 Score: 96/100 (9.6 out of 10)
Freeing Teresa is an excellent, thought-provoking, drama-filled, thrilling, emotional, and heartfelt memoir by Franke James! It powerfully covers the moral and ethical dilemmas of caring for the disabled and elderly in our country. In particular, it tackles the core question: Should a person's dignity and personal freedom to choose be prioritized over their perceived health and safety? This is a book that made us cry, made us laugh, and made us angry. It filled us with hope and inspiration. It filled us with frustration and rage. Let's put it simply: this is one of the best books we've read this year! This book is told from the perspective of Franke (Francis/Franny), the sister of the titular character, Teresa. Teresa was born with Down syndrome in the 1960s. Despite this, she lived a happy and fulfilling life with the support of Franke, their father (a WWII Air Force veteran and lawyer referred to as “Dad” throughout the book), and their siblings: Conrad, Deidre, Phoebe, and Siobhan. However, all that changes and is shaken up decades later when questions are raised about Dad's mental competency (at the age of 90 to 91 throughout most of this book) and his ability to continue to look after himself, much less Teresa (who lived with him). He transfers a lot of his authority, including power attorney, to a few of his children, mainly Deidre (his right-hand-girl in his law office) and Conrad, the son who had unscrupulously promised to adopt and look after Teresa in his absence. This rapidly and dramatically devolves into a retelling of Shakespeare's King Lear or Akira Kurasawa's RAN as the two children betray their father's trust and attempt to disenfranchise him of his condo and Teresa by having him thrown into a veteran's home, K-Wing, and having Teresa committed to a nursing home called Aiker Place, a place inhabited by people decades older and many of whom are in end-of-life care. Essentially, they plot to separate and discard their father and disabled sister like trash—out of sight, out of mind. The unscrupulous siblings call this their “exit plan” and a “happy ending” to which Franke rightfully questions, “A happy ending? Happy for whom?” It's a slap in the face and a stab to the back of everything their father wanted and intended for Teresa. Franke, the author and narrator, seems to be the only one courageous enough to vouch for Teresa's freedom and what Teresa and Dad would really want. This is a book about human dignity, decency, and freedom. It's a book about civil and human rights and how being on the older side or having a disability does not disqualify you from having them. While Franke, Dad, and Teresa are compelling protagonists in this real-life drama, Deidre, Conrad, Siobhan, and Phoebe (to a lesser extent) prove to be tremendously compelling villains—the kind you genuinely love to hate. Going back to the King Lear analogy, you could make the following comparisons: Dad- King Lear (the elderly father who is declining and entrusts his children to his estate) Franke- Cordelia (the good, loyal, honest daughter) Teresa- The Fool (contrary to the negative connotations of the title, the Fool is clever, uplifting even in grim circumstances, and fiercely loyal to Lear; it is popularly theorized that Cordelia and the Fool may be the same person in disguise) Bill- King of France (who marries Cordelia and opposes the evil siblings) Deidre- Goneril (one of the treacherous daughters, the older one) Siobhan- Regan (the other treacherous daughter) Conrad- Edmund (the treacherous son of the Earl of Gloucester, the play's primary villain) It is kinda chilling to note the similarities between these real-life figures and their Shakespearean counterparts. It should be noted that the siblings, their spouses, and several of the locations are referred to by pseudonyms throughout the book, for the sake of privacy and likely due to the negative or villainous portrayal of many of them. Deidre, Siobhan, and Conrad are definite nominees for “Best Villain.” They are gaslighting, cunning, and manipulative. One of the key moments that highlights the depths of their evil is when they threaten to call the police on Franke and Dad over removing Teresa from a nursing home, then lie to the police that Dad was suicidal, obligating them to bring him to the hospital. They attempt to scare, terrify, and intimidate Franke and Dad into getting what they want: to discard their family members and force them into decorated prisons. This is one of the tensest moments we've ever read in a book! Dad & Teresa are often called a “team” and are likely nominees for “Best Duo.” They are inseparable and do everything together. A major aspect of this book is photography and video recording. Both Franke and Teresa love taking photos and recording. They do so throughout the book. It turns out that photography was a passion of Dad and their late mother. This becomes critical as Franke realizes that she can use these methods of recording to catch her siblings attempting to hide their deceit and attempts at deception and manipulation. This manages to be the only thing that manages to counter Deidre and Siobhan. This book also points out holes in the legal and criminal justice systems as the protagonists are often ignored, depriotized, or silenced by police who seem more interested in following arbitrary protocols rather than seeing and considering the whole situation. Many of us who've sought help from the police have experienced this, and its infuriating to read about. The book also references a theatrical performance called “Rare,” featuring all actors who have Down syndrome, which Franke took Teresa to see in their younger days. This play is referenced in numerous ways, being woven into the plot, almost as a kind of motif. For example, Franke often references how some of the characters in “Rare” were independent and lived on their own, something she hoped would inspire Teresa to do the same. This is an outstanding book that had us at the edge of our seats. Check it out on Amazon!
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 Score: 94/100 (9.4 out of 10)
What would you do if you lived in a society where sight was forbidden? What if the government could control our thoughts and memories? Is it right to remove a part of someone's humanity in the interest of safety and security? What if Cinderella wasn't just looking for love, but revenge? Cook's Collection of Short Stories is a thought-provoking and immensely compelling collection of short stories by Alicia-Lorraine Cook! Notably, Cook is the daughter of former Outstanding Creator Awards champion Michael Cook (who also edited the book). Creativity and the gift of writing must run in the family! Cook definitely proves herself to be a blessed storyteller! Most of all, she proves herself to be gifted at creating and exploring what if scenarios and provoking thought and discussion around her work. “Clouded Sight” kicks things off with the profound question of whether or not it would be right to remove a part of a person's humanity (like sight) in the interest of safety. Is it proper to censor or hide things because they could be triggering, dangerous, or incite violence? Who determines what is triggering or dangerous? In the age of mass-censorship, information spreading and traveling at the speed of light via the internet, and immense bias by the mainstream media, this is a bigger question than ever before. It also provokes discussions about whether or not human beings should accept things like microchips (and other such technologies, like nanomachines) into their bodies. In what scenario would that ever be right or advantageous to the individual? How could that be used to twist and manipulate a person and a society? The story follows Lucia, a girl we presume is college-aged or in her 20s, who is blind as a result of the government's Blindside Decree, allowing the government to control or suppress a person's vision receptors. The powers-that-be also hold the power to erase and totally rewrite memories like in Men in Black while controlling what a person thinks and believes. It is chilling how plausible and realistic this seems in the age of technologies that could presumably pull this off (like A.I.). This is a story that really reminded us of the best parts of The Giver by Lois Lowry, and we wouldn't be surprised if it was partly inspired by Lowry's best-seller. The second story (“Forever”) requires a bit more patience and attention than the other stories in the book, especially since it deals with a major twist (SPOILER WARNING). In "Forever," the narrator recalls meeting their love, Marigold, during a stormy night and welcoming her into their old, neglected house. Marigold brings life and joy to the house as she moves in, but their happiness is soon shattered by the arrival of a man named Oliver Potter, whom the narrator grows to despise. Consumed by jealousy and rage, the narrator confronts Marigold, but things escalate when they later find Marigold and Oliver kissing. In a fit of supernatural fury, the narrator kills Oliver using supernatural powers akin to telekinesis. The narrator also brutally stabs Marigold, revealing themselves to be a ghost. Marigold herself becomes a ghost. The next story (“A Friend of Vengeance”) is also rather complex, following an immortal exorcist named Agamor. His immortality was granted to him by a goddess (Vengeance). As you might expect (if you're a fan of immortal or pseudo-immortal characters like Doctor Who), that immortality becomes both a blessing and an enormous burden akin to a curse. But Agamor doesn't take life lying down, he's a go-getter who is actively involved in combating the supernatural infestation plaguing his world (as supernatural creatures called “Supes” run rampant) and his personal quest for vengeance against Vengeance (and Wrath). Agamor wields a mystical, enchanted sword inscribed with the words: “Fight with heart, and you will strike true.” The sword has the unique ability of harming supernatural creatures by absorbing their essence. Agamor becomes known as “the infamous Exorcist who solved all their problems.” This becomes both a flattering reputation and a pain in the ^%$ since everyone begins to depend on him. He's pretty much the custodian of a building that everyone trashes. This is pretty funny and amusing, even given the dark tone of the story. Having an active (rather than a passive) protagonist for once is a breath of fresh air when it comes to this book. We did kinda come away from the story thinking that there was more subtext to it. We have a theory that Agamor isn't a real-life person and that the whole world he lives in is actually part of a virtual simulation or a video game. What makes us think that? Well, because “Agamor” phonetically reads as “A Gamer.” In other words, Agamor may actually be a gamer's avatar in a video game! Furthermore, everything about this story seems so over-the-top and full of video game/fantasy tropes, it's hard not to feel like this isn't a video game. How cool and meta is that?! It's kinda like the Jaralii Chronicles by Joanne Reid. Supporting this theory is the fact that the story is a lot like the God of War series, almost beat for beat. “Cinderella's Revenge” is probably the centerpiece of this book and arguably the most memorable. While it's not entirely original (the original Grimm fairy-tale and novels like Mice by Jackie Sonnenberg already explored dark versions of this tale, after all), it's still a welcomed twist. In this version of the story, the family dynamics of Cinderella (called “Ella” in this version) are quite different. Her step-mom and step-sisters are actually quite kind, lovely, and compassionate people. It's her step-dad, Mr. Wickham, who is the wicked and despicable one, often mistreating Ella and the rest of the family. They also live under the corrupt leadership of an evil king and aristocrats who subdue and exploit the population. In this version of the story, Cinderella is pretty much Alice from Resident Evil—a female killing machine. She is bent on assassinating and taking revenge on those who've hurt her and the ones she loves. She teams up with Henry (Prince Charming) who also resists the oppression of his father and the nobles. They become a kind of Bonnie & Clyde tag-team/crime duo. They even find a clever way to take revenge on Mr. Wickham! This is a solid collection of short stories that really get the mind thinking. Check it out on Amazon!  Score: 94/100 (9.4 out of 10)
