Batman: Dark Victory – Jeph Loeb & Time Sale
Y: The Last Man (Books 3&4) – Brian K Vaughan & Pia Guerra
Children of Dune – Frank Herbert
God Emperor of Dune – Frank Herbert
Heretics of Dune – Frank Herbert
Discipline is Destiny: The Power of Self-Control – Ryan Holiday
I lost my job on the yard crew in the transfer to the new facility a few months, and found myself with a bunch more free time (not like I needed any more, all of is prison is basically supervised leisure time) that I’ve mostly spent reading.
The plus side is that I’ve been able to almost finish the original Dune series in a month– I haven’t been into a series like this since Game of Thrones. “Children of Dune” was the most popular sequel when it was first released. The novel depicts the perilous court of Alia, Paul’s sister, and the upbringing of his children, Leto and Ghanima. In the following entry, “God Emperor of Dune,” Leto rules the empire as the “Worm Tyrant,” after merging with a sandworm of Dune. Thru prescience, he ushers humanity along his Golden Path to ensure their survival.
Like GoT, Dune is a series that’s engaging and continually entertaining with each successive book, despite killing off central characters. Set 3500 years after book 4, the penultimate volume “Heretics of Dune” ups the emotional investment with a brand new set of characters. The Bene Gesserit and Bene Tleilaxu are now the most powerful factions in the known universe, but they face a threat from a group returning from the Scattering. The mysterious Honored Matres have a left a trail of destruction in their wake. Equipped with the sexual prowess to enslave men, the “whores” are hell-bent on the annihilation of anyone who stands in their way.
Graphic novels aren’t typically reservoirs of insight into relationships, but the next couple volumes of “Y: The Last Man” contain a few in the casual observations of lead man Yorick. Amidst the drug smuggling and international intrigue that swirls around the last man on earth, ‘Rick continues his search for lost fiancee Beth, and muses on how easy it is to find someone with the same likes in movies and music, but the best relationships are forged thru shared hatreds.
“Dark Victory” is the follow-up to the groundbreaking “Long Halloween.” Together, they form as the basis and primary source material for the Christopher Nolan movies. Where they differentiate themselves from earlier comics is their realistic depiction of Batman, especially in his role as detective and Bruce Wayne.
“Discipline is Destiny” is a self-help book in the vein of Robert Greene (of whom Holiday is a protĆ©gĆ©-disciple), drawing from historical examples to illustrate his larger point. Divided into 3 sections, the book is further split into smaller chapters devoted to some aspect of discipline. Historical examples include Lou Gehrig, Queen Elizabeth II, and FDR, among many others. In contrast to Greene, Holiday writes in a more inspirational, imperative style that lends itself well to the topics at hand. Personally, I’d finish a chapter, and immediately reevaluate my day-to-day choices, and resolve to do better, even in the smallest things.
Easy Trouble 