A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court - Mark Twain

 It's been years since I read Twain (Huckleberry Finn) but I find him a delightful author.  This book struck a particularly fun chord for me because I often think about this topic:  If I got thrown back in time with no resources but my memory, could I reinvent the industrial revolution?  The MC totally does, or would have if he hadn't pissed off literally everyone.  I identified SO HARD with this book.  The MC running around going, "Well, that makes little to no sense!" or the following exchange.

MC: "Ya'll need a bath."

Peasants: "The last time we bathed the water dried up so God must want us dirty."

MC: "lol, no-kay.  Where's the well?" *looks at it* "Yep, God just said you were dumbasses, that's all." *fixes well*

Peasants: "Wow MC! You're a wizard."

MC: "Yeaaaaaa...."

This was a great, snarky book and I loved it.  Perhaps my only negative is the random dying of MC for no reason a-la nineteenth century at the end.  But, eh, the actual story was told nicely.  

Aquaponics: Aquaponic Gardening - Tom Sutherland

 A great starter book for the topic.  I want to read a more in-depth book to get the details of a small system hammered out, but I was able to think up a design even with this short book.  It is a great general overview book if you're just considering the idea or know nothing. I've been keeping fish and aquatic plants for decades at this point, yet I still liked the list of items and the information wasn't repetitive or obvious.  This is a great little book to get you started on your way.

Frankenstein - Mary Shelly

 I'd never actually read this book all the way through though I somehow knew the gist of the story, probably due to the long-standing popularity in general pop culture.  Mary Shelly is attributed as being the very first horror author, creating the genre.  I thought this book was much better than the other "first of the genre" type books like Jules Vern or H. G. Wells.  Shelly does an excellent job of misdirecting the reader equal to any standard author today.  She also creates a relatable villain, a literary feat always leading to a better story.  The idea of telling the story through letters so that the story can be written in first person but still include what happens after the first person dies is a great idea too.  Overall, this is a good book, and has aged very well.  It hasn't gotten stuffy over the years.  

I really would recommend this for every fan of horror as a get-back-to-your-roots kinda thing.  

The Goose Girl - Shannon Hall (The books of Bayern, Bk. 1)

 This was a delightfully fun book and I recommend it to everyone who enjoys fiction.  The story is encaptivating and real without being gory or excessive (I'm looking at you GoT.) I believe this is a YA book, but I didn't think it came off the way many of those books do, like they're trying too hard.  The story doesn't need too much world-building, so it doesn't get bogged down in explanation.  The author introduces the information in an organic way that, once it becomes necessary, flows easily.  I've read many books where the animals speak for various reasons and this is my favorite depiction.  The MC sort of adds in the grammar in a way that reads like translation, which would be the only way to document what a goose honks at you, or the like.  Overall, this is just a very well written book.  

Bitcoin for Beginners: A guide to understanding Btc Cryptocurrency and becoming a crypto Expert - Michael Scott

 I rather disagree with this unnecessarily long title.  The information in the book was fine, accurate and whatnot.  But had I not previously read the Intro to Bitcoin book, I think I would have been rather lost.  Both books review pretty much the same information, but the presentation and pace of that other book was superior to this one. If you only read one Btc/crypto book this year, don't make it this one.

Common Sense on Mutual Funds - John C. Bogle

 This book took me so freaking long to get through! I do NOT recommend this for anyone who doesn't love reading a whole thesis on finances.  I like boring stuff and I found this one tough.  I'll save you the hassle and hours of mind-numbing by condensing the take-aways:

- Put your money in, leave it there, you will get the average market return, 6.7% over a decade regardless of what happens

- Don't pay someone to play with your money.  If you're not making the average market return after fees and commissions, fire your manager and just leave the money in and you'll get the average market return.

- Diversify to get average market returns.  All your eggs in one basket (or sector/subject/category) will not net you average market returns.

- There are no hot deals.  There are no guarantees. There are no secrets.  If there are, it's called insider trading.  

- Mutual funds are designed to be bought and held. Buy-sell-buy of mutual funds completely defeats their purpose.  

You're welcome. I just saved you 21 hours.

Introduction to Bitcoin, Blockchain and Cryptocurrencies - Various Authors

 This was a great introductory book.  If you have interest in learning about this topic, this is the book to grab.  It had just the right amount of detail without getting bogged down.  It was paced perfectly, not too fast so you miss absorbing the information, but not to slow to get boring.  I know this is my first book, but as an introduction, it was great.  I would like to find a more detailed book in the future, but I feel good about the information I'm walking away with from this one.  

Alvin Journeyman - Orsen Scott Card (The Tales of Alvin Maker, Bk. 4)

 This fantastic book starts out with a trial of false accusations against Alvin and I was so caught up in the trial and wondering what's going to happen after the trial that I was 90% of the way through the whole book before I realized the trial WAS the whole book.  I was a little disappointed by that, but it was captivating the way a Jerry Springer show can be, so I wasn't too sad.  This book had all the wit and beautiful world building one expects from Card seamlessly paired with the riveting train wreck that is Reddit's r/relationship forum.  

