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#BookReview: Men Of Virtue by Zachary Wagner

Powerful. Controversial. Desperately Needed. This is one of those books where “Preacher” is stepping on *everyone’s* toes (while aiming for their hearts, as the old joke goes). Left. Right. Woke. Based. Southern Baptist. Cooperative Baptist. Andrew Tate. Elliot (fka Ellen) Page. Don’t matter. Wagner openly proclaims you’re all wrong, and here’s why. Yet even while doing this in a fairly direct, uncompromising manner… he also has (and shows within the text here) quite a bit of heart and compassion for everyone, no matter where they happen to currently find themselves in this particular discussion.

As one example that particularly stood out, at one point Wagner proclaims (apparently quoting someone else?) “A Christian is someone who is always more willing to die than to kill.”, when speaking to Jesus’ pacifism.

But this is truly the heart of the book, from the introduction:

“This book is not a call for us to take back the culture from the ‘feminists’ or the ‘bigots’ or whoever your preferred scapegoat may be.”

Instead, Wagner uses the famous Pauline “Fruits of the Spirit” – Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self Control – to walk us through a fairly balanced view of what male virtue *should* be according to the Bible itself.

One area that I always look at in Christian nonfiction is the use of prooftexting – citing Bible verses out of context in support or opposition of some point or another – and here, while Wagner decries the practice in the introduction… he actually uses it fairly often throughout the text. Not as horribly as some other authors, and indeed in focusing so much on expounding the famous verse from Galatians he actually provides quite a bit of the overall context of *most* of what he discusses… there’s enough “throw away” proof texting here that it almost constitutes slamming his pinkie toe onto the corner of the bed and snapping it (as I did while reading this book!). Painful in the moment and an unforced error… but ultimately not actually harmful. Yet it still cost him a star on my rating, because I try to be consistent about removing that star *any* time I see the practice used as my one “weapon” in my personal war against all vestiges of the practice.

If you’re interested in Christian ethics and virtue at all, you’re going to need to read this book. Wagner truly does an excellent job of looking at the topic from a remarkably balanced view while actively ignoring many more hot button culture war issues – and actively telling you he is going to and his reasons for doing so.

If you’re not interested in Christian ethics or virtue – or perhaps even question whether that last phrase is an actual oxymoron – this book isn’t going to be for you. Which the cover and description should have told you, but I’m telling you here now as well. Just leave it alone if you are so adamantly anti-Christian or anti-organized religion generally or what have you. You’re only going to make yourself upset as you read it and if you review this book you’re more than likely going to make yourself look like a jackass. So *please*, just leave it alone. This book isn’t for you, and that is perfectly ok. It has an audience, that audience simply doesn’t include you.

Overall though, this book really is a solid examination of its premise, written in a very approachable style and using a cohesive narrative structure quite well indeed.

Very much recommended.

This review of Men Of Virtue by Zachary Wagner was originally written on March 26, 2026.

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#BookReview: Who Needs Friends by Andrew McCarthy

Part Memoir. Part Travelogue. All Too Real. This is one of those books where even as McCarthy himself is traveling across the country to meet up with friends from much earlier in his life who he has lost contact with, I find myself reading it as a 43yo man and thinking of my own similar friendships. Specifically Mike, the guy I once worked with in the computer lab at Kennesaw State University where we bonded over playing Halo in the back room between the labs when neither of us had any students to work with, and Sean, the SQL guru who was once essential both in getting me hired at one job and in being a close partner and friend at that job, neither of whom I’ve seen in 10 or even 20 yrs now.

Thus, as McCarthy talks about how much these guys meant to him and how much he misses them… yeah, that absolutely *hits*… and I suspect it will with most guys, because most of us (particularly these days) *all* have these types of friendships. Even my own dad, who lived literally just three houses away from his own best friend for roughly 30 yrs, now lives in the next County up.

