Book Review: Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry

August 06, 2019 by Joe Gray in Book Review

Lonesome Dove is an engulfing western tale about more than just a cattle drive to Montana, which is one of the driving forces for the plot, by the way, but it is really about loneliness and regret. Woodrow Call and Augustus McCrae are two retired Texas Rangers that take the advice their old rangering buddy, Jake Spoon, tells them of the riches they could make as the first cattle ranchers in Montana, which is only three thousand miles away from their small ranch in Texas. Captain Call, as they call him, decides to take Jake's advice and amasses a three thousand-headed herd of cattle and horses and a dozen or so green cowboys, and, along with the non-stop communicator Gus, they all make their way across almost three thousand miles of a mostly unsettled and completely wild frontier. None of the men had previously been that far north and none knew of the dangers that were waiting for them.

Book Review: The Dichotomy of Leadership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin

April 01, 2019 by Joe Gray in Book Review

This book is the perfect accompaniment to the author's previous release "Extreme Ownership". In "Extreme Ownership" Jocko Willink and Leif Babin make the case that for leaders to succeed they must take responsibility for everything in their world and while that is an extremely important and difficult lesson to learn, there was more to the story. That is where their new book, "The Dichotomy of Leadership", comes in. In "The Dichotomy of Leadership" the authors dissect real-world situations, both in the military and in business, that illuminate the balancing act that all leaders face. When a leader starts to slide too far to one end of the seesaw they risk falling off the ride. This book is for those that want to continue the fight and lead their teams toward victory.

Book Review: The World Carried On by Channing Cornwall

October 22, 2018 by Joe Gray in Book Review

The World Carried On is an epic tale written by Channing Cornwall. In this novel, his most ambitious to date, he intricately weaves a story that is captivating from the first paragraph. Channing breaks the mold with The World Carried On by giving the reader multiple perspectives to unwind the mysteries and adventures that await. With each chapter, we bounce around the primitive post-apocalyptic environment learning about its inhabitants and interconnections. By seeing things from every angle we get a better understanding of the motivations of all the characters showcasing the ambiguous nature of human conflict.

Re-Post: Book Review: Neil Gaiman's "The Graveyard Book"

October 16, 2018 by Joe Gray in Book Review

I decided to buy Neil Gaiman's book entitled "The Graveyard Book" on the recommendation of Tim Ferris, a noted author, and podcaster. I had no idea what the book was about but I thought if Tim Ferris loved it so much it must be worth reading. The book sat in a drawer for quite some time before I got to it and I'm really glad I did. It is a wonderfully written and thoroughly engaging book.

Book Review: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

September 24, 2018 by Joe Gray in Book Review

**This book puts the virtue in virtual reality.**

This book can be summed up in one word: Fun. Or maybe exciting. Or entertaining, suspenseful, exhilarating, masterful, heartwarming? This book can be summed up with many words, all of which lead to a worthwhile read. Ernest Cline wonderfully portrays the struggles and triumphs that young people face in a way that is both futuristic and timeless. His depiction of a future where the real world is crumbling into a more and more polarized environment while the unreal world online serves as a distraction and shelter is masterfully weaved into the text with rich and relatable detail.

Book Review: Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin

July 16, 2018 by Joe Gray in Book Review

Extreme Ownership is a non-fiction book written by ex-Navy Seal operators Jocko Willink and Leif Babin that both educates and entertains. In each chapter, the writers describe real accounts of their military experiences highlighting key aspects of leadership principles, then they lay out the principles involved in a more abstract way and then illustrate the application of the principles to the business world using real-life examples from their work with high-level leaders in the corporate world. Each chapter highlights a specific leadership trait or strategy such as extreme ownership, decentralized command, cover and move, check the ego, leading up and down the chain of command and much more.