Learn German the Fast and Fun Way (Paul Graves)

The title says it all.  Paul Graves' goal is to introduce the German language in a fast and fun manner.  Does he succeed?

Having four years of German instruction in high school, this book was an excellent refresher.  But for the true beginner, I'm not sure this would fit the bill.  Some basics are introduced as you go along (rather than at the beginning); some may prefer this approach, but I like a more straightforward/structured delivery.  Other things are mentioned without explanation; I'm not sure a beginner would find value (or be able to follow).  It's topically oriented, and geared towards those traveling, which is good or bad depending on your needs.  Overall, it's not bad, but there may be better out there.

Rating: B

The Story of Christianity, Volume 1 (Justo Gonzalez)

In the first volume of his history of Christianity, Justo Gonzalez covers the beginnings of the church to the dawn of the Reformation (AD ~30-1500), broken into sections of the early church, imperial church, medieval church, and colonial church.

Summary
Christianity had humble beginnings.  The followers of Jesus Christ were commanded to 'go and make disciples,' and that they did.  Though Christians generally didn't cause any problems for local governments, and their numbers were small, the first few centuries of the church were ones of consistent persecution.  In addition, the early years featured defense/codification of the faith and formation of now-familiar traditions (in church organization and worship).  In the early 300s, everything changed with the conversion of the Roman Emperor Constantine. 

Constantine decreed Christianity the official religion of the Empire.  Now the Church, persecuted for centuries, found itself suddenly in a position of power, which
- tempted the true believers,
- attracted non-believers, and
- tied church and state in a union which would soon prove detrimental to both.
Because the church was an important unifying factor in the empire, the state began to weigh in on theological disputes, with civil interventions into religious matters.  And in the other direction, the heads of the church would become exceedingly powerful over the years, especially in the western Empire, where demise of the state (Rome fell in 476) left a political power vacuum that the church filled.

Many within were displeased with the church's new position of power, and monastic orders- where believers sought to escape and devote themselves to God- arose as a reaction.  Indeed, the church's civic entanglements would lead to no end of problems, and most attempts to reform from within over the medieval centuries failed.  Ultimately, this volume leaves off with the Protestant Reformation on the horizon, which would eventually tear the church (already divided into western Roman Catholic and eastern Orthodox branches) into myriad sects, as it stands today.

Review
This is an excellent read.  It's clear, succinct, fair, informative, fascinating, and well-written.  Gonzalez covers major events and personalities impressively.  Highly recommended for anyone (Christian and non) who wants to understand this highly influential institution and how it obtained its present form.

Rating: A

Cathedral: The Story of Its Construction (David Macaulay)

In Cathedral, David Macaulay walks kids (and adults) through how a cathedral was constructed, using the fictional French Gothic cathedral to do so.  Each page has lavish pen-and-ink drawings (example below) illustrating the text.

This is a wonderful book.  Meant for kids but useful, informative, and enjoyable for all, I may get this to add to our home library.  Not only is Macualay's art impressive, but he helps convey the complexity and challenge of cathedral construction (and associated realities, like stoppages in construction and death of participants, since they took generations to build) in simple terms.  Highly recommended.

Rating: A

Space Base

Today's review is of the 2018 release, Space Base.  For 2-5 players, it takes 30-75 minutes.

Overview
You are a fleet commander, charged with managing your ships efficiently to reap the greatest benefits.  You have room for 12 'active' ships (in slots numbered 1-12), and start the game with one ship in each slot.

On your turn,
- Roll two dice.  Choose whether to use each die individually or together to reap the benefit of the ship(s) in those slot(s).  Example: if you roll a 3 and 5, you can get the benefits of two ships (in slots 3 and 5) or one ship (in slot 8).  Most ships grant gold, influence, or victory points (increasing your values on the three tracks on the bottom of your game board).  Ships have 'active' and 'deployed' values.  The active values (in blue) are larger, but the deployed values (in red) are more likely (see below).
- Purchase a ship.  You can purchase only one ship, and unused gold is wasted (as your gold is reset to your influence value after your turn), so choose wisely!  Purchased ships go in the slot corresponding to their slot value. The ship kicked out of the active slot gets flipped and put above that slot ('deploying' it).

