Violence of Action

609. Title & Author: Sons of Valor II: Violence of Action by Andrews & Wilson

Genre: Fiction–Thriller

Completed: 8 September 2026

Summary & Review:

Tier One operator “Chunk” and his elite team must track down the remnants of the terror cell who perpetrated the drone attack on Bagram air base before their next attack. 

This has been a fun spin-off series from the John Dempsey books. Chunk was first introduced in that series and Andrews & Wilson rightly recognized he was a good character who readers wanted to follow. 

Rating: 7.0

Counting Miracles

 

608. Title & Author: Counting Miracles by Nicholas Sparks

Genre: Fiction–Romance

Completed: 10 August 2026

Summary & Review:

On a search for his father, Tanner winds up in Asheborough, North Carolina and the seemingly random circumstances of life lead him to find his family and love. 

Paige really enjoyed this book, and I did, too. Not too mushy and lovey-dovey. 

Rating: 6.5

Fitness Science Explained

 

607. Title & Author: Fitness Science Explained: A Practical Guide to Using Science to Optimize Your Health, Fitness, and Lifestyle by Michael Matthews

Genre: Nonfiction–Science & Fitness

Completed: 6 July 2026

Summary & Review:

Fitness expert Michael Matthews explains how to evaluate the quality of science research and teaches you how to DYOR. 

This was a drrrrrryyyyyyyy read. 

Rating: 2.0

The Forever Strong Playbook

 

606. Title & Author: The Forever Strong Playbook: A Six-Week Science-Based Plan to Sharpen Your Mind, Strengthen Your Body, and Get Health at Any Age by Gabrielle Lyon

Genre: Nonfiction–Fitness

Completed: 5 July 2026

Summary & Review:

Physician and fitness expert Gabrielle Lyon offers practical and actionable advice based on her health philosophy outlined in her longer book Forever Strong. 

There was a lot of good info in this book. I especially liked the approach to nutrition she outlined. 

Rating: 7.0

Mitosis

605. Title & Author: Mitosis by Brandon Sanderson 

Genre: Fiction–Science Fiction

Completed: 27 April 2026

Summary & Review:

After the Reckoners kill Steelheart and take control of Newcago, David and his team must face a new threat: the Epic Mitosis, who can create multiple identical clones of himself. The story follows the team as they scramble to understand Mitosis’s powers and weaknesses while trying to stop him from seizing the city.

Fine. I wasn’t familiar with the Reckoners series so I wasn’t too invested in the story.

Rating: 4.0

Sons of Valor

604. Title & Author: Sons of Valor by Andrews & Wilson 

Genre: Fiction–Thriller

Completed: 27 April 2026

Summary & Review:

Navy SEAL Keith “Chunk” Redman leads the reconstitution of an elite, covert Tier One SEAL team after their predecessors were wiped out. Joined by trusted operators and brilliant ex-CIA analyst Whitney Watts—who uncovers a dangerous connection between illicit Chinese arms sales and attacks on U.S. forces—the team races to stop a sophisticated Al-Qaeda splinter group using advanced drone technology in a high-stakes mission across Afghanistan and Pakistan.

This was a fun thriller. I’ve read several of Andrews & Wilson’s books and liked Chunk when he was featured in their other series. It’s nice to see him get a series of his own.

Rating: 7.0

Shadow of the Dragon

603. Title & Author: Tom Clancy’s Shadow of the Dragon by Marc Cameron 

Genre: Fiction–Thriller

Completed: 12 April 2026

Summary & Review:

President Jack Ryan faces a high-stakes crisis involving a suspected mole codenamed Surveyor embedded deep in American intelligence, while his elite Campus operatives, led by John Clark, race to locate a missing Chinese scientist whose expertise in advanced naval and aerospace technology could shift global power balances. The plot intertwines Arctic Ocean intrigue—sparked by mysterious underwater sounds from a distressed Chinese submarine—with efforts to protect the scientist and his Uyghur assistant from Chinese agents, blending espionage, naval tensions, and technological espionage in a classic high-octane techno-thriller.

Pretty readable thriller. Jack Ryan is barely a character, but that actually wasn’t a problem. The characters the story did focus on were fun. I also liked the rapid fire resolutions at the end. Very satisfying. 