Card is absolutely one of my favorite authors and I encourage anyone who likes some sci-fi fantasy stuff to give him a try.

Rose Gardening - Nancy Ross

 Some useful information but it could have been just a single web page.  Good info on the standard stuff like air circulation, wet feet, when and how to prune, when to feed.  All standard stuff and nothing really new or unique.  Useful, but I think I'd rather just read about Texas specific rose gardening on the internet.  

The Gilded Wolves - Roshani Chokshi (The Gilded Wolves, Bk. 1)

 This was a recommendation from one of those hundreds of internet lists.  The series is brand new and the second book isn't due out until the fall.  However, this is not the author's first work.  She has published other books in a different series prior.

I enjoyed this book's characters the most.  They are all unique in a way that makes them both interesting and relatable, dynamic but not cliched. Each character has their niche, but it's not carried to the point of trope.  The world building is pretty good, it mostly stays within what is already known and being set in a historical period makes that easy for the author.  The source of "magic" in this case is very creative and I approve of her creative twist on an old fairy tale.  

While not a book I'm going to freak out over, I will absolutely read the next one when it comes out.

Tarnsman of Gor - John Norman (Gorean Saga, Bk. 1)

Well, this certainly doesn't pass the Bechdel test, but I knew that going in based on the lore that made me curious to read this book to begin with.  Rampant sexism aside:

It was slow to start, but once the main character gets his footing in the new world, the action flows quite well.  I did not like the authors use of "lucky circumstance".  It was too heavy and far too convenient in the plot line instead of forcing the character to think/work his way out of the problems he got into.  The author does, however, do a good job of not over-explaining.  He leaves enough myth and mystery that I am curious to read the next book.  

Five Little Pigs - Agatha Christie

I love Agatha Christie and I love how good she is at writing mysteries.  I was sure the sister did it this time.  The author does such a great job of set-up.  All the facts laid out beautifully, but keeps you guessing right up to the very end.  That's precisely why I like this author.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a perfectly written mystery.

Prentice Alvin - Orson Scott Card (The Tales of Alvin Maker, Bk. 3)

This really is a delightful series.  I am certainly looking forward to the next book.

The Big Trip up Yonder - Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

While short, this story paints a horrifying picture of what happens when your children never grow up an move out because they never age.  A medicine halts the ageing process and everyone is still hanging onto Grandpa's coattails.  Ew.  This is some next level r/JustNoFamily bs.  Also, overpopulation, because no one dies and there's not enough housing or jobs or space.  Why would anyone reproduce in these circumstances? At least, not anytime in the first 100 years or maybe more.  This whole book just made me want to slap everyone, including Grandpa for letting it happen.

A good short read, a horror story about living in a 2 bedroom/1bath apartment with your entire extended family who are all leaches.

You Need a Budget - Jesse Mecham

This is a great book to pair with the Dave Ramsey method.  Ramsey repeatedly says you need to get control of your spending and YOU alone are responsible for that.  He says you need a budget and to stick to it, but he neither outlines how to go about doing that nor plans well for the necessary plasticity of a living, breathing budget.  This book picks up and details the how that Ramsey glosses over.  There is a little philosophical difference in where to place all emphasis, but I would say if you follow Ramsey using this method to create and work your budget, most people would be all set!

The emphasis of this book is on how relying on a rigid budget is a set up for failure.  You plan to spend only so much on food, go over the first month and immediately become disheartened. Not allowing for movement in your budget will set you up for failure before you begin.  He also encourages re-making the budget regularly, even after the first month if it becomes apparent that the amounts are wildly out of sync with the real world, a common mistake.  For example, the plan is to spend $350 on food each month.  The first month comes in at $550.  Obviously there is some major dreaming going on with that $350 figure.  Asking why it is so difference is important, but if you can't hit to goal, even after trying, the budget needs to be re-made to account for the difference and cuts need to be made to other categories, or long-term goals have to be scaled back, one or the other.  Stubbornly sticking to the first, unrealistic budget is demoralizing and after repeated failure will lead to giving up.  The author pushes how a budget is a living thing that must reflect the living beings that created it and be flexible.  Once a realistic budget is created, overspending is still possible on occasion.  The author pushes pulling from another category for one-off incidents.  This keeps the long-term goals on track.

The big difference between these two debt/spending management philosophies is when you get to have "fun". Ramsay hits hard that you do nothing until you're practically rolling in money.  That's another great way to get burned out and give up.  After creating a budget a person will have an idea of how far out their debt journey will take and when Ramsay says you can't enjoy life until you're there, years away for most people, makes it seem like you're never going to get there so what's the point of life?  This book addresses that failing.  The author still detests debt and promotes getting rid of debt above all else, but not at the risk of burn out and failure.  Essentially, he encourages going hard at debt, but also include something you want in the budget.  It gives you something to look forward to in the middle of the debt race, instead of the distant, seemingly unattainable, end.  This makes far more sense to me.  He encourages going all out to get a jump start like Ramsay, but emphasizes to set an "end date" for the money sprint before even beginning so it doesn't feel endless.

The other great bit about this book is there is a whole chapter about teaching children how to budget.  I don't have kids, but everyone who does and wants to see their kids succeed should 100% read that chapter. 

