Sunday, July 28, 2013

Baseball Fun

We wrapped up our summer vacation with a trip to Victory Field to watch the Indianapolis Indians play the Syracuse Chiefs.  Lexi won tickets when we visited the Shelbyville Community Pool on Community Day. It was a fun game, even though the Indians lost 2-1.  The ballpark is beautiful and the weather was, too.  I think more games are in our future.  Now, it's back to school.  I start Monday and the kids start on Wednesday.  Only 10 weeks until Fall Break!

1st Pro baseball game.

Our seats were 6th row behind the 1st base dugout.

Indy skyline in the back.

Me and my best friend.

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

The Crown Tower by Michael J. Sullivan - Book Review


From the publisher: Two men who hate each other. One impossible mission. A legend in the making.

Hadrian Blackwater, a warrior with nothing to fight for, is paired with Royce Melborn, a thieving assassin with nothing to lose. Hired by an old wizard, they must steal a treasure that no one can reach. The Crown Tower is the impregnable remains of the grandest fortress ever built and home to the realm's most prized possessions. But it isn't gold or jewels that the wizard is after, and if he can just keep them from killing each other, they just might succeed.


The Crown Tower is the first in a series of prequels (the Riyria Revelations) by Michael J. Sullivan. The series will tell the back story of his characters from the Riyria Chronicles, Royce Melborn and Hadrian Blackwater.  This first book tells how Royce and Hadrian met and their first job together, stealing a book from the Crown Tower.  This is referenced several times in the Riyria Chronicles books, so its fun to see the tale play out.

One of the dangers of prequels is that due to knowing the characters will survive, much of the tension and suspense can be missing.  Dangerous situations tend to lose their bite.  However, Sullivan does a wonderful job creating tension not with the plot, but in the character development.  The initial Hadrian we meet is a far cry from how he is portrayed in the Riyria Chronicles.  He is fresh from his time as a soldier in the East, a little naive about city life, but still full of the integrity that makes him the moral compass of the pair.  Royce is darker, possibly even more cynical, and emotionless.  They couldn't be more different from each other.  Contrasting these two with their later versions is a fun study in character development.

Sullivan begins to pull these two together ever so slowly, revealing their layers to each other at a consistent pace. There are fits and starts as Hadrian and Royce begin to work with each other, slowly growing to trust each other and beginning on the road to understanding and friendship.

While I expected the story of the Crown Tower job and the beginning of Royce and Hadrian's friendship/partnership, I didn't expect the story of some of the secondary characters from the original series.  It was cool to read about Gwen's past and how Medford House came about.  There was a lot added here, including some clues or prophecies related to the larger story told in the Riyria Chronicles (in fact, Sullivan did a fine job leaving hints to this throughout The Crown Tower).  Professor Arcadius also plays a role that is deeper than just the man who put Royce and Hadrian in contact with each other.  With the time spent with Gwen, her girls at Medford House, and Professor Arcadius, Sullivan begins to give the reader a sense of the larger world present in the Riyria series.  This also keeps The Crown Tower from being a novella, and just a nice add-on to fans of the previous series.

On it's own, The Crown Tower is a fun fantasy novel, with interesting characters and an engaging story.  Taken in context with the Riyria Chronicles, it's even more.  Michael J. Sullivan has demonstrated how a prequel can add to the overall depth of a series without becoming cheesy or cliched.  I highly recommend this book as a starter to the world of Royce and Hadrian, but especially to fans of the original series.

I received a review copy of the book from Orbit Books in exchange for an honest review.

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

NIV Leadership Bible - Book Review


From the publisher:
This Bible includes:
  • The complete text of the best-selling modern-English translation, the New International Version (NIV) Bible.
  • Book Introductions that underscore key leadership concepts in every book of the Bible.
  • Home Pages and Daily Studies offer 52 weeks of studies on topics important to every leader.
  • Study Windows reinforce the understanding of Biblical leadership throughout the text.
  • Character Profiles show how the personal attributes and decisions of biblical characters affected their relationships with others.
  • Topical Index highlights Bible passages most relevant to specific concerns.
  • Bibliography 
This is a pretty cool Bible.  I currently use the Maxwell Leadership Bible, and this compares nicely.  Rather than selections from Maxwell's books, though, there are multiple topics and character profiles (74 in total).  The topics include selections from Personal Development, Relationships, and Skills, with each category having multiple sub-topics.  There are also weekly devotions for all 52 weeks of the year, based around a leadership principle.  Each week includes a 5-day breakdown: Day 1 - Issue Introduction; Day 2 - Who God Is; Day 3 - Who I Am; Day 4 - How It Works; and Day 5 - What I Do.  There are also terrific introductions to each book of the Bible, which include background on the book, a leadership summary, and leadership principle(s) in the book.