Do you ever feel like you're surrounded by idiots? Do you ever wonder if low-IQ, moronic, and stupid people are the root of the world's problems? It's hard being the smartest person in every room and knowing that you have few intellectual equals. It's lonely at the top. Who can you love? Who do you compete against? Where do you work? What do you do? This is the vibe of ROTH by Jonas Romano Weiss! ROTH is a delicately-woven, pseudo-biographical, existentialist novel that follows the titular Felix Amadeo Roth, a prodigy blessed with a higher-than-average IQ (which peaks at over 160) and the unique ability to fix almost anything. However, that comes at the expense of some of his normalcy and humanity Felix Roth is really the reason we love this book so much. Throw away the plot. Throw away the other characters. Throw everything else away. You could even throw away the philosophical, existential musings and the weird supernatural/science-fiction/mind-tripping stuff that happens about 3/4ths of the way through. This book is so great because of ONE DUDE and ONE DUDE ONLY: Felix. This is the Felix Roth show, and we are just privileged to be witnessing it! So, what makes Felix such a compelling character? Well, how about this comparison to help wrap your mind around it: he's basically an amalgamation of the cast of The Big Bang Theory (especially Sheldon Cooper) and Sylar from Heroes (minus the murderous, homicidal bits). Like Sheldon and Sylar, he is alienated from the grand majority of society due to his great intellectual gifts and the way he views the world and those around him as inferior and lesser than himself. Some of the ways he describes people are hilarious and amusing (and sometimes concerning). Here are a few of our favorite examples: * “...he had to teach the executive team of baboons” * Felix describes his peers at university as having "limited intelligence" and states he “didn’t see any value in them” * Felix points out the flaws in his teacher's argument. Rather than admitting fault and saying she was wrong, the teacher deflects and tries to accuse Felix of being a “contrarian” and being disobedient and disrespectful. Felix's parents conclude that she's just wrong “and too stupid to realize it.” (Yes, this isn't a Felix-specific example, but it was too amusing not to note) However, Felix's most intense, vile, and passionate descriptions of condescension are saved for one of the book's main villains/antagonists, Chadwick (full-name Tomi Gómez Chadwick), Felix's colleague who embodies everything Felix hates about society: mediocrity, incompetence, stupidity, and ineptitude being rewarded due to the mediocrity and low standards of the environment. Here are some of the amazing insults that Felix comes up with for Chadwick: * The “Mozart of Mediocrity” * "...a monumental idiot, an incompetent, a living embodiment of ineptitude." * Like “putting a parachute on a submarine” * An “intellectual void” * "Comparing Chadwick to a lobotomized ape was, in Felix’s opinion, insulting to the apes. At least they had the excuse of being another species." * "To Felix, Chadwick was not just an idiot; he was the master of ceremonies in the grand parade of incompetence, a virtuoso of vacuity, a pioneer in the art of the useless." * "In the vast Amazon of incapacity, Chadwick was an anaconda of ineptitude, suffocating and swallowing any hint of common sense that ventured too close to his horizon." Oh, yeah, and Chadwick also puts the corporation in a bad situation with the help of an embezzlement scandal, then attempts to steal credit for six months of positive work that Felix makes toward repairing the situation (and save the company). Anyway, all of this “plot” really isn't the focus at all. This is arguably a plotless novel, at least in the traditional sense. This isn't a book about what's happening in the character's world, this is more about what's happening in the character's brain, heart, and soul. This is about a man slowly and gradually developing from someone who seems more robotic and nihilistic (often obsessing over a 20-years-to-live plan) to someone who is human and empathetic. This is truly and unequivocally a character-focused novel. Going back to our character comparisons, Felix is also like Sylar and Sheldon Cooper in that his social awkwardness alienates him from others, especially early in his life. He fails to think and act like most people. He speaks and writes in an overly-eloquent way that doesn't fit conversations well. He's fixated on things being perfectly right, stable, and orderly (in his eyes), and any deviation to that might set him off and trigger him (sorta like an OCD person or some on the autism spectrum). Also, like Sylar, he has an obsession with watches. His brain even operates like a watch. He knows what time it is at all times. Let's talk briefly about just how brilliant Felix is. At a young age, Felix is able to figure out how a half-dozen eye surgeries are done just after one conversation with an eye doctor. He fixes Amalia's toaster and numerous other appliances in minutes without any instructions. He performs a “Sherlock Holmes trick” by reading and forming a profile of his new employer just by observing different things and making deductions. How cool is that?! Felix is relatable in that he's in a tough spot from an academic perspective. He is, effectively, too smart and too brilliant for school. The academic standards and curriculum haven't caught up with him. Yes, he's extremely smart and likely a genius, but his gift isn't something easily recognized and rewarded in most schools. He's an average mathematician who even struggles with arithmetic at times. His writing and speech don't fit the norm. Astrophysics (like what's taught by his rival and eventual friend, Zain Lestari) seems to go over his head, with Felix often admitting that he has no idea what Zain is talking about. These things are strangely relatable to some of us including our founder, Steven Seril. Steven, like Felix Roth, was a teenage prodigy with an exceptionally high IQ (181 at the age of 13). He happened to attend the same school and competed against the two smartest teenagers in the world, Philip Mocz (now a professor of Astrophysics at Harvard) & Lucia Mocz (now a professor of Mathematics at Princeton), only to always come in third-place to the two. Steven suffered from learning disabilities including dyscalculia, making mathematics and standard learning difficult, very similar to the way that Felix struggles. So, despite his eccentricities and often condescending view of other people, Felix is actually a very relatable and real-seeming person. Throughout the book, Felix is undergoing several personal journeys. Three of the most prominent are: - Building empathy and sensitivity to others, seeing value and good things in them - Forming intimate, loving, and romantic relationships - Coming to terms with the concept of permanency and what it really means for something to never be created or destroyed (like energy)--an idealistic allegory for human memories and experiences. After all, can anyone ever truly erase your memories and experiences? They will always exist in one form or another because they existed before and happened. His relationships with other people, particularly the love-interests in his life, really advance his character arc. Each relationship is special in its own way. He forms a brotherly bond with his former rival, Zain Lestari. Due to Zain being “extremely gay,” there's often an aura of possible romantic tension which never really gets explored. They become such great friends that Zain is even willing to leave his class in the middle of a lecture to talk to Felix. He blasts through a fling with Sofia Duprat who "gave Felix an accelerated doctorate in absolutely everything." Their intense and fleeting relationship involved kissing, sex, parties, and manipulation, until Sofía left Felix for an exchange student. This all is described in an amusing, humorous way. Keyla Whitney is another major love interest of Felix's, described as being an irresistibly beautiful girl from Buenos Aires, Argentina (like Felix). Keyla is like the attractive, beautiful female friend who is always in and out of your life for some reason. However, perhaps the love interest that has the biggest impact to Felix in the book is Bambi (Amber Erin Stern). Bambi, like Felix, has a special gift. She is able to identify genuine works of art from fakes via an exotic emotional reaction that involves crying. She is also an very intelligent person, partly satisfying Felix's quest for a worthy partner. What really stood out to us about the relationship between Felix and Bambi is how natural it seemed. The two flirt and interact in a way that seems genuine and real. They create nicknames for each other. They have an off-topic conversation about otters, then Felix returns with a textbook with an otter with sunglasses on the cover, almost as if to troll her. They have a lot of ups and downs including on a spiritual or pseudo-spiritual level. See, Felix expresses to Bambi his budding philosophy about life, romance, and the universe—the “permanency” that we talked about earlier. Things like memories and experiences can never be taken from you. They will always exist if even just in the past. Felix develops an almost religious idea about how when you love someone and form a spiritual bond with them, they will always be with you no matter what. Even death can't end that bond. Felix uses the example of Bambi's deceased dogs and how they still live on in her heart and memories. It's actually rather beautiful. And maybe a bit cringe and creepy. But give Felix a break. He has been a freak his whole life. He's a dude who, like Bobby Fisher, could live in a hotel abusing room service privileges for months. Anyway, this book gets really weird about 3/4ths of the way in, venturing into science-fiction or even supernatural territory. Where do we even begin? Ok, well a pair of major deaths occur. Felix has a nightmare that then compels him to leave Buenos Aires permanently and live a life of austerity (or something like that). We then exclaimed something along the lines of: GREAT NOW THIS BOOK CAN FINALLY HAVE A PLOT! Then, that immediately gets squashed. That whole arc and hope for a future journey then abruptly falls to pieces. And that's not even the weird part. See, Felix begins to deduce that he has experiences some kind of quantum-shift phenomenon in which there are interdimensional crossings between two different versions of Bambi, causing two engagements rings to magically appear in his pocket (and causes a coffee maker to suddenly break). He then starts referring to himself as a “widower” as if Bambi is legitimately dead and not willingly absent from his life (as we interpreted it). This is really weird and bizarre! It's even more weird and bizarre when he starts telling people that he's a widower with dead-pan seriousness. But anyway, like we said, Felix is a weird dude. Let him be weird. That's part of his charm. Check this out on Amazon!  Score: 90/100 (9.0 out of 10)
