Books read in 2019: No. 16 -- Let Us Reason Together!

by Leroy Cannady

Started: Feb. 25
Finished: Feb. 27

Notes: I had the pleasure to attend a dinner last year in which this author was the guest speaker. Naturally, I purchased his book afterwards. This book is his life story about rising above his struggles to become a solid Christian and a professional man after having witnessed the death of his father at a young age and having been caught up in heavy drug use and the life that went with it.

Mini review: Boy, did this guy have some rough early years, and he dished out nearly as much pain as he received. Eventually he did get his act together, but unfortunately only after several divorces and the ruination of others' lives. However, his troubles didn't fully end there as he became a widower and continued to have financial lows along with the highs. In the end, he became a missionary to Sri Lanka, taking his four kids with him, and in that country he married again though political troubles reared their head to cause more problems. All in all, some people might not be able to relate to this autobiography, but some will, at least those open to a more conservative brand of Christianity.

Beer of the Week: White Street Kolsch

Beer score: 5.9

Company: White Street Brewing Co.

ABV: 5.2
IBU: 23

Coming to us from the White Street Brewing folks just out of Wake Forest, NC, this brew pours with a nice white, frothy head and appears a sturdy gold color in a glass. Very crisp, very clean, but while this is a solid beer, I'm not sure it was for me. For one thing, the bitterness that hits the tongue right away was a bit too strong for my liking, though there is a light pleasant sweetness on the way down. Oddly enough, after that initial burst of flavor, the taste kind of fluttered away as I swallowed. The scent and taste remind me of wheat, something in a cracker variety, but there are also the barest hints of citrus and perhaps other fruits.

Should you try this? Yes, definitely. It's a quality beer. It simply wasn't my thing. Others might find it more to their liking. Besides, despite my relatively low beer score above, I don't dislike this beer; it's simply not a favorite, though I wouldn't turn one down if handed to me.

Books read in 2019: No. 15 -- The Book of Qualities

by J. Ruth Gendler

Started: Feb. 24
Finished: Feb. 25

Notes: This is one of my girlfriend's favorite books and there are a couple of copies laying around my place, so I thought I'd give it a try.

Review: My girlfriend laughed at me when she saw I was reading this book, telling me I would probably call it "artsy fartsy." There might be a little truth to that, but I also have to say there's a little more to this book than that. Yes, it's the kind of book that is generally intended to make people feel better about their life, and there's nothing necessarily wrong with that. But the main potential I saw here was for beginning writers. Basically, this book is a collection of several score vignettes humanizing various emotions and trials of humanity. This might sound trite to some, might sound awesome to others, but the benefit I found here for those starting to write is that it provides excellent examples of how to use metaphors and allegory, and it shows one way to write from the heart without having to get all flowery, while remaining relatively down to earth.

Books read in 2019: No. 14 -- A Brief History of Time

by Stephen W. Hawking

Started: Feb. 20
Finished: Feb. 24

Notes: I've been reading so much science fiction of late, I thought I'd dip into some actual science, an area in which I've not read nearly enough.

Mini review: This was written for the laymen, which proves how stupid I am because I almost immediately found much of it over my head. Oh, I can understand well enough the material related to the universe at large, but it's the other end, what one might call the micro-world, which I simply can't comprehend. I can get things down to atoms and electrons and protons, but once quarks come up, I'm lost and can't wrap my head around it. Still, this was a solid book with solid writing, and after doing some research online, was pleased to discover this book still stands up pretty well today more than 30 years after it was published. Obviously there have been some scientific breakthroughs since then, but the basics of this book is still fairly strong. Also, I'd like to add that I was fortunate enough to pick up a first edition of this book; I know it was a first edition because of the introduction by Carl Sagan, which was apparently pulled in later editions of the book.

Books read in 2019: No. 13 -- Little Fuzzy

by H. Beam Piper

Started: Feb. 19
Finished: Feb. 20

Notes: I used to own a paperback copy of this novel years and years ago, but for the life of me I can't remember reading it, so I'm hoping to correct that now. Or maybe I did read it and my memory is off. Either way, here goes.

Mini review: Not a bad novel, and no, I don't believe I've read it before. Basically a frontiersman of sorts discovers what seems to be an intelligent race, setting up the latter part of the novel which is pretty much a courtroom drama focusing upon a pair of murder cases and the future of this cute little intelligent race. Decently written with some points made about psychology, but didn't draw my interest enough for me to read the sequels, some written by Piper himself and others by different authors after his death.

Beer of the Week: Fiedlers Pils Im Stein

Beer score: 8.0

Company: Privatbrauerei Fiedler

ABV: 5.0
IBU: Not listed

Usually I find German beers overrated compared to the reputation they often have, but I'll admit there are some good ones out there. When it comes to non-U.S. beers, generally I prefer Belgian or British. However, this beer is an exception. It's very smooth and clean with a vaguely fruity texture hanging in the background. One of the better pilseners. Good cold or at room temperature. The brown earthenware jug this stuff comes in is a keeper. This beer is brewed in Koblenz, Germany, and is not always easy to find in the U.S.

Books read in 2019: No. 12 -- The End of All Songs: The Third Volume of The Dancers at the End of Time

by Michael Moorcock

Started: Feb. 14
Finished: Feb. 19

Notes: Having recently read the first two books in this trilogy, I thought I should go ahead and wind things down with this third book. I'd also like to add that if you should read these and are a fan of them, The Dancers at the End of Time series does not end with this trilogy but continues in other novels and short stories, so it might be worth your while to look them up.

Mini review: As wild and "out there" as were the first two novels in this trilogy, this one tops them. And while I've commented the first two novels were similar to one another in structure and theme, this one stretches those boundaries quite a bit, going for an unusual structure in which what seems to be the climax to the tale comes near the middle of the book while the true climax is more of an emotional one between the two main characters and comes nearer the end. If you're looking for some fantastical literature which is truly different, I can highly suggest these novels, especially if you have a penchant for older fantasy and science fiction works. Also, I'd like to add, I've mentioned in another review of one of the novels in this trilogy that I found some of the material familiar, and it dawned on me why: because I've read much of Moorcock's Elric of Melnibone works and in some shorter works Elric actually travels to the End of Time, the main setting for this trilogy. So that's one mystery solved.