I really like this Bible and recommend it to anyone who might be looking to examine leadership from a Biblical perspective.

I received a review copy of this book from Zondervan's Booksneeze review program in exchange for an honest review.

Saturday, July 13, 2013

You Can't Make Me (Put I Can Be Persuaded) by Cynthia Ulrich Tobias - Book Review

http://www.randomhouse.com/images/dyn/cover/?source=9781578565658&width=125
From the back of the book: Turn Conflict into Cooperation
 
Many parents suspect their strong-willed child is deliberately trying to drive them crazy. Difficult to discipline and seemingly impossible to motivate, these children present unique, exhausting, and often-frustrating challenges to the those who love them.

But strong will is not a negative trait. These same children have firm convictions, high spirits, a sense of adventure—all the makings of a great adult. In this book you’ll discover how to channel that passion and determination in positive ways as you build a healthy relationship. Through insights gained from strong-willed people of all ages, you’ll…
·         better understand how their minds really work.
·         discover positive ways to motivate your strong-willed child.
·         learn how to share control without compromising parental authority.
·         apply key tactics to survive a meltdown.
·         get practical tips for parents who disagree, blended families, and single parents.

Packed with  immediately useful strategies to drastically reduce the level of tension in the home (or in the classroom), You Can’t Make Me shows how you can start today to build a stronger, more positive relationship with your strong-willed child.

Includes…
·         Top Ten Tips for Bringing Out the Best in a Strong-Willed Child of Any Age
·         A Strong-Willed Child Emergency Kit


I was very interested to read this book, as I deal with Strong-Willed Children (SWC) in my role as a teacher.  Tobias does a very good job in explaining the thought process of a SWC, as she is one herself.  I found it very interesting to note that she does not equate being strong-willed as being bad or argumentative, but more along the lines of wanting some sense of control over choices. Some of this is done in how things are presented; for example, rather than an ultimatum about a situation, give a SWC two choices that will achieve the same outcome. She presents several strategies for bringing out the best in a SWC as well.  They include:
            1. Choose your battles. Don't make everything nonnegotiable.
            2. Lighten up, but don't let up.
            3. Ask more questions; issue fewer orders.
            4. Hand out more tickets; give fewer warnings.
            5. Make sure your SWC always knows your love is unconditional.

Each idea or strategy is supported with anecdotal evidence from her own life (she has a SWC son), or the lives of people she has met and/or counciled.

Tobias also spends a chapter discussing a SWC attitude towards school, which is often indifferent at best.  The approach, both teacher and parent, to a SWC who is just flat out refusing to do school work is key in (hopefully) turning around the child as a student.

The final sections of the book cover dealing with blended families with a SWC; when to take drastic measures due to potentially harmful behavior; and encouragement in restoring a broken relationship.

I found this book to be very enlightening, with many practical ideas and tips for interacting with a strong-willed child.  I would recommend it to anyone who is in regular contact with a SWC, but particularly parents and teachers.

I received a review copy of this book from WaterBrook Multnomah Press in exchange for an honest review.


Turn Conflict into Cooperation

Many parents suspect their strong-willed child is deliberately trying to drive them crazy. Difficult to discipline and seemingly impossible to motivate, these children present unique, exhausting, and often-frustrating challenges to the those who love them.

But strong will is not a negative trait. These same children have firm convictions, high spirits, a sense of adventure—all the makings of a great adult. In this book you’ll discover how to channel that passion and determination in positive ways as you build a healthy relationship. Through insights gained from strong-willed people of all ages, you’ll…
·         better understand how their minds really work.
·         discover positive ways to motivate your strong-willed child.
·         learn how to share control without compromising parental authority.
·         apply key tactics to survive a meltdown.
·         get practical tips for parents who disagree, blended families, and single parents.

