January 2023

1. How to be a Buddhist Millionaire: 9 Practical Lessons to Being Happy in a Materialist World – Great book! I am very much on the same page as the author for what is valuable in life.

2. Horus Rising – Good book in the Warhammer 40k universe, not sure if I will keep going.

3. Wolfblade – Book 4 of the Space Wolf series in the Warhammer 40k universe, super entertaining :).

4. Eagles of the Grand Kingdom – Book 4 in a fun escape series in a fantasy world that I enjoy.

5. Machinehood – Amazing book with a really unique view of the future. I didn’t connect with the main character as much as I would like, but super great book!

6. Forest of Foes – Book 9 in a series about a fantastic Viking in the 650 ACs.

7. Six Wakes – This book is sci-fi and got a lot of praise. It is a murder mystery where clones wake up on a spaceship. It was ok; I didn’t love the cutbacks, and just didn’t do it for me.

February 2023

8. 9. Books 1 and 2 in the fantasy series Empire of the Wolf. This is one of the best and most unique fantasy series I have read in a long time. I am looking forward to book 3 and where this is all going.

10. A Time For Swords – Book 1 in a new series by an author I like. It just went too slow for me and didn’t love the character like the other series he wrote.

11. Gravel Roads – This was a fun travel book, just some lighthearted reading.

12. The Capsarius (Legin XXII) – This was historical fiction set in the Roman legions in Egypt. It was fascinating to read as I haven’t read much about Ancient Egypt within historical fiction. I didn’t fall in love with the main character though. But I am going to read book 2 as I really like learning about this time period.

13. Unpublished book – Very cool book by a friend of nick’s.

14. Mars by Ben Bova – A really great science fiction book about a realistic visit to Mars in the near future. Fun read! Hard science fiction.

March and April 2023

15. Dune audio book – I read it years ago but been working through the audio book since October. Great audio book and fun to hear it all acted out vocally.

16. Heat 2 by Michael Mann and Meg Gardiner. I love the Heat movie and I was intrigued when I heard there was an audiobook out. It was so good, a little slow to start, but so Michael Mann. Fantastic ending, and the narration was fun!

17. Ring Shout – A fantastic book about the KKK, dark magic, and monsters from another dimension. Really well written and my only frustration was it was only 192 pages. I want to see more and a bigger universe!

18. They Die Alone – This is crime fiction set in the 1930s. It was ok, but didn’t grab me. Something was missing as the story and character just were pretty basic and didn’t grab me.

19. The Martyr by Anthony Ryan (book 2) – One of my favorite fantasy book series so far this year. About an outlaw named Alwyn Scribe who rises to become something even more. Great book and great writing!

20. 21. 22. The Rorschach Explorer Missions series – An AMAZING hard sci fi series that I enjoyed immensely. One of my favorite books so far this year and I recommended this to some friends.

23. Bellatrix – Book 2 in a historical fiction series set in Ancient Rome. This was fascinating as it was set in Egypt and the middle east which I haven’t seen often in Roman historical fiction. Good books with a solid B+. I am a huge fan of this genre, but I wouldn’t recommend this series to just anyone.

24. Redwall – A fun kids book that I wanted to tackle, I am just too old to fully enjoy this one but looking forward to feeding it to Calico to see what he thinks :).

25. The Cambodian Book Of The Dead – Wow this guy can write, but the problem is this story is really confusing at times. I don’t consider myself someone who gets lost easily and there were quite a few times I had to back up and ask wtf just happened. The plot needs to be cleaned up a bit to understand better. Great writing though.

26. 27. 28. Books 1, 2, and 3 of the Discovery of Witches book series. I enjoyed this one, I had tried book #1 back in the day and it didn’t click. I enjoyed it this time and while it wasn’t perfect, I can see why they are so popular. Cool story and characters.

29. Rubicon – Cool premise, but I just didn’t fall in love with the characters. And the ending was just off the mark and such a huge cliff hanger I felt betrayed. I won’t be reading more.

30. Hungry Ghost – I think I am not a thriller person any more. This was interesting, but just felt a bit blah. Good thriller but not for me.

31. 32. Books 4 and 5 of the Grimm’s war series (A Grimm Sacrifice and Know Thy Enemy). This is a fun series and I really love the characters. It is military sci fi and just fun beach reads. I am looking forward to #6!

May 2023

33. In Search of King Solomon’s Mines – A fun book by Tahir Shah about a trip to Africa.

34. Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson. A giant book about colonizing Mars, hard sci fi and super realistic. I don’t think I will read the sequels though, as the characters just didn’t grab me.

35. Footfall – A super interesting book about Earth being invaded by baby alien elephant creatures. Entertaining.

36. The Shape of Water – This is book #1 in a 28-book detective series; I didn’t like it, though. The writing style was odd for me, it was hard to follow, and just pretty flat characters who felt like robots.

37. The Obstacle Is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph – Love this book; I would have loved it even more if I read it in my 20s or early 30s. A lot of the lessons here were things I’ve already learned. I wish I had this to jump-start these quicker in my 20s. A great book for any high school and college great, heavy on stoicism.

38. A Knight and a Spy 1410 (The road to Agincourt- king’s spy Book 1) – Great book, but just didn’t grab me enough to read the sequels.

39. Book 4 of the Karus Saga, Rapax Pax. Fun read, a mix of ancient Rome and fantasy. This is from the POV of Karus and the original 9th.

June 2023

40. I listened to the audiobook of “A Very Punchable Face: A Memoir”, by Colin Jost. Very entertaining, interesting dude :).

41. The Tiger’s Fight – This is book 7 in a fantasy / roman military adventure. It was a bit long and muddled, and not sure I am going to read the next one. It just felt unfocused.

42. 43. 44. The Inspector Lu Fei series starting with Thief of Souls by Brian Klinborg. I loved this series as it is about a rural policeman in China. And book 3 was getting even better and def will read the next one.

45. Lindsey and I are reading the The Psychology of Money, it is a good book but a lot of lessons I’ve neared a million times before.

46. The Hero’s Way by Tim Parks – Great book that combines history with pilgrimage in Italy. I enjoyed it although I wish I had a little more big picture of before/after on this period in Italian history.

47. Walking With Sam – I loved this, it was the story of walking the Camino with his son. He had done it the pilgrimage when he was younger, and I loved the thoughts and process. I didn’t realize who it was until I got started, fun read!

48. The classic Good Omens, it was great, but I think I would have enjoyed it more 10 years ago when I was younger. Fun interactions though!

July 2023

49. Legend by David Gemmell. I found this in a used bookstore and bought it, it was a good read. The characters are fun but a little flat (I like Rek though). My favorite part is the dialogue as so much of it is hilarious and the main characaters are entertaining. It felt familiar and I realized I had read it in 2017.

50. Book 23 of the Gabriel Allon spy series was The Collector, quite fun as always :).

51. I read book 3 in the Covenant of Steel series, The Traitor. Great ending to one of my favorite fantasy series of the last few years. The characters were fun and the writing vivid. The series is a great one!

52. Hero of the Imperium – A really fun Warhammer 40k book about an infamous character. I hope they do the TV show based on this one!

53. Washinton and Caesar – A historical fiction book set during the revolutionary war. This was an interesting read… and super hard at times. The picture of slavery was intense. My history classes did such a shit job of showing the absolutely disgusting nature of America at this time. Slavery is such a repulsive thing, and somehow it is 100x more repulsive when based on race. I read so many books with slavery in Ancient Greece or Rome, but reading about something a mere 200 years in our history where the echos of it affect everything today is just heart numbing.

54. 55. Books 1 and 2 of the Last War series. I started with high hopes, but ultimately got very frustrated and read book 2 in massive pain. The characters are flat and never develop, the plot moves scene to scene, and there is no limits on the power. The writing is clear, and that is why it is so frustrating, as the books have no soul in them. There are weird moments where the author is trying to maybe show some humanity in the other side, but it just flops, so much of this book just flops. I have no idea how this is rated so highly, its like it has the pieces of a good book but fails in execution.

56. Silk Road – A straight up adventure book that was a fun read. But the characters fell a bit flat and it is just missing the last 20% that can make a truly magical book. I started book 2 in the “series” but its totally new characters and as flat. I don’t think I will finish it.

57. I reread Tom Clancy’s Bear and the Dragon. With everything going on with Russia and China I was curious how this book ended up, I first read it as a kid and it is crazy how dated Tom Clancy is at this point. As a kid I thought he was so smart, and now I can see so many areas where he didn’t understand different levels of complexity in the world (or refused to). Amazing author though.

August

58. 59. 60. 61. 62. Books 1 to 5 of the Traitor Son Cycle. I read this series many years ago and loved it, and decided to read it again. It is a fantastic mix of knights and fantasy. Fun books!

63. The Land Beyond: A Thousand Miles on Foot through the Heart of the Middle East. This was a fun travel book about a man walking through the Middle East. I would give it a solid B-, nothing too exciting, but a lot of really interesting tidbits along the way.

64. Eye of the Needle – A fun WW2 spy book by Ken Follett. I enjoyed it.

65. Flash Crash: A Trading Savant, a Global Manhunt, and the Most Mysterious Market Crash in History – A fantastic book about something I had read in the papers but never followed up on. One of my fav nonfiction books for the year.

66. I Am Pilgrim – This is the best thriller I have read since Vince Flynn and Tom Clancy. Stunning, and I can’t wait for the next book in 2024. This is on my short list for one of my 3 favorite books for the year.

67. Savage Peace: Hope and Fear in America, 1919 – A fantastic micro-history about the year 1919. I love this format and it was utterly fascinating.

68. The Last War by Peter Bostrom and Nick Webb and David Adams. I don’t understand how this had such good ratings, it was lacking characters and a story.