Rating: 6.0

Good Energy

602. Title & Author: Good Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health by Casey Means, MD with Calley Means

Genre: Nonfiction–Health & Fitness

Completed: 4 January 2026

Summary & Review: 

Physician Casey Means explains how poor metabolic health, down to the mitochondrial level, is the major cause behind chronic disease and poor health. She also offers her prescription on how to fix our cellular function and repair our health. 

Great book. 

Rating: 9.0

Larger Than Life

601. Title & Author: Larger Than Life by Jodi Picoult (92 pages)

Genre: Fiction–Novella

Completed: 19 December 2025

Summary & Review:

While researching elephants in Africa, Alice must come to grips with the unforgiving reality of nature, lost love, and the fraught relationship with her mother. 

Overwrought literary soap opera. 

Rating: 1.0

The Vertical Diet

600. Title & Author: The Vertical Diet: A Simple, Sensible, and Sustainable Lifestyle Plan to Improve Body Composition for Optimal Health and Performance by Stan Efferding & Damon McCune, PhD, RDN, LD (191 pages)

Genre: Nonfiction–Health & Fitness

Completed: 10 November 2025

Summary & Review:

Champion bodybuilder and strongman Stan Efferding presents his streamlined approach to health and fitness in this guide covering diet, exercise, recovery, supplementation, and motivation. 

There was a lot of good info in this book, but I’m still not sure what the “vertical” part of the “vertical diet” is….

Rating: 5.0

The One Thing

599. Title & Author: The One Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results by Gary Keller with Jay Papasan

Genre: Nonfiction–Business & Motivational (235 pages)

Completed: 19 October 2025

Summary & Review: 

Real estate tycoon and coach Gary Keller presents his formula for success: stripping down your life to focus on your “one thing.”

This book was okay. It was a little douchey for me, but it did have some good quotes and pearls in there. 

Rating: 5.0

Shadows for Silence

598. Title & Author: Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell by Brandon Sanderson (72 pages)

Genre: Fiction–Fantasy 

Completed: 23 September 2025

Summary & Review:

Innkeeper Silence has a secret, she is actually a legendary bounty hunter known as the White Fox. While hunting her latest mark, she encounters the worst the forests have to offer. 

Not my favorite Sanderson, but it was set in an interesting part of the Cosmere. 

Rating: 4.5

Detective Cross

597. Title & Author: Detective Cross by James Patterson (134 pages)

Genre: Fiction–Thriller

Completed: 22 August 2025

Summary & Review:

When Detective Bree Stone gets a call about a bomb placed on the Mall in D.C., she must race to find it before people get hurt. When it happens again, she realizes they have a serial bomber in the city. 

This was a fun, short book. Lots of action, good characters, fast pacing. 

Rating: 6.0

The TOT Bible

596. Title & Author: The Testosterone Optimization Therapy Bible: The Ultimate Guide to Living a Fully Optimized Life  by Jay Campbell (568 pages)

Genre: Nonfiction–Health & Fitness

Completed: 3 August 2025

Summary & Review:

Fitness expert Jay Campbell along with many pioneering doctors in the field of men’s health and longevity explore the ways to live an optimized life including hormone therapy, peptides, fitness, diet, and mental health tools. 

What can I say? I finished this on my 40th birthday. I thought this guide was incredibly comprehensive and is a great resource to consult when getting blood work done or tweaking fitness and health protocols. 

Rating: 8.0

How to Own Your Own Mind

595. Title & Author: How to Own Your Own Mind by Napoleon Hill (265 pages)

Genre: Nonfiction–-Self-improvement 

Completed: 2 August 2025

Summary & Review:

Self-help guru Napoleon Hill presents an annotated interview with Andrew Carnegie is this book highlighting the importance of controlling and directing your thoughts and mindset. Through three key principles–Creative Vision, Organized Thought, and Controlled Attention–one can achieve his desires. 

This book was a little different than I was expecting, but it definitely had some pearls of wisdom. Also, ‘Merica!

Rating: 5.0

Witness to a Trial

594. Title & Author: Witness to a Trial by John Grisham (42 pages) 

Genre: Fiction–Crime

Completed: 19 July 2025

Summary & Review:

The trial of a man framed for murder is detailed in this short.

Not very good. 

Rating: 1.0