Do you need an escape from reality? Do you want to dive into some absurdist fun involving anthropomorphic animals and surrealist situations? Well, The Surreal Adventures of Anthony Zen may be the short-story collection for you. Anthony Zen is a collection of surrealist, absurdist, and—quite frankly—ridiculous short-stories by Cameron A. Straughan! Who says that literature has to be serious, deep, and complex? Sometimes, literature can just be weird, funky, and fun. This book follows the titular character, Anthony, through many hijinks, shenanigans, and mundane/daily events that often inevitably turn into hijinks and shenanigans. In “Anthony Gets Up for Work,” we are introduced to Anthony and his strange pet cat, Monty, who often rings like an alarm clock for some reason. This story kinda pokes fun at the cliché of having the main character tell the reader who he is by looking in the mirror while telling us little at all (ironically). For example, we are told that he appears to be around 13 to 96. Well, that's a huge range! Most of the story implies that his age is probably in early adulthood. He's even explicitly called a “responsible adult.” He goes to court, he works, he shaves, and he is said to have facial hair at some times but not other times (like when the giraffe pulls on his non-existent beard). However, despite these mature features, activities, and characteristics, he often acts like a 9-year-old. The same can be said about his parents, as we'll later discuss. This first story sets up the idea that Anthony's life is far from ordinary, filled with random and nonsensical events that he navigates with bemused detachment. This also introduces us to the author's dry, deadpan sense of humor. No matter how wild, wacky, or crazy things are in the book, it's almost always presented in a matter-of-fact, so I guess that's just the way it is manner. There are some relatable things about Anthony that emerge in the first couple of stories (“Anthony Gets Up for Work” and “On the Way to Work”). For instance, we can already tell that's he quite a self-conscious person. We're told: “He was picky about his appearance. He liked to arrive at work looking his absolute best; it put him in a positive state of mind and increased his self-confidence.” Despite all the crazy stuff that happens in this book, it's human things like this that help us to relate to the character. His parents are a bunch of oddballs, arguably even weirder than Anthony himself. His army-boots-wearing mom makes sport of crank-calling/pranking just like Anthony's supposed “friends” do. His dad seems to be a nudist, or at least a fan of going without clothes in public. Why? Well, it's best you don't ask. There's no good explanation for a lot of things in this book. Anthony encounters a variety of bizarre and whimsical animals throughout The Surreal Adventures of Anthony Zen. These creatures play significant roles in the absurd and surreal situations that unfold around him. Here are a few examples: While Anthony is running to work, he is plagued by flocks of flying snapping turtles that pluck strands of hair from his head as they fly by. These acrobatic creatures are described as pests that often nest atop a government money tower. Why? Well, don't bother asking. In one surreal episode, a giraffe aggressively grabs Anthony by his beard and shakes him violently, throwing him into various obstacles. This encounter is strange and unsettling, yet Anthony eventually realizes the absurdity when he remembers he doesn't have a beard. Why? We do get the pretty humorous passage: “Anthony didn’t know what business the giraffe had on that side of town. Quite frankly, he found the situation rather startling. After all, the entire area had been designated a 'Giraffe-free Zone.'” Anthony observes a police hippo, a giant creature wearing a blue tie and hat, who aggressively enforces justice after a chaotic scene. The hippo engages in a battle with a tall man, swinging its massive body around and causing destruction. Why? At an arena, brightly colored butterflies flock to Anthony’s improvised trousers (made of black hockey tape) and become stuck to him. This kinda reminded us of the sisters made of flies from Resident Evil Village. Anthony also meets a sheep who happens to own a restaurant. Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? WHY? WHY? WHY?! That's the question that kept reverberating in our heads the whole time. It's not like we're unfamiliar with satire. We've read Jonathan Swift, Voltaire, Kurt Vonnegut, and others. We'd admit that the author's style is most like Vonnegut. Like Vonnegut, Straughan’s short-stories often read like a dream, with unexpected twists and shifts in reality, akin to Vonnegut’s non-linear and fragmented storytelling. Both authors play with structure and reality to convey their messages, leaving readers with a sense of disorientation and dark humor as they navigate worlds where logic and reason are frequently upended. These stories also have similarity to Terry Gilliam films like Brazil or Time Bandits. Gilliam's films are filled with bizarre and fantastical imagery that often distorts reality. We did have some takeaways in regard to social commentary. In "Anthony Goes to the Arena,” a violent game called "Dead as a Doornail" is described in detail. The game involves players trying to kill each other while rabid badgers are tied to their waists. The story critiques society's obsession with violence and spectacle in sports, echoing real-world issues while pushing them to the extreme. As fans of pro wrestling, football, boxing, and MMA, this spoke to us. "Anthony Goes to Court" is a humorous courtroom drama in which Anthony finds himself in legal trouble for reasons that are never quite clear. The proceedings are equally nonsensical, with the judge and lawyers engaging in absurd arguments and ridiculous antics. The story pokes fun at the legal system, portraying it as just another area of life where reason has little influence. The justice system and courts in general are overly complex and complicated, full of jargon, procedures, and codes/expectations of conduct that get ridiculous at times. Ironically, this is something that Justin Kojok's lawyer character talked a lot about in Driving for Justice last season. There were some other things we found amusing: - The Shakespearean soliloquy from Hamlet, “To be or not to be”--often touted as the greatest passage in the English language—is recreated and satirized in full as “to bathe or not to bathe.” This must've taken a little thinking and creativity on the author's part. - On a similar note, we get the line, “Shakespeare is the Brussels sprouts of the literary world... I don’t really like him. I’m just forced to have him because he’s supposed to be good for me.” This passage might appeal to anyone who has ever wondered why Shakespeare's plays— which often involve murder, minors getting married and having sex, suicide, betrayal, and glorification of Machiavellian concepts—are forced on impressionable middle school and high school students. - There's a somewhat humorous story about visiting a doctor who happens to have a psychiatrist on hand. Both of them simply point out the obvious like “you have two ears.” This kinda got to us because we work with doctors all the time. Some of us literally live with doctors. Some are brilliant and others... well, we often wonder how they ever got into college. Having an MD or a PhD doesn't make you an insta-genius. Sometimes, as the Big Bang Theory points out, doctors can lack common sense like the rest of us. They're not immune to human stupidity and incompetence. - The author seemed to satirize actors, celebrities, and other people with long, strange, or like-sounding names that create a confusing environment. This reminded us of how we poked fun at all the authors in the last contest who had needlessly complicated names and pen names. Anthony talked about movies starring “Bobbie Dana Taylor, Dana Bobbie Taylor and Taylor Dana Bobbie” (obviously a reference to Millie Bobby Brown). This might also poke fun at the fact that it seems like every movie and TV show has guys like Ryan Reynolds, Chris Pratt, and Pedro Pascal in them. - There was the line “I’m a professional bus driver... I have to know these things!” which reminded us of Monty Python and the Quest for the Holy Grail, going back to how this reminded us of Terry Gilliam. Hey, that might also explain the name of the cat. - There was a creative and humorous reference to a “Mount Tingtension” (obviously phonetic for “Mounting Tension”) which “originates in Holland; where it then twists through Belgium, passes through Germany, cuts up through Russia, bends back to France, completely avoids Switzerland and continues to China where it goes beneath the earth and resurfaces somewhere in the Canadian Prairies” We had two major problems with this book: 1. It really wasn't that funny (to us). We've read much funnier and cleverer books like Way of the Wall Street Warrior by Dave Liu and Bacon Grief by Joel Shoemaker. We rarely so much as cracked a smile or a laugh. 2. It never seemed like anything really mattered. There were no lasting consequences. Things just kept happening seemingly for the sake of happening. However, this was still a worthwhile read that might appeal to you if you just need a bit of escape from cold, harsh, overly-serious reality. Check it out on Amazon!  Score: 94/100 (9.4 out of 10)
The Snow Goose and Other Tales is a poignant and heartwarming collection of short-stories surrounding the American Civil War Era by Ellen Eschell Murphy! It is a solid collection of historical fiction stories that are sure to pique your interest. It should be noted that this book primarily focuses on rural civilian life in America during the time period rather than combat or warfare itself. This isn't really a military fiction novel. Therefore, details and descriptions of violence (with the exception of some wounds and blood) is kept to a minimum, making it appropriate for a teen or young-adult audience to read. It is also heavily focused on the Confederate or Southern side of the conflict as the grand majority of the main characters live in rural Northern Virginia. There's a good reason for this, however. The author later explains that these stories are actually publications of oral tales passed down to her by her grandmother and aunt, who happened to have lived in Virginia. It is also revealed in another book in the series, The Survivors, that the author's great-grandfather was an officer in the Confederate army, presumably the Army of Northern Virginia under the legendary General Robert E. Lee. There are three main stories or smaller “books” in this book: “The Visitor,” “The Snow Goose,” and “Blossom Time.” Although they differ in substance, they overlap thematically and even tend to blend and blur together at times. Perhaps the prevailing themes of these three stories are compassion and humanity. In one way or another, each of these three stories explores how—despite conflicts like war—human beings are still human beings. They share certain commonalities. They bleed the same blood. They speak the same languages. They marry. They love. They hate. They feel. They have hopes, dreams, and passions. This isn't just true about the Northerners (Union) and Southerners (Confederates) throughout the book, it's also true