On everyone else's turn,
- Pay attention to the die roll.  Why?  Because your deployed ships can get you stuff no matter who's playing!  For example, let's say you've had three turns, and purchased ships in the 4, 6, and 10 slots.  That means you have three ships deployed above the 4, 6, and 10 slots.  Your opponent rolls a 6 and a 4.  You choose to gain the deployed benefit of either two ships (slots 4 and 6) or one (slot 10).

Play proceeds until one person reaches 40 points.

game in progress; image from here

Review
This is a nice game.  It reminds me of Machi Koro and (a little) bit like Catan, but I prefer this one to both.  The best feature (in my opinion) is the "get stuff every turn" mechanic, which keeps you engaged even when it's not your turn.  My only ding is an apparent snowball effect- it may be difficult to catch the early leader.  That aside, check this out.

Rating: A-

The Metamorphosis (Franz Kafka)

One morning, Gregor Samsa woke up transformed into a giant bug.  His life goes considerably downhill from there until he dies.  That's The Metamorphosis in two sentences.

I wasn't impressed with this (as is likely obvious).  It's a classic, but I don't know why.  Supposedly it's about alienation and loneliness, which makes sense, but it's not presented in a compelling way.  I wanted to feel bad for Gregor, but spent more time dwelling on his condition (and how it happened) than analyzing the symbolism.  Yes, he was rejected, but you'd expect the family to do so- dude's a giant bug.  At least it was short (80 pages).

Rating: C-

Games: Learn to Play, Play to Win (Daniel King)

In Games, chess master Daniel King covers a history of the hobby, followed by brief introductions to:
- board games like Nine Men's Morris, Backgammon, Go, Chess, Mancala, and Checkers
- card games like Rummy, Cribbage, Whist, Spades, Hearts, Blackjack, and Poker

Unfortunately, this book wasn't great; both the history and game overviews felt too short to be useful.  That said, I did learn a few things of interest:
- Go is said to have been invented ~2000 B.C. in China by the Emperor to strengthen the mind of his son; or "it may have developed from a way of predicting the future from the stars"
- Archaeologists have found evidence of board games in ancient Middle Eastern, Indian, and Chinese civilizations; many "appear to have developed from religious ceremonies in which an early type of die was thrown in order to predict the future."
- Backgammon was popular in medieval Europe
- A Book of Games was written in 1282 for the King of Castile, Alfonso the Wise
- "The oldest complete game board was discovered in the royal graves of Ur"
- The royal game of Ur dates back to ~2500 B.C. in the Middle East
- Mancala is African in origin; Chess Asian (the latter dates from around A.D. 600)
- Playing cards "arrived in Europe in the 1370s from the Middle East"; by the 1400s the craze was present in all levels of society

Tidbits aside, this can be skipped.

Rating: C

Castles and Cathedrals (David Hilliam)

Castles and Cathedrals is a short (~50 page) introduction to these massive, important, and beautiful Medieval structures.  Geared towards teens, it looks at how both types of buildings came about and evolved over the centuries, and defines terminology important to understanding their basic components (like 'nave'). 

This was a surprisingly good read.  Fifty pages is hardly enough to be thorough, but Hilliam does a good job providing an overview; this is a solid introduction to those interested in the topic.  For me, I'm hoping to become more informed in my future castle/cathedral visits, understanding and recognizing style(s), features, and time period of construction (rather than my typical reaction: "ooh, that's nice").  This book is a good start.