69. Never by Ken Follett – This was the best Ken Follett book I’ve read yet (I am working through a backlog). This was a fantastic thriller and one of the better books I read this year. It was haunting to see a replay of WW1 and nuclear war.

70. 71. 72. Books 2, 3, and 4 of the Last of the Romans series. These were fantastic and fun historical adventure fiction, set in a much different time than most Roman historical fiction I read. I liked the characters even if they were a tad flat, fun adventure books.

73. 74. Books 1 and 2 of the Whale Road series by Tim Hodkinson. These were Viking historical fiction and well written. That said I got really frustrated on book 2, as they take a character they are developing and throw it all away. I gave up after book #2 as it just wasn’t fitting from a story perspective.

September

75. A Chateau Under Siege – This was book #16 in the Bruno Chief of Police series. It was sadly a big disappointment; it was like half a story and very odd. I am very sad about this as the author is amazing and I am not sure what happened. Surely his beta readers told him it was not a good book.

76. Shards of Earth by Adrian Tchaikovsky – I love the hugeness of this sci-fi world and it is a pleasure to read. The characters are solid, and I am hoping as I dig into book #2 to see growth and arcs and changes. Great read so far and loving the world and mystery of it.

77. Finder by Suzanne Palmer – A fun sci-fi book with a ton of humor. I enjoyed it but not enough to pick up book #2. I just couldn’t get enough into it at times.

78. Dissolution – A historical mystery that was quite good, but for me quite boring. It is super well written and I learned a ton about this Tudor time period, but most of the book just has nothing happening, and the lead character feels like an observer.

79. 80. 81. Books 1, 2, and 3 of the Palladium Wars. This is a fantastic action adventure sci-fi that I enjoyed, and can’t wait for book #4. It def isn’t hard sci fi and avoid a ton of limits, but great fun reads that engrossed me.

October & November

82. Brad Meltzer’s Book Of Fate – A fun and silly political thriller. Just a good vacation read, plot was kinda insane :).

83. contagious by Jonah Berger – I swear I’ve been listening to this on audiobook for at least 5 years :). I just never finished it and finally did. I got so many little tidbits on marketing, viral marketing, psychology, etc. A true resources and fun listen.

84. Book 22 in the Eagles of the Empire series. This is Rebellion and treads on some very familiar ground as my 2 favorite Romans get into more adventures.

85. Resurrection Walk – Book 7 in the Lincoln Lawyer series by Michael Connelly. I love this one and Connelly is the king. Great author!

86. Between Two Fires – A really interesting horror book, almost literature it felt like an old sage. Outside my wheelhouse and I enjoyed it. With the right direction this could be a spectacular movie.

87. Old Bones by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. A fantastic and fun thriller that I enjoyed about a weird murder mystery and the Donner Party. Great ending!

88. 89. Books 2 and 3 of the Final Architecture series by Adrian Tchaikovsky (Eyes of the void and Lords of Uncreation). What a magnificent author and picture he draws of an incredibly world. I really enjoyed this but it took me some time to get into it. For me, it falls flat in that the characters just don’t really change or evolve. The main character is fascinating and grew on me, but the rest just felt like placeholders. I am going to try more of his books to see if this changes…

90. A Grimm Decision – This is book 6 in a fun military space thriller, love it! Great adventure read :)

91. Smaller and Smaller Circles – This was an interesting serial killer mystery set in the Philippines. Really good book, but not sure it is for me. I enjoyed it though, I just wish the main characters had more fleshed out, I didn’t feel much for them.

92. The Tiger and the Wolf by Adrian Tchaikovsky – Amazing world and imagination but the characters just feel so flat for me like his other series. They are going through insane things and I don’t feel like they have an arc or are real. I can totally see how other people love him, but for me characters are everything.

December

93. Babel by R. F. Kuang – A truly unique and wonderful book, I see why it has so many fans. What a unique world, I feel like I barely touched it though and I want 6 more books that really dive into the story. The book is more about the world building and some interesting mirrors into technology, capitalism, power, and identity.

94. From Strength to Strength by Author Brooks. My brother asked me to read this one, and it was a great read. It is about finding success, happiness, and purpose in the 2nd half of your life. My brother is turning 40 this year and we had a good chat about it.

95. 96. Books 1 and 2 of the Disco Space Opera which is a really fun hard to describe space adventure series. The first book is called “You Sexy Thing,” and the author’s name is Cat Rambo which I love. I am not sure I will pick up book 3 when it comes out, but generally this was a fun read with an interesting story (esp the ship).

97. 98. 99. The first 3 books in the Memory Man series by David Baldacci. Great books and I really love the characters, I love his other series and this was a great one to jump into as well. I am taking a break but I’ll dive into the next one soon.

100. 101. 102. The first 3 books in the Thursday Murder Club series by Richard Osman. These are FANTASTIC, I kept seeing them recommended on Shepherd.com, and I finally bought the first one. It makes me laugh, cry, and feel all the emotions. I love the perspectives of these old people, and it has been really fun to read. Great characters. I am halfway through the 3rd one now.

Viktor Merlin Smiljanic was born on August 14th in Shanghai, China :)!!! I can’t wait to meet him and see Nick and Isidora! Great name :)

Nick and Isidora are doing great and made it home today from the hospital.

2020 – March (pandemic)
2021 – January (violent coup attempt by Republicans in the USA)
2022 – February (Russia invades Ukraine, the world says fuck no)

My hope is that for 2023 things stay calm until late August, I’d like a totally chill summer.

And, we might be on the cusp of WW3 or a nuclear war. Plus we haven’t really got covid under control, we are just hoping a more lethal varient doesn’t emerge. “Fun” times!

What is on the future calendar?

• 2023 – China invades Taiwan.
• 2024 – A new and improved coup attempt by Republicans in the USA.

This will be my last post on the subject of America until 2024 (unless something crazy happens).

I am tired of thinking about it and it is all out of my hands at this point. I am doing what I can by voting and calling. And, I am working on some larger ways to make an impact but at the end of the day I am a mere peasant.

What is coming?

2022

The USA heads deeper into fascism and a slow-moving coup. 2022 will end with elections that will likely see the Democrats lose both houses. It will be a small miracle if they don’t and even if they win you will see a lot of crazy Republicans in key positions on the state level (which control key voting infrastructure). The people on the state level are the ones who are preparing to overthrow the 2024 election.

I am a very optimistic person. I still hope that this chaos could lead to a better system that starts to fix an utterly broken America (maybe we shouldn’t fuck over the bottom 80% of the country in every way possible???). If they would get rid of the filibuster and pass laws to protect voting rights that would be a good start in keeping the country a “kinda” democracy. Even better would be to make people’s votes count equally instead of 1 vote ranging from .78 to 2.97 in weight depending on the state. And, ultimately the social contract with Americans needs to be fixed.

2024

By the end of 2024, the USA could be an autocracy ruled by the Republican party and Trump (or Desantis or any similar idiot who does anything for power). It weirdly looks a lot like Hitler’s rise to power. A bungled attempt at a coup… only to come back years later planned and ready for action. Only time will tell… 

My biggest fear is with world security and the current economic system. The current system has some problems but it is war-free and stable. I don’t want big regional or world wars. I don’t want a massive change in reserve currencies or a global depression because some orange idiot doesn’t understand economics (see Turkey if you want to see what happens when a dictator tries to run a central bank).

Things I am thinking about:

• Effective government is so important, if you have a democracy but it isn’t effective it is not working even if people can vote (I think this is a big reason why we are seeing so much frustration with democracy globally). The Republicans and Democrats have failed to effectively govern at local and national levels in so many key ways around health care, home pricing, and safety net.
• What happens to the world economy if the USA has a real coup? Can businesses and governments just pretend it is still a democracy? And, will Americans even care if they live in a faux democracy?
• What happens to the US dollar as a reserve currency if that happens?
• What happens to world security if an autocratic USA led by Republicans removes themselves from NATO and goes full isolationist. Does Europe step up? Does China get more aggressive and annex Tawain or maybe Korea?
• Should I remove political posts from my blog now? What will the Wayback machine and Facebook do to protect people if the autocratic USA starts targeting people using that data?

Fun times :)

Wow, the world is getting a bit crazy here :)

I thought China would moderate after this mess but they continue to drive the bus off the cliff. They move forward with the HK security law and now the news is breaking about forced population control of the Uyghurs. That does not play well in the rest of the world.

Does China think the rest of the world is unable to make stuff somewhere? They might be right, but that seems like a pretty big gamble.

I would imagine a lot of countries are saying how can we back out of this deal over the next 10 years? How can we saddle China with persistent 30% to 40% unemployment and keep them busy domestically?

It is hard for me to think Huawei is going to get bids now. It seems possible the 2022 Beijing Olympics will be a boycott fest. It is hard for me not to think the new American administration will go pretty hard line against them… we shall see, but it seems like the rest of the world is lining up against them. Not to say the rest of the world is united in any way, but China is doing a good job of trying to help them.

With how 2020 has gone so far, it makes me think Tawain is about to get invaded and WW3.

From a Southeast Asia newsletter I follow:

I recently attended a webinar on Southeast Asian responses to the Covid-19 put on by the Singapore-based risk firm Vriens and Partners that ended when the moderator asked representatives of nine countries what offers of help they had received from US officials. Not a single participant could name any response from the US.

In the meantime, China has gone from the target of global outrage over its attempts to cover up the emergence of Covid-19 to mounting intensive efforts to stop it – not without scars – while the United States has completely abdicated almost any role. It is the most recent and most dramatic demonstration of Washington’s loss of global soft-power leadership.