about all of these characters in the 19th century and us (the readers) in the 21st century. It's actually extraordinary to think how familiar these people and even their technologies were during that time. We often forget that the American Civil War didn't take place during ancient, prehistoric, or even colonial times. It happened only about a century and a half ago. So, we were amused to read about technologies like household stoves and ovens, trains, canned goods, and more being used back then. It really makes you think about how far we've come yet how much has remained the same. The first story, “The Visitor,” really hits on the themes of compassion and humanity. In this story, we're introduced to Kathy Adams, a young woman who manages her household due to several circumstances. Firstly, her father, John, lost one of his legs in a farming accident early in his life, exempting him from military service. However, this doesn't prevent him from being productive, especially on the family farm. Secondly, Kathy's mother died two years before the events of the story. Thirdly, Kathy's sister, Beth, died while giving birth to Baby Carl. So, in effect, Kathy must accept increased responsibility and mature exponentially as she becomes the surrogate caretaker of the house, her father, and Baby Carl. This actually reminded us a lot of how Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games became the surrogate mom of her family due to circumstances. Kathy is a strong willed woman who admits that she always says what she thinks. Anyway, she encounters a heavily wounded, feverish, and famished Confederate soldier, James, just outside the house. Though their initial encounter is a bit frightening and tense, it quickly becomes apparent that James doesn't mean Kathy any harm and just needs food, lodging, and help. James was left for dead by his regiment after being injured. However, rather than returning to the fighting, he effectively becomes a deserter, making him being there a bit of an ethical dilemma. Could he be dangerous and want more than just help? What if her father finds him or finds out about him? What if the Yankees or Confederates discover him hiding there? Should Kathy harbor him and care for him? Well, Kathy doesn't have to think long before deciding with her conscience. It is heartwarming to see humanity and compassion prevail. Adding a romantic twist, this story becomes a bit of a love-triangle, albeit a lopsided one. It turns out that Kathy has been arranged to marry a despicable man named William who makes disparaging remarks about her and doesn't seem to appreciate or value her at all. He says that he will “take her off the shelf, I guess” like an unwanted item. He also speaks negatively about her beauty, comparing her negatively to other women referred to as “Southern Belles.” Meanwhile, it seems as though James and Kathy genuinely have chemistry, often making each other smile and laugh. The lingering question throughout the story is: Can Kathy break off the arranged marriage with William and marry James instead? James & Cathy are nominees for “Best Couple.” This story also makes it clear that the Northerners, referred to disparagingly as “the Yankees,” are far from the white knight, heroic good guys that they're often portrayed as. Throughout the story, Kathy concerns herself with the atrocities committed by the Yankees and how they could impact her life and the lives of her family and neighbors. For example, the Yankees burn the tobacco fields, causing the price of tobacco to go up. They could also threaten to kill the only virile male pig in the community, which would ruin any hope of sustainable pig farming. It is said in this story that the Yankees steal and take what they want. It's also said that their prisons are hellholes scarce on food and medical care. On one hand, this does kinda point out the Confederate/Southern bias of this book and series. On the other hand, it portrays an honest and genuine view of the conflict—one that isn't sugarcoated. The Union Army wasn't really kind to the rebellious South. You could talk about the naval blockade of southern ports (the “Anaconda Plan”) that made it all but impossible for southerners, including civilians uninvolved in the war effort, to get goods necessary for living. There were countless incidents of plundering. This all was exacerbated under General Ulysses S. Grant, under whom General William Sherman executed his infamous 1864 March to the Sea. During the March to the Sea, the Union troops practiced "total war,” targeting not just Confederate military forces but also infrastructure and civilian property. They destroyed railroads, factories, and farms, leaving a path of destruction intended to break the South's will to fight. Sherman's troops seized or destroyed crops, livestock, and homes, displacing civilians and causing widespread hardship. This included the 1864 Burning of Atlanta. So, the North/Union was far from benevolent. They were involved in many despicable deeds that caused mass suffering. However, like the atomic bombing of Hiroshima & Nagasaki, it could be argued that these terrible deeds may have accelerated the end of the war. The second story, “The Snow Goose,” brings a special kind of charm. The story follows Nancy Hendricks, who lives on a 200-acre farm in Northern Virginia, a farm which is constantly under threat from predators and is without male help (due to Nancy's husband, Tom, being deployed to war). Nancy dreams of having a good guard dog who can scare off the predators and others who might threaten her property and way of life including potential thieves, squatters, marauders, and soldiers from either army. Well, God works in mysterious ways (and probably has a sense of humor) as Nancy finds herself adopting a “guard goose” instead. Nancy discovers a snow goose whose wing appears to have been shot. She helps to nurse him back to health. Throughout the story, Sir Snow Goose (as Nancy calls him) constantly alerts the family to real or perceived danger from Confederate deserters to visitors from the neighborhood. Nancy cutely says that the goose “thinks he's a minuteman.” There is a bit of a hint or soft implication that the goose may be the reincarnation of an actual human person (perhaps a soldier or deceased family member), though it's much more comforting and amusing to think that he's just a goofy animal doing goofy animal things. This is far and away the cutest, most amusing, and most charming story in the book, if not the whole series. The third story, “Blossom Time,” follows a widowed woman named Eileen Barb. Due to the death of her husband, James, in the Civil War, she is left alone with her kids (Ryan, Stacey, and Stephanie) on a farm. The farm seems to contain a lot of apple trees that need to be tended to, trimmed, and picked frequently. She is devastated by the loss of her husband and overwhelmed with being left alone with all the kids and so much work. Although this seems to be the most dismal and depressing of the three stories, it has its bright spots. Once again, the themes of compassion and humanity shine through. Robert, a local man (and friend of James) who has harbored feelings for Eileen all their lives, steps in to help fill the hole in her heart. Meg Anderson and Lillian, two members of the community, also step in to help Eileen with her household/farm work and childcare. While this story isn't a knockout on a surface level, when you really step back and think about it, it's actually quite beautiful. It's about rising from the ashes just like America after the Civil War. Check it out on Amazon!  Score: 95+/100 (9.5+ out of 10)
Academy Bound is a tense, emotionally-charged, and thrilling science-fiction novel by J.C. Mastro! It is also a brilliant audiobook narrated by Fred Berman! Eight years ago, a fierce and bloody war was fought between two powerful interstellar forces, the Earth System Alliance (AKA “The Alliance”) and the Independent Colony Worlds (ICW). In the midst of this, an Alliance commander named Kari Aurelian and her crew (including a younger Lt. Commander Briggs) undertook a perilous mission to steal ICW plans. This snowballed into a desperate attempt to destroy the ICW capital ship, the Invictus. In the chaos of the ensuing battle, Kari Aurelian went MIA with some believing her to have been a traitor and others a hero. A ceasefire and peace treaty was signed soon after, effectively putting a halt to the war. But what happened to Kari Aurelian and where did her true allegiances lie? Idolizing his mother and believing her to have been a hero and possibly still alive, Zach Aurelian dreams of following in her footsteps to become a commander for the Alliance Fleet. He trains every day via virtual reality simulations (games) and works toward entering the Earth System Alliance Fleet Academy against his father's wishes. The heartbreak over his father's resistance is only the beginning of his trials and tribulations as he finds himself heavily opposed by the academy's headmaster, Commandant Trask, who was demoted from rear-admiral after what happened with Zach's mother eight years ago. Trask seeks every opportunity to trip up, penalize, and expel Zach, making him one of the primary antagonists of the book alongside the ICW. Zach also suffers from an anxiety disorder, likely caused by the loss of his mother, which causes him to overthink, hesitate, and become indecisive, something which Trask preys on. He is also bullied and antagonized by another cadet named James, who serves as his rival. And, to top it all off, we also learn that the academy is insanely competitive with many cadets failing to make it past the first year! The cadets endure multiple trials and tests, each of which could lead to their failure or expulsion. They must watch what they say, do, and even drink. The oppressive, prison-like atmosphere is ever-apparent. This is an immensely personal story, which the first-person perspective perfectly facilitates. Thankfully, Zach isn't alone. This book is full of colorful, deep, and interesting characters. There's Lt. Commander Briggs, Zach's mentor who knew his mother and was a friend of the family. Briggs is one of the coolest characters in the book. He's a badass, a hard ass, but he's also fair, especially in comparison to Trask. You can tell that even when he challenges and is hard on Zach, he's only doing it to teach and guide him. It's just tough love. Briggs also has an aura of mystery surrounding him, especially since he's one of the few people who knows what happened eight years ago. He kinda reminded us of Gill from Finding Nemo or Martin from The Oasis King by Mark David Pullen. He's just a really cool, calm, and collected character. Next, there's Russell White (usually just called “Russ”), Zach's nerdy best friend who specializes in engineering, something which becomes crucial in the later sections. Russ truly shines in later sections of the book, but is greatly overshadowed by others like Sam and Briggs throughout most of it. At the very least, he comes across as a truly good and loyal friend. He shares a great friendship phrase with Zach: “Never leave your wingman.” He also has a somewhat sympathetic side-story in which he tried to make the academy's prestigious hoverball team in order to branch out from his social awkwardness and impress girls, however, was gravely disappointed. Anyone who has failed to make a sports team (or was cut) can empathize. Next, there's Joel Nero, who we're often told is one of Zach's closest friends (probably after Russ and maybe Samantha). He is Zach's bunk mate and their parents apparently served together years ago. Really, the key time