Dear Friends

Dear friends,

I just wanted to drop everyone a note to touch base and to let you all know that I haven’t fallen off the face of the Earth! As some of you are aware, our family has had a challenging past couple of weeks. Maybe Old Man Winter would accept some of the blame and start packing his bags… he just isn’t as fun to be around as he used to be. ;)

Still, I am thankful for the time to ponder and renew my appreciation for life’s infinite blessings. Upon further reflection, I remind myself that life’s challenges are saturated with insights that can bring countless joys, which might not otherwise be realized. Even so, navigating life would hardly be worthwhile if not for meeting and sharing with the friends we meet along the way.

As I was contemplating this idea the other day, without really knowing why, I made an interesting connection. I was thinking about friendship, its function, importance, and how it fit into the design of life. Then it occurred to me…

Friends are like the members of a crew on a ship that has set sail on the ocean of life.

By ourselves, the awesome nature of the sea would quickly and effortlessly swallow us up without remorse. Together, however, we can build a mighty boat… and discover the world

Nonetheless, the powers of the sea are relentless. No matter the destination, or crew complement… from untold splendors to merciless storms… we are all collectively at the mercy of the sea. Therefore, it is quite necessary to depend on others as well as defend and preserve the wellbeing of those who depend on us. This interdependence is vital for a safe and successful voyage; one never knows what lurks in the fog of uncertainty.

Sometimes the fog is thick and the destination unclear. Yet, through unity, we can remain strong and steadfast. The courage that ensues is what impels the ship ever forward. Eventually… inevitably… a lighthouse will appear in the distance, reminding us that the fog will lift and the sun will reappear.

Additionally, though a captain leads the crew through vast unknowns, it is important to recognize the tremendous value of every crewmember—their unconditional loyalty to the ship, its captain, and each other. Without all of those things, the ship may as well have never set sail to begin with. Without the ship and the crew that command her… there is no journey… no discovery.

I just wanted all of you (shipmates) to know how thankful we are to be sailing on the ocean of life with you. All of your love and support has, and continues to, enrich our lives.

May the Sun shine on you today,

The Sirens of Titan

In the late Kurt Vonnegut’s (1930-2007), book called “The Sirens of Titan,” the reader is tagging along in a strange journey through the solar system and beyond. The interesting characters and their journeys of time and space will compel the reader to take a step back at the way he/she looks at life, in order to see another perspective. Questions of time, mortality, and the meaning of life give this book an appealing undertone. The reader will first be introduced to an interesting character named, Malachi Constant, a wealthy playboy from Hollywood California. Constant is the richest man alive in the 22nd century. The man possesses profound and seemingly endless luck, which he uses to further build the estate that his very wealthy father had left him. When Constant realizes that he hasn’t really done anything of significance in life, and that he has no idea what his purpose for living is, an adventure ensues.

The reason I picked this book is because I was told that Vonnegut books were great. I discovered that he spent some time here in Iowa, at the University of Iowa, many years ago. Being an Iowa native myself, I thought it would be nice to read what this iconic writer shared with Iowa and the rest of the literary world. I also chose it because I like a well written futuristic type book from time to time. It turned out to be a good fit for me because it was unlike any other novel I had ever read. The book is not really as much a science fiction work as it is a satire novel about what it means to be alive as a human. This is one of those rare books that bridge the gap that separates sci-fi from great literary works. I didn’t regret the choice.

The character development of this book is well done, but it is also part of the mystery of the story that isn’t fully realized until the final quarter of the book. I thought it was easy to follow where the writer was going with each character’s personality because there was a lot of care and detail that went into them. Introductions were organized in an appropriate way, rather than jumping all over like some other character rich stories can be. In other words, while not being a shallow story by any means, it was fairly easy to follow.

The character dialogue was written in a way that makes the reader feel like they are in an actual conversation, rather than a novel—complete with individual character language style and varying levels of sophistication. For instance, there is a lot of focus on a gentle brut of a man named Unk. His struggles in life, and in his personal pursuit of answers, lead the reader to feel empathy for him. This man is soldier that seems to have a low level of intelligence, but he makes a valiant effort to find his estranged son, Chrono. One of the sadder parts of Unk’s story is that when he finally finds Chrono, Chrono wants nothing to do with him.

I liked the action of this book, though it did not exactly keep me “on the edge of my seat” the entire time. I was a little bored during the second quarter of the book where there were parts of the story that seemed to run on and on about nothing… or so I thought. Thankfully, it was not a total waste of time, as the “little nothings” added to the reward. This became especially noticeable during the last quarter of the book as Vonnegut so eloquently brought it all together. I began to see why Vonnegut was writing in a manner I have never before been exposed to in a novel. Vonnegut’s unique style of writing is better understood after a reader has at least one of his books “under their belt”, so to speak. I am not sure if it is common for Vonnegut, but this book offers a lot of lengthy detail that I thought was meaningless at first. Actually, it turned out to be a form of developing the readers understanding of the characters while experiencing the story along the way. That was kind of refreshing, as most authors tend to burn up the first several chapters with boring character introductions. This was a great way to get on with the story while imbuing it with a unique feeling that worked well with the story’s plot and conclusion.

