Succulents

Seems my baby girl needs some succulents for the centerpiece thingies she'll be making for her wedding this summer.

Guess who got nominated to grow them? And since I do most everything my favorite child asks, tonight I repotted 57 clippings.

We'll see how they look in July.

Finished Block's "Sinner Man"

Lawrence Block's Sinner Man was a doozy. Supposedly lost in the abyss of the book publishing world for 50 years, Block's people found this and it was just recently published. Block provides a great afterward of trying to find his own lost treasure.

It's dark, violent noir and classic Hard Case Crime. I can't say I didn't see the end twist coming but it was still fantastic.

From Amazon:

To escape punishment for a murder he didn't mean to commit, insurance man Don Barshter has to take on a new identity: Nathaniel Crowley, ferocious up-and-comer in the New York mob. But can he find safety in the skin of another man...a worse man...a sinner man...?

Amazonians give it a 4.4. Goodreaders at 3.7 of 5. It's definitely one of the better books I've read in a while, tipping the scales at an 7+ on the 10-point Haugenometer.

A top-fiver from Wes in 2016: Friday Night Lights

Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream
by H.G. Bissinger

As Sports Illustrated noted on the back cover: "The Best Football Book Ever"....I would agree. This was a masterpiece telling the story of "Friday Night Lights" in Odessa, Texas.

The book is about so much more than football: the town, the oil industry, the racial attitudes, the worship (at the time) of the Permian Panthers. Difficult to read in some chapters (centered around race), this is an important book to read. Glad I finally got around to reading it 20 years later! Reminded me some of my high school football experiences in some areas. 5 stars.

A top-fiver from Wes in 2016: The Fractured Republic

The Fractured Republic: Renewing America’s Social Contract in the Age of Individualism
by Yuval Levin

"Fractured Republic" is without a doubt, one of the best policy books I've read in years about America and why we have become so polarized as a country. Levin's core premise is that both Republicans and Democrats are striving to return to each party's "golden age" (1960s and 1980s specifically) where "things worked" in each party's view. Levin notes on p. 102: "Our politics of competing nostalgias often translation into a fight between individualism and statism that neglects the middle layers of society: the Right wants unmitigated economic individualism but a return to common moral norms. The Left wants unrestrained moral individualism but economic consolidation. Both will need to come to terms with some unconformable realities of twenty--first century America."

The author does a great job walking the reader through these decades and why things seem to have "fallen apart" in the 21st Century. Throughout the book I found myself highlighting key passages and ideas I haven't thought of or considered before or circling passages that effortlessly summarize my thoughts over the years following politics. This book helped me understand better at the 10000 foot view why our country seems "off the rails" and why both political parties are locked in such fierce battles and never-ending partisanship and brinkmanship.

Levin makes a lot of sense in this extended essay (as he calls it), which he as put considerable time and reflection into before putting pen to paper or started typing away. A treasure of a book and a road map to the future in our fractured, individualist era we are now living in. Levin states (p 104) that, "Too many Americans are detached from some core sources and channels of human flourishing--family, work, faith, and community. The challenges of governing are great. But they are made made even greater than they have to be by our inability to grasp our circumstances as their are." A must read before the 2016 election and beyond for serious people seeking serious solutions to today's problems.

A top-fiver from Wes in 2016: Impossible People

Impossible People: Christian Courage and the Struggle for the Soul of Civilization
by Os Guinness

As I look back at 2016, I believe "Impossible People" by Os Guinness is one of the most timely and important books I read. Guinness does a tremendous job and a terrific service to the reader, summarizing the peril that Western Civilization faces from enemies abroad and at home (and within our Church!)