when Joel comes across as a great friend is when he realizes that him asking Samantha out might have hurt Zach. This really shows what a kind and considerate friend Joel is. He's one of those friends you'd love to keep around. There's also the aforementioned bully/rival, James. James is kinda the Draco Malfoy of this book. Of all the characters, except for maybe Zach himself, James is probably the one who develops the most. When we first meet him, he's an absolute jerk. Over time, we actually realize that a lot of his jerkish attitude and behavior is inspired and encouraged by his terrible father, a major donor to the academy, and his “perfect brother.” As we learn more and more about James, James's father, and his brother (Chad), it's hard not to sympathize with James. It's also special to see his relationship with Zach grow and even blossom. They go from being rivals who can't stand the sight of each other to being teammates and eventually friends. It's one of the highlights of the book. Speaking of highlights of the book, we now come to probably everyone's favorite character: Samantha Harriman (often just called Sam)! Sam is awesome. We could end it there, but let's dive deeper. First and foremost, Sam is a very likable and charismatic character. She is kind and caring, friendly, fair, empathetic, intelligent, and passionate. However, she's not a Mary Sue. There are times when she panics. There are times when she's frazzled. There are times when she doesn't get what she wants or things don't go according to plan for her. Sam is the main love interest of Zach throughout the book, though not the only one. She is also one of his very best friends. She seems to know Zach better than he knows himself, even saying things like “I know you” and “I know you better than that.” Unlike some of the other characters, she is sensitive and attentive enough to recognize when Zach is feeling a certain way or thinking a certain thing. There are many key moments in this book when Zach is immensely crushed, disheartened, and disappointed, and Sam is there to let him know that she recognizes and understands how he feels. She is also capable of being a tough loving sisterly figure, like when she gets Zach to straighten up rather than being a hindrance to the group by being selfish and negative. You can tell that Zach and Sam truly love each other, though it's iffy whether their love is romantic or just a very powerful friendship. There are a few other things about Sam that reveal more to an attentive audience. For example, when Sam is chosen as commanding officer of Crew 8 (the “Crazy 8”) over Zach, the audience immediately feels as disappointed as Zach. That's because we know how much being the commanding officer meant to Zach and how hard he worked for it. However, there are some subtle hints that being the commanding officer meant a lot to Sam too, however, her dreams and ambitions weren't force-fed to us like Zach's were. For example, during the school field-trip to the Dreadnought, Sam fan-girls over Captain Christina Alonso-Jarin, the female captain of the pride ship of the whole fleet. Why would she react with so much awe and admiration for this particular person? Well, the answer is simple: it's because she aspired to be in that role—to be a female captain. That point gets further hinted at when we learn that Samantha's father is actually the captain of a private ship, which plays a role in the teaser for book 2. Lastly, there's Brianna, the other love interest of the book. This creates a bit of a love triangle in the book, though not an annoying one that dominates it and distracts from the cooler stuff happening. Brianna holds a great attraction to Zach, something which actually seems to annoy and scare him away. However, Brianna is a good person. She's not a snob or someone out to use Zach. So, in effect, we're actually left with two suitable choices for Zach: his good friend (Sam) and this good girl who genuinely likes him. Now, let's be honest, almost no one wanted Zach to end up with Brianna simply because Sam was such a great character and option. Sam is just too cool. She outshines Brianna in almost every way. However, something happened near the end of this book that really changed our minds about Brianna. We went from being annoyed with her to really feeling for her, similar to what happened with James. Brianna actually develops into an interesting and sympathetic character by the end of this book. She actually brought us to tears at one point! No, she doesn't die (that would be cheap), but something happens that really elevates her in our hearts and minds. This book gets very tense and emotional at times. There are moments in this book that made us want to shout and made us want to cry. With that said, there are also moments in this book when the action and the narrative kinda hit a wall. A lot of the action and tension in this book actually isn't real, it's actually a simulation (virtual reality). For example, there are description of space battles, a collision with an asteroid, and other cool stuff, but none of it is actually happening, robbing these scenes of some of the immersion. With that said, however, these scenes aren't absent of weight or stakes, just less so than if they were real. For example, the simulation test has A LOT of stakes, albeit not life or death. The narrative makes it clear that any screw up or failure can get Zach and the Crazy 8 crew kicked out of school. To quote Hermione Granger from Harry Potter: “We could all have been killed — or worse, expelled." Some fates are worse than death. This book really makes it seem like being expelled is the worst thing that could happen to a cadet. They might as well be put on an ice shelf and left to die for being a complete and utter disgrace to society. It's also kinda cool that the plot and conflicts of this book are built methodically and subtly. For example, we get a news report about a super weapon (a teleporter/wormhole machine) that may have been stolen by the ICW. Nothing is really made of it at the time, especially since that conflict seems to be in the background. We also learn a lot about Briggs and Zach's mom. More and more information is revealed to us over time. There are also subtle hints and foreshadowing like the way that other officers and people react to hearing Zach's last name. We also love and admire that Zach isn't the only person who has a major story and not the only character who has wishes, dreams, desires, motivations, feelings, and emotions. Every character in this story seems to have a story of their own. Every character in this story seems like an actual, living individual. Even minor characters like Captain Christina Alonso-Jarin seem like real people. For example, Captain Christina Alonso-Jarin comes across as a rebel with pink lipgloss and her hair not perfectly in a bun. Like we said, James has a story that we weren't privy to earlier in the book (involving his dad and brother). Samantha has a story regarding her dad being a ship captain and a desire to be like Captain Alonso-Jarin. Russ has a story regarding his desire to be more than a nerdy kid, wanting to become an athlete (hoverball player) and desirable to women. Zach's dad is a deep and emotional character who clearly loves his son and is protective of him. At the same time, he's also someone who wants to move on with his life and find greener pastures. He has endured tragedy after tragedy, trauma after trauma. You can hear it in the voice of the audiobook narrator. In fact, his parts are some of the best and most powerful parts of the audiobook. We could go on and on. Heck, even Giles the PAI (personal artificial intelligence), has an arc in which he becomes increasingly respected and useful throughout the book. You could make a similar argument for Quark, Russ's PAI. That's something we respect. Now let's briefly talk about Zach, the main character himself. There are times Zach annoyed and angered us. There are also times when Zach inspired and compelled us. He's a dynamic character, which is great. He starts this book as incredibly self-centered and selfish. For example, when his dad expresses wanting to meet a new girlfriend and start a new life, Zach becomes incredibly angry and upset, largely because he's protective of his mom's memory (and the hope of her return) and partly that he's immature and selfish. He can't bear to see his dad happy if he's not happy. He can't bear to see his dad happy without him or his mom. That really highlights his immaturity early in the book. He becomes jealous and angry when he learns that Joel asked Samantha to the end of the year dance, even after being asked by Brianna and agreeing to go with her. Although we can somewhat sympathize with the way he feels, it's also rather jerkish and selfish. We've known people in school who wouldn't “allow” schoolmates to date certain people, as if they're entitled to them or have marked their territory. Zach also becomes jealous when Samantha is chosen as squad commander/commanding officer over him, even though Sam has always supported and been kind to him. Zach behaves rather reprehensibly and selfishly. On that note, he almost completely ignores the sadness and disappointment that his best friend Russ feels upon not making hoveball team because of not being chosen to command. That's also admittedly a funny scene because it interrupts the final announcement in a humorously anticlimactic way. What else did we like? Well, there was a lot of tension in scenes like when Zach had to meet with Commandant Trask and Lt. Commander Briggs in the span of about 1-2 hours, both of these men offering to provide devastating news to Zach. The final action scene was truly tense, incredible, and even emotional. Scratch that, it was VERY emotional. We also loved descriptions like the one about the asteroid field and how it interacted with the sunlight. The world-building was pretty cool. Characters often say “hack” instead of another curse word. There's a real sense of wonder and adventure. So, how is the audiobook? It's awesome. Heck, it may even be better than the paperback! The audiobook is narrated by Fred Berman. Berman did a really admirable job, especially at portraying so many different, unique characters! He really nails Brigg's strong, bold, authoritative, cool voice. He also nails Giles's posh butler voice and Quark's robotic voice. Some of the other characters sound a little stock and stereotypical, but they're good too. James sounds like a brooding, dopey, finger-pointing bully. You can almost imagine him saying, “Ha-HA!” like Nelson from The Simpsons. Russ kinda sounds like a stereotypical, glasses-wearing geek who desperately needs an inhaler. Joel sounds like Billy & Ted at times, like some surfer dude. Trask's voice is both awesome and hilarious. We have notes about him sounding like a “pissed off pirate” sometimes and like Tywin Lannister (from Game of Thrones) at other times. Many of the instructors have posh, British accents. Captain Christina Alonso-Jarin has a Spanish accent and is actually the best-sounding female voice that Berman does. Speaking of female voices... that's something that didn't always jive with us. Some of Berman's female voices are hilarious and comical, though you can't fault the guy for trying. It wasn't for a lack of effort. What's kinda funny is that Sam is supposed to sound like a strong, independent, yet caring girl. However, she often sounds like KrimsonRogue voicing Empress Theresa. But she's not the worst one. The worst one is far and away Brianna. Brianna almost sounds like a cross between a valley girl and a snobbish high school cheerleader. That might work if she were actually intended to be a flakey, snobbish character, but 1. She's not flakey or snobbish, 2. We're reminded time and time again how kind and good of a person she is. So, why does Brianna sound like this? Well, because Berman was trying his best to imitate what a young adult girl might sound like, just with a lot more testosterone and bass. Now, while that's kinda funny, it actually didn't really detract from the entertainment of the audiobook. Again, Sam still came across as an awesome character despite sounding like a middle-aged dude trying to sound young and feminine. Also, it's actually really fun to hear the voices of Sam and Brianna clash with some of the others like James, Joel, Russ, and Zach. Speaking of Zach, his voice is almost perfect. Rather than sounding like a young, weak, timid, and whiny teenager, he sounds like a young, aspiring, strong, and bright male. Berman is actually great at making Zach portray a range of emotions from anxiety, fear, apprehension, ambition, jealousy, and—perhaps best of all—sadness. Zach is growing throughout the book. Like we said, he begins the book being very immature, very insecure, and very jealous. However, he progressively becomes more mature, more confident, and less jealous. He also becomes much more empathetic. There's a scene in which Zach has been bombarded by two heartbreaking, nerve-wrecking moments, then finds that James is having a hard time of his own. Rather than making it all about him and his problems (like he used to), Zach shows empathy to James, his old rival. This is an excellent book! Check it out on Amazon!  Score: 94/100 (9.4 out of 10)