Meanwhile…

China’s attempt to demonstrate soft power in the crisis – a bid to salvage its reputation – is a relatively new phenomenon, and despite its calculated generosity, it is hitting rough spots. Taiwan’s recovery, in the midst of China’s bullying the rebellious island, was hardly flattering. It is not having much success in erasing the fact that the virus originated in China and that it was China’s mishandling of the situation that allowed it to escape, causing tens of thousands of deaths, nor that as much as 40 percent of its test kits are defective.

Good read on China’s actions so far here. The world is changing, I do not want to see the USA abdicate its role.

Jobs data is out… 3.28 million people filed for unemployment in the week ending on March 21st. The next week is going to be higher I would imagine. It is a good thing the Democrats got help for labor in the bill that should pass tomorrow. That buys us time to get this under control, flatten the curve, start testing people, build out red/green zones, and get back to work. I am curious to see if recovery is as fast and my guess is it depends on how well this bill supports SMB. Getting money to those businesses is going to be hard if there are too many steps.

We are doing well here. Spain is waiting to see the curve flatten. Grocery stores are well stocked and apart from wishing I could go on a long bike ride I am well. They extended the lockdown to 30 days which was expected. It isn’t the best news but it has to happen. Now we are wondering what happens at 30 days and I guess a big part of that is what the numbers look like then.

I was thinking today… what comes after this during the presidential election in the USA? I would imagine Trump goes into a full anti-China campaign, they did this, they gave us this, how do you stop someone running on fear and nationalism and racism? I don’t have much hope that Biden can counter that.

My worry is how do we get out of this mess.

Everyone is hoping for a V-shaped recovery, but I do not see that as likely.

Not only did the USA botch just about everything they could, but the current response is still too slow. Europe dragged its feet but at least now they are now serious with countrywide lockdowns. I do not think a V-shaped recovery is likely for Europe either though… especially because tourism is such a huge part of GPD here.

The USA is going to have to go into lockdown to get this under control. It is already happening unofficially which is worse than officially, an unofficial lockdown is just going to prolong the pain. At least with an official lockdown, you pick the times and everyone has to go into lockdown together to stop the spread and give the USA time to respond.

Who is most affected right now? (USA numbers)

• Restaurant industry – 15.3 million workers.
•  Retail – 15 million workers.
• Air Transport – 10 million workers.

The unemployment numbers for March/April are going to be crazy as restaurants are going layoff entire teams and close for ~1 to 2 months. I can’t imagine retail is going to be much different. All these businesses have thin margins and do not have savings to weather 2 to 3 months with no sales. And, that is a lot harder to bail out than 3 or 4 big companies.

And workers? In the USA, unemployment benefits max out at ~$800 a week and they do not count tips. That is a lot of people who won’t have money to pay rent or buy groceries.

The investor Warren Buffett once gave a famous warning:

“It’s only when the tide goes out that you learn who’s been swimming naked.”

Not only do we face a severe problem in labor, but we are about to see which businesses have fucked up their balance sheets with cheap debt. Given the amount of cheap credit floating around this is going to be interesting. Especially since the FED is going to do everything possible to help, but you can’t create consumer demand when you are facing an existential threat like this. I can easily see companies getting bailed out or loans at 0%, but that is adding even more dead wood to their balance sheet. It might be the only choice and hope to burn it all down later with a *natural* recession.

Some thoughts…

• You might see the French/Spanish/Italian GDP’s crash by 5% to 10%. Tourism and what it supports is huge and that is all going bye-bye. Maybe if Europe can get this under control fast they could at least retain EU to EU tourism. And, China might step back up in a few months if Europe can clear this. But, I could easily see the EU banning the USA from visiting for a long period if they can’t get this under control (or requiring records/tests in order to visit).
• Trump is an absolute idiot and could drive the USA right off a bridge. I could easily see him declaring no lockdown… thus putting half the USA in lockdown and half not (he has already done this with poor leadership). Then this becomes a battle between cities and states and prolongs the economic damage.
• You are starting to see problems in the corp bonds/loans market. If companies were counting on refinancing debt or getting that to fund x project that might all disappear. Then you have fewer companies investing in the company, downsizing, and this gets even worse.
• The USA has a terrible social safety net and the medical system is beyond broken. Maybe this will spawn real fixes to that system… but maybe not. I’d love to see us fix unemployment, improve social security, add paid sick and vacation days, and more. But until poor people and the young start to vote that will NEVER HAPPEN.

So you might ask… why not just weather the virus?

We could, but there is a huge RISK there.

Society doesn’t tolerate mass breakdowns well… if 60% of Americans get Covid the entire medical system breaks down.

You will have people dying at home from both Covid as well as other things. And, because you can’t handle the breakdown you see a much higher death rate. Say the death rate is 3.4%, which is ~7 million people in the USA. That doesn’t count all the other people who will die because they can’t get a bed at a hospital.  Even in South Korea where it is 0.8% right now, that would be ~1.7 million people (keep in mind they have a ton of active cases, their patients are way younger than the average because of the cult that caught it, and their hospital system is still working).

People are already terrified and panicked. They are not going to overcome that and go eat out and buy things while watching everyone die. And, if they have to watch 1.7 to 7 million people die over the next 12 months the political implications are HUGE. Which should scare the shit out of everyone.

I hope we see some leadership emerge in the USA. People forget how important that is in times like this. Can we get Zombie FDR back in the White House?

January 2019

1. Strange The Dreamer – A really good fantasy book, almost whimsical in its approach and I really enjoyed it. I liked it but I am not sure I will grab the next one.

2. Thin Air by one of my favorite authors Richard Morgan is a crime Noir set in the future on Mars. Fantastic book and a great plot.

3. A Sellsword’s Compassion – This was just an ok book, I liked it at first but it kept going on and on with no real advancement of the story. I am not going to read the sequel based on some of the reviews. The main characters just seemed pretty flat and the concepts basic.

4. Fortress of Radiance: The Karus Saga – I love this author and his work around the Roman Legions, this was a good sequel and I can’t wait for more. Hopefully some on the main timeline too.

5. Night Trap – Decent thriller about a spy on a US Navy carrier and a man chasing him down. I might try another one as this is written by one of my favorite authors along with his dad.

6. Free Country: A Penniless Adventure the Length of Britain – This was a hilarious travel book about 2 guys who decided to see how nice the people of the UK are. How did they do that? They went to the southernmost point of the UK, stripped down to their boxers and then had to make it to the most northern point in 20 days on bikes without paying for anything. Meaning they had to ask for places to sleep, food, bikes, clothes, etc. Hilarious book.

February

7. Cephrael’s Hand: A Pattern of Shadow & Light Book One – A very unique book in a very unique land, very long with some cool characters. I’d give it a B- but I am not sure if I will pick up the sequel. Think fantasy with some heavy magic systems and a world-ending plot.

8. The Lions of Lucerne – A fun little thriller about the president getting kidnapped and someone having to save him. Decent beach read.

9. The Year of Living Danishly: Uncovering the Secrets of the World’s Happiest Country – Fantastic read that had me laughing out loud constantly. Highly recommended!

10. Eagles at War – A great piece of historical fiction, but my main complaint is the characters just lack some depth. I wish they were imbued with a bit more dimension. Otherwise great writing and great pull from history.

11. The Fighters – An amazing book about soldiers in Afghanistan or Iraq. Hard to read at times, I cried quite a few times as I worked my way through this book over the last 5 months. Quick description to share as it should be a required read in high school: “More than 2.7 million Americans have served in Afghanistan or Iraq since September 11, 2001. C.J. Chivers reported from both wars from their beginnings. The Fighters vividly conveys the physical and emotional experience of war as lived by six combatants: a fighter pilot, a corpsman, a scout helicopter pilot, a grunt, an infantry officer, and a Special Forces sergeant.”

12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. Books one through nine of the Gaius Valerius Verrens series, aka the Hero of Rome. I LOVED these books, they were all fantastic and just wonderful historical fiction about Rome. The only downside was the last book was a letdown, book 9 was half a book at best, and the last 10 pages trying to wrap the character up didn’t make a ton of sense. I had to reread them 5 or 6 times to understand it. That said the first 8 books are amazing and highly recommended.

21. Age Of Myth – Great fantasy series and I am working on book 2 now. Basically, humans and their gods face off.

22. Nyxia – Think hunger games but in space. That said book 1 had barely any plot, just a lot of hints, and I am going to skip the sequel. It felt like the TV show lost at times, where you hope there is a real plot, but all it does it hint at vague things while dazzling you with human emotional bits.

23. Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World – A fantastic book and I enjoyed it immensely. Given the nature of what I am working on this was spot on.

24. Dancing In The Fountain: How to Enjoy Living Abroad – A very entertaining book about a couple in Seville. A lot of good points about expat life.

25. The Demon Cat of Calle del Rio A Year in a Spanish Mountain Village – A fun little book, but it got deeply personal for the second half of the book whereas I was looking to learn more about Spain. Still, a good fun read.

26. 27. Age of Swords and Age of War. Books 2 and 3 of the Legends of the First Empire. A good fantasy series, a solid B+ with very clear writing I just am not sure on the characters. I am looking forward to the next book (coming in July).

28. Flashman and the Seawolf. A very well written about the 1800s and a sea captain and spy. Just fun, I am going to try the second one too :).

29. Slab City Blues: The Ballad of Bad Jack: A Science Fiction Detective Story – The writing was great but the plot was nonexistent and it was a really weird read. I might try another but I was a little put off by a one-dimensional lead character, no detective story, and just felt like a big short story.

