Category: Books

Additions to My Must Read List

7/10/2014

Last year, I wrote several blog entries on my list of “must read” books in each genre I enjoy. Well, readers are always reading, and today I’d like to share my additions to this list. Unlike the original entries, this isn’t separated by genre – it’s an overall list of books I’ve read in the past 12-18 months that I loved. And now without further ado, get ready to load up your ereader or bookshelf with:

The One Year Chronological Bible NIV – this is the study Bible I’m using this year, and it’s amazing. The New International Bible is my favorite because it’s easy to understand, and having the books organized in chronological order of events as they actually happened and were written makes understanding The Bible so much easier. Plus, the readings are short and only take 10-15 minutes per day (or less in some cases). I not only highly recommend this version of The Bible, but say it’s a must have for those of us that do daily Bible readings. Definitely add this version to your shelf!

The Secret by Rhonda Byrne – this book doesn’t just extol the power of positive thinking, it tells how it works and how to make it work for you. Although this isn’t a religious book, I’ve read many Christian titles that talk about the exact same principles in a Biblical context, and I’ve even had Christian therapists give me some of the exact same advice that’s in this book. Plus, it’s a short, quick read, and if you don’t like to read then there’s a DVD version that says the exact same things as the book does. I’ve often said that changing your thinking can change your life, and this book and/or DVD tell you how to do that. It can change your life in great ways, so go get it. Now.

A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin – if you’re a fantasy fan, this book series is a must read. There are currently five books in the series, but do yourself a favor and buy the entire series, because you’re going to be hooked quick. This is the book series that the HBO series Game of Thrones is based on, and the TV series follows the books well. I’ll warn you that it’s not for the faint of heart, but if you like fantasy then you aren’t the faint of heart type anyway. Reading this book series is an amazing endeavor and you’re going to love it. My only gripe is that The Winds of Winter isn’t out yet, because I want to know what happens next!

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie – this book should be a must read for everybody in the workforce, especially people in management positions or above. Yes, it’s an older book, but the principles in it are timeless and still stand up to modern psychology and human relationships. If people took even a quarter of the advice in this book, the whole world would be a better place, and definitely more pleasant. Don’t let the title make you shy away, because it’s a great book that more people definitely need to read.

The Elements of Style by William Strunk – every writer needs to brush up on grammer and style rules on a regular basis, and this brief guide is the perfect thing. Plus, it was updated last year, so you know it has the most relevant and current information available. A must have on every author’s shelf!

How to Write a Short Story that Works by Michael Allen – if you write short stories, this is the only book you need. I’ve read a lot of guides on writing better short stories, but this is the most comprehensive and has the best advice of how to write a good, solid short story. It’s a bit more expensive for an ebook (about $10) but its well worth it.

I’m always reading, so of course my list of “must reads” is in a state of constant growth. If you’re interested in following the books I read, feel free to connect with me on Goodreads.

That’s all today. Take care. Have a Happy Friday tomorrow and a wonderful weekend.

Bye!

Fiction Vs. Reality

3/27/2014

Have you seen those posts on social media that say “You’re living in the last scene your read. Where are you?” Or “your life is the last TV show you watched. Where are you?” I know what my answer to both questions would be: someplace that makes a heck of a lot more sense than reality!

I don’t know about you, but I wholeheartedly agree that reality is stranger than fiction. Or at least, it’s more interesting. If only people were as clever as the Winchester brothers on Supernatural, or Lord Baleish and Tyrion Lannister on Game on Thrones. If only you should put on a hood and shoot arrows at people that don’t do what’s right. If only S.H.I.E.L.D. were really watching over us (but then again, perhaps it’s best that we don’t need to worry about interstellar and alien intruders!). It would be a lot more interesting if Thor and Iron Man were in the back woods instead of wildlife squabbling over scraps. Three dragons following me around would be absolutely amazing, as would vacations on the moons of Jupiter or Saturn. And oh, wouldn’t you rather have an exciting headline about terraforming Mars, or finding and exploring an Earth-like planet galexies away instead of the same old things about wars, rumors of wars, missing planes, and conspiracy theories?

One thing’s for certain: people tend to figure things out faster in fiction than in reality. The Winchester brothers on Supernatural have fighting demons down to an art, but in reality most of us don’t do well taking our own thoughts captive – much less demons! I don’t see my next door neighbors as Russian Spies from the 80’s when they can’t figure out that the dog is gonna bark all night if they put it out with the raccoons, opossums, owls, and feral cats pestering it. And who’s going to take an Iron Throne over seven kingdoms they keep putting money in the vending machine with “U O ME” sticky notes all over it? In fiction, people reason. In reality, people react. And not always in the wisest manner. Especially when they don’t read the instructions.