Guinness notes: "At stake is the attempted completion of the centuries-long assault on the Jewish and Christian faiths and their replacement by progressive secularism as the defining faith of the West and the ideology said to be the best suited to the conditions of advanced modernity." (p.22)

He also states in a later chapter that "[The] future of the world in the next generations will be shaped decisively by the answer to three great questions:

1) Will Islam modernize peacefully in the end?
2) Which faith or ideology will replace Marxism in China?
3) Will the Western world sever or recover its roots? (The subject of this book)." p. 38

This book is a tour-de-force in a defense of Christianity and Judaism and Western Civilization. I found myself highlighting a passage on almost every page and notations in the margins throughout. His social commentary on the current world we live in is unsurpassed in modern writing. I would suggest reading the book slowly, grasping the big ideas and pondering and praying over his offered commentary.

In the end, Guinness challenges: "[Our] faith in God must always be our defining trust and the compass for our way of life. Living before the absolute presence of God, we are called to be faithful, and therefore unmanipulable, unbribable, undeterrable, and unclubbable [defines these terms in earlier chapters]. We serve an impossible God, and we are to be God's impossible people. Let us then determine and resolve to be so faithful in all the challenges and ordeals the onrushing future brings that it may be said of us that we in our turn have served God's purpose in our generation. So help us God". p.223

A top-fiver from Wes in 2016: The River of Doubt

The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey
by Candice Millard

This spring my brother, father I had took a vacation or "mancation" to New York City. One of the highlights for me was to visit Theodore Roosevelt's Sagamore Hill home on Oyster Bay!

For the flight to NYC, I wanted to read an additional TR book to get my mind focused on the 26th president. Before I left, I picked up "The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey" by Candice Millard about his expedition through the deepest parts of the Amazon rain forest and river. I was glad I did! Millard is a master of narrative non-fiction. This book is incredible. Millard did a great job introducing the characters in the book, and weaving them into the story. Millard has tremendous respect for nature and the Amazon and is able to convey the wonder of nature throughout this book. If you didn't know about this TR's expedition, you would think it was a novel. Its an unbelievable tale of grit, determination, hard work, leadership and survival in one of the last "unreached" people groups and areas of the globe at the time.

I would place this near the top of my favorite Theodore Roosevelt books and also history books in general. Bravo, Ms. Millard! 5 stars! Looking forward to more from her in the future hopefully!

A top-fiver from Wes in 2016: Red Platoon

We’re not so far into 2017 that we still can’t look back at the best books we read last year. We’ve been busy! As such, I invited avid reader and co-worker Wes Roth to submit his best-of list. As you can see, he’s heavy into non-fiction, historical and political, but don’t hold that against him.

He has his top five, which I’ll feature one a day here. The one that didn’t make the list at No. 6 was Hillbilly Elegy, which was another fave among the 29 books he read last year.

So, in no particular order here is one of his top-fivers:

Red Platoon: A True Story of American Valor

by Clint Romesha: 

"In war, you play for keeps -- and because of that, there are no second chances and no do-overs. The calculus of combat, at its most brutal essence, is binary: you either overcome the hurdles that are flung in front of you and you figure out a way to make things happen, or you don't. Its a zero-sum, win-or-lose game with no middle ground--and no points for trying hard" (P. 324). This statement sums up war from former Staff Sgt Clint Romesha, who has written a military biography for the ages and one that should be read by every American.

Romesha was awarded numerous awards and decorations, including the Medal of Honor, for his bravery in on 10/3/09 at COP Keating. Widely reported at the time, and later covered by CNN's Jake Tapper on his show and in his book, "The Outpost," Romesha's "Red Platoon" gives the reader a heart-pounding account of the battle to protect COP Keating against an onslaught by the Taliban on that FalL day. Jaw-dropping, uncertain, hopeful, sad, heartbreaking were some of the emotions I experienced while reading this book. Its a vital contribution to this history in the war in Afghanistan and will be referenced for many years to come. 