30. The Grand Alliance is book 11 in a “blood on the stars” series that I love. That said, this book and the previous one were a big letdown. I don’t know if the author has backed himself into a corner or what, but he needs to actually get something together that resembles a plot instead of two books of just constant boring warfare against the same enemy with no real progress. It just isn’t working. I will read the next one because I’ve invested a lot in this series, but I am quitting if it doesn’t start resolving some plot points…

March

31. The Cartel – I read book 1 a long time ago and it was great, I am not sure why I did not pick up book 2 and 3 until now. They are great books about the drug cartels and a combination of distributing and intriguing. A highly recommended read and one of the best things I have read this year.

32. The Killer Collective – Meh, not a great book but basically about assassins and all that. I just felt the plot was weird and did not make sense.

33. Orion Colony – Decent writing but flat characters and an author who is banking on getting you addicted and keep buying short books. Skip this one.

34. Daughter of War – I wanted to like this adventure book set in Spain about the Knights Templer but I couldn’t. The writer is one I’ve read a few of and his writing is clear and good but his characters are flat and the plots relatively boring. Which sucks as he has a lot of potential.

35. 36. Books 1 and 2 of the Spoils of Olympus books. It starts with a young man being forced to join the surviving author of one of Alexander’s generals shortly after his death. Book 2 is just as good with them being some of the best historical fiction I’ve read in quite some time. I am looking forward to the next one.

37. 38. 39. 40. I read the first 4 books of Empire’s Corps. This is well written and I really liked it, but over time the characters just didn’t grow on me and the plot seems sprawling and just a bit haphazard. Had to give them up as don’t see it going anywhere.

41. Devices and Desires – A weird book about an engineer… it just didn’t make sense…

42. Gomorrah – A story about the Italian mob, fascinating read and a good one!

43. Call of the Dragon – Fun, but flat childish characters and probably just not at my reading level. I am reading through a lot of books I bought years ago to clear out my inventory so some of the reads have been rough :).

44. 45. 46. The Society of the Sword trilogy – A good fantasy read about a society where sword fighting is prized above all else. Great characters and plot and I enjoyed this one.

47. 48. 49. 50. 51. A historical fiction series that is like the 007 around the times of Napolean. Great fun reads and I read the first 5 of the
Flashman series.

April

52. Shibumi – Think if Rainman married Bond and they had a kid who was an assassin. Good writing but a bit philosophical. B+

53. 54. 55. Dawn Patrol, Gentlemen’s Hour, and The Winter of Frankie Machine – 3 crime books by Don Winslow that were very very fun!

56. The Border – The 3rd book about the Mexican drug cartels by Don Winslow. A great book and this series is shortlisted for one of the best of the year.

57. Tribe – By Sebastian Junger and one of my favorite books. Great read and this was a reread.

58. Naked in Death – Detective story but really fucking dark. Not sure if I will read the second as it was ok but not great. It kinda felt like the author took that popular romance novel and tried to strap a plot too it.

59. Postmortem – I am looking for a new detective/crime series as you can probably tell. This one was ok, but just dragged on and I didn’t enjoy the writing. The main character just kinda seemed lost kinda like the plot.

60. 61. 62. 63. 64. 65. All 6 books in the Jerry Mitchell series which I highly recommend. This is all about submarines and a GREAT read, especially the last couple that deals with a war with China in the south Asian seas. Some of the best books I’ve read so far this year.

66. Legionary: The Roman Soldier’s (Unofficial) Manual – Fun read and well written, good sense of humor which made it extra enjoyable :)

67. A Dark Foretoken (Tales of the Seventh Book 3) – By one of my new favorite authors, this is book 3 in a per-series about Stiger. I can’t wait for new ones.

68. Jet – A nice beach thriller about an assassin, but just enough to get me hooked. The ending was very cliche and I guessed it the moment they said anything… Good, but a lot better books out there IMO.

69. 70. 71. 72. 73. The first 5 books of the Prey Series, about a copy and then an ex-cop who goes after serial killers and other cases. Really good reads and I might by the next one down the road a bit. It is rare to find a book that leaves you guessing while also leaving enough to not feel like the reader is left out. Great character with just a hint of an edge that he might have more in common with his prey than he likes to think about.

May

74. The Path: What Chinese Philosophers Can Teach Us About the Good Life – I’ve been reading on this for a year, and finally wrapped it up over lunch. I plan to keep reading on it. A great introduction to some stuff I haven’t encountered before and can’t wait to further process it.

75. It’s Not You, It’s the Dishes (originally published as Spousonomics): How to Minimize Conflict and Maximize Happiness in Your Relationship – I’ve been working on this one for 6 months and finally finished it. It was a much different way to approach relationships and I really enjoyed it and found it helpful. Some good game theory type stuff which was appealing, very unique approaches to common problems.

76. People Analytics for Dummies – Fantastic book with great examples. Highly recommended and sitting on my bookshelf from here on out.

77. 78. The Ill-Made Knight and The Long Sword. Books one and two of the Chivalry series by the amazing Christian Cameron, one of my absolute favorite authors. As always these are stellar. Fantastic books based loosely on the life of Sir William Gold around 1347 to 1415.

79. The Mastermind: Drugs. Empire. Murder. Betrayal. This is a MUST READ, and one of the most awesome and insane true books I’ve ever read. Lindsey and I heard the author on a podcast of hers and the story is insane. Check it out! Basically about a guy who was kinda in a gray area and making hundreds of million dollars and then decided to become an arms dealer, drug smuggler, assassin, and so many insane things.

80. The Rose and the Crane – A very cool story about a samurai in King Henry’s Court. Great read and I really liked the main character.

June

81. 82. The final two books in the Chivalry series mentioned last month. The Green Count and Sword of Justice

83. What Doesn’t Kill Us: How Freezing Water, Extreme Altitude, and Environmental Conditioning Will Renew Our Lost Evolutionary Strength. A very interesting book and a great read by a guy now local to Boulder/Denver. Another of the many times I’ve heard about Win Hof and about to dig into that a bit more when I get the chance. Especially around some of the data around immune systems and autoimmune conditions.

84. Ancient Rome on 5 Denarii a Day – An awesome book that is like the Lonely Planet of visiting ancient Rome around 200BCE, but with all the historical facts. So you find out where you would stay, what you would eat, how you get there, and so much cool stuff!

85. 86. 87. 88. Books 1 to 4 of the Seven Realms series. Fun books, a little piney when it came to the love story but the writing was great and the universe clear. A solid B+ as I haven’t had a lot of good fantasy this year. My only complaint was explaining how a 1st year defeats the high wizard in like 10 pages…

89. The Red Sea – Just didn’t feel developed enough, the characters felt a bit light and just a plot that felt a bit sparse. I am not picking up the sequel.

90. Sin Easter – Book 2 in a series I’ve been reading, but just didn’t hit the mark and give it a C+. I won’t pick up anymore as finished it but I didn’t enjoy it as much as I wanted.

91. Titanborn – A promising start, but just didn’t hit the mark and not going to pick up the sequel. I liked the main character but just not something there…

92. In the Footsteps of El Cid: Burgos to Valencia along the Camino Del Cid – A cool travelogue of a guy retracing El Cid in Spain, and around the area we stayed in Valencia. Very cool!

July

93. 94. Books 1 and 2 of the Strategos series, Strategos: Born in the Borderlands, and Strategos: Rise of the Golden Heart. I am reading book 3 now and these are quite good, all based around 1000 AD in the Byzantine empire when it is being threatened by the Seljuk dynasty. It follows the story of a young man and between books zips forward a good 5 to 10 years.

95. 96. 97. Books 1 through 3 of the Raven Mark series which was one of my favorite books thus far this year. They start with Blackwing and they are a really dark and gritty fantasy story that is quite good. I like how it makes you feel like a bug playing between gods and the main characters is very funny. Quick listed for best of the year :).

98. 99. The Man With Two Names: A Novel of Ancient Rome and The Noise of War: A Tale of Ancient Rome. I’ve really been into Roman/Greek and related historic fiction later and this was a great one! This follows a young nobleman around 107 BC into the city and eventually into the army. Great characters and well written.

100. A Mark of Kings – A fantastic book and I can’t wait fo the next one. It follows a young boy who grows up and fights demons, it sounds pretty basic but the author makes characters real and I can’t wait for the next one.

101. Mage Slave – Ok read but just a bit basic, I probably won’t read the next one as it just felt a bit unreal with the way the main character handled being taken hostage.

August

102. The Inflamed Mind: A Radical New Approach to Depression – This book caught my eye at the book store and I grabbed it. It is about the relationship between inflammation and depression/stress, and what we know about it thus far. I find this topic very interesting given my diagnosis of CD after a super super super stressful period. The book is really good and I highly recommend it. I learned a lot and it helped me understand some more of the tests I’ve been through around CRP. It is great to see the medical community start to look at a more holistic model between the mind and body. Especially around the immune system and autoimmune conditions.

103. Cry Pilot – A good sci fi book about a man trying to redeem his terrible actions as a boy in a weird world. Good read, I am looking forward to the second.

104. The Late Show – A solid LAPD story by one of my favorite authors and the creator of the Bosch series. Good read and looking forward to trying the next one.

105. Monster Hunter Guardian – Entertaining, but sometimes a little confusing. Not sure if I will pick up the next one but I do love the world. It just has gotten muddled over the last 3 books.

106. The Wolf’s Call – Fun read from an author I really like, looking forward to the next ones. Think a visit to Mongolia but in a fantasy world.

107. A Dangerous Man – Book 18 of Elvis Cole and Joe Pike, some of my favorite private detectives and another fun read.

September

108. The Quantum Magician – This looked so promising with a TON of 5-star reviews, but as I dug in it was just a pretty flat landing. It is like a Casino heist but in space, the only problem is the characters feel pretty flat especially the main character. Like what is the point of it for him…

109. The Cruel Stars – A fun read and I am looking forward to the next one. Big space drama, I just wish the characters were a little more developed and felt a little less flat.