Oh well, it is what it is. Then again, that’s why we read: because the drama that’s made up is often more sensible than the drama we create in real life!

That’s all today. Have a Happy Friday and a great weekend.

Bye!

Writing Advice I Ignore

3/15/2014

Recently, I read the book Write. Publish. Repeat. I really liked this book, because it was filled with good, practical advice about how indie authors can build an audience and sustain themselves in the growing world of ebooks and self publishing. One big thing I picked up was the 80/20 rule they had, which I've seen other places. Basically, this is to find what yields the most results, and to spend 80% of your time doing it. Everything else, reduce to 20% so you aren't wasting too much time on things that aren't really helping. I've actually considered this over the past week, and it's already helped me to take a good, honest look at what works and what doesn't, and to rearrange my priorities accordingly. This may be good advice to apply to other areas of life as well!

There was one piece of advice there, though, that I simply can't take. I've seen it other places, and every time I run across it, it strikes me as absolute nonsense. It's the advice that writer's block is a myth, that there is no such thing as bad writing, and that you should power through it by writing every day until you produce a viable product because, with enough work, anything can be good.

And that's total crap. I have a hard drive full of reasons for it, if you want to see the proof.

Frankly, the "write every day even if you don't feel like it" advice is advice that I have to ignore because I don't believe it. Writer's block is quite real, folks, and any writer that actually has a life can tell you otherwise. In fact, writer's that have a life and livelihood besides their writing can tell you the truth about writer's block: not only is it real, but it exists in every other area of life too, just by a different name. Outside of the writing world, people call it "burnout." It happens when you've been working too hard and too long at something, and you need to step away from it for a while to get a new perspective and new ideas on how to move forward. We all need to rest, from time to time, and replenish our well of energy and creativity. Forcing yourself to power through this burnout doesn't lead to good, quality work that can be made good with any amount of revising, rewriting, or proofreading. Well, maybe it can be made better by rewriting, but for me that usually means utilizing the all-powerful "Delete" key, opening a new document, and starting over. Which I have done. A lot.

I think when they say that writer's block is a myth, they're referring to a kind of paralysis caused by fear of starting a new project. This is a different thing, because it's not really writer's block, it's a defense mechanism. When used as such then yes, it's a myth. But true writer's block that comes about after working on or completing a large projects (or a lot of other projects) is quite real, because the human mind can only produce so much before it needs a break from the same old, same old. The trick is to know what form you're really talking about: the form caused by burnout, or the form caused by defense mechanisms.

And alternately, not every piece of writing can be redeemed. Believe it or not, I actually wrote a sequel to Battleground Earth many years ago. Trust me, you don't ever want that piece to see the light of day. I tried twice to redeem that book, and it just sucks too bad to be done. I actually keep it to remind me of the reality of the fact that not everything can be saved.

I guess the point is that you have to find what works for you, because advice is just that: advice. Not everything works for everybody. Maybe "powering through" and forcing the writing works for some people, but it just doesn't for me. Seems I'm a kind that has to step back and experience life every now and then for the muse to keep working. That's what works for me, so that's what I'll do.

That's all today. Take care and have a great rest of the weekend.

Bye!

Evolution Trade Offs

2/10/2014

Of course, there is some tech that I’d hate to see die or, in some cases, I hated to see it go. I suppose being raised on the border between old ways and new ways gives you a unique perspective! For example, I hope we never fully lose:

Paperback books – I love ebooks, but every now and then, it’s nice to have a paperback in your hands. They’re easy to keep up with, and aren’t subject to the limitations of ebooks like battery supply, memory storage, or the “please shut down all electronic devices” on airplanes. Hardbacks are a pain, too expensive, and too much space, weight, and trouble, but paperbacks can, sometimes, be the best of all worlds. Sometimes.

Compact Discs and DVD’s – While I love streaming media and MP3’s, it’s often cheaper to get a DVD or a CD (especially of older things, or of TV series, which run sales on DVD’s but never on streaming video). CD’s are a good backup for data storage, too. Yes, flash drives and external hard drives are better and have more storage capacity, and Cloud backup is nearly limitless. But it’s still a good option have available from time to time.