This was an excellent book and one of the best I've read recently. My heart breaks for the eight brave men that were lost and the families they left behind. We need to keep praying for them. A brief but important post written by veteran Ben Sledge should also be read after you read this book: "The Conversation About War and Our Veterans We Refuse to Have" 

So now I have to buy a book I wasn't going to

As you've seen by now, I'm not a fan of boycotts and bans. So I see something like this and it really burns me: A bunch of jealous children's book authors are protesting a book deal of Simon & Schuster with Milo Yiannopoulos. Basically, he's getting a $250k advance and they're not.

I don't know much about ol' Milo, except that he's gay, not liberal, and has said some controversial things. Oh, no! In this day and age of snowflakes and professional undies-in-a-bunchers, that's practically a felony.

Fine, the kids' lit authors are entitled to their opinion, but seriously? Authors wanting to curb free speech? And then they have the audacity to suggest they aren't suppressing free speech because Milo has other platforms (internet & organizations) to get his message out.

That's like saying it's okay to ban Huckleberry Finn in the libraries because people can read it online. What a bunch of crap from a bunch of crybabies who you'd think would know better.

I wonder if these kiddy book writers also protested other Simon & Schuster authors who have said or done controversial things: Hunter S. Thompson, Glenn Beck, Hillary Clinton, Mark Levin, Stephen King, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Donald Trump, Dick Cheney, Dan Brown, Carrie Fisher. Among others.

And the story mentions bookstores who plan to ban his book. As if they carry no books somebody else might find offensive. And they don't even know if there will be anything offensive in this book, only that they don't like the politics of its author. Good grief. Book sellers censoring. Craziness.

So many people disappointing me with their hypocrisy these days.

It's not just the hypocrisy of people who should be celebrating free speech actually thwarting it, but their stupidity in thinking boycotts work. All it does is bring more attention to Milo. Want to shut him up, ignore him.

I have a sticker on my portfolio at work that says "I buy banned books." I'd normally have no interest in Milo. Nothing against him, just no interest. But now I do. Now I'll buy his book, assuming our local bookstore sells it. If they don't, they'll be hearing from me.

As my wife and others who know me will attest, if you want me to do something, tell me I shouldn't.

The book is called Dangerous. It comes out March 14. Pre-order it here.

Huckleberry Finn smokin'

I added to my modest collection of Huckleberry Finn books recently when the public library had a remodeling sale. Picked it up for a buck.

The thing I like about it, and which makes it unique to all the others I own, is it’s the only one I have where Huck is smoking a pipe on the cover. It’s a cool drawing, though I think Huck looks younger than the 13- or 14-year-old Huck in the novel. Maybe not.

Huck, the vagabond, slippin’ out for a smoke. Widow Douglas would not be happy.

It's time to read a book

So I’ve had this project in my head for quite a while but couldn’t figure out how to pull it off.

As you can see, each book coincides with the hour (except for 9 and 10, which are just place-holders until I read a book with 9 or 10 in the title). The problem was trying to figure out how to hold the books without taping or nailing them. I went to Hobby Lobby and tried to find some sort of little knick-knack holder each book could rest on. But I couldn’t find anything.

Then, the next day, it struck me like a bolt of lightning. Ribbon! Tacks. Clear.

So the boy and I hit up Walmart initially looking for a transparent ribbon, but Junior had a moment of brilliance and said: “Why would they make clear ribbon?” So we settled for “transparent” ribbon which has a little lacy look to it you can barely see in the photo. Then there’s a tack at the top and bottom to hold up the books. Worked like a charm, but kind of limited to paperbacks as I don’t think it will hold hard-cover books.

Anyway, it wasn’t quite as cool as I envisioned in my head, but not bad.

Finished: Lee Child's 'Night School'

Last night I finished the newest installment of Jack Reacher: Lee Child’s novel titled “Night School.”

I’m thinking of changing the way I rank books. Instead of 1-10, it might be more accurate to just list the days it took to read the book. With rare exception, the best books are hard to put down. I plowed through this one in two nights. It was one of the better Reacher novels in a while.