110. 111. 112. Books 1, 2, and 3 of the Death’s Head Series. Super violent, funny, and sometimes a little confusing. It is like reading efficiency porn or something, fun reads!

113. Red Metal – A great read about a future where WWW3 breaks out between Russia and Nato. Very believable and a fantastic read. As good as Tom Clancy!

114. 115. The Bat and Cockroaches. Tried it but just didn’t like this detective series. The character is interesting but I hate him, he is an alcoholic and by book 2 on heroin. The stories were a little too loose too.

October

116. Wholesale Slaughter – Decent read, characters, and the action felt a bit flat, and overall the book felt like chapter 1 of a real book. I don’t like authors who try to suck you in with a 17 book series but don’t deliver a complete story in each book.

117. The Night Fire – A new Harry Bosch and Renee Ballard book by the always amazing Michael Connelly. Great story and I enjoyed it as always.

118. Shadow Sun Survival – Like reading someone playing a video game, I do NOT UNDERSTAND how this shit has 495 reviews and 4.5 stars at Amazon. WTF.

119. 120. Planetside and Spaceside. Fantastic books with a detective bit set in good sci fi. LOVED them and can’t wait for more. Well written.

121. Ruins of the Galaxy – A story about a Space Marine and an ambassador with some cerebral powers. Well written but after finishing book 1 I felt frustrated over the lack of meat. This was another author who fails to provide a good plot/story/wrap-up in book one and instead just pushes people toward reading book 2 for real answers. No thank you.

122. Dark Forge – A fantastic sequel to one of my favorite authors new series. Fantastic read and this is one of the best authors out there for Fantasy and historical fiction right now. Fun guy to follow on Facebook too, always polishing his armor and scouting locations.

123. Priest of Bones – Well written and fun read about a broken country, soldiers going home, and fighting to take back what they had before they left. I will probably pick up book 2 for this one.

124. King of Scars – Great book set in a universe you already know and picks up the story where it left off. I really enjoyed this one and I’ll be buying the sequel.

125. Edge of Valor – Well written and clear, but I found the plot convoluted and kinda boring. The author can write though, so I’ll keep an eye on them for down the road. Some of his other books that I read I felt similarly frustrated.

126. Star Fire – Another book 1 where they introduce some interest characters but feels pretty flat. And, the book ends with just a teaser and no real story. Def not going to pick up the new one.

November

127. 128. Exile and Refuge – A solid B-, I like them but the characters just feel a little flat and the plot just is missing some depth. It is a very cool universe. A huge group of people is basically shipped off as exiles to a distant world and hits some problems.

129. Castilian Knight – A fun read and I enjoyed it, basically a friend of El Cid and this starts his life. I am looking forward to the 2nd and hopefully learning about the history while reading a great narrative.

130. Grey Bastards – This book is GOOD and INSANE. Basically think a motorcycle gang but they are orcs, ride giant pings, and live in a fantasy world. Hilarious.

131. Raven’s Peace – A good start to a huge space universe but I am waiting for book 2 to make a call. A solid B-, but the characters were just a bit flat.

132. 133. Legions of the Forest and Return of the Eagles. Fantastic Roman historical fiction, love the characters.

134. August Snow – PI / Detective type story, it was ok, but not good enough to pick up #2.

135. 136. The Heresy Within and The Colour of Vengeance – Fantastic deep fiction with FANTASTIC fucked up people. Loved it! Magic, swords, blood, etc etc. Def grabbing the last one in a second.

137. How to Be a Family: The Year I Dragged My Kids Around the World to Find a New Way to Be Together – Great read :).

138. Reclaiming Honor – Book 1 of Way of Legend – By one of my favorite authors and an absolutely fantastic start to a new series in the same universe. I can’t wait for more by Marc Edelheit.

December

139. 140. The Traitor God – Wicked cool premise and I am looking forward to the 2nd. Just finished the 2nd which is God of Broken Things and what an awesome finish. The 2nd book was at least 10x better and solved some of the writing issues the first had. I can’t wait to read more from this author. Great characters and ending.

141. Tightwads on the Loose: A Seven Year Pacific Odyssey – A fun read about a 7 year sailing adventure, I enjoy these type of books.

142. 143. Clash of Empires and The Falling Sword – The characters were all a bit flat, it was hard to love them. And, they had some weird issues where they were killed for reasons that lacked motive by the killer. Still a good read and a good writer apart from that. Decent historical fiction but not in my top 25.

144. Bright Steel – Book 3in the Masters and Mages series by one of my favorite authors. A great read, but not my favorite work by him. I do highly recommend it though.

145. The Price Of Time – Well written but super stupid plot, it is totally broken and makes me angry. The killer says he is killing people because they stopped trying, yet 2 of the group are running for politics to take on long term risks to the planet. STUPID!!!!!

146. Blood of the Empire – Book 3 of the gods of Blood and Powder series and a well done ending to the series. I enjoyed it greatly. Very cool characters.

147. I finally finished book 3 of Strategos. It was a historical fiction based in Byzantium. The first couple of books were better, the last one was just annoying. Glad I finished it but wish it was 25% better.

148. Priest of Lies – Book 2 in the war for the rose throne book. Good read, interesting characters and a very different take on fantasy. I’ll probably pick up the third book.

149. The Son of the Morning: Book One of The Nightfall Wars – Just a C+ fantasy book, has promise but the plot is like 25% of a normal book and the characters a little flat. Reading the 2nd to see if it gets better.

Wow, what an interesting time to be alive!

China might be in a recession, but we won’t know because of stats. Major slow down at least.

The EU might be in a recession, we will find out soon.

Trump has shut down the government over a symbolic border wall.

In a trade war with China, for good reasons, but I don’t really trust Trump and his staff of stupid to do this right.

Brexit with a hard exit fast approaches.

Plus…

Populism is growing around the world due to politicians ignoring the economics of inequality for the last 25 years.

Global warming is fast approaching some scary lines.

The USA is being crushed by student loans & an insanely broken health care costs.

Get a drink and sit back! This is going to be a fun one…

Since 2010 I’ve taken part in a yearly challenge to read 100 books. I love reading so this is not too hard. For 2017 I read 157 books! This is a new record versus my all-time high of 146 in 2012, and 141 in 2015. It helps when you sell your business in the middle of the year and have time off :).

91% of the books I read were fun books, and 9% serious.

I do a big book summary each year too, if you want to take a look at past years for some reading ideas check them out here: 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017. So what are my top books of the year?

If you only read 3 books this year I recommend the following:

1. The Red Knight series. This has become one of my top 10 all-time Fantasy books. The characters are amazing are amazing. Reading the last one was hard as I did not want to say goodbye.
2. The Bobiverse series… This is the best sci-fi series I read all year. I laughed so hard reading these :). Basically, this guy signs up to be frozen when he dies, then he dies, and then wakes up in a computer and the future sends him out into the stars on a mission. Bob is hilarious.
3. The Price of Civilization: Reawakening American Virtue and Prosperity. This book really hit home this year.

After top 3 of the year, my fav 3 Scifi / Fantasy:

1. Stiger’s Tigers and the subsequent series. This is military fiction about a Roman legion in the wild… with a little fantasy thrown in.
2. The Red. A military series about small unit tactics in the future. Great narrative.
3. Books 1, 2 and 3 of the Embers of Illeniel series. Not your typical hero and pretty dark which was a nice change. Kinda like Conan meets Seven Eyes with a weird ending.

After top 3 of the year, my fav 3 *Real* Books:

1. The Chinese Dream: The Rise of the World’s Largest Middle Class and What It Means to You. Fantastic book and the author has a great story about her own life straddling China and the USA. The book weaves together the macro and the micro for a really interesting picture. I love her overall message that China’s growth is not a zero-sum game, and together with the USA and other western countries, the two can work together to build a better earth.
2. The Vanishing Middle Class: Prejudice and Power in a Dual Economy. Frustrating content, but really well put together. Illustrates the fall of the middle class in the USA and why…
3. Capital without Borders . A really interesting read on how wealth managers operate as told by someone who joined their ranks. Fascinating read on a global group of people who do nothing but help the top 1% hang onto their money and keep it out of the hands of government and other entities. So weird.

After top 3 of the year, my fav 3 Honorable Mentions:

1. The entire Harry Bosch series. I finished them all this year. I can’t wait for the next season of the Amazon tv series.
2. The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival – An insane story about a famous tiger attack in Russia. Crazy!
3. A Higher Call: An Incredible True Story of Combat and Chivalry in the War-Torn Skies of World War II. An AMAZING book about a pilot in the German air force in WW2 and an American bomber crew. This is one of the best nonfiction books I’ve read this year and incredibly moving / heartwarming story about combat.

January 2017

1. Alone in Austria: A Solo Bike Trip Across Austria – As I think and plan some new adventures, big bike trips sound really fun :). Good read and cool to read about Austria from a long time ago :).

2. Empire of the Dead – Fantasy book and pretty good. A really unique world, but the characters were just a tad flat to me. Not sure if I will pick up the next one.

3. The Black Echo – Fantastic cop series. I love the Amazon tv show Bosch, so picked this up to dig into the books. Bought the next one and going to see how it goes. The only downside, I guessed the ending pretty quick by about 70% in.

4. This Is It – I love sailing books, and this was a solid travelogue about a couple on their 2nd big voyage. Entertaining :).

5. And A foolish voyage, another fun sailing one. Good read.

6. Blood for Blood – Book 2 in a book about shape shifting, Hitler, and a fight for the world. Seriously it is awesome. I liked the first one a little more, but this was super solid and a great end to the story.

February 2017

A quick shorty story by one of my favorite authors, Brandon Sanderson, called Snapshot.

