mystery. The poem starts sing-songy like a nursery rhyme, playing on the popular line “I pray the Lord my soul to keep” but instead makes it critical and skeptical of religion rather than endearing to it. The poet questions God about why he is able to eat while children in third-world countries starve, and then he drops an absolute bombshell on us by declaring that he has cancer. Wow! What does that tell us? It really depends on how you choose to interpret that, but to us, it meant that misfortune follows everyone in various ways, not always so obvious. The rich and the middle-class develop addictions to things like amphetamines, for example, and sometimes have further to fall. Trauma touches human lives in different ways. Some absolutely horrific stuff happen near the middle and end of this poem including the tragic victimization of a powerful man's daughter, a judge being brutally attacked, and young people being sentenced to death by electric chair. Even the description of the young man's pre-execution state is visceral. He feels “naked” without his hair (because it has been shaven as part of the execution process). The description of “burnt flesh” permeating the air is surreal. Also in this book are some heartfelt love poems from a time in the poet's life when he was wrestling with those feelings of infatuation. All in all, this is an outstanding poetry book! Check it out on Amazon! Score: 94/100 (9.4 out of 10)
Once Upon a Dance never ceases to impress and amaze with their performing arts series for children. “Eka and the Elephants” definitely lives up to expectations as a cute and fun-to-follow children's book. First and foremost, the art in this book is phenomenal. The strokes are short and deliberate. There's a “waviness” or “cloudiness” to the paintings, making the images appear almost dreamlike. The stars of the show, Eka and her purple elephant friend, are beautifully and cutely portrayed, as is Ballerina Konora, who returns to demonstrate dance movements for the reader. Ballerina Konora really shines in this. One thing that makes her presence even more effective than usual is that the individual dance movements are broken down into very small pieces, usually into three, four, or five parts. That makes it easier to follow than some other dance books which will often show you the “end pose” or the “start pose” and little else. If there's any issue that consistently keeps popping up with books in the series, it's just simply their wordiness. Indeed, about half of this book is prose. This can make the first reading (or two) a bit slower and more challenging than most children's books. However, the authors had the presence of mind to invite the reader to “settle in and enjoy the pictures the first time through.” And that's actually very good advice. After that, you could actually choose to read either the text in the white space to just follow the cute little story or the text in the purple elephant graphic to follow the dance movements with Ballerina Konora. So, in a sense, there's more than one way to read this book, and it's really up to you as the reader. If you're a parent or teacher, you could presumably read this a few times and learn the gist of what's going on, then go through it with your child or student. It does require you to be a little prepared to follow and teach. It's challenging to just try to swallow it all in one big gulp the first time. But you know what they say: the way to eat an elephant is one little bite at a time. Ok, well, maybe we shouldn't be talking about eating elephants with a cute children's book like this, but you get the idea. We were probably a bit too harsh in focusing so much on the wordiness because the writing is actually quite good and helpful. The authors constantly make effective usage of imagery, similes, and metaphors. You are encouraged to reenact a scene “like” the characters, responding the way they would respond. You're directed to pretend to perform the actions that the characters are performing like picking peas, climbing, or opening a curtain. And the story and its characters are just so warm, lighthearted, and silly sometimes. There's a scene in which a bunch of hungry, goofy elephants just come in and start tossing the cabbages around because they don't know any better. They act like a bunch of cats! Eka and her purple elephant are such a great duo and truly seem to make each other happier. You can tell from the pictures and the writing that their friendship is very powerful. Another thing that's beautiful is the portrayal of teamwork, not only between Eka and her elephant but also between Eka and her family. So, all in all, this is a very worthwhile read if you have a child who might be interested in dance! It is arguably more advanced than “dance stance” but is still appropriate for first-timers or even more advanced dancers to try! Check it out! Score: 92/100 (9.2 out of 10)
“100 Livestreaming & Digital Media Predictions” includes valuable contributions from many distinguished podcast guests like Dale L. Roberts, Tim McDonald, Jon Burk, and Chetachi Egwu, PhD, on the future of livestreaming and digital media. Ross Brand himself is an expert on the topic of livestreaming, even said by Brad Friedman to be the “King” of the medium. Brand celebrated the 5th anniversary of Livestream Universe during the livestreaming party from which most of the information in this book comes from. The livestreaming party seems to have taken many hours and included dozens of guests. This must've been a monumental undertaking with so many moving pieces. Some of the guests like Chris Krimitsos are even caught in between meetings or other business during the party. We were incredibly excited to read this book for numerous reasons. For one, Ross Brand is the man. Second, the line-up of guests is top-notch, full of successful business owners and Internet personalities including ones we personally admire. Third, some of us are just really into social media and livestreaming platforms like Twitch. We've probably spend hours upon hours upon hours on Twitch in 2020-2021, and all of us had at least some experience on Zoom during the pandemic. Zoom was as essential as money itself during that time when everything was locked down. If we were going to be absolutely brutally honest, there was a slight tinge of disappointment in consuming this book, especially considering how excited we were to read it and that the Amazon summary calls this a “Guide” for content creators. For one, aside from the introduction and conclusion, this book really isn't presented and structured like a traditional self-help or educational text. Instead, this is mostly one big, huge