The fact that McCarthy uses connecting with his friends as a reason to start off on what becomes a road trip across America from coast to coast talking to the various men he encounters along the way about their own friendships works quite well here, and we get a wide variety of responses and perspectives along the way. Including, even, a female to male transexual teenage child. (That last bit is only a very small part of the overall narrative, but *is* present – so do with that as you will. As part of the overall tale and discussion here, it does in fact add a different perspective and wrinkle, and I pass no judgement here either direction on that perspective.)

The travel part of this almost reads like a version of so many similar projects over the years, including the former Motor Home Diaries where Adam Mueller, Peter Eyre, and Jason Talley once travelled the country searching for liberty in America during Obama’s first year as President – and even more than a few hints of one Jack None Reacher, created by British author Lee Child. Indeed, one passage in particular in Uvalde – yes, that Uvalde, and yes, the school in question is *exactly* where McCarthy was at this point in the narrative – really brings forth shades of the MHD crew, while other passages – specifically in Mississippi – bring forth a more explicitly Reacher vibe as McCarthy seeks out esoteric Jazz legends.

Because this book is primarily memoir and almost entirely direct personal experience, the normal requirements for a nonfiction book to have a 15% or more bibliography don’t really apply here, though even in the Advance Review Copy edition of the book I read, there was in fact at least some recommended reading provided at the end that seemed to include many of the various studies and other works McCarthy had mentioned over the course of his narrative.

Overall this really was a quite fun and even poignant tale that does exactly what its subtitle proclaims – provides “an unscientific examination of male friendship across America”, and in its breadth and quality of writing in particular, it really does excel. Who knew, maybe this “washed up actor” might just be a decent enough writer? 😉 (That last bit was a joke, to be clear. McCarthy really is one of the better travel writers I’ve read in quite a while.)

Very much recommended.

This review of Who Needs Friends by Andrew McCarthy was originally written on March 26, 2026.

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#BlogTour: My Husband’s Stalker by Natali Simmonds

For this blog tour, we’re looking at a solid book for its genre. For this blog tour, we’re looking at My Husband’s Stalker by Natali Simmonds.

First, the review I posted to the book sites (BookHype.com / Goodreads.com / TheStoryGraph.com), YouTube, and Substack:

Genre Fans Will Enjoy Yet Will Be Problematic For Some. As a generic domestic thriller/ suspense, this book has a lot of things going for it in that it hits pretty well every genre expectation and hits them all in the exact expected order and even within the bounds of a nearly MadLibbed version of so many books within this genre. To the point that yes, this book could well be programmed – it is *that* level of algorithmic. (To be clear, I am in no way saying it *was*, simply that it is so formulaic that a program *could* create it.) Which is *AWESOME* for those who love this genre the way Hallmarkies love their small town romances. You know *exactly* what you’re getting here, and there is pretty well literally nothing about this book that is going to actually shock you. It is the *exact* kind of mildly shocking yet entertaining mystery that you expect for the genre, and if this is your particular ‘comfort blanket’ read, hey, more power to you. Pick this one up, you’re going to love it.

Where exactly it could become problematic for some is a particular refrain throughout the book that our lead uses… but due to its nature I shall not reveal it here. What I’ll point out instead is that if you think it resolves itself… keep reading. Had the tale ended at one particular point, meh, you’d likely be right. But it didn’t, and thus the tale ultimately remains problematic from at least that viewpoint. Which some readers will agree that it is problematic and others will argue at least as loudly that those readers are wrong. Your mileage will absolutely vary on this point based on your own thoughts on the topic.

Still, again, even with this, for most it will be a minor annoyance at best, and genre lovers in particular will still enjoy this book. Will it be memorable even at the end of the month, much less the year? Unlikely. But it will absolutely be that next “Hallmark movie” for you to enjoy for a few hours, and really, isn’t this ultimately why so many of us read at all?

Recommended.

