Extreme Ownership - reading

Finished "Extreme Ownership - How U.S. Navy Seals Lead and Win" by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin. This was the first actual leadership book I feel like I got a lot out of. Other leadership books tell you all about how "leaders are supposed to lead, so get out there and lead!" and all that, but this book spells out, in clear language, steps to take to improve your leadership abilities, and why you would take them. The format was basically a three-phase discussion of leadership principles in each chapter: first you get a war story, then a description of a leadership principle, and finally an application to business.

I've already decided I need to re-read this -- maybe even more than once -- simply to underscore the lessons it contains, and to focus on incorporating the lessons it teaches both at work and at home.

Terms of Enlistment - reading

Finished "Terms of Enlistment" by Marko Kloos. I read about Marko on John Scalzi's site. The series described in Whatever had an interesting premise, and I added it to my to-read list, then recently picked it up.

The book was a quick read, and enjoyable, and was the right book at the right time. I was looking for something quick. While it does seem to share similarities with many other books of the genre, it was still pretty fun. The second book in the series is sitting on my nightstand, waiting for me to finish the book I had already started.

One thing stood out for me, though. It was how much I thought Marko's writing style resembled my own. Obviously, having several books published, he's well ahead of me in terms of professional authorship, and I don't claim my books are ready for publication, being basically a collection of first drafts. But it was encouraging for me to think of my writing as "not bad," and to think that I could some day be published as well, and that folks might actually enjoy what I write.

Through the Rainbow - reading

Finished "Through the Rainbow" by me. There are references to elections, Obama, and Trump in this book that I wrote four years ago. I also include Hurricane Sandy and the DU campus in Denver.

For something written by the seat of my pants, I have to say - very not bad! I love the way it opens. Some parts got me to laugh out loud. Some parts made me cringe. The ending does leave it open to a sequel, or at least another couple chapters. However, I named the chapters after the seven colors of the rainbow plus black for the eighth chapter. It might be hard to fit in.

It was nice to have a super-quick read. I think I spent about six weeks, between distractions and short reading sessions, reading the last book. I read this one in three days. And I only found two typos! ("Begin" instead of "being," and "time" instead of "times.")

Legend of Fayre Sea - reading

Finished "Legend of Fayre Sea: A Tale of Merfolk and Pirates" by E.V. Medina. This is the second book in the "World of Tiaera" trilogy. The first book I read from this author was co-written with another author. I also read a short story she wrote without a co-author. I believe Ms. Medina is a better author by herself. That isn't to say that this book was perfect, but it was better.

This was about Lord Tilden who is captured and forced to be a pirate. In a world of mermaids, however, one isn't necessarily trapped on a ship on the high seas. On the other hand, it's possible for fantasy characters to suffer Stockholm syndrome, as a way of remaining a pirate despite the possibilities under the surface, as happened to Quartermaster Felucia.

The book occasionally brought me back to my days of playing MMOs, with its references to raids (yes, I get that pirates raid, too) and the team setup going into a particular encounter, AOE effects, and so on.

Signal to Noise - reading

Finished "Signal to Noise" by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. I picked up this book from the library at lunch because it appeared on some random list on GoodReads. That, and the other books on the list were nowhere to be found. (Southglenn is a small library, but it's conveniently located near work.)

Page 260 says, "A bit jumbled. It needs some editing..." By the time I got to page 260 I had the same opinion. Granted, page 260 was talking about a book that is mentioned in the story, and I'm talking about the story itself. There were spelling errors, grammar errors, and sentences that were difficult to parse sprinkled throughout.

I wouldn't recommend this book. Lots of folks seem to have liked it a lot, but I thought it a waste of time. The main character starts with selfish motivations and goes nowhere from there. There are times when I can't tell which character is speaking, not because of formatting, but because the characters are barely distinguishable from each other. It does have an interesting premise. Someone should write a good story based on it!

Illegal Alien - reading

Finished "Illegal Alien" by Robert J. Sawyer. This is the second time I read this one. The first was when John Grose passed it around my old gaming group many years ago. I bought a copy a couple years ago but had given it away before I re-read it, so I bought it again. You're welcome, Mr. Sawyer.

This book was written in a way that made it fast to read and thoroughly enjoyable - the fun kind of sci fi - with good suspense and interesting characters. I can't wait for Jess's take on it, since I added it to her to-read pile!

Imbued - reading

Finished "Imbued" by me. Yes, again. This time I was reading it with an eye on what it would take to turn into a screenplay, and subsequently shoot. I think the hardest part would be the graduation scene since it involves an entire graduating high school class and their parents come to watch the ceremony. I'm not good enough at green screening yet to make that work, but it might be the only frugal alternative.

My writing has definitely improved. I think I say that every time I read Imbued.

Confessions of a Pagan Nun

Finished "Confessions of a Pagan Nun" by Kate Horsley. A small book, this one drew me in with the title, and was an interesting, relatively quick read that delved into Catholicism's inroads in pagan society at the time of St. Patrick. Well-written with some unconventional turns of phrase that painted a colorful story throughout.

Devil in the White City - reading

Finished "Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson. Thanks to Leap Year, I got an extra day and finished a second book in February.

This is one that Jess picked up and read first, recommending it to me. Then I heard there was going to be a movie made with Leonardo DiCaprio. Alright, I'll read it.

It's a good book, and very descriptive of the World's Fair. I expected a little more intertwining of the two story threads and was a little disappointed by how that played out, but each story was interesting in its own right. It was a little like reading two books at once.

I look forward to the movie!

Do the Work - reading

Finished "Do the Work: Overcome Resistance and Get Out of Your Own Way" by Steven Pressfield. Someone on one of the many Facebook groups I'm on recommended it, and I was in need of something to read, so I figured, "why not?"

This is less a book and more a glorified blog post, with a lot of white space and big fonts. The content was okay, but not worth the price of admission, in my opinion. I read it in an evening. Compared to "Rebel Without a Crew," this fell short for me. Your mileage may vary.

Rebel Without a Crew - reading

Finished "Rebel Without A Crew" by Robert Rodriguez. Mr. Rodriguez has a pretty incredible story about making his first film, El Mariachi, which I still haven't seen in any form (yet). The book itself, though heavily redundant in places, was a pretty easy read, and was inspiring to me. I might have to read it again if it helps get me off my butt!

In the Blink of an Eye - reading

Finished "In the Blink of an Eye" by Walter Murch. This was the second edition of a book about film editing, though really it's more about the history and earlier days and technology of editing, simply because it hasn't been updated. There are a couple interesting tidbits in here for the aspiring editor, but much of the talk of technology and speculation of the future are lost now that we've advanced another decade and a half.

That said, the guy's still a far better editor than I am.

One of the things that drew me to this book was the title. I had co-written an IFGS game once named "In the Blink of an Eye." That game and this book of course had nothing in common. I didn't see a single mention in the book of a seven-headed cryo-pyro-were-blink hydra.