Rating: A-

Siddhartha (Hermann Hesse)

Young Siddhartha yearns to understand ultimate reality.  An Indian Brahmin, he leaves that path to explore others.  After years as an ascetic, he encounters the Buddha, but soon spurns all teachers to pursue indulgence and pleasure.  Still dissatisfied, he turns to the simple life of a ferryman and learns from the river.*  In his waning years, he concludes that "wisdom cannot be communicated," it must be experienced.  And regarding the world, he feels "the world is perfect at every moment, all sin already contains grace, all youngsters already contain oldsters, all babies contain death . . . everything is good, everything perfect, everything is Brahma."   He argues "that I greatly needed sin, I needed lust, vanity, the striving for goods, and I needed the most shameful despair to learn how to give up resistance, to learn how to love the world, to stop comparing the world with any world that I wish for, that I imagine, with any perfection that I think up; I learned how to let the world be as it is, and to love it and to belong to it gladly."

What?  Oi.  I applaud Hesse for exploring our ultimate meaning, I understand how Siddhartha would try different paths (like Solomon in Ecclesiastes), and it was good to see the character fail and fail again.  But he draws a markedly incorrect conclusion- rather than face the evil in the world, he calls it all good and 'rolls with it.'  And throughout the book is this undercurrent of self- that we can't be taught by others, but it's all about finding the way ourselves (which is an aspect of Buddhism).  Unwise.  Incorrect conclusions aside, this quick read does make one think, so look through it and chew on the concepts discussed.  What gives life meaning?

Rating: C+

*Yes, you read that right.  I don't get it either.

Game Design (Greg Austic)

Game Design is a 30-page book geared towards teens.  Author Greg Austic defines games, discusses their value, and talks about elementary principles of game design.

Austic defines games by their elements, arguing that they all have rules, outcomes, and conditions for winning (or at least two of these three).  For the designer, he suggests playing lots of games and thinking critically about them (why are they fun- or not?), learning to love criticism and embrace failure as necessary steps, and keeping a journal to record impromptu ideas.

When ready to design your game, he suggests finding inspiration by:
- searching the Internet for ten examples of things you think look cool
- making a list of ten stories that invoke strong emotions in you (any emotion)
- writing down ten of your favorite games
When complete, choose one item from each group and contemplate making a game by combining them in some way.  Mix and match until you find one that's suitable, then refine your idea through prototypes and testing.

Game Design isn't a great book. It's far too short to meaningfully explore game design- even for teens- and the author is clearly not as experienced as others in this field.  But his suggestion for inspiration- especially making a list of stories- I found helpful.  That aside, you can skip this one.

Rating: C

Ant-man and the Wasp

Three years ago, we were introduced to Ant-man, the misunderstood criminal named Scott Lang seeking to amend his ways.  He's on house arrest now (thanks to his antics in Civil War), but his services are needed again.  Hank Pym, who realizes his wife may be alive in the quantum zone after going 'sub-atomic' 30 years ago, needs Lang's help . . . Scott must again to choose between obeying the law and doing what's right.

Like its predecessor, Ant-man and the Wasp is funny, lighthearted, and heartwarming in places.  It's not perfect- it has several morally gray characters, which I normally enjoy, but here it slows down the story and makes antagonist identification difficult (you're not always sure who you're rooting for or against).  But the humor outweighs the flaws, making this an enjoyable and refreshing experience (especially after the darkness of Infinity War).

Rating: B+

Fairy Tile

Today's review is of the 2018 release, Fairy Tile.  For 2-4 players, it takes 30 minutes.

Overview
Everyone has a story; in Fairy Tile, your job is to tell it.  You'll move characters (knight, princess, dragon) around an ever-growing board (map tiles consisting of mountains, rivers, forests, and castles) to do so.  Guiding you is your 'book'- a draw deck where each 'page' (card) has an objective, outlining conditions for completion.  Example: "the princess and knight meet in the forest."  If that's your objective, you must use your turns to maneuver those characters into that situation; once met, you complete that page and draw another.  First to complete all their objectives wins!