I tried to read books 1, 2 and 3 of Traveler’s Gate, but it wasn’t very good and I gave up a few hundred pages in.

7. 8. 9. Books 1, 2 and 3 of the Embers of Illeniel series. The Mountains Rise, The Silent Tempest, and Betrayer’s Bane. These are short listed for some of the best fantasy I’ve read in the last 12 months. Not your typical hero, and pretty dark which was a nice change of past. It all takes place in the future, aliens on earth, but all so different than most books. Highly recommended, kinda like Conan meets Seven Eyes. The only complaint was the ending was good, but lacking something.

10. The Crimson Queen – Another FANTASTIC new fantasy series I grabbed, I can’t wait for the next one. A bit typical in story line but the author is a fantastic writer, and the characters just come alive.

11. U.S. Taxes for Worldly Americans: The Traveling Expat’s Guide to Living, Working, and Staying Tax Compliant Abroad – Well written and useful.

12. Book 2 of the Song of the Shattered Sands series, With Blood Upon the Sand. A fantastic followup to one of my favorite books from last year. It tells the story of a woman seeking revenge on immortal kings in a middle eastern feeling motif. Fantastic!

13. The Legacy – A darkness within novel, it was ok but just a bit cliche and didn’t love the characters. Not going to read the next one.

March 2017

14. The Sleeping God – This is book 4 of the Disinherited Prince series. A good book, probably aimed at a younger audience. I probably won’t read more after this as this one seemed a lot less cohesive.

15. Thomas – A fun book, typical fantasy and a good writer.

16. Child of the Daystar – An interesting book about a lizard man who is rescued by people, those people become his family, are killed, and then starts a long road to revenge. A good read, but just not for me, not going to read book 2.

17. Aye Robot is book 2 of Starship Grifters, a hilarious scfi comedy book. Love the characters and def made me laugh out loud a few times. Looking forward to a new one.

18. Dead Man’s Steel – Book 3 of the Grim Company. Fantastic book, great characters, and a good sequel. Looking forward to seeing it all tied up.

19. Capital without Borders – A really interesting read on how wealth managers operate as told by someone who joined their ranks for the reason of research. Fascinating read on a global group of people who do nothing but help the top 1% hang onto their money and keep it out of the hands of government and other entities. So weird.

20. Road Side MBA: Back Road Lessons for Entrepreneurs, Executives and Small Business Owners – Fun read from a few professors who went around the USA and used real world examples to illustrate different business strategies. Engaging book.

21. Brave or Stupid – Great book about 2 guys from sweden who decide to sell around the world and DO. Fun read.

April

22. Infusionsoft for Beginners: A Step-by-Step Guide to Marketing Automation and Building Your First Campaign – I am learning Infusionsoft and picked this up in addition to some heavier books. This is a good book for a SUPER beginner, but otherwise not too helpful. For a SMB owner this might be a great start, I just wish the guy writing it had written 2x as much and plugged his stuff 10x less. Not impressed.

23. The Iron Circlet – Book 4 for Chronicles of Black Gate – Solid series, hard to describe… But, basically, in this last one the humans and “trolls” are having to unite to fight a demon uprising. Crazy crazy world but fun.

24. Sins of Empire – I loved the powder mage trilogy, and this was almost a standalone with some of the same characters. Very entertaining cool world.

25. Jorundyr’s Path: Wolf of the North – Book 2 in an amazing series, I can’t wait for the next one!

May

26. Blackflame – This is book 3 in a fantastic fantasy series, one of the best books this year in fantasy. It is hard to describe but the magic system is very Buddhist / full metal alchemist. Very fun reads.

27. Change Agent – One of the best thrillers I’ve read in a while from one of the best tech futurists out there. His first book Damon is a MUST READ. And, this was fascinating with magic leap style technology and crispr.

28. The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival – Wow!!! A true story about a crazy tiger attack in Russia in the 1990s. Fascinating read.

29. The Collapsing Empire – Fantastic and fun science fiction by a famous artist, looking forward to the sequel. The pace was slow but always great and very well written.

30. Red Sister – This one took a while to get into but really good read. My only pause was the weird time jump between some chapters that did not fit. I am hoping the next book clears some of that up… 8 out of 10 for this one from a great author.

31. The Legacy – Book 1 – I just couldn’t get into this one despite the high reviews on Amazon. It was interesting but just didn’t flow great, not sure what to say but not getting the next one.

32. The Red Knight (The Traitor Son Cycle Book 1) – This is the BEST fantasy book I have read in some time, really great characters, great character development and a huge canvas of a world. It read more like a giant space opera but in a fantasy setting. I like that the magic system is a bit mysterious right now, and just fun writing. I stayed awake several nights because I could not put it down. I love the main character :). Reading the 2nd one now and looking forward to the 5 books in this series.

33. Iron Dragoons – Cool book but not for me, the characters were just pretty flat and a pretty boring/basic plot. Not enough for me to try the 2nd. Cool world though and I will def circle back to this author for his later works to see if they get more complex.

34. The Maid’s War (a Kingfountain prequel) – I read his other series and give it a B+. This was a good read but nothing spectacular for me. Solid B-. Follows Joan of Arc a bit.

35. Armor – I loved this book. A future scifi thriller about fighting in giant armor/mech suits. The plot was a bit light, but the character I found a bit fascinating and fun. Fun military thriller.

36. 37. Books 1 and 2 of the Bobiverse series, those being We Are Legion and For We Are Many. THESE BOOKS ARE AWESOME. Best science fiction I have read this year, and maybe last. I can’t wait for the next one and this is something I’ve talked to Lindsey about so many times, what a cool thing if it was possible. Basically, this guy signs up to be frozen, dies, wakes up in a computer and the future sends him out into the stars on a mission as a space ship. It is so freaking awesome :). Good writing, great characters, and funny as hell. LOVE it!

June 2017

38. 39. 40. The Traitor Son cycle, which is 5 books with 4 of them being out, those being The Red Knight, The Fell Sword, The Dread Wyrm, and The Plague of Swords. With book 5 due in October. These are hands down the best fantasy I’ve ready in a REALLY long time, up there almost with wheel of time and harry potter. Maybe even as good as wheel of time :). You fall in love with the characters, the details are amazing, and love the warfare and magic systems. So good!! (I already counted the red knight above).

41. Dark Territory is book 3 in a series I love. Solid Fantasy and well written :).

42. Off To Be The Wizard – An ok book, but 75% of the book is just explaining the core concept again and again and again. Some huge holes in it too. Then the last 25% is a really really simplistic plot, like from a 10 page kids book. I am hopeful that book 2 skips the origin story and has a plot, but going to skip it.

43. Treasure of Khan – I loved dirk pitt adventures as a kid and picked this one up for some fun summer reading. It was ok, but I forgot some of the simplicity and this one seemed overly formulaic. And, it didn’t dive into the history part as much IMO. Oh well.

44. Outland – Cool premise, but really unrealistic response by some college kids. I just couldn’t believe it.

45. The Ember War – Some good old space science fiction, but I was rather disappointed. The fighting scenes were hard to picture, and just a kinda silly plot with a few hints of something big. Going to skip any future ones.

46. 47. 48. 49. 50. 51. I love the new Amazon Bosch series, just awesome police / detective show. I picked up the first book and it was ok, but once I got into the 2nd book I could connect more as the author improved. Now I am working through all 22 of them :). I just finished: The Black Ice, Concrete Blonde, The Last Coyote, Trunk Music, Angels Flight, and A Darkness More Than Night. All fantastic mystery / detective books, great character.

52. 53. 53. 55. 56. 57. 58. 59. 60. 9 more Hary Bosch books :). City of Bones, Lost Light, The Narrows, The Closers, Echo Park, The Overlook, The Brass Verdict, 9 Dragons, and The Reversal.

61. 62. 63. 64. 65. Finished the Bosch series and waiting for new ones :). The Drop, The Black Box, The Burning Room, The Crossing, and The Wrong Side of Goodbye. I can’t wait for book 22.

66. The Legion of Flame – Some great fantasy and book 2 in a series about harvesting dragon blood for special magic powers.

July

67. Lincoln Lawyer – I watched the movie too and the book was better, the movie just pulled too much of the intrigue. Good book and fun read.

68. The Price of Civilization: Reawakening American Virtue and Prosperity. This book really illustrates what I think about taxes and the USA, well written and researched and a good read if you want a look at what the republican party has done to us since the 1980s. And, to a smaller degree, the Democrats have gone along with it, or been unable to stop it.

69. Galaxy Edge – A fantastic military sci fi book about some mech legionnaires in the middle of nowhere. I am looking forward to book 2 to see where it takes it.

70. Kings of the Wyld – What a hilarious fantastic book. Fantasy, but recast like 80s hair band where famous merc bands are like bands. The author is fantastic and paints a great world. Loved it!

71. Out of the Soylent Planet (A Rex Nihilo Adventure) (Starship Grifters Book 0) – Love this character, very funny space adventures. 1950s style but with a lot of modern references :).

72. Alibaba: The House That Jack Ma Built – Very good story. The more I see the more I believe succeeding with a business is like playing poker with a 500 card hand and 100,000 card deck. Skill + luck.

73. Star Wars: Thrawn – One of the most amazing characters I’ve ever read about. This is a follow-up to the orig star wars series about him, and an origin story. Fantastic and Timothy Zahn is such a great writer.

74. Secondborn – An awesome book, somewhat simplistic but good for beach and fun characters. Grabbing the next two. About a world where the first born kids rule, the second born are in the military, and noone is permitted to have more. Fun beach read.

75. Galactic Outlaws – I loved the first one, but this one was really hard to follow. And, it didn’t seem to really pick up after the 1st beyond connecting to a story. Pretty disappointed and won’t be grabbing the third.

