The Robinson Reading Report has returned for the August edition! With summer winding down and with the temperatures falling (thankfully), we can all appreciate some good weather, and maybe some reading to go along with it. That’s what I did this month. Here’s a quick rundown of the RRR for those of you just tuning in.
Similar to Gabe’s Reading List, the Triple R will list my favorite books I read during that month. The RRR will come out on the last day of the month, and Gabe’s will come out on the first day of the next month. That way, we have both reading lists on separate days.
The Robinson Reading Report is, for all intents and purposes, my version of Gabe’s Reading List. It will list my top picks that I read, along with the book cover and the Amazon link. And that’s about it. Just a quick head’s up, I don’t read a lot of novels or fiction, but mainly educational-related, facts/trivia, or nonfiction. Also, all books listed below were rated at least 4/5 by me, with one Six Star book at the end. With that, let’s get started with the August edition of the Robinson Reading Report!
Damned If You Do… | Workman Publishing
A good “Would you rather” question is a surefire way to start up a conversation, be the spark for getting to know new people, or inspire a heated but friendly debate over the right answer. Damned If You Do is one of the best “Would you rather” books I’ve ever come across. As it says on the cover, some, if not many, of the questions are twisted, sick, and wrong, such as “Would you rather walk around all day with a dead mouse in your butt or a dead frog in your mouth”. Others are painful or gruesome, such as “Would you rather eat a shot glass full of wasps or eat a shot glass”. With funny, horrific, and downright dumb questions scattered throughout the book, Damned if You Do is definitely a book that will keep you entertained for hours on end.
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens | Sean Covey
Seeing how most of the people on Gabe’s Community Center where this will be published are teenagers, I think this is a relevant book. Written by the son of famed author Steven Covey who wrote The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Sean Covey’s edition for teens takes some inspiration from his father’s book. The book is divided into four sections, two of which are the Private Victory and the Public Victory, which contain 6 of the 7 habits. The habits displayed in this book are definitely worth reading, especially the proactive habit and the listening habit. And Covey’s writing style is definitely adapted for young people, which is a big plus. Regardless of whether you’re a teen or an adult, this book has some good advice for staying productive.
Infopedia | World Almanac
To go along with the previous book, most teens are studying at school, memorizing key facts and learning a variety of subjects. The Infopedia by the World Almanac certainly helps with that. Although some of the information is outdated considering that the book was published 30 years ago, much of it is still useful, covering topics such as history, science, literature, and countries (many of which have a detailed description). Along with detailed illustrations and profiles of the many famous people who contributed to discovering the information found in this book, the Infopedia is a handy work that is useful for all kinds of situations.
The Art of War | Sun Tzu
When I came across The Art of War in a bookstore earlier this month, I didn’t want to miss out on an opportunity to read one of the most famous books on military strategy. Being interested in this field, I was not disappointed. Written by the famous Chinese military commander Sun Tzu, The Art of War, although relatively short for a book of its fame, is nonetheless a great book. Sun Tzu covers multiple topics, from attacking to defending, to the different types of terrain, to even spying and espionage. I appreciate how Sun Tzu included elements that deal with morale and motivation, topics which do not directly help a commander fight the enemy, but are detrimental to have without. Praised as a classic, and rightly so, The Art of War is a book I duly enjoyed.
Seal Team Six | Howard Wasdin and Stephen Templin
The Navy SEALS are America’s most elite special forces group, involved in famous operations around the globe. But one SEAL team stands out among the rest: SEAL Team 6. Howard Wasdin, the author, is a former SEAL Team 6 member himself, and his book, written in a captivating style, is definitely worth five stars. It starts off with Howard’s hard life as a kid in Georgia, living with a borderline abusive father and a poor mother. But Wasdin grows up and joins the Navy, working his way up from a Search and Rescue member to joining the Team. With detailed accounts of conflicts and Wasdin’s personal experience at the Battle of Mogadishu, SEAL Team Six is a gripping book about the most elite soldiers in the world.
How to Survive the End of the World as we know it | James Rawles
I’m almost always interested in survival books simply because they contain a lot of information on what we’ll need to do in times of crisis or the apocalypse: survive. This book by Rawles I particularly liked because it really delves into survival after an SHTF scenario, with SHTF standing for “Sh*t hits the fan”. It seems to have a big emphasis on a hunkering-down type of survival where the world as we know it is over, and we are left by ourselves. As such, it covers topics such as long-term food storage, self defense (an important topic in such a scenario), and communications. Rawles, who runs a survival blog, definitely knows what he’s talking about, and his book definitely makes the RRR this month.
*Six-Star Book*
Alas, Babylon | Pat Frank
We live in an era of uncertain times, where crises are abundant and disasters strike often. One of the worst disasters that could occur from just one turn of the keys is a nuclear holocaust, which is the premise for Alas, Babylon. Set in late 1950’s America, where Cold War tensions were high, Randy Bragg, the brother of an American high-ranking military officer, learns information that an accident has just occurred which could lead to war. Bragg, armed with this information, stocks up on supplies at local stores, using some of the information contained in James Rawles’ book. Sheltering his brother’s family, he realizes that World War 3 has just broken out, with many major cities being destroyed. Bragg has been spared because he lives in a small Florida town, but this is just the beginning. Friendships are built, enemies are made, and life struggles on in a post-apocalyptic world contaminated with radiation in this classic by Pat Frank.
Honorable Mention: National Geographic Magazine August 2021 Issue | National Geographic
This is the first time I’ve done an Honorable Mention, but I thought it would be good to include a magazine for once. I read the August 2021 issue of the National Geographic magazine earlier this month and was impressed with the articles. I liked the cover story the most, talking about the true lives of Roman Gladiators: their combat and their careers. But other articles, such as the short description of a popular vacation lake in Hungary, were also enjoyable to read. If you’re looking for a good magazine to read, I would recommend this issue of National Geographic.
The Congressional Report 