State of the Union

I picked up Brad Thor's State of the Union in the bargain section of Barnes & Noble. I was intrigued by the cover of the book, which depicted a double headed eagle on some form of crest. It looked to somehow combine Masonic imagery with that of the American government. I did not read the description on the back, but as I enjoy political action/suspense novels, I purchased it without much other thought.

It took me a few months to get to it on my queue, but I finally found time to read the novel. Now that I am in my doctoral studies, I am aware that my time for pleasure reading will be significantly diminished. However, a colleague from Virginia Tech, who is a part-time doctoral student, advised me that finding time to occasionally read for pleasure is a gift to myself. As such, I thought that this would be a fun and accessible pleasure read.

I great enjoyed this story. I do not believe I have read any other novels by Brad Thor, and I was not aware that this was the third book in a series, but I found it easy to quickly become interested in the narrative. This story follows Agent Scot Harvath as he works to quickly stop a terrorist plot that threatens to severely cripple the United States as a player on the global scene. Harvath travels all over the globe in his efforts to do so. The book is full of action and adventure. I found it to be an enjoyable, and consequently quick, read.

State of the Union

Satan is Real: The Ballad of the Louvin Brothers

I'm not sure where I first heard about Satan is Real: The Ballad of the Louvin Brothers by Charlie Louvin with Benjamin Whitmer. It was likely while looking at other music (auto)biographies on Amazon. However, I know I had recently been listening to some Louvin Brothers on Pandora, so thought it would be a nice compliment to the music. And, as those who have previously read this blog will know, I am a fan of biographies about music or artists.

I found Satan is Real to be a rather interesting read. It is arranged mostly chronologically as Charlie Louvin recounts how the Louvin Brothers got their start. He recounts interesting stories of growing up on their parents' cotton farm, learning how to sing from his mother and at church, and sneaking out to see Roy Acuff. The narrative continues and provides detailed stories of the brothers' music careers. There are also interesting stories about Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson, Elvis, and Hank Williams. I found this to be one of the more fun and interesting autobiographies I have read lately.

Satan is Real: The Ballad of the Louvin Brothers

Riding the Rap

Those who know me know that I am a fan of FX's show Justified, about US Marshal Raylan Givens as he returns to his childhood stomping ground of Harlan County Kentucky and deals with numerous outlaws in the area. As such, it should be no surprise that I read another of Elmore Leonard's books featuring Raylan. This time, the novel is Riding the Rap. This book features Raylan Givens investigating the kidnapping of his "friend" Harry Arno. The novel features some incredibly interesting characters including a Latino gardener turned bounty hunter, a Caribbean man who used to pretend to belong to the Nation of Islam, and a psychic. As usual, Leonard's dialogue is gritty and real. The book was a fun read.

Riding the Rap

The Everything Home Recording Book

I picked up The Everything Home Recording Book by Marc Schonbrun after Eddie and I made plans to do some demo recording in his basement. While recording studios and project studios are topics and concepts I am familiar with from my undergraduate education, it has been about 7 years since I have done anything hands-on with them. I wanted something that could easily job my memory and hopefully refresh my knowledge. And, Eddie has ProTools, with which I do not have a lot of familiarity.

The book served its intended purpose, at least from my perspective. Admittedly, it is written for beginners with little-to-no experience with recording, so hopefully I would understand it after studying it in college for four years. It presented the various concepts with clarity and helped to refresh my memory about microphones, recording technique, and effects usage in the recording process. Of course, nothing actually tops hands-on experience in recording, but I now feel that I can handle some basic recording with relative ease.

This is a great book for those interested in learning about home recording, or like me, who wish to refresh their memory.

The Everything Home Recording Book

Bad Luck and Trouble

Bad Luck and Trouble  finds Jack Reacher called to Los Angelos to investigate the death of a close friend and member of his Military Police Unit. Reacher teams up with Neagley (featured in another one of the stories), as well as two other friends to look into the mysterious circumstances surrounding their colleague's death. The story brings up memories from the past, as well as demonstrates the bonds Reacher still has with old comrades. The story focuses on the team unraveling the mystery, as well as dealing out some renegade vengeance.

It's worth a read.

Bad Luck and Trouble

One Shot

Lee Child's  One Shot  is another novel in the Jack Reacher series. It is the novel on which the Jack Reacher movie (starring Tom Cruise) is based. This novel finds Reacher investigating a killing spree in a small Indiana town perpetuated by a sniper who is believed to have been someone Reacher knew in the Army. There are a number of interesting twists to this novel, which made it rather fun to read. It has some differences from the motion picture, which I saw first, but is a definite thrill ride. I found this to be one of the stronger novels in the series. I definitely recommend the book for fans of the series, the film, or action/mystery novels in general.

One Shot

Start With Why

I starting reading Simon Sinek's  Start With Why as part of a reading group within the Division of Student Affairs at Virginia Tech. A number of staff members from various units within the Division gathered to read  and discuss one section of the book every other week. The book had previously been read as a staff development tool by some other departments and the Division of Student Affairs brought Sinek to speak to the staff.

I found the book to have some similar characteristics to other "self-help" or "personal development" books, but it also had a number of useful ideas related to leadership. Sinek's entire premise is that business needed to start with the "why" of what they do. He argues that too many businesses focus on "what" they do and "how" they do it. He clearly is a fan of Apple and Harley-Davidson as companies who understand their "Why." He uses them as examples throughout the book.

Overall it is a good book for someone who wishes to refocus on the "why" of what they do.

Start With Why