As an avid reader of science fiction, it should come as no surprise that books about the colonization of other planets, especially Mars, regularly show up in my Amazon recommendations. These recommendations led me to the Colony Mars Series by Gerald M. Kilby. The description looked interesting, so I decided to give it a go.
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Brad and I recently returned from our annual destination golf trip. This year we went to Pinehurst, referred to as ‘The Cradle’ of American golf. With ten courses, a nine hole Par 3, and an 18 hole putting green, there are a lot of choices when it comes to golf. In fact, there are so many choices it can make it hard to decide which courses you should play. Since I caught some grief for not reviewing the courses from our last trip to Phoenix promptly (yes, I’m looking at you Connor), here are my thoughts on the courses at Pinehurst while the trip is fresh in my mind.
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While there’s an allure to the bright lights of the big city, there’s no place like home. Or is there?
That’s the philosophical question that Matt Dunn explores in the novel Home. For anyone, like me, who left a small town for the big city, it makes you wonder what it would be like if you returned to your roots.
Continue readingNeedless to say, 2024 has gotten off to a slow start for the blog. There’s multiple reasons (aka excuses) this has happened, but I’ve come to the conclusion that I need to update and reorganize the website to get me focused on more regular posting.
Those were the words I used what I made the plans for the blog in 2024 – August of 2024 to be exact. If you don’t be believe me, you don’t have to scroll down the front page of the blog that far to read the entire article. It more or less sums up what happened in 2024 because that slow start extended through the end of the year.
Normally, I do a review of my blogging from the previous year and post plans for the coming year. I’m going to keep it simple this year.
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While I don’t read as many business books as I used to, I’m always on the lookout for books that can help me grow my knowledge to run a successful business. As a solo-preneur, it’s critical to always be learning, especially given how fast the business environment is changing these days. So when Priyesh Dhorajiwala reached out to me to review his book, The Power of Marketing Channels: A Comprehensive Guide to Growing Your Results, I accepted the offer.
Continue readingOn January 1st, 2014, I published my first set of fitness goals. While a lot has changed over the years, my focus on health and fitness hasn’t. As I’ve done each year since those first fitness goals were published, here’s the plan for 2025.
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My typical reading routine involves reading a short story between titles on my reading list. Sometimes the story will come from a collection, such as Stories of Your Life and Others (Ted Chiang) or Selected Stories of Philip K. Dick. Other times, interesting stand-alone titles appear.
Such was the case with The Scenic Route by Christina Baker Kline. An email from Amazon alerted me that it was available for free as an Amazon Original. Since I had really enjoyed Kline’s Orphan Train, it was an easy decision to make this one of my short story readings.
Continue readingIt’s time for the 12th edition of my annual reading list. I like to put together the list as way to document my reading goals for the year and to collect any suggestions or recommendations you might have based on the types of books I read.
Similar to recent years, I’m maintaining two lists. The first list is my fun reads, which are generally fictional works from the science fiction genre. I read these books for entertainment, although there are distinct reasons why the list leans towards science fiction that you can read about here. My morning reads is the list that I use for learning. The themes are primarily personal development, health and wellness, and business. The guidelines I use to comprise each of these lists are included at the end of this post.
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Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson was on my radar for a long time. I originally added to my 2017 reading list. I carried it through to my 2020 reading list, where it finally percolated to the top. When I opened the book on my Kindle, I was taken aback by the length – over 900 pages! Having already slogged through Peter Hamilton’s Pandora’s Star earlier that year, I couldn’t bring myself to read another tome of this length. So it languished on my reading list until the second half of 2023, when I finally decided to take the plunge. I knew I would have to eventually given how highly recommended it came from some close friends.
Continue readingIf you’re looking for a few recommendations for your 2025 reading list, here are a few of my favorites from the past year for your consideration. There are three categories to choose from – general recommendations that cover my favorite fictional reads, technology and personal development, and my fun reads that can use to fill in any remaining holes in your list.
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