The character interactions were interesting and even complex at times. Like when a sentient robot, from the future, is stranded in Unk’s time. He needs parts for his ship in order to get back home, but has no practical way of communicating with his colleagues of the future. He ends up leaving messages in significant locations on Earth that have lasted for thousands of years—like Stone Hinge, for example. In order for his future counterparts to get him the parts he needs, they have to alter the technological history of mankind. That way, by the time the robot gets stranded, Earth will have the capability to construct the parts he needs to fix his ship. Of course, this results in fascinating effects on the way the characters flow through the story. Not only that, but it calls into question the significance of man and if we are all controlled by a sort of puppeteer rather than being in charge of our own destinies.

To my personal delight, unlike what one might expect with a book such as this, there is very little sci-fi techno-babble. Though there are some interesting word choices, including some that the author likely made up himself. An example of that would be the phenomena that one of the characters interacts with called a “chrono-synclastic infundibulum.” The author does not try to explain such things scientifically, rather more simplistically, in a way that anyone would understand. This simplicity gives it a degree of believability even though it is obviously a fictional work. I feel that is what makes this book more of a literary work than a sci-fi or techno-adventure type book. Moreover, these sci-fi elements do not define the story. In fact, one could replace them with other words that we have heard of before, such as the Bermuda Triangle. Likewise, the location is basically irrelevant; it takes place in space and between planets, but could just as easily take place here on Earth between continents and major cities.

Reading this book does require a little open-mindedness and a good sense of humor. There is a lot more depth here than what initially meets the eye. Even after reading the book, ponderous thoughts continue to flow—so much so, that it is almost like reading a sequel as more and more of the details are linked together and their meanings become clear. Truly, this book has its own twists and turns that few writers can pull off in such an intricate, yet comprehensible way. This book has been hailed as one of the best literary works of it’s time. With all of the ‘simple-complexities’, interesting characters, and the profound implications, I can see why. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to read, if only for the sole purpose… to take the mind on a ride that is out of this world!

Dead by Dusk

The book, Dead by Dusk by Shannon Drake, was an exciting choice for me. In this supernatural mystery an American, Stephanie Cahill, takes a summer job in Bella Vista, Rome. Stephanie is an actress from Chicago and will now be directing her own improve group at a local resort in Bella Vista. She had just left Chicago after a nasty break up with her ex-boyfriend, Grant Peterson. As fate would have it Grant, who is a director and amateur archeologist, winds up in Bella Vista also. An earthquake uncovered the ancient archaeological dig site that Grant is working on. As the excavation uncovers more and more artifacts, they discover two bodies with shields. A legendary battle was said to have taken place there, and now they have the proof. But the more digging they do, the stranger the townspeople become and weird, unexplained things begin to happen. Stephanie and Grant begin to reconnect and heat things up again, but both can’t dismiss the strange illness that is seemingly striking without warning, or why they are both having dreams connecting them to the ancient battle that once occurred there.

Shannon Drake’s strength in this book was the element of surprise. I believed, through out much of the story that reincarnation was the connection between Stephanie, Grant, and the ancient battle that unfolded there. I was surprised and very excited to discover it was vampires, not reincarnation. Shannon Drake is an author known for her books about vampires and paranormal phenomenon.

I though Drake’s weakness in this book was a slow start. It took almost half of the book to introduce the characters and tell their stories. Once I got past the initial introductions, the story picked up and became more interesting. This book held my attention.

The story line is one that I could see happening, if vampires were real that is. Drake also follows modern folklore “rules” about vampires. She stays consistent in what are the vampire’s weaknesses, strengths, what can kill them, and what “rules” they must follow. For example, a local girl went missing towards the beginning of the book. She is discovered dead at Grants dig site, killed by what looked like wolves or some kind of animal. At her funeral, her mother storms in and begins to sever her head. She knew her daughter was gone and what was now in her daughter’s body was a vampire.

I enjoyed Drake’s style of writing in this book very much. She began the book with the battle that was legend to have taken place there before introducing me to the modern day characters and their stories. I enjoyed how she gave me a little background on the event that is the connection between past characters and the modern ones. In choosing this style of structure, Drake made it easier for me to make connections between the past and present and understand why the strange events that were occurring were significant. For instance, Grant and Stephanie were both having strange dreams connecting them to the past. Grant was dreaming of an ancient battle in which he was trying to save his love, Valeria. But Grant didn’t know a Valeria. Stephanie was being visited by a strange, seductive, and dark personification of Grant in her dreams. This made the bond between the two grow strong again.

Drake’s character development is quite strong in this book. I am always excited to read a book by Drake. She gives solid physical descriptions of her characters that helped me understand their personalities. Gema Harris, who is an actress in Stephanie’s improve group, is describes by Drake as, “a good actress, a good comedic actress, with a quick wit, which made her a natural for ensemble work that included a lot of improvisational theater. She was far more average-looking, being a tall blonde with a natural hourglass figure and beautiful, long legs-if she did say so herself.” The way Drake described her characters gave me a clear picture of what they looked liked and, for me, made it easier to make a mental picture to distinguish between characters.

My experience of this book was a delightful one. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a little paranormal activity, love story, and mystery all wrapped into one. The book does have somewhat of a slow beginning, but don’t give up on it too soon. If readers like vampires, a present-day story that is entangled with a mysterious, ancient battle of honor, and unusual connections between these story elements, then this book would be a great fit.