76. House Of Spies – The newest Gabriel Allon book, and a fun beach read. Great writer :)

77. 78. 79. Cartwright’s Cavaliers, Asbaran Solutions, and Winged Hussars. Military fictions with a future where humans are mostly mercs out in space hired for war. Cool universe, books 1 and 3 were pretty good, but book 2 the plot just did not make sense. Different writers I guess. Overall fun reads.

80. 81. Dragon and Thief and Dragon and Soldier. Timothy Zahn is a great writer and I wanted to check out what he was doing for young people in the literary department. Good books but a bit young, cool concept though with a 2d/3d creature that has a symbiotic relationship with its host.

82. 83. 84. 85. Eye of the Tiger: A Paranormal Space Opera Adventure, Space Witch, Zeta Hack, and Binary Pair. Book 1 to 4 about a future where humans are fucking with DNA and we have a ex-marine who can turn into a giant intelligent human-tiger, a woman basically turned into a vampire, and a hacker. Fun adventure reads that are more like a classic western. Aliens, androids and other fun stuff. Fun beach stuff :).

86. The Blue Mage Raised by Dragons – This was a very WEIRD book, I do not even know how to describe it. It was like a long winding dream with not much of a plot or character developments. So weird. Well written, but not sure I would recommend it.

August

87. Afterlife – Wow, what a FANTASTIC book. I do not want to ruin it, so I won’t shrae the plot, but starts with the FBI looking for a sniper and going a lot deeper than that. The ending was a bit M Crichton, but otherwise great read.

88. Book 6 of the MHI Series, Monster Hunter Siege. Man I can’t wait for the next one, this was a bit of a tease in a good series!

89.Stiger’s Tigers – I LOVED this book, it is about the Roman legion and military fiction placed in a slight fantasy world. The author is a fantastic writer, crystal clear what is going on, and the military accuracy seems great. Just bought the next 3 in the series.

90. Bank of Dave: How I Took On the Banks – Fantastic, although sometimes simplistic, book about how this rich guy in the UK tried to start a bank that doesn’t F people in the ass. Good read and a good sense of humor. I was a little annoyed as he didn’t really start a bank…

91. The Vanishing Middle Class: Prejudice and Power in a Dual Economy – Dense read but good, not a ton I haven’t seen before but if you are just getting into this it is a good intro. Well written and cited.

92. A Higher Call: An Incredible True Story of Combat and Chivalry in the War-Torn Skies of World War II – An AMAZING book about a pilot in the German air force in WW2 and an American bomber crew. This is one of the best nonfiction books I’ve read this year and incredibly moving / heart warming story about combat. Well written and can’t wait to read some of the authors’ other WW2 work.

93. Girl Jacked – Book 1 in a detective series, not a bad book but not sure I will get the 2nd. The weird sexual tensions was kinda annoying.

94. Ship of Magic – Liveship Traders Book 1 – At 832 pages this is a bit of a beast and it does a nice job of painting a very dense picture of a new world. That said I was a little annoyed as not a ton happens in this first book, more it paints a really big stage. The writer is super clear and the characters intriguing. I am going to try book 2 as well as this author has a great rep.

95. 96. 97. 98. Stiger’s Tigers, The Tiger, and The Tiger’s Fate – Wow these are FANTASTIC books and in the running for best of the year. Some of the best military fiction I’ve read in a long time. This is all in a world with the Roman legion offering and a great plot. I can’t wait for the 4th one. The military actions are described in very clear details, and the writer is great. Highly recommended! And, there is a prequel you can read about the main character which is as good, it is called Stiger: Tales of the Seventh.

99. Unlimited Power: The New Science Of Personal Achievement – I always found Tony Robbins a bit worrisome given the salesman / cult persona, and was hesistent to read it as generally those things seem like scams. My brother gave me one of his books a few years back on money and it was fantastic, so I picked this up to take a look. This was a fun book and I enjoyed it, just don’t get sucked in like this is a cure for your life. It is just a framework on how to look at things, process things etc. Def some stuff in here that made me go WTF, and some that were super valuable. Interesting guy, I still don’t think the seminars look like anything but a scam though.

100. 101. 102. Forgotten Soldiers, Wayward Soldiers, and Resurrected Soldiers. A series by an author I really like. This one did not click as well as his Roman military strategy series, but it is still quite good. I am going to read the 4th and final book in the series shortly.

103. All These Worlds – Book 3 in the bobiverse series which is hilarious and about a guy who has his body frozen upon death only to wake up implemented in a spaceship. Awesome book and I’d love to see them make this into a movie.

104. Golden Horde – This is book 4 in the human mercs series called the Revelations Cycle. Best one yet!

105. 106. 107. 108. The Expeditionary Force series… Columbus Day, SpecOps, Paradise, and Black Ops. I can’t wait for the next one so I can find out what happened to Skippy. So the brief summary is our planet gets invaded by aliens, then other aliens come and beat those aliens, and force us to fight for them. At which point it goes crazy with a hilarious beer can AI that helps us. Laugh out loud funny at times :).

September

109. Burning Bright – Book 5 in a crazy human/tiger werewolf thing with a pretty cool plot that is too weird to describe. This booked seemed a bit rushed than the other ones. The ending was a cliff hanger which is frustrating. I am not sure if I will read more of these.

110. Prime Valkyrie – Michael is getting even better and the book was hard to put down. I just wish he could write them every 2 weeks :). As now I have to wait a while to read more. Good book about a human who can change into a tiger and his possee of lionneesses who are fighting vampires. Ya it is fucking out there but super fun/hilarious/awesome.

111. Legend – A fantasy book with some good characters and a good read. That said it just wasn’t deep enough for me, the characters were a little flat. I can’t decide if I will try another one or not.

112. 113. 114. 115. The Destroyer which is currently up to 4 books and waiting on a new one. The only frustrating thing is that book 4 isn’t a conclusion, whereas the site implies it is. Anyway, a fantastic and fun read about slavery and revolt. Really digging the author and reading all his books.

116. Space Knight. With a title like that it is bad ass. Fun beach read and can’t wait for a new one.

117. Legends of Ahn – Book 3 of the dark tidings series, which I love. Although this one just didn’t click as much as the others and felt a bit lost. I can’t wait for the next one though and hopefully it wraps this one up.

118. Peacemaker – Book 6 of the Revelations series, this author was awesome and very well written. Looking forward to more inside this universe (see above for breakdown on first 5).

119. Forever Soldier series book 4. Low energy books but still very good, this one brought a soldier dealing with PTSD as well as an end to the series. Good reads and somewhat darker stories than I am used too.

October

120. The Book on Tax Strategies for the Savvy Real Estate Investor: Powerful techniques anyone can use to deduct more, invest smarter, and pay far less to the IRS. – I’ve always been interested in real estate since I was a kid, and picked this up to learn some stuff. That said I try to stay away from real estate at this point, too much of a headache.

121. 122. 123. 124. 125. Books 1 through 5 of the Blood on the Stars series. I loved this series, great characters and the battle scenes are vivid as is the overarching plot. I can’t wait for #6 which is due out in Jan 2018.

126. 127. Pandemic and Genome. Fun thrillers about an ancient group of scientist who are about to alter humanities existance. Sometimes a little out there, but the ending was PERFECT.

128. The last book in the Wolf of the north series, Blood Debt. A good ending, but it kinda petered off on the last few books. Good conclusion though. I was surprised how small the focus was in some ways.

129. Lost Legio IX: The Karus Saga – This is by one of my fav authors lately, amazing roman military history combined with some fantasy. This book was awesome and I can’t wait for the next one in this series and the other he does.

130. Revenant Winds (The Tainted Cabal Book 1) – A fantastic fantasy book, well written, interesting characters, and cool world. I am looking forward to the next one and highly recommend it.

131. CRY HAVOC (Jack Frey Book 1) – A really unique and fun book about a world where an island nation is the last left after something that sounds similar to vampires conquers the rest of the world and enslaves humanity. Good read and looking forward to the next one.

132. The Second Adventure of Sir Errol Hyde: The Case of The Oxford Rasputin – A fantastic mystery with a lead detective who is very unique and in the same period as Sherlock Holmes. Fun read and good twist :). Plus he likes the kush.

133. Book 7 of the Star Justice series. Just think dude that can shapeshift into a super tiger, just super fun reads and hilarious.

November

134. 135. 136. The Red, The Trials, and Going Dark. This is an amazing military series about small unit combat in the future, and an emergent AI inteligience. The characters are fantastic and the writing clear and compelling. The scene it sets is based on a lot of the tech advances happening today. Great reads.

137. The Last Good Man – From the author of The Red is a single book on futuristic military operations using drones. Compelling story and great glimpse at what combat might become.

138. Space Knight Book 2 – LOVE IT! Can’t wait for more. Just a fun read that almost reads like a video game :)

139. The White Song – The 5th and final book in a series I adore, just epic fantasy and an absolute STUNNING ending. I highly recommend this as an amazing series.

140. Being in China, I decided to read The Chinese Dream: The Rise of the World’s Largest Middle Class and What It Means to You. It was a fantastic book and the author has a great story about her own life stradling China and the USA. The stories in the book and the big narrative it weaves together paint a really interesting picture. I love her overall message that China’s growth is not a zero sum game, and together with the USA and other western countries the two can work together to build a better earth.

141. 142. No Honor in Death and The Path of Duty. Fun books about a starship captain in a big war, and her path through it. Both were good reads, but I am not sure I’ll pick up the next one.