After the jump, the “publisher details” – book info, description, author bio, social links, and buy links.
Continue reading “#BlogTour: My Husband’s Stalker by Natali Simmonds”

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#BookReview: Open Space by David Ariosto

Well Documented Examination Of Space Tech Beyond Musk and Bezos. At least in the US (where both Ariosto and I are based), if you’re talking space these days you’re generally talking NASA, Elon Musk (SpaceX), or Jeff Bezos (Blue Origin). This book goes into the details of where space science and tech are *beyond* just those three entities, traveling all over the world showing how different people in different areas are contributing to pushing humanity beyond our home world – and why. While there are a lot of details here, including how nativist US policies ultimately both created China’s space program decades ago and pushed it to new heights (both literally and figuratively) more recently, this is also more of a complete overview of the entire field than a deep dive on any particular tech or event. Even as some significant ones – including the race to have the first commercial lunar lander – are more heavily detailed than other aspects. (For example, while space craft of various forms are discussed heavily, I don’t remember any mention whatsoever of space suit tech and only the barest mention of space food tech.)

Still, for all that it *does* cover, this book will actually better inform you of a lot of things that perhaps even some within the space exploration field may not be fully aware of (as I’m all too familiar with the idea even in my own field that a practitioner isn’t always fully aware of newer developments even in their own field). At 22% documentation, it is also fairly well sourced and because it is primarily reporting on current and near future tech and the histories thereof, Sagan doesn’t really apply here – making the 22% more than sufficient for this particular narrative.

Overall, this is an exploration of space exploration in its current forms that is clearly designed for mass appeal, and I do think this is one that most anyone even remotely interested in space tech and how we got where we currently are (beyond NASA, Musk, and Bezos) will find quite informative indeed.

Very much recommended.

This review of Open Space by David Ariosto was originally written on March 24, 2026.

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#BlogTour: The Last Daughter by Soraya Lane

For this blog tour, we’re looking at a truly great finale to an amazing series. For this blog tour, we’re looking at The Last Daughter by Soraya Lane.

First, the review I posted to the book sites (BookHype.com / Goodreads.com / TheStoryGraph.com), YouTube, and Substack:

What. A. Finale. This is the book that has had 7 books before it to hint at and build up to. The book whose story actually begins the entire event. The book that fans who have been following this series all along have been waiting for… and it absolutely delivers.

Make sure you read the seven books before this one before you read this one. They lay the groundwork and build the anticipation well in telling their own stories while revealing bits and hints of this one, and most all of the ladies from the contemporary side of those stories show up in some fashion here. Even while these stories are all ultimately romances, there are also enough women’s fiction elements to all of these stories (contemporary and historical) that there are indeed some spoilers to some of those stories within this story… which isn’t an issue if you read them first. 😉

Jeremy Robinson likes to tell people that they can read his book Prime, about the origins of one of his teams and written after several of the books featuring that team had been published, first when encountering that particular team (his “Chess Team”) for the first time. I’ve always recommended against that as one of Robinson’s oldest fans who was there when he was first coming up with the idea (and thought it wouldn’t play well… boy was I wrong!). To me, that series absolutely needs to be read in publication order so that you get the full impact of Prime when you get to it in that order.

And here is where the above story ties into Lane’s Lost Daughters: Yes, on the historical side this is *the* story that begins it all. We get a *lot* of answers on that side of it, and from that side of it you may argue that this book serves as a prequel that perhaps *should* be read first. You would be wrong… because the *contemporary* side of this novel absolutely serves as a coda to the entire series here.

Remember, this entire series is built on a fusion of the historical and the contemporary, merging Lane’s “brand names” of Soraya M. Lane (historical fiction) with her Soraya Lane (contemporary romance/ women’s fiction) “brand”. In the historical side of this tale, we get the origin story that allowed the entire rest of the series to take place. In the contemporary side of this tale, we get the ending that ties everything together in a nice little bow.

… or does it?

Very much recommended.