From Goodreads:

It’s 1996, and Reacher is still in the army. In the morning they give him a medal, and in the afternoon they send him back to school. That night he’s off the grid. Out of sight, out of mind.

Two other men are in the classroom — an FBI agent and a CIA analyst. Each is a first-rate operator, each is fresh off a big win, and each is wondering what the hell they are doing there.

From Langley to Hamburg, Jalalabad to Kiev, Night School moves like a bullet through a treacherous landscape of double crosses, faked identities, and new and terrible enemies, as Reacher maneuvers inside the game and outside the law.

This is the 21st Jack Reacher book. Wow, time flies when you’re kickin’ butt. In this one, kind of a prequel to the others, Reacher is still in the Army. I found it refreshing at a time when the series kind of needed a reboot.

Goodreaders give it a 4 of 5, B&N’ers a 3 of 5. I give it a solid 7 out of 10 or a 2 on the days-to-read scale.

Finished: Donald Westlake's '361'

Finished Donald E. Westlake’s hard-boiled crime drama “361.” It was the dark, mean, greasy-grimy gopher guts kind of stuff I like. It doesn’t contain much, if any, of the humor Westlake is best known for in his hilarious Dortmunder Gang novels.

The men in the tan-and-cream Chrysler came with guns blazing. When Ray Kelly woke up in the hospital, it was a month later, he was missing an eye, and his father was dead. Then things started to get bad.

It’s a short read, which I like. One of Westlake’s first novels, just punches you in the gut and doesn’t apologize. Lawrence Block, a BFF of the now deceased Westlake, said it’s the first book where he saw Westlake get “his voice.”

In between pages I happened to watch the movie Sicario (ft. Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin and Benicio Del Toro). It seemed fitting as Del Toro’s character’s wife and daughter were murdered and his total no-conscience pursuit of the killers reminded me of Westlake’s character. Just flat-out stone cold messed up in the head guys bent on vengeance. The thing with his eye is ingenious writing.

I gave it a 7- of 10. Goodreaders give it a 3.6 of 5.

I implore you, if you haven’t read Donald Westlake do it. Maybe don’t start with this one. But do one.

Link-oh-frozen-rama

This is kind of a big deal for my neck of the woods. Author Amity Shlaes will be speaking at the winter graduation at S.D. School of Mines.

While I generally find authors to be boring, pretentious speakers, there are exceptions. She might be one, or maybe not. I’ve heard that her book on Calvin Coolidge, cleverly named "Coolidge," is pretty good if you’re into non-fiction biographies of dead presidents.

*** It’s getting to be the end of the year so the “best books of 2016” lists are coming out.

Here’s Goodreads best books of 2016.

And the Boston Globe weighs in with their faves. I notice “The Only Rule Is It Has To Work” shows up on a lot of lists. Might have to check it out.

This book also looks interesting: “Narconomics: How to Run a Drug Cartel.” Not that I'm looking, but if this writing thing doesn't work out ...

*** Bill Gates and his top five books of 2016. It includes one from the science list below: The Gene.

In The Gene: An Intimate History, physician and Pulitzer-winning author Siddhartha Mukherjee offers a rigorously researched, beautifully written detective story about the genetic components of what we experience as the self, rooted in Mukherjee’s own painful family history of mental illness and radiating a larger inquiry into how genetics illuminates the future of our species.

*** The greatest science books of 2016 by brainpickings. “When Breath Becomes Air” looks interesting.

That tumultuous turning point is what neurosurgeon Paul Kalanithi chronicles in When Breath Becomes Air — his piercing memoir of being diagnosed with terminal cancer at the peak of a career bursting with potential and a life exploding with aliveness. Partway between Montaigne and Oliver Sacks, Kalanithi weaves together philosophical reflections on his personal journey with stories of his patients to illuminate the only thing we have in common — our mortality — and how it spurs all of us, in ways both minute and monumental, to pursue a life of meaning.

