Books read in 2018: No. 29 -- It's Not About Me

by Max Lucado

Started: May 15
Finished: May 17

Notes: I've been meaning to check out this Christian author for a while, so when I stumbled across this book of his in a Free Little Library, I thought it time to give him a shot.

Mini review: Basically, life is not about you, it's about God, and all things we do should glorify God. This is pretty basic Christianity, especially for Protestants, specifically for evangelicals. If that's what you're interested in studying, or if you're a Christian who feels you need a spiritual boost, then this book might be for you. As for me, I didn't find much new here other than a few comments about some texts in their original Hebrew, but the writing style wasn't too bad, a little long winded to say a fairly simple message, but not too bad.

Books read in 2018: No. 28 -- More Than A Carpenter

by Josh McDowell

Started: May 13
Finished: May 15

Notes: I've read some of this Christian apologists work before and found it interesting, so I thought I'd give another books of his a try, this one apparently being more personal to his life.

Mini review: There wasn't anything revelatory here for me, but that doesn't mean there wasn't anything here that would be useful to believers and possibly to non-believers alike. Other than the final chapter (which was the personal part of McDowell's message), this book is a basic primer for Christian apologists, culling ideas and quotes not only from the Bible, but from the likes of C.S. Lewis and many others. Those who are interested in Christian apologetics could find this a useful book to provide them some basics without having to go into deeper material.

Books read in 2018: No. 27 -- Sword and Sorceress IV

edited by Marion Zimmer Bradley

Started: April 26
Finished: May 13

Notes: This series of fantasy anthologies has been around for several decades now, but I've never had the opportunity to read one until now. There are a few familiar names in the Table of Contents, but there are many more whom I do not know, so maybe I'll find some new authors to enjoy or at least a few stories to entertain.

Mini review: Usually with any collection of short stories there are a handful of stinkers, but I have to admit there was only one tale here which didn't work for me. The rest were quite good, a few bordering on being awesome. So, yes, I can suggest this book for fans of Sword & Sorcery short stories.

Books read in 2018: No. 26 -- Blade #17: The Mountains of Brega

by Jeffrey Lord

Started: April 21
Finished: April 26

Notes: I just read #16 in this series, the first time I'd read one of these novels, and I didn't love it but I also didn't hate it. So, that being the case, I thought I'd give the series another go.

Mini review: This time Blade goes into a jungle land where the sexes split into separate societies long ago after a vast war. Fighting his way through the jungle and savages, Blade eventually works to bring the sexes and their two societies back together. All with a handful of sex scenes that pretty much make me laugh. Again, no great literature here, just some action and romping in the bed. Not the worst of reads, but not a lot of depth.

Books read in 2018: No. 25 -- Blade #16: The Crystal Seas

by Jeffrey Lord

Started: April 15
Finished: April 20

Notes: I've run across books in this series from time to time over the decades, usually in used book stores, garage sales, flea markets, etc., but I never picked one up. That changed last year when I used book store I've come to love had a few of these novels, so I snagged up two in order to give the series a chance. If I love it, I can always look for more. And the author for this series didn't actually exist, being a house name used by several writers throughout the series.

Mini review: Mix together James Bond with John Carter of Mars and you've got a pretty good idea of these books and the Richard Blade character. Blade literally is an English spy, and through technology he sent into fantasy worlds where he has various adventures. Why the British government is doing this, I don't know, as it's not revealed in this book, but it makes for a somewhat interesting take. However, this is mostly just cheap action and adventure with the occasional brief sexual scene. There's nothing wrong with any of that if that's what you're interested in, but don't expect much else.

Books read in 2018: No. 24 -- The Swords Trilogy

by Michael Moorcock

Started: April 10
Finished: April 15

Notes: Over the last couple of decades, I've managed to find the first two books of this trilogy and read them, always in used book stores, but that final book, The King of The Swords, always eluded me. Fortunately, last year I ran across this collection of the series, of course in a used book store, so I bought it to finish the series. And, of course, a week later I actually found a copy of The King of The Swords in another store, but I didn't buy it since I had this version. Anyway, I'm going to go ahead and read the entire trilogy since it has been a long while since I read the first two books, as a refresher if nothing else.

Mini review: Most modern readers will not enjoy the writing style here, thinking it archaic, even boring. But fans of Sword and Sorcery will likely enjoy this style. However, I did find myself frustrated in the last book of the trilogy when it seemed to be that none of what had gone before truly mattered, that it could all be undone in the blink of an eye, that the eternal battle between Chaos and Law was truly that, eternal, so the strife made little sense. That being said, the final pages did bring some light onto the subject, and that helped. Also towards the end, Elric of Melnibone shows up for a few chapters as a character, and he has his role to play here. I can't say I loved this book, but I didn't hate it. I can suggest it for hardcore S&S fans, but general fantasy fans will likely want to stay away.

Books read in 2018: No. 23 -- Full Dark, No Stars

by Stephen King

Started: April 6
Finished: April 10

Notes: In my opinion, King is usually stronger in his shorter works, so I thought I'd check out this collection of four novellas. Funny thing, I accidentally picked up a large-type edition, and I still need my reading glasses!

Mini review: These were pretty good stories. In "1922," it's the Dust Bowl era and a father entices his son to commit a vicious crime, then cover it up, but the outcome is one screwed-up son. In "Big Driver," a victim of violence manages to survive and seeks her own personal form of closure, all while hoping to avoid law enforcement. In the story "Fair Extension," a man with cancer makes a deal to have his cancer vanish, but then someone else has to suffer. And in "A Good Marriage," a wife discovers her husband is more than she had known, much more, and then she has to deal with it. Interestingly, at least to me, all these tales are about men committing violence, or at least doing something awful, and women suffering from it, often having to deal with the ramifications afterwards. Sometimes other males also suffer, but generally they are more of a byproduct of tragedy, with women suffering the most or being the initial target. I don't know if King consciously set out for this collection to contain such stories, or if his editor(s) realized it at the time, but that's how it came out. I'm making no judgment here, just an observation, and these are all good tales.