After the jump, the “publisher details” – book info, description, author bio, social links, and buy links.
Continue reading “#BlogTour: The Last Daughter by Soraya Lane”

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#BookReview: The Feather Wars by James H. McCommons

Dense Academic Treatise With Not Quite Enough Bibliography. The singular most important thing you need to know about this book is that it is very much written in a dry, academic, very much textbook tone. There is a *lot* of seemingly fairly comprehensive history of birding from the beginning of European settlement in the area now known as the United States – with a brief touch on histories before that period – basically up to Silent Spring. Yes, given the eras this covers, particularly in the 19th century and earlier, this means that for nature lovers in particular it may be a doubly difficult book as it goes into details about the wholesale slaughter of birds generally and even the extinction of several different specific species, including the passenger pigeon.

While at least one other reviewer does claim the book to be hyperbolic, the approach here seemed at least relatively balanced regarding birds – if slanted more in favor of conservation and government power in particular human actions and specific conservation methods. Up to and including recommending some rather extreme actions regarding pet cats, declaring that they should be regulated even more tightly than pet dogs are. Clearly, this author has never actually attempted to keep a cat even inside a covered stroller, much less walked on a leash. (Yes, I’m aware *some* cats tolerate these actions. *Some* animals – including the human animal – will tolerate nearly any physically survivable situation. This does not mean the majority do or that these conditions are good for them.)

Indeed, as with so many nonfiction books declaring policy recommendations… eh, they’re always going to be hit or miss at best depending on the reader’s personal preferences. As a cat lover and avowed Anarchist… let’s just say I personally agreed with few of them indeed, but others with different views may arrive at different conclusions there.

Overall if you can withstand the dense academic tone – and, if a nature lover, the clinical precision with which McCommons describes such wholesale and wanton slaughter of so many birds – this book will at minimum be informative, unless perhaps you are a birder yourself with a strong knowledge of the history of that hobby.

Recommended.

This review of The Feather Wars by James H. McCommons was originally written on March 19, 2026.

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#BookReview: Nine Missing Girls by Steena Holmes

Interesting Storytelling Mechanism Could Be Difficult For Some Readers Yet Works Perfectly For Story Here. Ok, so the title of this review really is exactly what you need to know about it. It is going to be challenging for some readers in the way that it presents the story, as a sequence of nine short stories – complete with their own internal chapters and only a few bare “notes” between them – that seem disjointed but let’s just say to stick with it and all will be revealed. In the particular case of how the larger story is built here, this format actually works quite well indeed for the overall story while also giving readers who may not have as much time to sit down and devour a 350 ish page book in one setting much smaller divisions that can be read in tighter bunches. To the level that in theory Holmes is actually leaving money on the table, as I’ve seen other authors break these out into individual publications at first publishing and only combine them into one volume years later. (I can’t speak to how successful that would be as a sales strategy, but at least from the reader perspective with each being a contained story, there would be nothing really to objectively fault there.)

Despite not being listed as a series, and in fact with some elements of these exact tales seeming to be prequels of the tales with this central character that were published before this book, this actually is the third book to feature this character, no matter how the author and publisher list it on book review or sales sites.

This is one of those tales that goes *dark*. Truly disturbingly dark for most of us… but then, both books before it went to similar levels. So if you’re still here, there isn’t really too much darker to go, and fortunately some of the darkest stuff is left well off screen. For those that can handle the darkness, it is a truly compelling story. For those who can’t, spare yourself – for your own mental health. Please.

Overall this was truly one of the more interesting books I’ve read thus far in 2026 specifically because of the storytelling format Holmes went with here, and it also sets up at least one more tale quite spectacularly.

Very much recommended.

This review of Nine Missing Girls by Steena Holmes was originally written on March 16, 2026.

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#BookReview: Ticket To Ride by Kay Bratt

Suspense Filled Tale Filled With Pervasive Social Commentary Ends Explosively. This is one of those tales that is going to keep you on the edge of your seat with sheer suspense for almost the entirely of the tale… before ending in one of the more explosive endings I’ve ever seen in any book, particularly in any of Bratt’s books. But with this entire series, you really need to start at the beginning (Hart’s Ridge) and work your way to this one, as Bratt has truly mastered over the last few books in particular telling a singular complete tale per book yet having that singular tale both spring from the prior tale and explicitly set up the next.