Interview with Death is a thought-provoking, entertaining, and—at times—emotional supernatural novel by V.K. Pasanen! The audiobook is brilliantly narrated by Jimmy Moreland. The book follows Nathan Miller, a journalist (war correspondent) and best-selling author who is famous for his controversial documentary series (“Barrets”) and his books about his experiences in war-torn nations. After surviving numerous near-death experiences including an ambush by Middle East insurgents that kills multiple U.S. soldiers, Nathan is given the nickname, “Indestructible Nathan Miller.” This ironic and somewhat erroneous nickname haunts him, especially since he knows that a lot of the drama and violence he documents is actually manufactured and partially-controlled by his unscrupulous employer, General Cornelius Adamson, who uses it for propaganda purposes and to get him promotions. Adamson is described as being like a “slow acting cobra” who gradually gains Nathan's trust only to betray him, which actually foreshadows and sets a precedence for another major relationship in Nathan's life. Indeed, Adamson, one of the main villains of book (at least in the mortal plane), eventually uses the violence and supposed heroism of war to get his choice candidate, Ethan Cranston, elected president in a landslide. He then gets President Cranston to promote him the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Caught in the middle of all of this is Nathan, who loses several friends and witnesses profound suffering among those he documents. However, suffering, sorrow, and guilt aren't the only things to follow Nathan. And General Adamson isn't the only one menacing Nathan. Nathan frequently encounters (or briefly glimpses) two enigmatic figures: a man in black who looks like Johnny Cash and a man in white. Nathan assumes that the man in black may be the Grim Reaper or Death based on his appearance before bloodshed, but who is the man in white? And what does he want? One of the most incredible things about this book is how it slowly builds the mystery behind the supernatural aspects of this book. It also uses misdirection and a few red-herrings to make us believe that this book will be about one thing (like a military, journalism, or even romance novel/drama), then becomes something completely different. With that said, the tension slowly builds along with the mystery. What's more? This book isn't afraid to take its time and tantalize you with possible answers. It's some of the best lore and mythos of the contest alongside books like Code Sohrakia by KM Taylor (these two books may be neck-and-neck for “Best Lore”). WARNING: The following may contain spoilers that are necessary for a thorough, in-depth review Anyway, this book has multiple inciting incidents that almost act like the gears of a vehicle shifting, throttling this book into overdrive. The first inciting incident is the aforementioned ambush, which results in the death of a friend. The second incident is the revelation that the military under General Adamson has opted to use a nuke to swiftly end the conflicts in the Middle East, making Adamson a faux hero. The third incident, which is probably the biggest spoiler (SO BE WARNED) is the tragic death of Nathan's wife, Vanessa (a nominee for “Hottest Character” and “Best Supporting Character”), after Nathan allows their relationship to deteriorate with his constant cheating, lying, and drug use. Now let's rewind a little bit. There's a character we meet early on in the book named Gavin, a survivor of genocide in war-torn Yugoslavia. While his introduction is one of the most tragic, compelling, and emotional scenes in the whole book, it progressively becomes clear that Gavin is more than what he initially seems. Gavin befriends and starts working with Nathan in the United States. He introduces Nathan to a drug-like substance (“Dead Blow”) that helps him to take the edge off after experiencing so much trauma and guilt. There are actually two kinds of Dead Blow, blue Light Ethereal (which kinda reminded us of Walter White's meth from “Breaking Bad”) and Dark Ethereal, a stronger version which Gavin calls, “the substance of dreams and imagination.” Gavin clarifies and distinguishes Dead Blow as being different from recreational drugs. It is stronger and out of this world, literally. Gavin also encourages Nathan to live a little, supposedly to destress. This includes drinking alcohol, consuming the addictive Dead Blow substance, partying and eventually sleeping with women out of wedlock. In effect, this leads to Nathan cheating on Vanessa, the wife he once cherished and treasured “like a goddess,” multiple times. It should also be noted that Gavin also introduces Nathan to gambling, which Gavin proves to be very adept at. Gavin is such a lucky gambler that some casinos even ban him. He is known as “He Who Always Wins” As the mystery of Gavin grows and grows to a fever pitch, so does the mystery behind the man in black, the other entity who seems to be stalking Nathan, presumably for his own purposes. Gavin puts himself across as a friendly and inviting figure to Nathan, but the audience progressively realizes that he's actually a terrible, unlikable, and toxic person. WARNING: MORE HUGE SPOILERS AHEAD! ARE YOU STILL HERE? Nathan's once-beautiful and vibrant relationship with Vanessa disintegrates as his infidelity is revealed. Vanessa is said to adopt his “liquid diet” (alcoholism) and occasionally becomes drunk just to cope with the hurt and heartbreak that Nathan has caused her. It can't be emphasized enough how sad and frustrating this is. Nathan adorably fell in love with Vanessa while she was dressed as an escaped prisoner during a costume party. He called her his “goddess” and absolutely adored her. She loved him the whole time he was away for his journalism. She bore and raised his children. She was always faithful to him. Yet, Nathan betrayed her trust and stabbed her in the back with his infidelity. Absolutely inexcusable! We found ourselves disliking and even hating Nathan for the rest of the book. To make matters worse, Nathan's guilt and regret isn't enough to stop him from sleeping with one of his supposed “fans” at a book signing event, a gorgeous she-devil who calls herself Delores Destiny. All of a sudden, Nathan says that Deloris is “the most beautiful woman I've ever seen in my life” (something he had once said of Vanessa). What a joke of a human being! We wanted to strangle him ourselves! It becomes pretty obvious that Delores Destiny was no mere mortal, and likely a supernatural being like Gavin and the man in black probably are. During their sexual encounter, Vanessa desperately tries to call Nathan before failing to then choosing to take her own life. Her death is the most tragic and devastating event in the entire book. It really hits hard. It makes Nathan seem like even more of an irredeemable piece of trash than he already was, and we're not even done trashing on the main character yet. He makes it worse (believe it or not). If you're still here, you must be okay with even bigger spoilers. You've been warned multiple times. Anyway, it turns out that the real Gavin died many years ago and that a supernatural being took up his form. This new Gavin is actually Frederick Chance, the angel or god of chance (luck), which explains why he's so good at gambling. He is compared to Loki from Norse mythology, and that's pretty much who he is. Frederick Chance is a troublemaker and a meddler. Now, with that said, it is kinda sad and tragic to think that Frederick Chance largely did a lot of his evil deeds because he wanted Nathan's friendship, love, and admiration to himself. Frederick Chance, despite his successes in games, is actually a bit of a loner and an outcast. The other supernatural beings, with the exception of maybe Morduk, the devil, don't seem to associate with him much, probably because he constantly betrayed their trust and made poor choices (to say the least). Frederick Chance, the man in white, is effectively the main villain and antagonist of this particular book (which is part of a series, apparently). His actions directly or indirectly lead to many of the bad things that happen to Nathan, his friends, and his family. But what about the man in black? What about Death? Well, he's arguably the best character in the entire book! Death's proper name is “Morton Death.” He's surprisingly kind, courteous, and polite, far from the cold, heartless skeletal monster that one would think. An argument can be made that he's actually the most benevolent character in this entire book. Morton Death understands that his job of reaping souls is grim, but that it's a job that needs to be done for the greater good. However, thousands of years of reaping souls has left him tired and jaded. He treats it almost like a 9 to 5 job, often being hassled and strongarmed by his bossy sister, Gladys Fate, who acts as both his business partner and supervisor. Humorously, the only real enjoyment he seems to have in his life is watching the Dallas Cowboys lose. He religiously watches Cowboys games whenever he can in the hope that they will lose. Because of this, he wants a bit of a vacation and views Nathan Miller as the perfect person to take up the mantle in his absence—becoming Nathan Reaper. Oh, and by the way, Nathan also sees his mother, father, uncle, his friend who died during the ambush, and even Vanessa in the afterlife. It's actually kinda anticlimactic, albeit upsetting. And this creates A LOT of issues for us with both Nathan (as the main character) and the book as a whole. Here's why: Vanessa is kinda in “hell.” See, in the “Afterworld,” as this book calls it, the souls of the dead are guided to special rooms. Vanessa is held in a white room in which she is essentially punished by Karma, a fearsome “bitch” of a spirit (even Death fears her) due to an agreement by the spirits that Karma would be allowed to punish those who broke the Gray Rule: don't kill or end a life before the planned