Packed with  immediately useful strategies to drastically reduce the level of tension in the home (or in the classroom), You Can’t Make Me shows how you can start today to build a stronger, more positive relationship with your strong-willed child.

Includes…
·         Top Ten Tips for Bringing Out the Best in a Strong-Willed Child of Any Age
·         A Strong-Willed Child Emergency Kit - See more at: http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/catalog.php?work=179032#sthash.vsxYnFXg.dpuf
Turn Conflict into Cooperation

Many parents suspect their strong-willed child is deliberately trying to drive them crazy. Difficult to discipline and seemingly impossible to motivate, these children present unique, exhausting, and often-frustrating challenges to the those who love them.

But strong will is not a negative trait. These same children have firm convictions, high spirits, a sense of adventure—all the makings of a great adult. In this book you’ll discover how to channel that passion and determination in positive ways as you build a healthy relationship. Through insights gained from strong-willed people of all ages, you’ll…
·         better understand how their minds really work.
·         discover positive ways to motivate your strong-willed child.
·         learn how to share control without compromising parental authority.
·         apply key tactics to survive a meltdown.
·         get practical tips for parents who disagree, blended families, and single parents.

Packed with  immediately useful strategies to drastically reduce the level of tension in the home (or in the classroom), You Can’t Make Me shows how you can start today to build a stronger, more positive relationship with your strong-willed child.

Includes…
·         Top Ten Tips for Bringing Out the Best in a Strong-Willed Child of Any Age
·         A Strong-Willed Child Emergency Kit - See more at: http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/catalog.php?work=179032#sthash.vsxYnFXg.dpuf
Turn Conflict into Cooperation

Many parents suspect their strong-willed child is deliberately trying to drive them crazy. Difficult to discipline and seemingly impossible to motivate, these children present unique, exhausting, and often-frustrating challenges to the those who love them.

But strong will is not a negative trait. These same children have firm convictions, high spirits, a sense of adventure—all the makings of a great adult. In this book you’ll discover how to channel that passion and determination in positive ways as you build a healthy relationship. Through insights gained from strong-willed people of all ages, you’ll…
·         better understand how their minds really work.
·         discover positive ways to motivate your strong-willed child.
·         learn how to share control without compromising parental authority.
·         apply key tactics to survive a meltdown.
·         get practical tips for parents who disagree, blended families, and single parents.

Packed with  immediately useful strategies to drastically reduce the level of tension in the home (or in the classroom), You Can’t Make Me shows how you can start today to build a stronger, more positive relationship with your strong-willed child.

Includes…
·         Top Ten Tips for Bringing Out the Best in a Strong-Willed Child of Any Age
·         A Strong-Willed Child Emergency Kit - See more at: http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/catalog.php?work=179032#sthash.vsxYnFXg.dpuf
Turn Conflict into Cooperation

Many parents suspect their strong-willed child is deliberately trying to drive them crazy. Difficult to discipline and seemingly impossible to motivate, these children present unique, exhausting, and often-frustrating challenges to the those who love them.

But strong will is not a negative trait. These same children have firm convictions, high spirits, a sense of adventure—all the makings of a great adult. In this book you’ll discover how to channel that passion and determination in positive ways as you build a healthy relationship. Through insights gained from strong-willed people of all ages, you’ll…
·         better understand how their minds really work.
·         discover positive ways to motivate your strong-willed child.
·         learn how to share control without compromising parental authority.
·         apply key tactics to survive a meltdown.
·         get practical tips for parents who disagree, blended families, and single parents.

Packed with  immediately useful strategies to drastically reduce the level of tension in the home (or in the classroom), You Can’t Make Me shows how you can start today to build a stronger, more positive relationship with your strong-willed child.

Includes…
·         Top Ten Tips for Bringing Out the Best in a Strong-Willed Child of Any Age
·         A Strong-Willed Child Emergency Kit - See more at: http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/catalog.php?work=179032#sthash.vsxYnFXg.dpuf

Monday, July 8, 2013

The Big Reap by Chris F. Holm - Book Review


From the publisher: Who Collects the Collectors?