143. Book 5 of the Expeditionary Force: Zero Hour. I love this series, it is hilarious and a cool universe. Good read but I am a little frustrated with how little happened. I’d like book 6 to wrap this series up…

144. 145. 146. 147. Books 1 thorugh 4 of the Spiral Wars series.Renegade, Drysine Legacy, Kantovan Vault, and Defiance. Great space opera type books. I loved them and can’t wait for the next one. Imagine a future where we have emerged into the milky way and are competing with other species, great reads!

148. Book 2 of the Front Line Series: Departure. I read book 1 but didn’t like it but seeing so many good reviews I tried again. It still was not good, my biggest frustration is NOTHING HAPPENS in this book. So frustrating….

149. Infinity Born – A fantastic read on AI and just super fun. Highly recommended!

150. The last book in the Traitor son cycle: Fall of Dragons. This is one of my favorite all time fantasy series and it was a hard read to say goodbye to so many great characters. Great ending. Loved it and highly recommend it.

151. Start, Love, Repeat: How to Stay in Love with Your Entrepreneur in a Crazy Start-up World – A fantastic book, and the best one I’ve read so far inside this niche segment. Super helpful advice and waiting for Lindsey to read it.

December

152. The Never Hero – Cool book, interesting premise, but a little slow for my tastes and seems like the author isn’t going to wrap up the series anytime soon so skipping. The plot is basically a normal guy gets implanted with some tech to allow him to defend earth against all comers.

153. Two Kinds of Truth – The new Harry Bosch novel, fantastic as always :). Noir detective, and just very fun/solid. Like a good law and order episode.

154. Shadow Eagle book 8 in a crazy series I am reading, quick fun books about vampires, shape-shifting men/tigers, and so on. Insanity and awesome.

155. Fort Covenant: Tales of the Seventh – Another in a series about my fav roman legion general…

156. Empty Horizon – Book 4 of a fantasy series that I am really digging, more on that above so just a solid sequel and can’t wait for the next one.

157. Semper Fi (The Corps series Book 1) – A fictional account of the history of the Marine Corps, really cool character and good read. I am going to try the 2nd one and see how it stacks up as this one ended with pearl harbor…

2017 was a good year, with a TON of life changes :). This year felt like I was finally exhaling after holding my breath for a very long time. Things also started to slow down compared to previous years.

Work-wise the end of 2016 brought the end of World Wide Web Hosting LLC and Bweeb INC which was a big weight off my mind in 2017. I exited Pressed in June 2017, and although it did not end the way I wanted, I am happy the team landed with a great company (Envato). I spent the rest of the year resting, spending time with my family, and a few small side projects. It has been a much-needed break after the craziness of the last few years (2004 through 2016).

The biggest change this year was the arrival of Calico Jack on December 30th, 2016. We are having such a blast with him! His mom loves to dress him up, and this is a spectacular family gif that represents why I love them so much :). It is fun to see his personality develop, and I love getting down on the floor to crawl and play!

The Amazing
Lindsey and I have been married for three years and it has been great :)! Marriage is crazy hard sometimes, and also super rewarding. It really does get better and better every year… and Lindsey is an awesome partner in crime!

Boulder is starting to feel more and more like home. We were both so nomadic for so long it is a good feeling to have. I am loving the sunshine, instant access to nature, and our house.

I sold my stake in Pressed to Envato in June, and I took the rest of the year off to relax and spend time with my family. This is the cumulation of all the chaos and hard work since 2014 and I am happy to have a break. I am also ready to be do something besides web hosting I think… I’ve been in that industry since 2001 (16+ years!).

What fun stuff did I do this year?
– Lindsey, Calico, and I went on an amazing month-long trip to Strasbourg France. We wanted to travel with him when he was a little and the timing was perfect. He was 5 months when we left, and 6 months when we got back. Just barely crawling, sleeping a lot, and a good travel baby. His nighttime schedule was chaos, but oh well. Rose & Steve visited which was a blast too. We had fun :).
– I had a two week solo vacation to St. Maartin to help decompress after selling the business. It is incredibly challenging to sell a business and then start disconnecting all the routine and energy you built to support that endeavor. I took this break in July/August and in hindsight, it would have been smarter to take it later in the year. It took at least 3 to 4 months to feel like my energy levels were reset.
– I took a 3-week trip with my dad to China. We visited my brother, who lives in Shanghai, and look around. The highlight was the Yellow Mountains and getting to spend time with my brother and dad (I wish I had more time with my brother as I had fun watching movies and hanging out). There are a ton of pictures from this trip here and a summary here.
– I started working out with a trainer on my annular disc tear and it feels so much better. I found that I enjoy the strength training and started doing that 3x a week. I feel a lot stronger and it has been super fun.
– I did a ton of hiking with Graham and Daniel this year, fun times! Daniel moved to Portland in June, but hopefully, I can make my way that way to visit and do some hiking there :).
– I bought a super fun truck!
– I launched a site for Entrepreneur Parents to crowdsource advice in that department. Check it out at EntrepreneurParents.org. It is just a fun project but it aligns with what I want to do next… which is to help entrepreneurs do amazing stuff. I’ve got another three sites coming down the pipeline in early 2018.
– April 23rd 2017 happened, it was magnificent.

The Challenges!

USA / Faith In Humanity:
Trump. I have found it is key to remember he did not win a majority of the vote, and that the people who did vote for him did not really vote for him, rather they voted against politicians and a system that they feel has failed them (especially economically). I also remind myself how blessed I am to be living in interesting times, I just hope the country survives it.

Health:
My health has been good. I’ve been doing a pretty strict diet, with some treats while on vacation. I just got a pill cam and the results were ok, the doctors think they further confirmed I have Crohn’s disease. The hardest part is the anxiety and I worked a lot this year to ease those worries. I plan to get back on my strict diet next week after Christmas (enjoying a little dairy, gf bread, and sugar right now).

Mojo:
After the sale of Pressed, I took the rest of the year off to be with my family and rest. That has been really good and I am looking forward to some more rest through mid-2018. I need some wide open space as I figure out what is next for me.

2018…
I am looking forward to 2018 :)! I am playing with some ideas on a new business that I have been kicking around for a few years.

The sky is the limit…

This article is incredibly interesting on how China is building out a rating system for every citizen (and possibly sharing that data publicly and privately). I don’t know where this is going but it is a really fascinating idea. Imagine if you could pull up someone’s details just by scanning their face or looking at them through your digital glasses. Could you see who they voted for? What they donate money too? What they do for a living? We are getting really close to doing all this.

Plus it has so many interesting applications to promote good behavior, or report bad:

If you see corruption you mark it on the person’s record.
If you see discrimination you mark it on their record.
If you see someone do something nice you give them points.
Of course, you could also do false reports and limitless ability to abuse.

How will people hide the parts they want private? How will you opt out? A bit like the book The Circle which was super creepy. Is this technology going to take us back to old school small towns where everyone knows a lot about everyone else? Is that good or bad?

It has been a difficult week.

I am still disgusted that my fellow Americans elected this piece of shit human being. I am not sure that will go away, and I am not sure it should. I am trying to be optimistic :).

5 Attempts at Trump Optimism…

1. American history is full of terrible things we have done. So far the republic has survived. I just hope doesn’t become the #1 terrible thing we have ever done (which is a pretty high bar).

2. Trump has written the narrative that the Republican party is one of racism, misogyny, bigotry, xenophobia, and homophobia. That is going to be burned into a lot of young voters and minority voters. Demographics matter.

3. Trump’s base is now waiting for the crazy things he promised. Our system doesn’t move fast, and I am curious how they handle disappointment and moderation (if he shows it). Bring the popcorn. And, watch for the 2018 election to see who shows up.

4. In 2020 we have a census and then redraw congressional districts. As long as the democratic party wins big in 2018 and 2020 they could eliminate political gerrymandering. Both Republicans and Democrats are guilty and fixing it would be a MASSIVE leap forward in our democracy. Why? Because Congress would have to actually compete to be re elected (we need more competition in elections). I hope Obama is entirely focused on fixing gerrymandering after his vacation. Hopefully in conjunction with a conservative leader, maybe President Bush.

5. Some of what Trump is pitching in his first 100 days is not bad. Specifically some of the anti lobbying items (although they are pretty lightweight in years). We shall see what he actually stands for since his campaign was devoid of any coherent written or spoken policies.

What am I most worried about?

#1 – Climate Change

Trump doesn’t believe in climate change. His policies could accelerate global warming past the safe boundaries for the entire world (yes he could literally destroy the world for everyone by 2100). Plus give China the lead in renewables.

#2 – Supreme Court

Trump’s judges are crazy. I wish they were just conservative judges, but they are crazy judges. Some of them think you can have a State religion, just not federal. Meaning that Alabama might become a Protestant Christian state. Not to mention all the minority rights items they could roll back for 50+ years. Want to legally discriminate against someone on the basis of x, y or z? Well now you can with Trump’s judges…

#3 – Trump Can’t Read

I am pretty sure Trump can’t read. I am super serious.

What am I going to do?

Be optimistic.

Engage with ALL my fellow Americans.

FIGHT for a better America.

And pray pray pray. :)

PS. Great post on feedback to sum this up:

“Your (rational) Facebook friends are not calling you a bigot, but are disappointed in you for thinking bigotry is acceptable. By voting for Donald Trump, you told your friends that you think the things he says and does are acceptable. Your friends are upset because, by process of deduction, they’ve concluded that you do not find anything disqualifying about a lot of the objectively terrible things that have been said and done by your candidate. If you thought these behaviors were inappropriate, you would have taken a stand, like those on this extensive list of Republican leaders against Trump, and not given your vote to the man who demonstrated them. Since you did, in fact, cast your vote for Donald Trump, it shows them that you did not find anything wrong with his behavior, and that realization hurts their feelings. For them this is not just “difference of opinion,” but an endorsement of behaviors that degrade them as people.”