transcript taken primarily from one big, long livestream (and others). If you think you're getting 353 pages of information and profound, prophetic insights, you're actually getting some of that and a ton of banter and predictions that are either vague or seem mostly common-sense. For example, we are told that microphone and video technology will improve or that more people will be using streaming because they're unable to meet in person. Technology is always improving. People were already streaming more and using Zoom more at the time of the recordings. That's similar to saying that the sun will rise tomorrow. Now, you could argue that if Abraham Lincoln or Michio Kaku (who is always saying profound, wild stuff) told you that the sun would rise tomorrow, it would be profoundly more significant because of who is saying it. You'd be right. You could argue that this is what this book is like: you're hearing mostly common sense things from people who generally know what they're talking about. So, there is still tremendous value in it. Perhaps we were just expecting too much, like for one of these guests to bust out a big huge secret project or insights so profound that would change the technological sphere forever. The grand majority of these predictions are very modest. And as far as banter goes, you hear about Dale L. Roberts's joking about being shorted some green M&Ms, Ross Brand telling Chef Daniella Malfitano how hungry he is and that he hasn't eaten in five hours, the fact that Jon Burk is rushing and late to a pitch meeting so can't talk long. This can be fun and interesting to read, but it depends on why you're reading this book. Most people will read this book because they have an interest in the subject and want to learn about livestreaming and digital media. So, the M&M talk creates a bit of a conundrum for those people who just want to consume the relevant information without jibber jabber. On the other hand, you could argue that Brand and his guests demonstrate how to livestream, network, and market effectively by being personable and using small talk. We were erroneously thinking that the author would do what most authors do with data: take it in and interpret it to the reader/audience in a synopsis or abstract. Imagine if you were reading a psychology book for the sake of learning, well, psychology, but the author of this psychology book presented you with 300 pages of conversations with clients in his clinic (their names hidden for patient confidentiality, of course). Thankfully, Brand must've realized that just presenting transcripts as is could be problematic because it would force readers to navigate through this small talk to get to the meat of the matter. To address this, the author actually created boxed sections for each guest that included their prediction(s) and/or main point. That was greatly appreciated. Brand also added some flavor to the book with a lot of screenshots of the livestream(s), making the book seem “lived in.” And it's just such a joy to see all of these smiling, happy faces interacting. With all that said, some of the best parts of this book are actually the prose. Why? Because if you're actually interested in starting or improving a livestreaming hobby or business, the prose supply tremendous information from the man himself including the type of microphone, getting paid as a creator, and the state of the industry. In a sense, if you're reading this book for informational purposes rather than entertainment or to support the author or his guests directly, then the introduction is incredibly helpful in that regard. This book is incredibly encouraging for new and aspiring creators, something that really jives with us. It makes you want to go out and buy the best mic and camera to get started right away! For that, we highly recommend it! Check it out! Score: 94/100 (9.4 out of 10)
“Above Us” by Angela Riedesel is an exciting bilingual children's book that explores the wandering minds and observations of young people. This is arguably the best bilingual children's book that we've seen this year. The book continuously raises the stakes and shifts the reader's perspective higher and higher—literally. You go from the ceiling to some floating bubbles to the clouds, then you even end up in outer space! The book doesn't follow one or a few central characters. Instead, it has a broader scope and uses broader brush. This works for and against the book in some ways. For starters, we are first introduced to what seems like a collection of siblings who have just moved to a new town and into a new home, but the perspective quickly deviates to other people. Somewhat like “God Made it All” last season or “Mira and the Mysterious Dragon” this season, “Above Us” skips around quite a bit, showing us different aspects of both human nature and, well, nature-nature. Now, while this can be fun and interesting because of the shear variety of this variety show, it can leave a younger reader a little confused and unmoored. Unmoored might be the best way to describe our feeling about this book. It's challenging because it's hard to find anyone or anything in this book to really cling to. You're shown a lot of people and a lot of things but you don't really get to know them too well in the way we got to know Garrett in “Garrett Bear Learning from Failure” or Sam in “Sam Learns to Hug.” Something else that's a bit bothersome is some of the writing is a bit strange. For example, there's an early line about how touching a ceiling isn't “silly.” You're supposed to relate to the father holding their child up to touch the ceiling. We get it. It's just worded strangely. But we're nitpicking a bit. So, why, is this book still rated among our highest children's books? It's because this book holds a tremendous amount of value. It's beautiful, and it's creative. The gimmick of this book, having the reader follow an ever-escalating perspective, is brilliant. It also helps both English & Spanish speaking parents to acclimate their children to one language or the other, offering them the choice of reading it in either language (or both)! So, it serves a profound educational purpose that we can't help but applaud. Another thing about this book is that the art is very eye-catching. It's not always consistent, but it's consistently appealing. Let us explain. There are pages of this book that look almost like cutscenes from a 90s Sierra video game. Note, we said cutscenes not gameplay, so it's still quite appealing. At other times, the art is jaw-dropping. For example, the lighting effects of the kids playing in the rain during the daytime on pages 16 and 17 is incredible. We also caught that one of the girls on these pages seems to be modeled after Chihiro from “Spirited Away.” They're almost an identical match. But perhaps the most beautiful work of art in the entire book is the tree on pages 20 and 21. That work of art alone probably lifted this book's rating by a point. It's so phenomenal and detailed. If you want a good bilingual book to read with your children, look no further than this! Check it out! Review of “Relentless: Homeless Teen to Achieving the Entrepreneur Dream” by Natasha Miller6/6/2022 Score: 96/100 (9.6 out of 10)
