Journeys

I read with delight this collection of stories and poems that speaks to the heart of each author’s journey through life. Each person views life through the eyes of her own experience and from that perspective creates fiction that brings the human experience into focus, providing insight that can be gained no other way.

I read with delight this collection of stories and poems that speaks to the heart of each author’s journey through life. Below I provide a quick peek into each piece.

This is a delightful snapshot of life lived in a less complicated time (and I quote) “…when times were hard and … the poor didn’t know they were poor…”

All humans’ carry with them deep-seated fears that surface in dreams, especially as children. A computer intent upon doing away with humans has to be high on the list of scary things.

This author has a unique way with words and touches a deep need in all of us—to be seen and understood for who we really are.

I found this piece fascinating. This author has collected bits and pieces of folklore about the making and eating of bread over the centuries, and the significance people have attached to it.

This short piece is packed with ideas on promoting oneself as well as one’s work. Networking with other people is the key to working smarter instead of harder.

The age-old struggle between generations plays out on the pages of this story. All of us want acceptance and to know that those we love recognize and appreciate us for the individuals that we are.

This short story written around the unpredictability of weather on the ocean delivers a nice twist at the end. You’ll enjoy this one.

The first piece in this grouping provides the reader with an insightful glimpse of the character, Bruic, and his return to his homeland on the Island of Gael, from which he was kidnapped many years earlier. The next piece leads the reader into chapter one of Lost Son of Ireland, where Bruic is now a trusted companion to warrior king Olaf the White.

This story takes place between the prologue and chapter one of Saratoga Summer 1863. The cast of characters includes the five O’Malley brothers who have returned from brawling in the village. The two elder brothers reap the worst of their father’s wrath for their shenanigans and suffer the worst punishment.

This nonfiction piece presents sound advice about learning to invest in the stock market. Her admonition to learn the lingo and go through pre-flight training before heading for the skies is good information for planning one’s financial future.

This artfully crafted tale is set in the past. A child makes a simple request for two screwdrivers, which becomes the bridge that connects a son and a father upon his return home from the war.

Read this story, with a twist of irony at the end, and you will never again view hospitals quite the same as you used to. This tale gives the reader a view of a perfectly normal person in a perfectly normal setting, then it takes you deep into the scariest recesses of the mind.

A preconceived notion can manifest itself in many ways. We of form a quick opinion about a person, which can prove to be in error if we take the time to really understand that person. This delightful story gives much food for thought.

One only understands fire and what it can steal away after looking the monster in the eye. The message of this piece is “preparedness.”

The purpose for which the Taj Mahal was built is reflected in this beautiful story of one man’s adoring of the woman he loves, and declaring that love in the shadow of that magnificent building.

Journeys of a Lifetime

By: Members of the Readers Station

There is magic in books.

I firmly believe this. When I was a child, I could open the covers of a book and travel anywhere: Egypt, the Prairies, distant lands. I could go anywhere, travel anywhere, by the simple act of opening a book and reading the words presented to me.

Apparently, the lovely ladies at The Readers Station think so too. Elena Dorothy Bowman, Bryn Colvin, Nikki Leigh, Dorice Nelson, Nora Peterson, Ginger Simpson, Donna Sunbald, Angela Verdenius and Anne Whitfield have compiled an anthology of fiction, poetry and non-fiction pieces all with the theme of journeying or travelling. And what a trip it is!

Normally I'm not too fond of anthologies. The theme that links everything together is usually very lose and there are always a few good stories leaving the rest to wallow in their mediocrity.

That is not the case with Journeys of a Lifetime. Each wonderful piece is introduced with a Travel Log written by the pieces author who is your tour guide. You're given a destination, what you'll see along the way, what to pack and the local customs. This keeps the travel theme nicely centralized and helps introduce the story in a fun way.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I started reading but I was enchanted by each and every piece. Though the stories and articles are all by different authors, everything flowed so beautifully that I was done the anthology in two days and left thirsting for more. Though I loved every piece and it would take me several pages to write about each one, here are two that stood out for me.

The Waiting Room Princess by Bryn Colvin. This story was so simplistic yet so incredibly beautiful. Waiting for a train late at night, Tom is approached by the train stations lone cleaning woman. Blind, Tom cannot see her but he can hear her voice; it's exotic and like a fresh breeze. Tom is bitter because of his blindness and Eve, the cleaning woman, is cursed by beauty.

Tom lost his sight in a chemical accident and Eve's beauty is responsible for the death of many people; when they look upon her beauty, they die. Can a bitter blind man and a woman whose beauty kills heal each other?

Acceptance by Nikki Leigh. I loved every word of this piece. Kennalyn Jones is waiting for something. Watching the mailbox with anticipation, today she receives what she has been waiting for: a letter from Harvard Law School. Ecstatic, she runs to tell her father Captain Bart who is not as happy as Kennalyn about the news.

Frightened of living alone, his wife having died and his other daughter gone, Bart is not happy at all about Kennalyn's acceptance. Will Kennalyn follow her dream and go to Harvard or will she let her love for her stubborn father keep her where she does not want to be?

What makes Journeys of a Lifetime different from other anthologies is that each authors love for their subject's shines through. Their words really have the power to help you travel to far off lands, to wonderful situations. It really is a book you will want to read and re-read again. Or even enjoy it one story, one journey, at a time.

Journeys of a Lifetime is an absolute gem and a feast of literature. There is something for everyone here, even the most picky of readers. I was spellbound as I travelled with the wonderful women of The Readers Station and I didn't want my trip to end.

I know that I will be forever spellbound by Journey's of a Lifetime and will keep taking each of the journeys in the book over and over again.

Last modified: 08/06/10