FM/AM Radio – Satellite radio is great, but frankly I object to paying for radio – especially when I appreciate the local perspective, news, traffic, etc. I’d be perfectly OK with keeping the old fashioned radio just like it is.

Watches – fewer and fewer people are using them, but it’s still more convenient to check that than check your phone. Or maybe it’s because wearing a watch is a lifelong habit of mine that I can’t seem to break, especially when I have several that were gifts and have sentimental value.

And I mourn the passing of:

Typewriters – it isn’t often, but sometimes computers have their moments and I’m tempted to raid my parents’ attic for my old Fisher Price typewriter. Face it, we haven’t gone 100% digital yet, and sometimes typewriters could provide a good “cheat” to make things look neat.

Cassette Tapes – if I could convert my cassettes to MP3’s, I could easily quadruple my music collection! They skipped a step! No fair! And it’s so hard to find a cassette player now that they’re all but obsolete.

Polaroid Cameras – I know camera phones take the best pictures of all, but it was just neat to see that picture come out and develop right in front of your eyes. I had one as a teen and loved it!

Floppy Discs – they had pitiful storage capacity, but the neat thing about them was that you could get them in colors, and color code your backup data. It brought some zing to your backup files. Pink for writing, green for finance, red for personal files, blue for work related data …

Yes, technology is great, but you have to admit that sometimes the quaintness is lost in progress. Oh well. I suppose upgrading means trade offs with sentimental value. But we adapt, all the time.

That’s all today. Take care, and have a good week.

Bye!

What I Learned on My Christmas Break

1/6/2014

It's amazing what you learn about yourself after a couple of weeks off work. I really didn't think much of it until I returned to work today, but it turns out that I learned quite a few things about myself over the past couple of weeks. For example:

1. We can nurse a sick parakeet. Ollie had us worried with that nerve inflammation and groin strain. His mobility is very limited. But somehow, the Lord rose us to it. We got his cage reconfigured, and he's improved a lot in the past couple of weeks. The groin strain seems to be healing - he's gaining strength in his right foot, he's eating better, his energy is increasing, and he's gained 4 grams over the past couple of weeks. Thank you, Lord. Keep him healing. Keep us equipped to help in his healing. And go Ollie!

2. I can write a sequel. And I'm doing it. I always said that writing a sequel wasn't my thing, because my characters couldn't take any more once I was done with them. But the idea for a sequel to my last mystery novel, Move, came to me right before I got off for work, and it's taken off from there. So far, I've written 2 chapters, and it keeps flowing. I'm interested to see where this goes.

3. We can not leave the house for 2-3 days, and it doesn't bother us. Rick and the birds are pretty good company. And it's very nice to be home!

4. There are some silly commercials on TV. As if the Farmer's Only commercial isn't an annoying ear bug, the flying Nissan and the Dr. Pepper one with the bear rowing the guy in the boat is just all kinds of crazy. It seems silly is the way to go.

5. I can read 3 books in 2 weeks. I wondered if that was even possible, because I do good to finish reading a book in a month when I'm at work.

6. It's good to have your afternoons to do chores and errands so you can relax and watch TV at night. So that's how retirees and stay at homes spend their days. Secret revealed.

7. You can get a flu shot and still get the flu. That wasn't a good thing to learn - no more than learning that my thermometer threatens to spontaneously combust if your temperature is over 100 degrees, or that the swab they use to test you must go up your nose until it hits your brain. But I did learn that Tamiflu works, especially if you catch it within the first 24 hours of getting symptoms.

8. We're the cleanest people in the world. We must be, because I can't believe how much trash we took to the dump while we were off. We throw everything away.

9. Getting up early isn't even for the birds. Zack, Chloe, and Ollie didn't wake us up a single time while we off. In fact, they seemed to like sleeping past sunrise. Then again, they have human servants, so why should they worry about getting a worm - especially when they don't eat worms.

10. Working takes a lot of energy. Maybe the flu took more out of me than I realized. Maybe I got lazy. Maybe it's a combination of both, but I was exhausted today! You don't realize how much energy it takes to remain active and alert all day long until you get away from it for a while. Whew!

Well, how about that. It seems there were some things about myself that I didn't know. I guess that's what they mean when they say "live and learn." And amazingly, you can learn as much from a break as you can from work. Now is it useful? We shall see ...

That's all today. Take care, and have a great week.

Bye!

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Additions to My Must Read List

Fiction Vs. Reality

Writing Advice I Ignore

Evolution Trade Offs

What I Learned on My Christmas Break

Escape Reality

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