Book Club Part Deux

Its freezing here and the roads are continually coated in ice. My car is turning into Lot's wife. I can almost hear it screaming. On to the book reviews.

Catching Fire - Part 2 of the Hunger Games Trilogy or should I say SAGA? The death match is over, but our hero must show she can love two hunky men at the same time... yeah, I read this book. Now that the movie rights have been purchased by Lionsgate, I wonder who they'll get to play Katniss. Perhaps the idea of a deadly bow-hunter woman will become all the rage in fashion trends? The fashion designer Chinna (in the book) will become an icon for designers everywhere. Personally, if Julie ran around the house dressed like a warrior princess sporting a headband, magical bracelets and a set of bow and arrows, I'd be a very happy guy. She'd truly be living up to the last name. Tangent.

I burned through this book, but it didn't have the same zing of the first. I don't want to give things away in the plot, but Christy's comments became a self-fulfilling prophecy for me. Beginning - good, middle - meh, end - good. Ms. Collins appears to be doing the love triangle to sell books in Stephanie Meyer fashion, but I'll withhold judgement until the final book. I still recommend getting into this series and can't wait to get over the nearly punitive cliff hangar at the end of the book.

Good to GREAT - Fantastic business book by Jim Collins. Best part? Its actually a bit of a page turner and loaded with principles that can be applied to almost anyone in any walk of life. Gospel resonance with no Stephen Covey. It chronicles companies that made the leap from being good to great companies over a 40 to 60 year time frame in comparison with similar companies that didn't have success. It was something like watching a special on the History Channel. Which I think would be a great idea for a spin off from the History Channel. Many of the concepts and principle are simple, timeless and easily understood. The first four chapters are great reading on successful leadership principles (Level 5 Leadership), confronting brutal facts and creating a culture of discipline.

The following clip from Batman Begins demonstrates the pitiful state of the good who have not yet become great... until the invitation arrives.

Yes, in my quote world this captures the essence of the book - "If you make yourself more than just a man, if you devote yourself to an ideal... and if they can't stop you... Then you become something else entirely - A legend."

WAR OF GIFTS - I've become a fan of Orson Scott Card and really enjoy his Ender character, even if he turned out to be an empathetic wuss afraid to open up a can at the end of his life. This book is about a kid raised by a fanatical minister drafted to attend Battle School. The book centers around this boy ruining the last shred of Christmas at the Battle School. Why? He has serious issues with Santa. Check out his old man's sermon:

"Saint Nick is a Mask!... He is the false beard and the false laugh worn by the drunken servants of the God of Frivolity... Greed and covetousness are the gifts he instills in the hearts of our children! O God, save us from the Satan of Santa! Keep our children's eyes averted from his malicious, predatory gaze! Do not seat our children upon his lap to whisper their coveting into his stony ear! He is an idol of idolatry! God knows what spirit animates these idols and makes them laugh their ho, ho whoredoms and abominations and braying jackassery!"

"Satan is a liar every time! When Santa puts a lie on the lips of parents, the seed of that lie is planted in the hearts of their children and when that seed come to flower and bears fruit, the fruit of that lie is faithlessness. You do not deserve the trust of your children when you lie for Satan!"
"Yes! your children whisper their secret desires to Satan and he will answer their prayers, not with the presents they seek, and certainly not with the presence of God Immanuel! No, he will answer their prayers with the ashes of sin in their mouths, with the poison of atheism and unbelief in the plasma of their blood. He will drive out the hemoglobin and replace it with hellish lust!"

Now I've ruined Christmas like I did Halloween. But who cares? Have some more chips and guacamole. Thanks for being a part of my one man book club.