Non Fiction
Making it So by Patrick Steward
My wife got me this for Chrismas 2023 and I finally sat down and read the wonderful book looking at the life of Patrick Steward from his perspective. A few things stand out to me, he was 45 when he got the roll as Captian Picard in Star Trek and finally “made it”. That’s the same age as I am now and when I showed my children a picture of Stewart as Picard to my children they all say he looked way older than me. So score one for my genetics.
On a more serious note many times I was overjoyed at the love that Stewart shows, and is reciprocated, towards his male co-stars/co-workers. The affection he shows for Michael Dorn (Worf) was the first time I stopped reading to think about how much we’d gain in the world if more men were comfortable enough to show their love for other men without worrying about what the world says.
It was also a bit mindblowing to hear that Stewart grew up knowing what a lamp lighter was, because his city had gas lamps that needed to be lit at night and then snuffed in the morning. It’s crazy to think how much technology has changed in what is a relatively short period of time covering the life of Patrick Stewart.
- Purchase on Bookshop.org – support local bookstores
- Purchase on Amazon
Think Again by Adam Grant
I won’t go into much detail on this book as we spent an entire month talking about it for book club. Suffice to say, if you want to gain some perspective on how to talk with people about polarizing topics this is a good book to read. Hopefully it causes you to spend time thinking about the things you hold to, and gives space for you to interact with true curiosity towards those you disagree with.
The other posts I wrote about Think Again
- Second Opinions and Self Deception
- When Status Slips and Rage Rises – The Roots of Polarization
- Binary Bias and the Death of Nuance
- The Courage to Rethink
Fiction
Onyx Storm & Iron Flame
My oldest daughter got me into this series and we both devoured the books, now lamenting that the next instalment isn’t due till 2027.
I got into a discussion online about the smut in these books and someone lamented that the only reason these books existed was for some sex. While I suppose that may be true for some, I found the story to stand on it’s own without the need for the sex scenes. I’d say that they’re inserted a bit haphazardly and don’t add all that much to the story so if that’s not your jam, skip them and you’ll still be greeted by a YA story involving dragons and magic, sacrifice and loss, and coming to grips with those you love doing “bad” things that causes harm to their soul.