I would recommend this book to everyone who isn't rolling in money.

Cervical Cancer - Various Authors

I'm not sure I'd recommend this book to anyone.  It was rather indecisive and took an approach that both danced around accusing women of sluty behavior but also somehow refused to clearly detail that entering sexual relationships early and with partners who had many partners increases cervical cancer risk.  Several times the author referenced "in this country" but never stated what country that was.  The key points that they were afraid (?) to outright say were:
- most (90%) of cervical cancer is caused by HPV (and 60% of penile cancer, as well as most vulva cancer and a good number of mouth and throat cancers)
- you increase your risk of contracting HPV if you have a higher number of partners, if you (even 1 and only) partner had a high number of partners
- the earlier you enter the sexual field, the more likely you are to have a higher number of partners
- women who have had bad deliveries are more likely than women who have had easy deliveries to have get that other 10% of cervical cancer
- women who have never had children are less likely to be in that non-HPV induced cancer cohort than women who have (giving birth = more cancer BUT less of a concern than having many partners)
- hormonal birth control may increase cancer rate BUT women on hormonal birth control are way less likely to use condoms and are less afraid to engage in sexual encounters due to pregnancy fears, so is it really the hormonal birth control or is it the possible increase of partners without condom usage? 

The authors did NOT make this very clear.  They danced around it, but refused to outright say anything.  This book was weak and not recommended.

The Backyard Homestead Manual: A How-to Guide to Homesteading - self sufficient urban farming made easy - Chase Bourn

Great little book!  I think goes over all the major points.  Doesn't go into too much item specific details but does detail universal stuff, like soil.  I knew all of this information at some time or another, so nothing new for me, but if you have any interest in growing and making but didn't have the luck to be born into a farm-ish family, this is where you can start!

I don't have any specific opinions on this because it was a general overview, but I appreciate the review.  And it is ideal for a beginner!

The life-changing Magic of Tidying up: The Japanese art of decluttering and organizing - Marie Kondo

She's not wrong. Everyone has too much junk.  We keep it for different reason. For me it is a cross between the ecological disappointment of sending something still useful to the dump and knowing that as soon as I make the conscious decision to trash something, I'll need it and loath to spend money on another of the same after I threw it away.  Donating is good.  Selling is better though.  I've always got some old stuff I"m trying to wring a few dollars out of.  Sometimes it works out well, more often it doesn't.
Many of the things she goes on about I've seen other people do.  I once saw a friend's closet where she had dresses many sizes too small, still with the tags on. It was bizarre.  I've heard people talk about buying stuff on Amazon daily. I mean, no wonder you don't have any money!  These aren't my problem.  In fact, buying things in general is difficult for me.  I research prices until I'm blue in the face, but I am rarely disappointed with a purchase.
The author also has organizational advice that isn't relevant to me as well.  She says that at the end of each day, you should empty your purse.  This way you are less likely to forget something in the wrong handbag the following day.  That would be great if, you know, I had more than one?  Clearly I have purged the maximum number of purses.  (That's not true, I have some from my grandmother, but I'm keeping those for sentimental reasons. They aren't for use. But that's a different topic.)
All this being said, most of her ideas are spot on and as I put my new house away, I will implement many of them, particularly the folding.  When I was moving out, time was limited and I am aware that there are items that made the move who should not have.  I will find them and try to sell them.  I've recently been tracking down a good number of selling locations/platforms and plan to push hard on those. Until and item sells, it will be stored with the other items for selling.  I hope this will keep them in order better.
I'm not into the whole "essence of the home" thing she has going on, but I understand how it could help other people less pragmatic than I.  But the folding, the folding is spot-on!

Argo: How the CIA and Hollywood pulled off the most audacious Rescue in History - Antonio J. Mendez

This was a fascinating and fantastic story.  I know they made it into a movie maybe 10 years ago, and I definitely want to watch it now.  I was particularly fond of the background to see how the specialists embraced the art and power of makeup.  I had never before considered when or how modern disguises hit the spy scene.  I had incorrectly assumed as new things came out, they were gobbled up by people like the CIA.  I am always amazed at how some unconnected doofus in an office believes they know more than people on the ground.
This was a shitty time in our foreign policy agenda, but this is a story that near everyone should read.

The Woodcarver's Secret - Connie Shelton (Samantha Sweet Mystery Series, Bk. 0.5)

I picked this up not knowing it was the prequel to a series of books, only that the author had a good reputation.  While it was interesting to follow the stories through time, I wasn't really a fan of this.  There was no cohesion other than the wooden boxes. It took me a while to catch the drift of it but I found the random jumps rather annoying.  No "he cherished the box and it made 34 more trips back to Mexico City before being passed to his son with whom it made 49 trips back and forth across the desert before falling forgotten as Carlos fell asleep for the last time."  Just something so you know how much time has passed. Instead it randomly jumped forward anywhere between a few years and a few centuries.
I guess this is an important book if you're a fan of the series, but I am not, so it was mostly meh for me.  Based on the writing style, I don't think I'll be picking up the series either.  I'd rather move onto something I really like, and this ain't it!