time. As a victim of suicide, Vanessa is punished as someone who took a life (her own), forced to view all the multiple possibilities of if she'd still been alive. It's merciless, endless psychological torture! And fatherly Morton Death, motherly Deloris Fate (who bakes cookies for everyone), and Nathan basically allow it to happen through 60%+ of this book. Nathan doesn't even try to stop it or intervene. This is even more painful and upsetting considering that Vanessa's last words/request was the Nathan would visit her in the afterlife. So, when given that opportunity, does he do that? No. He observes. What's extra upsetting is that Nathan is given great power and authority as Nathan Reaper and has DIRECT FRICKIN' ACESS TO THE GODS yet still doesn't advocate for Vanessa's release or the release of his Uncle Frank from a similar fate. No, Nathan is more concerned with his own dumb@#$ and about the supernatural mysteries of it all. That would be like being the ambassador of a country that is suffering from drought, famine, and genocide, yet—when given the audience of the United Nations—instead of advocating for your people and asking for food, water, and intervention, you ask the UN to talk to you about their history and what's next for you. What an #%$hole! Then he goes off and starts dating, having sex with, and wanting to marry the Finnish author of his childrens' favorite book (Kaisa Jannok)?! SCREW THAT! What an $^#hole! This guy literally knows that his wife—who died BECAUSE OF HIM—is suffering eternal emotional and psychological torment BECAUSE OF HIM! This guy literally has access to the gods. He can just squeeze his hand and think a thought, then Fate or Death will show up, yet he doesn't so much as put in a good word for Vanessa and Frank. What an *&^hole! Yes, you could reference the scene in which he fantasizes about breaking them free, but he doesn't come anywhere close to attempting to act on that fantasy. Hey, you know what? Let's go back to way before all this big supernatural stuff happened. What about how he totally helped General Adamson conceal war crimes all because of an NDA he signed? Remember that? He did that KNOWING FULL WELL THAT ADAMSON PLANNED TO USE A FRIGGIN' NUKE ON A POPULATED AREA FULL OF INNOCENT PEOPLE! Nathan sacrificed thousands of innocent lives just to preserve his career and stay out of jail. What a friggin' #$*hole! So, yes, our opinion of this book really dropped because of how much we hated Nathan Miller. Rather than experiencing a change or becoming a better person, you could almost make the argument that he becomes a worse person, just with more powers and knowledge. What makes him a worse person than before? Well, it's the fact that he has absolutely no plausible deniability anymore. He knows everything. He knows the secrets of the universe. He has met the gods. He is best friends with Death. Fate is like his aunty now. He has no excuses anymore. This is the difference between a child who plays with an outlet and accidentally sets the house on fire and a grown man who does it knowing that his actions will trigger a fire. That's what makes Nathan despicable in our eyes. Thankfully, Death is there to be a likable character, something this book sorely needed after the halfway point. Morton Death actually allows the audiobook narrator, Jimmy Moreland, to do his best Johnny Cash impression. He sounds so cool, calm, and collected! Moreland also does a good job at voicing Frederick Chance when he's in disguise as Gavin, using a thick Baltic accent. Something else we appreciated about the narration of the audiobook was that Moreland didnt go over-the-top with the female voices like Fred Berman did in the Academy Bound audiobook. Anyway, one of our favorite moments in the book was the brawl between Frederick Chance and Morton Death through the Las Vegas Strip (especially Caesar's Palace). That was awesome and hilarious. What made it even more humorous is that the news described and presented it like some cartoon rather than a serious, real-life event. So, maybe if you don't take this book too seriously and just treat it as entertainment, you can look past its flaws and enjoy it. Check it out on Amazon!  95/100 (9.5 out of 10)
Looking for Legends by Scott and Tarantino might be the ULTIMATE adventure book! Looking for Legends is an enthralling travel memoir that takes readers on a journey through some of the world's most awe-inspiring and perilous locations. Blending personal anecdotes with historical and cultural insights, the authors share their experiences of climbing the greatest mountains, exploring dangerous jungles, and visiting historical sites. The book recounts significant climbing adventures, including tales of the greatest mountain climber who began his ascent at age five (Reinhold Messner), emphasizing the allure and danger of conquering the world's highest peaks. Historical escapades are vividly brought to life, such as the daring escape from a POW camp by Austrians (Heinrich Harrer and Peter Aufschnaiter) in colonial India and the remarkable story of Lawrence of Arabia. Hey, did you know that Lawrence of Arabia lost his first draft on a train and had to rewrite it all from memory? Dang! Can you imagine that? Well, some writers can. Cultural reflections are woven throughout the narrative, with explorations of the origins of tango in Argentina and connections to the legacy of Chilean poet Pablo Neruda. The spirit of exploration and discovery is a constant theme, with stories of figures like Jim Thompson, the Silk King of Thailand, and ethnobotanist Richard Schultes, who turned ethnographic myths into scientific facts. The search for kawari poison darts in the Amazon further showcases the intersection of traditional knowledge and modern science. Jim Thompson, known as the Silk King of Thailand, is one of the most interesting figures in thee book. Thompson's story is one of adventure, entrepreneurship, and mystery. An American architect who became enamored with Thailand, he revitalized the Thai silk industry, turning it into a globally recognized brand. His extensive knowledge of Southeast Asian art and culture, combined with his innovative business strategies, transformed the local craft into an international luxury commodity. Thompson's passion for exploration led him to deep jungles and remote villages, where he sought out traditional silk weavers and brought their exquisite craftsmanship to the world's attention. His sudden and mysterious disappearance in the Malaysian highlands in 1967 adds an enigmatic twist to his legacy, leaving behind a tale of intrigue that continues to fascinate and inspire. Through Thompson's journey, the book highlights the intersection of cultural preservation and modern entrepreneurship, illustrating how one man's vision can impact an entire industry and culture. Now, in all honesty, we got a little mixed up around this time because there were two major people named Jim in this section: the aforementioned Jim Thompson (the “Silk King”) and Jim Corbett, the legendary hunter. We kinda conflated them into one person in our minds. Anyway, Jim Corbett is probably the most fascinating person in the book. Why? Well, because he took on and killed two nigh-mythological beasts like some kind of Greek or Sumerian hero. Specifically, he hunted and slayed the Champawat Man-Eater and the Man-Eating Leopard of Rudraprayag (among others). The Champawat Man-Eater was a female Bengal tiger responsible for an estimated 436 human deaths in Nepal and the Kumaon area of India. Her attacks began in Nepal, where she killed approximately 200 people before the Nepalese army drove her across the border into India. Once in India, she continued her attacks, instilling terror in the local population. The British colonial government was forced to close schools and other establishments in the area to protect the people. Jim Corbett was called in to hunt the Champawat Man-Eater. In 1907, Corbett tracked and killed the tiger near the town of Champawat. His successful hunt brought him significant recognition, and he later documented the story in his book Man-Eaters of Kumaon. The Man-Eating Leopard of Rudraprayag was active between 1918 and 1926, responsible for the deaths of more than 125 people in the Rudraprayag district of the Garhwal region. The leopard was known for its cunning and ability to evade hunters, creating widespread fear in the region. It would often enter villages at night to carry off its victims. Jim Corbett was once again called upon to track and kill this elusive predator. The hunt was particularly challenging due to the leopard's intelligence and stealth. After several months of pursuit, Corbett successfully shot the leopard in 1926. While these stories celebrate Jim and vilify the man-eating animals, they also highlight another theme in this book: the destructive influences of colonialism (especially British colonialism) and how it disrupted and disturbed the natural habitats of animals like tigers and leopards, forcing them toward population centers to get food. Philosophical musings invite readers to reflect on the significance of recorded history and the meticulous documentation of Himalayan climbs, pondering the choice between dreams and memories. The memoir underscores the perils of mountaineering, noting that 80% of climbing deaths occur on the descent due to fatigue and premature celebration. Through the lens of Richard Halliburton's ultimate adventures, the authors celebrate the human spirit's relentless pursuit of the extraordinary. There are some interesting passages that we enjoyed, the key one being: “WHICH WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE, DREAMS OR MEMORIES? THE ANSWER TO OUR QUESTION DREAMS. We’d rather have dreams than memories. We’d rather look forward than back. We prefer tomorrow to yesterday. And our favorite trip has always been the next one. And why not? You can’t look forward unless you have a forward to look forward to” Scott and Tarantino bring their unique experiences and perspectives to the book. Scott is a multisport athlete, equestrian, coach, mentor, and explorer, who has traveled to more than fifty countries, all while being a mother of four, grandmother of eight, and great-grandmother of fifteen. Tarantino, an entrepreneur and private investor, complements her adventures with his extensive library that facilitates vicarious travel. Together, they aim to introduce readers to unique destinations and the people who inhabit them, blending personal experiences with historical and cultural narratives. Their stories of individuals and places make Looking for Legends more than just a travel guide; it is an inspiring and educational journey that encourages readers to explore new cultures and appreciate the diversity of the world. This is a book about pioneers, mavericks, and trailblazers! Check it out on Amazon!  Score: 96/100 (9.6 out of 10)