*** A good first-hand account of Gen. James "Mad Dog" Mattis, hopefully our next SecDef.

This, from the Military Times in 2013, gives a good retrospective on his career and some of the stories that define it.

*** This gal’s making some waves lately. My daughter and Tomi interned together in Rep. Kristi Noem's Rapid City office.

*** Castro lovers might be wise to read this, which means they won't. Dude was kept in a dark cell naked for eight years.

*** Belated happy birthday to C.S. Lewis. Here's some stuff you might not know about him.

Finished: Robert Parker's 'Silent Night'

They call Robert B. Parker the Dean of American Crime Fiction. He's most famous for his 40 novels featuring private detective Spenser. Many people know of the TV series Jesse Stone, with Tom Selleck, but don't know it's based on Parker novels. He shows his versatility as a western writer as well, with Appaloosa to his credit.

Unfortunately, he died in 2010.

Fortunately, his agent kept his spirit alive by finishing the Spenser novel he was working on at the time of his death.

And I just finished it. I'll call it my Christmas read "Silent Night," though it probably has a few too many murders in it to be considered real Christmassy. It is set during the Christmas season though and loosely uses a drug dealer as Scrooge.

It's December in Boston, and Spenser is busy planning the menu for Christmas dinner when he's confronted in his office by a young boy named Slide. Homeless and alone, Slide has found refuge with an organization named Street Business, which gives shelter and seeks job opportunities for the homeless and lost. Slide's mentor, Jackie Alvarez, is being threatened, and Street Business is in danger of losing its tenuous foothold in the community, turning Slide and many others like him back on the street. But it's not a simple case of intimidation — Spenser, aided by Hawk, finds a trail that leads to a dangerous drug kingpin, whose hold on the at-risk community Street Business serves threatens not just the boys' safety and security, but their lives as well.

I liked it. I love RBP. Sad to know there won't be any new novels of his, but happy to know I've got about 30 left to read.

I gave "Silent Night" a 6+ on the Haugenometer. Goodreaders gave it 3.8 and B&Ners a 3.5 on their 5-point scales.

Finished Koontz's 'Ashley Bell'

Finished Dean Koontz’s epic novel Ashley Bell last night. I say “epic” because it’s over 700 pages. Being a huge fan, I was hoping more Koontz meant more to enjoy. I was wrong.

I’m not a guy who likes long books. I have weak wrists to hold such a book in long sittings and have even less patience. So what I find myself doing is speed reading and seldom falling into “the zone” every reader likes where time flies by. I kept doing the math in my head to see how many pages where left before what I hoped was a lollapalooza of an ending to make it worthwhile. Koontz does a great job of making me wonder “where is he going with this?” and “how is going to tie it all together?” That’s what kept me going.

From Goodreads:

At twenty-two, Bibi Blair’s doctors tell her that she’s dying. Two days later, she’s impossibly cured. Fierce, funny, dauntless, she becomes obsessed with the idea that she was spared because she is meant to save someone else. Someone named Ashley Bell. This proves to be a dangerous idea.

There’s no denying Koontz has a rare gift of an uber imagination. (Oddly, he uses “uber” a lot in this book.) But I get the feeling he’s just showing off now. I love how his novels weave the mystical, religious, and sixth-sense kind of thing. But this one was a reach, and a long one. Did I mention the book was long? It’s almost like he was bragging about being a writer with an out-of-this-world imagination and drawing it all together. His sermons on fiction were a little over-bearing.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad I read it. It was different. His talent for plotting is rare. I wish I had it. If I did, I’d write a lot more and shorter books.

I thought the Washington Post summed it up well:

By then, my view of the novel had progressed from an admiring “What lovely writing!” to a weary “What pretentious hokum!” There’s much to treasure in magical writing, but “Ashley Bell” is hardly an example of the style at its best. Still, one reader’s hokum is another reader’s happiness. I imagine that countless Koontz fans will delight in Bibi’s strange adventures, and I’d be the last to begrudge them their pleasures.