On your turn, you'll either develop your story or turn a page.
Develop your story: move a character (according to movement rules; see below) OR add a land tile to the map.  If your action completed an objective, 'recount your adventure' (read it out loud) and draw a new card. [Cards are kept secret until they're completed, so opponents don't know what you're trying to achieve.]

Turn a page: put your card on the bottom of your deck and draw another, giving you another objective in case the one you had was difficult (or impossible) to achieve.

some game components; image from here

Character movement is a key strategic element.  The princess can move only 1 space in any direction, but she can also 'jump' from castle to castle (like warping).  The knight moves exactly 2 spaces.  The dragon moves in a straight line, ending at the edge of the kingdom.


Review
I'm a sucker for modular boards- I love the variation it provides- but this game didn't do it for me.  The art is great, some mechanics are good, and the rules are simple, but it felt unsatisfying.  It may be due to:
- The 'tug-of-war' situations that can arise.  On your turn, you can move only one character, and each other player can do the same on their turns.  Thus, you may find yourself fighting over the same character in a rather annoying way until one person yields by 'turning a page' and trying another objective. 
- The different movement abilities. Two were good, but the dragon's "must end at edge of board" restriction got annoying fast, especially as the map grew. 

My kids enjoyed this, sort of, but they (and I) prefer other offerings.

Rating: C

Midterm Report

image from here

Wow, we're halfway through 2018 already.  Each year, I set and present my goals for the year in January.  Today I look at how I'm doing.

Use it or lose it
The year's focus is books and movies.  Hmmm. . . not much progress.  I do get rid of things, but buy (or am gifted) more.  I haven't done much here in my quest to use everything I own.

Grade: B-

Board Games
A 2018 goal is designing a board game.  Decent progress here; I've read several books on game design, kept a journal since January to jot down ideas as they come to me, and have started "Game Design Journal" posts.  I want to play a handful more games- ones that appear to have ideas I'd like to incorporate into mine- before I start extensive design work.

Grade: A-

Personal Spending & Budgeting
Status quo here.  My personal spending is within my budget, but I haven't been pacing myself well (I've spent most of it already).  On budgeting, we have yet to develop an effective tracking/budgeting system.  We've done better in some areas, but not in a systematic way.

Grade: C

Fitness
Workouts have been a mixed bag.  I've run very little, focusing my limited workout time at the gym.  Those sessions are going reasonably well- I've been building the back more (which has helped the minor left shoulder irritation that's plagued me for years), seen noticeable gains in strength (especially with the biceps, triceps, and trapezius).  But there are some downsides- less cardio means I feel fatter, and haven't lost any weight.  I've been convicted just this weekend of doing more core and upper-body flexibility exercises.  That, plus cardio, needs to be a focus for the rest of the year.

Grade: B

Nutrition
Need to improve here.  Made some minor gains (in lessening sweet intake).  But too much snack or fast food.  Goal: more fruit/veg, and dropping 15 lbs or bust!

Grade: C-

Reading
This has gone well; I'm on track to exceed my goal for the year, and am really enjoying the selections.

Grade: A

Spiritual
On my business trip, I do a good job with daily routine of prayer and scripture.  Other times, it's sporadic- generally get to it each day, but the time isn't quality.  Need more quality/consistency.

Grade: B-

Screen Time
My "no small screens" goal started really well through four months, but tailed off as I approached summer.  Need to get back to where I should be- it makes life so much better.

Grade: A-

Movies
I've made no progress in the goal to watch two 'classic' movies per month, but this is a goal I wouldn't mind failing.

Grade: D

Slow Down & Focus
Minimizing screen time has helped slow down and focus a bit more.  Need to continue in this vein- minimization in general seems to help.

Grade: B-

Parenting
Making some strides in being more kind towards the family.  But a long way remains.

Grade: B-

Overall
Nice to see results in some areas, but there's a long road ahead.

Grade: B-