There are a few different social commentaries in the book, including one in the final pages, but the dominant issue throughout the book is the dangers of online gaming – which have shifted over the past couple of years in particular in ways many likely aren’t aware of. While a child is still statistically more likely to be assaulted by a family member or others in close proximity to the child in the real world than by someone who found them inside a game, kidnapping via similar methods as Bratt shows in this very tale are actually heavily on the rise… yet still statistically near zero. (No more than 500 known cases of any non-family kidnapping by any method in 2024 according to FBI statistics across literally millions of gamers online at any given moment.) Indeed, while many forms of childhood death and trauma are actually plateauing or even declining, the threat posed by scenarios similar to what Bratt builds into this text are exactly what the FBI says is actually on the rise in recent years.

Apart from the specific discussion of how that particular element works within the story (extremely well, in case I haven’t made that crystal clear yet) and within the real world (more cautionary, yet absolutely illuminative and using information which will possibly/ likely be new to at least some readers), Bratt in this tale truly does one of the best jobs she has ever done in regards to keeping the reader on the edge of their seat reading with bated breath to see what exactly is going to happen next and whether everyone will come out as unharmed as possible.

And then that ending. Dayum. Without going into spoiler territory, let’s just say that for me personally, given my own history and favorite bits of pop culture… yeah, that ending was *phenomenal* in so very many ways and levels, and I truly can’t wait for July to get here so we can see where this series is going next!

Very much recommended.

This review of Ticket To Ride by Kay Bratt was originally written on March 14, 2026.

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#BookReview: Kingdom Of Pirates by David Wood

Indiana Jones And The Pirates’ Superweapon. Part of the appeal of Woods’ Dane Maddock adventure series, of which this is the latest book at the time I write this review, has always been that he puts more (and more believable) action into Indiana Jones-type archeological/ mythological based adventure tales, and this is one of the books in the series where this becomes even more pronounced than some others in the series. Which Wood uses to great effect here, and which could actually draw in new readers to this series.

Dane Maddock and his friend and business partner Uriah ‘Bones’ Bonebrake’ are former Navy SEALs (whose adventures began even back then, in prior stories in this universe) and at this point in our overall universe, they’ve been around the block more than a few times and yet are still going quite strong indeed. But because they’ve been around the block more than a few times, their world has expanded quite a bit, and yes, a few prior players – both friend and foe – resurface in this adventure. So for those readers who absolutely can not have any spoilers ever, start with the earliest Maddock books (by publication date) and work your way up to this one. For everyone else, Woods does a solid job characterizing these characters within this book and explaining the relevant prior connections that you’re still going to be able to enjoy this book, just perhaps without some of the foreshadowing certain names will evoke in readers who have read more in this series.

And oh, yeah, the pirates. Duh. This tale is solidly pirate and solidly New Orleans and Louisiana Bayou, as Maddock and Bonebrake find themselves on the hunt for a long-lost pirate treasure while investigating in – and being chased through – large swaths of the city and region. Along the way, we get everything from fist fights to deceptions to gun battles and, yes, even some sword play. In a tale set in roughly our world and time. 😀

Seriously, long time fans of either Maddock or pirate lore generally are going to love this book, and those new to either will likely find themselves drawn into this web. Even as one of the longer books in the series at approaching 400 pages, it never really feels like it is anywhere near that long. Everything here feels both earned and necessary, and the pacing is such that the reader is always invested in seeing what happens next.

Overall a solidly fun action/ adventure tale in that exact Indiana Jones vein that has been so popular for so long (including long before Indy was a thing himself), this is one of those longer tales where you can just sit back, turn off your brain, and have some fun.

Very much recommended.

This review of Kingdom of Pirates by David Wood was originally written on March 12, 2026.