Goodreaders give it a 3.6 of 5. B&N’ers slightly lower at 3.5. The10-point Haugenometer only gave it a 6-.

Link-O-lame-O-rama

Places to go, people to see, so some random links on the fly:

*** The oldest Tuskegee Airman dies at 101.

*** The top 10 books of 2016 according to … Glamour! Consider the source please.

*** The bromance between John Carson and William F. Buckley.

*** General Mattis, rumored to be next Sec. Def., writes about the importance of professional reading.

*** How Duke and Kentucky came to rule college basketball.

Genious at werk

Link-o-lection-day-rama

Last night I pre-ordered what I think will be a pretty cool book: “In Sunlight or In Shadow: Stories Inspired by the Paintings of Edward Hopper”

Lawrence Block invited 17 of his friends, including Lee Child, Jeffery Deaver and Stephen King, to write a story as they see depicted in Hopper’s paintings. Pretty cool idea.

I have Hopper’s most-famous “Nighthawks” in our house. It’s fun to look at, imagine the conversation and what the creepy guy sitting by himself is up to. It will be interesting to see which writer writes the story to go with it.

*** This has always been a bugaboo of mine and while he was forced to read a lot in high school I’m worried it may not turn into a lifelong passion for him as it was for me and my father. But then again, ya never know. How to get your boy reading.

So what can we do to stimulate the left brains of squirmy boys and get them reading with as much commitment as their sisters? Don’t underestimate the power of example, for a start. Boys need to see older males reading joyfully – otherwise they risk writing it off as a “girly” thing. So that’s down to dads and other male role models. Primary schools – female dominated environments, usually – should regularly invite in male authors, librarians and volunteers to talk about reading and share books. A footballer with a passion for books would be good, for instance.

*** This guy isn’t too fond of the direction The National Book Award is going.

*** A look at John Grisham’s newest book: The Whistler

*** The 10 must-read books for November.

'Murica!

Hiking with wifey and daughter this morning by Slate Creek west of Hill City and found one fella with a better view of the Black Hills than us.

Finished: 'Songs of Innocence'

Recently finished "Songs of Innocence" by Richard Aleas. It's book #33 from Hard Case Crime publishing.

Aleas, whose real name is Charles Ardai, is the founder of the publishing company and this was his debut novel.

As mentioned before, I'm into the crime/mystery thing, particularly the old-style 1950s hard-boiled crime noir. Donald Westlake and Lawrence Block are my faves. Some of them get pretty gritty and dirty, but none more so than this one.

Three years ago, detective John Blake solved a mystery that changed his life forever — and left a woman he loved dead. Now Blake is back, to investigate the apparent suicide of Dorothy Louise Burke, a beautiful college student with a double life. The secrets Blake uncovers could blow the lid off New York City’s sex trade...if they don’t kill him first.

It was a little darker than most. Dealt with some disturbing topics like suicide and another I can't tell you about without ruining the ending. So I won't. And it's that ending. Man, it made the novel great, the plot awesome, but also made me not like the book. Hard to explain. The Washington Post pretty much nails it with this:

"Songs of Innocence[’s] devastating final scenes elevate the novel to an instant classic. The painful climax of this novel, as unexpected as it is powerful, will move you in ways that crime fiction rarely can." 

Goodreaders give it a 3.8 out of 5. I'm torn, but will defer to the writing skills of the author and will give it a 7- out of 10 on the Haugenometer.

As a pallet-cleanser I've moved on to Dean Koontz's "Ashley Bell."

I'm about 100 pages into this 700-page tome and it's vintage Koontz. The only reason I don't like reading Koontz is because he makes me feel so inadequate as a writer. This could be one of those losing-sleep knockout novels.

Koontz gives me pen envy.