This is How We Heal from Painful Childhoods by Ernest Ellender, PhD might be one of the most thorough, exhaustive, and practical self-help books we've ever read! What we really appreciated about this book was how grounded and usable the advice was, which is fitting considering Ellender's background as a black belt in BJJ (Brazilian jiu-jitsu), a martial art that emphasizes being grounded and having no wasted movement. Similar to chess, it's about efficiency and effectiveness, and those are things that describe this book too! This book is long and technical, similar to BJJ. However, also like BJJ, it's worth learning. It also incorporates a lot of the same routines as the martial art/sport. For example, there are a lot of “Skills and Drills” as well as “20 Rules” to make things as digestible, understandable, and applicable to real life as possible. We greatly appreciated that! This book makes use of various ideas and concept from psychology, psychiatry, and self-help that you may already be familiar with. There are parts of this that read like cognitive behavioral therapy. There are parts of this that read like family or couples therapy. There are other parts that read a bit like yoga, emphasizing mindfulness, control, posture, and deep breathing. These are things that are also useful in martial arts and sports since they keep you from losing proprioception, core control, and ultimately flying all over the place and getting hurt or injured. In other words, this is practical advice, and it WORKS. Probably the single major focus on the entire book is mastering the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems. In this life filled with stresses, our sympathetic nervous systems are almost always on overdrive and full-blast (what the author describes as “Chronic Sympathetic Arousal”). We're constantly drinking coffee, energy drinks, sugar, and other things in an attempt to keep ourselves awake and going. Hey, we hear you there, author! We have a refrigerator full of stimulant drinks. However, the more energy you are constantly dishing out, the less sustainable you will be. Large stars burn out faster. An overactive sympathetic nervous system affects our longevity and well-being. That becomes apparent when it starts to affect aspects of the parasympathetic nervous system like sleep and digestion, sometimes leading to illness, burnout, and death. According to this book, you're also not yourself when your sympathetic nervous system is in overdrive. You are like Mr. Hyde. You are your “MONSTER SELF.” This is, again, applicable to BJJ. In a ground-and-pound fight, endurance and stamina are king. Once your opponent is exhausted and tired, they're done. They can't defend themselves. They can't fight back. The same can be said for you. Being tired, exhausted, and/or overly stimulated can also make you more prone to mistakes and errors. Again, you're not yourself when you're in overdrive. You're your “MONSTER SELF.” This is the side of you that is more likely to say and do hurtful, self-destructive, or even illegal things. This is the side of you that's more likely to ruin relationships or get caught up in addiction or addictive behavior. If you're always going, going, going and running yourself into the ground, you're going to burn out and experience heightened stress and anxiety. It also inhibits your ability to heal and recovery. There's one great line in this book about how resting/sleeping more affects healing: “Imagine healing 40% faster.” This book talks about natural rules and man's rules. For example, natural rules (guided by our reptilian brain or “primal brain”) were meant to protect us from things like tigers and lions. Man's rules were meant to protect us from getting in trouble with the law, your boss, the IRS, or our parents. Speaking of parents, this book does a good job at showing how parents provide structure and guidance for children, and how children will either follow, reject, or be denied these things (for example, in the case of a neglectful or non-present parent). A child can also be driven against a parent's example like when their alcoholism affects their relationship. This leads into discussions of generational/intergenerational trauma. One of our favorite passages from the book describes how people from dysfunctional families tend to choose partners and marry into dysfunctional families in the mistaken belief that this is normal. Hmm... you don't say... A thing called “Trauma Lies” exists. These are false and destructive things we tell and ingrain in ourselves in an attempt to cope with trauma—things like: “I am unlovable” “I will never be any good” “I don't deserve happiness” “People I love will eventually always abandon me” This book helps readers to reframe these lies in a positive, constructive way. For example: I am broken=I feel broken=I am resilient There's so much great information and there are such interesting concepts in this book! For example, “When in doubt, write it out” The pendulum effect Boundary setting Center of the universe/systems of controlled And so much more! Check it out on Amazon!  Score: 95/100 (9.5 out of 10)
CONEtrolled by Nava Israel (PhD) is one of the most interesting reads of the whole year! This book discusses the systems of control that societies, cultures, religions, cults, governments, and people use to keep us serving them (rather than the other way around). This book says a lot and shares a lot of fascinating case-studies (which we'll talk about). However, if there's one big, huge takeaway we had from this book, it's that you shouldn't allow yourself to be conned by these systems of control. Do your own due diligence. Do your own research. Don't be ignorant about these systems. Don't close your mind off and believe everything you hear. Don't fall for their lies, tricks, manipulation, plots, schemes, and machinations. This book is a reminder that no one should tell you WHO you are and what your purpose/role in life is except for YOU. It's also a reminder that human beings shouldn't be pigeon holed into one role, one type, or one “kind.” No one is always lazy or always hard working. You're more than a citizen of one country or a member of one community. You're more than an employee of one company or a soldier in one army. As a human being, you're a member of human kind—every human on Earth. This book invites readers to think about the bigger picture. Seeing the big picture is important because when you mistake the symptoms of a problem for the problem, you may end up making the real problem bigger (or creating a new one altogether). Perhaps the best example of this is when Mao declared sparrows an enemy that needed to be killed (because they supposedly ate all the seeds). However, this caused the locust population to grow out of control, destroying all the crops and causing a famine that starved and killed millions of people. This is a book about gaining (regaining) freedom, sovereignty, independence, and self-governance from these “cones”—these systems of control. Oppressors and manipulators like tyrants and cult leaders use these cones to keep us caged. Cones have two agendas: well-intended agendas (like serving or helping society) and self-serving ones (like accumulating power and wealth). Even seemingly benevolent, well-intended agendas can have a dark side or ill effects. In fact, the author often discusses how this happened during the COVID-19 pandemic including the suppression of information that was contrary to the established narrative. The book uses the example of Dr. Martin Kulldorff who attempted to share legitimate data that seemed to be contrary to what the CDC, FDA, and governments around the world were promoting at the time. He attempted to share data from Sweden that suggested ending lockdowns, particularly for young people who were significantly less affected by the virus. He was even supported by Sunetra Gupta from Oxford and Jay Bhattacharya from Stanford who published these findings alongside him. However, Kulldorff was suppressed. CNN English refused to run his story, though CNN Espanol did. He was also fired from Harvard for challenging the established narrative. Scientific and medical dogma is still dogma—it's a cone, a system of control. Interestingly, we just read Cancer Culture by Jacqueline Acho, a PhD in Chemistry from MIT, who basically championed that same stance after surviving ovarian cancer by going against medical advice. This book encourages you to always question and to never accept something as absolutely true or unquestionable. Part of the author's motivation for writing all this was growing up in the former Soviet Union, constantly being controlled and lied to by the government. The author describes how the state-controlled government would constantly run PSA about how great the crop yields were doing, yet the grocery store shelves were constantly empty—indicating that the reality was far different from what the people were being told. This book is also about using questioning and inquisitive thinking to get to the root of problems. For example, you might take Tylenol to feel better from a headache, but that ignores why the headaches happen to begin with. Maybe you're dehydrated. Maybe you've eaten too much or too little sodium. Maybe you have a tumor. If you never ask questions, you'll never get to the root of the problem. Cones often take advantage of the concept of needs—either natural/basic or manufactured. Basic/natural needs include air, food, water, shelter, warmth, rest, and clothing. However, manufactured needs are ones that are created or invented to get something from you (primarily money). These include purified/filtered/ionized/”pure” oxygen, brand-named foods, designer bottled water, mansions, branded cooling and/or heating systems, expensive vacations, brand-named clothing, and an abundance of sex to prove status. As you might have guessed, this book is against the evils of consumerism and capitalism, especially when they become exploitative. This book constantly points out ways in which we are either blatantly, subtly, or subliminally manipulated by companies, corporations, and businesses to buy from them or subscribe to their services. They dangle carrots over our noses. They sell ideals like beauty, convenience, and comfort. They make us addicted to them and take advantage of us through underhanded tactics like planned obsolescence, which Apple was caught doing by slowing down their older devices to get people to buy new ones. According to this book, they bring fantasy worlds for the middle class to aspire to. They sell dreams and the idea of true fulfillment. Of course, true fulfillment never comes from a box or container. The author argues that even ideas like family values and traditional families are cones that are sold to us. They don't represent all or even most families. They simply promote what society wants. Cones are created and controlled by people designated as “cone builders” and “cone masters” according to the author. These include people like Hugo Chavez, Joseph Stalin, Bill Cosby, Jim Jones, and many others throughout our long, dark history have used manipulation tactics to become cone masters. There are some great quotes from this book. For example: “The trees kept voting for the ax because its handle was made of wood and they thought it was one of them” “Oh, you don’t need to fight them—you just need to convince the pitchfork people that the torch people want to take away their pitchforks.” “The sheep will spend its entire life fearing the wolf, only to be eaten by the shepherd.” "Genghis Khan didn’t want to be a zookeeper with a zoo full of disgruntled animals, so he ordered everyone to be content or be executed." There's an especially interesting thought experiment in this book in which the author describes encountering multiple disturbing or troubling scenarios (a struggling homeless man, the burning of a nation's flag during a protest, and a woman battling cancer who chooses to forego modern treatments for alternative medicine). The author then challenges you to choose which of these bothers you the most, which reveals what your values and cones may be. Look, we didn't agree with every single little thing in this book, and that's perhaps the point. Don't accept everything you read and hear. Always challenge and question what you're being told. Check it out on Amazon! |
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