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#BookReview: Sisters Of Mercy by Yuval Kordov

Interesting, Short, And Dark. This is one of those novellas that you can read in a couple of hours – I did. And yet there is also *so much* within this particular one. For those who try to claim that sub-100 page tales can’t really do much… this one proves you wrong. 😉

Now, I picked it up because of some controversy on Twitter wherein a couple of judges for some random “contest” got all up in arms and claimed they couldn’t handle the “zealous” religious talk or praying or even mechs in this tale. And I’m going to get to that in a moment.

But for exactly what this book is in and of itself, outside of what anyone else says about it, it really is damn solid. It thrusts you straight into its post apocalyptic world the way few books do – Jeremy Robinson’s UNITY (which, full disclosure, I literally have a tattoo of a version of the symbol that plays a major role in that particular tale) is one of few I can think of off the top of my head that do *this* good a job of putting you *right there*, *right now*. And again, given the sub-100 page nature of this book… it doesn’t have much choice there. 😉 And yet even after that introduction, Kordov manages to layer *so very much* into this tale, and in the end… well, there may yet be a dusty room or two. 😉

Now, getting back to what brought me here (and I’ll put a brief yet relevant bio as a post script to this review for those unfamiliar with me)… yes, this book has a *lot* of directly religious language. Hell, there’s more prayer in this novella than a lot of *Christian Fiction novels* I’ve read over the years! In that regard, it is quite similar to how prayer and religious language are used in other post-apocalyptic scifi IPs such as Handmaid’s Tale, Doom, or Fallout New Vegas’s Honest Hearts DLC. Which, obviously, are some quite highly praised properties!

Thus, yes, if you have a problem with religious language generally… this tale really isn’t going to be one for you. Just leave it be. There is no need for you to read it and severely mischaracterize pretty well everything about it because *you* have a problem with religious language.

As to how the religious aspects are used within the text here, again, it is more generic scifi than anything remotely real world. The closest it gets to “real world” is that after a sufficient amount of time has passed after a World War III event and human knowledge has sufficiently regressed, yes, such a society likely would return to exactly this kind of religious language to explain things that they’ve now long lost the ability to speak to more scientifically. This isn’t some crusade to “cleanse” anything remotely like our world. This isn’t a Brave New World allegory of the previous’ centuries Western European global expansion. It is a story of mechs and demons and symbiotes in a far future world and the potential for even man made creations whose explicit purpose is to kill may find that there may be things they haven’t been told about.

And again, Kordov does a truly excellent job of telling his story his way. If that way isn’t something you can stomach, well, there are other stories for you. Be well and have a nice day!

Ultimately an interesting story that serves as a seemingly solid and even tantalizing taste of Kordov’s style and this particular world (apparently this novella is set in the world of a trilogy Kordov wrote) that could well entice readers to experience the larger trilogy.

Very much recommended.

Post Script Brief Bio: I was raised in the Southern Baptist Convention, though I left it over 20 yrs ago now and now the closest religious tradition to my own specific views are some incarnations of the Anabaptists. My earliest exposures to scifi reading were actually largely Christian scifi, such as Josh McDowell’s Powerlink Chronicles and the works of Frank Peretti and Bill Myers. I became such a fan of Robinson that I eventually got a tatoo inspired by his work specifically due to his ability (displayed more earlier in his writing career than more recently) to bury deep and thought provoking allegories underneath what are ostensibily kickass scifi action tales. Indeed, Unity itself is just such an allegory, in this case of the Triune God. I also happened to grow up in the town where Lottie Moon, one of the SBC’s earliest missionaries and the person whom its annual Christmas fundraiser (“missions offering”) is named after, once lived a little over a century before my birth. My dad was a deacon for many years, and my last Pastor when I was still in the SBC eventually became a President of the Georgia Baptist Convention. My Christian education – even just via going to church at this particular church for so long, without ever having actually been to a religious-based school – was such that when Robinson first announced one cover of one book several years ago now, I immediately messaged him and told him what the allegory of that particular book was, given its title and that cover. He quickly changed the cover to make it less obvious. 😉 All that to say… yeah, religious language in a book doesn’t scare me. At all. 😉

This review of Sisters Of Mercy by Yuval Kordov was originally written on March 11, 2026.