Sam Thornton has had many run-ins with his celestial masters, but he’s always been sure of his own actions. However, when he’s tasked with dispatching the mythical Brethren – a group of former Collectors who have cast off their ties to Hell – is he still working on the side of right?

The Big Reap is the third book about Sam Thornton (The Collector series), a man who traded his soul to save his wife.  Sam is now a Collector, which means it is his job to collect the souls of people who are going to Hell.  He isn't happy about this, nor is he happy about having Lilith as his overseer.

The Big Reap is the story of how Sam is tasked with collecting the souls of the Brethren, a group of nine former collectors who were able to escape from their jobs, granting them near-immortality and causing the Great Flood.  Sam, through no plan of his own, discovered the Brethren were actually mortal and his self-defense killing of one of them gets him the job of tracking down the other eight, thanks to Lilith.  As Sam takes over multiple different bodies, he begins a quest that turns out to be much bigger than what he thought he was getting into.

In addition to the main story, Holm also reveals Sam's death and his first assignment as a Collector: collect Hitler's soul.  It makes for a very interesting look at the end of Hitler's life.

I ended up enjoying this book quite a bit.  Holm's prose was very easy to read, almost flying by, and reminiscent of Raymond Chandler's hard-boiled Philip Marlowe stories (the titles in The Collector series are all riffs on Chandler's titles).  The action is near constant, with breaks here and there for the reader to catch their breath.

I really enjoyed the character of Sam Thornton.  He is a very conflicted man.  He is damned for eternity, but only because he sacrificed himself to save his wife's life.  He knows he has a job to do, but often runs into his own moral code and integrity.  He isn't a bad guy, he's not really a good guy; he is very much a reluctant hero.  He is quick-witted and a smart mouthed, but will do anything for his friends.

The plot description does not do this book justice.  While the hunt for the Brethren was interesting (nice little bit about how Frankstein's monster and Count Dracula came to be), it's what is going on beyond the hunt that makes the story for me.  The relationship Sam has with Lilith, as well as his friends Kate, Theresa, and Gio, grows and deepens.  In addition, Sam's meeting with the final Brethren adds depth to his character and the story as well.

Not simply a book about a damned soul working for eternity, Holm is taking Sam Thornton on a quest.  I'm not sure if its a quest for redemption, a chance to stick it to "the man", or simply a quest to help people who can't help themselves.  Regardless, it is a quest that is worth following in order to see the path Sam takes.

This was a fun book.  I would recommend it to urban fantasy fans looking for something a bit different.  There are shades of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Simon R. Green's Nightside series (starring John Taylor), also.

I received a review copy of this book from Angry Robot Publishers in exchange for an honest review.

Thursday, July 4, 2013

Hard Road by J.B. Turner - Book Review


From the publisher: “Sometimes, to protect what you love, you need to operate outside the law…”

Since his wife died on 9/11, Jon Reznick has worked hard to keep his shadowy world hidden from his eleven-year-old daughter. But when he’s ordered by his handler to assassinate a man in an exclusive Washington DC hotel, he discovers the target is not at all who he at first appears to be.

Quickly ensnared in a web of murder, extortion and treachery, Reznick finds himself fighting to outwit not only the clandestine group intent on hunting him down, but also to evade capture by  FBI Assistant Director Martha Meyerstein”

But it’s not only Reznick’s survival that’s at stake. A terrifying plot by a foreign government to bring the United States to its knees is underway. And only Reznick can stop it.

As Jon Reznick questions why the details surrounding his latest hit aren't accurate, he inadvertently finds himself defending the man rather than killing him.  This sets off a string of events that lead to Reznick's daughter being kidnapped, and Jon having to drag around his potential victim as he attempts to find and rescue her.  Why he doesn't follow the orders he's given immediately after he contacts his handler, he isn't really sure.  What he does know is that his personal code of ethics alarm is going off, and he needs to find his daughter.

In the midst of Reznick's search, J.B. Turner, the author of Hard Road, begins to reveal to the reader that there is something bigger at work: a potential terror attack on the United States.  FBI Assistant Director Martha Meyerstein is intent on tracking down a missing scientist, missing vials of a virus, and the man who can create the antidote: Frank Luntz, the man Jon Reznick was sent to kill.  As Turner weaves these two plot threads together, the story comes to an exciting finale.