“Relentless” by Natasha Miller is some of the most beautiful and inspirational autobiographical content ever packed into 200 pages! The book follows Miller as she overcomes an extremely traumatic upbringing to eventually become a successful musician (even asked to perform the National Anthem before pro sporting events) and the owner of a multi-million dollar events business! Miller's story is a reminder that no matter where you start in life (or end up), there is almost always a light at the end of the tunnel or a bright side to things. The author tells us to be willing to start ugly when first trying to pursue something or better our lives. It's not always going to be pretty, in fact it's likely not going to be. We begin this story straight in the fire, in the midst of one of the biggest conflicts of the book: the conflict between Natasha and her hateful, abusive mother. This relationship shaped the way that Natasha saw herself and the world. Natasha lived in paralyzing fear of her mother who often threatened to kill her, even brandishing weapons like a knife and a deer hunting rifle. Her mother frequently told Natasha how much she irrationally hated her for unspecified reasons and that killing her would be worth getting arrested over. She told her that she was ugly and worthless. When we first meet Natasha in the tale, she is near the peak of this crisis-filled relationship with her mother, finally calling 9-1-1 and hoping that help with finally arrive. Her father, though loving and supportive, was an alcoholic who lacked the courage to stand up to his wife's abuse. On that night, however, he at least had the guts to ask the police if there were any other options to protect his daughter. So, on that cold, tragic Christmas, Natasha spent the night at a shelter for endangered youth with other children who were estranged from their parents for the holidays (or longer). How is that for a sad story? And something the author truly captures is the feeling of being so small and powerless when you are young and in a situation like this. “I was tiny,” she says regarding her nightmares, “the world was huge and looming, giant people, giant tables and chairs, all waiting to crush me.” Beautiful, vivid passages like this are scattered throughout this phenomenal book. Natasha spent much of her life wondering who could love her if her own mother couldn't. She wondered why no one would come to help or save her from her miserable home life. Can you imagine this poor little soul feeling like this? And can you imagine that there are children out there in the world right now who are abused, neglected, and abandoned by their parents? It just hits you in the heart. It's so heartbreaking. And at the same time, this narrative is not presented in a “woe is me” fashion as some similar books are. There have been books we've read in previous years in which all the author did was complain about what happened to them from one year to another. That style gets grating after a while, and thankfully this author avoids it. There's actually a profound spirit of hope in all this hopelessness. There's always a silver lining. If there was one place where Natasha felt safe, it was in the music room playing the piano with her dad. It was the one activity that her mother never interrupted, performed in the one place her mother never seemed to go. It was during those brief moments of escape when Natasha could just be herself and do something she loved to do. And that's perhaps the best thing that came out of all this trauma: it pushed Natasha into the loving arms of music. She fell in love with it, and it became the thing in which she excelled at the most. Natasha progressed in her music career from playing along with high schoolers while in elementary school to being invited to sing the National Anthem in stadiums and arenas full of 40,000+ people! But that isn't the climax of her story. Natasha also goes on to get married, become a mother, and then to use her ingenuity, skill set, and force of will to found her own events business that becomes a multi-million dollar business. She does undergo several low points including the stillborn birth of her son, Aidan. Not only the feeling of loss but the profound love they have for their son, whom they never got to spend time with, is beautiful. It reflects that Natasha became a more loving, caring person (and mother) than her mother was. That is made even more clear when her surviving daughter, Bennett, thanks her in a letter for loving and supporting rather than suffocating or trying to control her. Indeed, Natasha serves as a pretty interesting example of parenting as she goes out of her way to allow her daughter to make her own decisions, even offering to get her contraceptives if she decides that she's interested in sex. What a cool parent. And speaking of parenting, Natasha is eventually drawn back to face her demons, or the she-demon who is her mother. Only, her mother in her older state is frailer and even shows unsettling signs of light. Confronting her mother again and even learning of her mother's deepest secret, Natasha seems to come full-circle. Another very relatable struggle in this book is Natasha struggling to keep her business open during the pandemic. Her multi-million dollar business began to make zero revenue and was forced to lay people off. It is tragic in a way since we read about her building this business from the ground up. But she uses the resilience, toughness, and intelligence that her life armed her with to save her business. Oh, yeah, she also gets to work with music legend Bobby Sharp! There are some absolutely beautiful lines in this book like the ones below: “Victory is not the most important thing. It's the struggle and fight. The lessons we take from our scars.” “Your struggles may be far more or far less. That's not what's important. It's what you do today and tomorrow that counts.” “We don't have to be defined by our struggles. Struggle is what gives us the strength to rise above, and the humility to remain grounded.” Check out this amazing memoir on Amazon! |
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