I like the character of Jon Reznick.  He is a flawed and broken man, with some valuable skills (he is a former Delta operator).  He is willing to bad things to help good people and his country, but there are lines he won't cross.  There is a lot of potential with him.

I liked the plot of Hard Road, too.  It was exciting and moved along pretty well.  There were crosses and double-crosses, and I was never totally sure who to trust.

It was a very cinematic book; it was easy to picture Hard Road taking place on a movie screen.  And that is where my issue is with it.  It didn't seem to break any new ground.  That's okay, as it was an enjoyable book. But, it didn't leave me thinking about it afterward.  It was just like seeing the big summer blockbuster, full of thrills and action, but with no lasting impression.

As J.B. Turner continues to write about Jon Reznick, I'm hopeful he will delve deeper into the character of the man.  However, if Turner continues to write action-packed blockbusters, they will still be a good read.

Check out Hard Road if you are a fan of summer blockbusters and are looking for an easy summer read.

I received a review copy of this book from Angry Robot Publishers in exchange for an honest review.

Monday, July 1, 2013

Three by Jay Posey - Book Review


From the publisher: First book in the series: Legends of the Duskwalker
The world has collapsed, and there are no heroes any more.
But when a lone gunman reluctantly accepts the mantel of protector to a young boy and his dying mother against the forces that pursue them, a hero may yet arise.

The premise of Three, by Jay Posey, intrigued me.  I kind of like the loner-against-the-bad-guys stories.  There is something familiar about them that is right in my wheelhouse, whether its a book, tv show, or movie.  Which brings me to Three.  There are a lot of familiar tropes in this book: loner with a mysterious past; woman on the run from something bad; child with unusual abilities; bad guys who would stop at nothing to find the woman and child; and post-apocalyptic setting, sometime in our future.  Taken as pieces, they would offer nothing new.  Put together by Jay Posey, and they provide an intriguing story.

Three is a loner, possibly a bounty hunter (that's not too clear), who doesn't like crowds and cities.  That's okay, because in the land he lives in, there aren't a lot of either.  The reason why isn't explained, and it really doesn't matter in this story anyway.  In addition to the harsh conditions, at sundown strange creatures called Weir come out and no one is safe (what they are isn't really fleshed out either, although they are some strange combination of human bodies and mechanical impulses).  While Three is waiting to collect on a bounty, he is approached by a woman (Cass) who is looking for help for her child (Wren) and herself.  It is apparent that Cass is a drug addict and Wren is too young to help her, but Three doesn't want anything to do with them.  When a strange looking man comes looking for them, Three finds himself being misleading.  He then runs into another man after Wren and Cass, and reluctantly commits to helping them find safety.  Thus begins the adventure across the barren wasteland, avoiding many dangers, and discovering a few surprises.

In the midst of reading this book, I kept waiting for the pace to pick up, for more to be revealed about Three, Cass, Wren, the Weir, and their world.  I wasn't sure how much I liked the book.  It was interesting, to be sure, but the pacing seemed slow.  It wasn't until I was nearing the end that I found myself caught up in what was happening, reading the last third of the book in burst to discover what happened. Now, looking back at the story as a whole, I find I rather enjoyed it. The characters were engaging and mysterious, and the setting supported them.  And while the plot wasn't entirely something new, I'm not sure that it was intended to be ground-breaking.  I was more of a character piece, very much in the vein of Clint Eastwood's Spaghetti Westerns. Or maybe it was a moral piece.  Either way, the plot wasn't what drove the story, it was Three and Wren, with a little help from Cass.

There were a bunch of questions I had as I read and finished Three.  I would love to know more about Three; what exactly it is that Wren can do; what happened to the world; what the Weir are; and more.  However, as Three is the first book in the Legends of the Duskwalkers, I'm hopeful that some of these mysteries will be revealed in future installments.

Overall, I would recommend this book to fans of the Loner Anti-Hero type (ala Clint Eastwood).  It was interesting and provided many mysteries.  I feel like Posey is on the edge of writing something "New", "Different", and "Deep".  I look forward to following him in the future.

I received a review copy of this book from Angry Robot Publishers in exchange for an honest review.