THE MIDNIGHT LIBRARY

Life allows for very few “do-overs”.  We simply cannot go back and relive and consequently erase the mistakes we have made earlier.  As such, many times we develop a “book of regrets” or at least as many regrets as might fill a good-size book, but what if you could?  What if you could go back?  What if you had taken that job instead of the one you have now?  What if you had joined that rock band as a teenager and continued playing with the band?  What would have happened if you followed a different professional path?  What if you had married Bob instead of Bill?  All of these “what-if” plague some of us as we age and can torment us later in life if we choose to let them. 

Between life and death there is a library. That’s the thesis of the book.  Nora Seed, who lives a monotonous, ordinary life feels unwanted and unaccomplished. One night, her despair reaches a peak and she commits suicide, but Nora is given the opportunity to go back and relive some of her regrets.  To correct things.  To say I’m sorry. To accomplish a “do over”.    She feels she has let everyone down, including herself but when she finds herself in the Midnight Library, she has an opportunity to make things right. The Midnight Library, as mentioned, exists between life and death and is filled with books in which lie endless parallel lives Nora might’ve lived; she is given the chance to undo her regrets by trying out these lives, starting right where her alternate self would’ve been on the night, she ended her life. While in the Midnight Library, Nora lives hundreds of lives and becomes hundreds of different versions of herself–some she’d never even fathomed–but she is faced with a difficult decision. She must decide what she is willing to sacrifice in order to live permanently in one of these ‘ideal’ lives, where they seem perfect for a time but, as she realizes, there are really new sets of challenges awaiting. Nora’s exploration of herself is captivating as she attempts to discern what is really important in life. The Library enables Nora to live as if she had done things differently.  Each book contains a different life, a possibility in which she makes different choices that play out in an infinite number of ways, affecting everyone she knew as well as many people she never met.  The Library makes it possible to undo every decision she has regretted in her life up to that point, but the Library eventually places her in a position of extreme danger.  Before time runs out, and it really does eventually, she must answer the ultimate question:  What is the best way to live?

This novel is very well-written and thought-provoking. Nora’s emotions are deeply portrayed, and I was captivated by the depth of Matt Haig’s storytelling. While the concept is simple, it drew me in as a reader and encompassed so many different emotional experiences that come with life. I spent much of The Midnight Library reflecting on my own life and the decisions I’ve made, as well as looking to the future and imagining the infinite possibilities–this is a sign of a talented author. There were also attempts to make Nora’s life-jumping seem scientifically possible, with reference to quantum physics, the focus was on Nora’s life and personal growth. Overall, I very much enjoyed The Midnight Library. The character development, setting, and plot are engaging, while also discussing important themes such as mental health.

I would recommend The Midnight Library to teens and adults alike. It’s a short, worthwhile read that will get you thinking and have you on the edge of your seat. And it may just awaken you to how much unlocked potential you have!

THE WAY I HEARD IT

If you want to be a decent writer, you need to be an avid reader.  I have no idea as to who said that but it’s nothing more than common logic.  I’ve been an avid reader for years.  The question remains—am I a decent writer?  You have to decide that.

With that being said, I just completed reading the latest book by Mike Rowe. Mr. Rowe is the executive producer and host of the hit TV program “Dirty Jobs”. I’ve seen several episodes and can see why people love to tune in.  In his new book, he presents thirty-five (35) stories representing mysteries, short ones at that, about people you know.  The stories are patterned after Paul Harvey’s great radio series “The Rest of the Story”.  Movie stars, madmen, heroes, individuals gone completely nuts, they are all there in the book.  The book contains memoirs filled with surprising revelations, sharp observations, and behind-the-scenes and moments drawn from his remarkable life and career.

BIOGRAPHY:

Mr. Rowe’s performing career began in 1984, when he faked his way into the Baltimore Opera to get his union card and meet girls, both of which he accomplished during a performance of Rigoletto. His transition to television occurred in 1990 when — to settle a bet — he auditioned for the QVC Shopping Channel and was promptly hired after talking about a pencil for nearly eight (8) minutes. There, he worked the graveyard shift for three (3) years, until he was ultimately fired for making fun of products and belittling viewers.

Thanks to QVC, Mike became practiced at the art of talking for long periods without saying anything of substance, a skill that would serve him well as a TV host. Throughout the ’90s, Mike had hundreds of jobs and relished his role as a chronic freelancer with lots of time to loaf around. Then, through a horrible miscalculation, he pitched a three-hour special to the Discovery Channel that ended up resulting in the show “Dirty Jobs.” Viewers liked it and Discovery responded by ordering thirty-nine 39 episodes — a shocking commitment that Mike was contractually obligated to honor. For the first time in his career, Mike went to work with a vengeance.

Over the next decade, Mike would become known as “the dirtiest man on TV.” He traveled to all fifty (50) states and completed three hundred (300) different jobs, transforming cable television into a landscape of swamps, sewers, ice roads, coal mines, oil derricks, crab boats, hillbillies, and lumberjack camps. For this, he has received both the credit and the blame.

Eventually, Mike was overcome with a strange desire to give something back. On Labor Day 2008, he launched mikeroweWORKS which is a PR campaign designed to reinvigorate the skilled trades. He’s since written extensively about the country’s relationship with work, the widening skills gap, offshore manufacturing, infrastructure decline, currency devaluation and several other topics for which he has no actual credentials. He once gave a TED Talk on the Changing Face of the Modern-Day Proletariat.  In May 2011, he testified before the United States Senate Commerce Committee about the importance of changing perceptions and stereotypes around blue-collar work and was asked back to testify to the House Committee on Natural Resources in 2014. In late 2013, Mike and Caterpillar worked together to launch Profoundly Disconnected, a new initiative focused on technical recruitment as well as the book Profoundly Disconnected®, A True Confession From Mike Rowe.   All the proceeds from the sale of the book go to the mikeroweWORKS Foundation, to be used for Work Ethic Scholarships and advocacy campaigns surrounding American manufacturing.

REVIEWS:  I thought the book was a great look into the lives of interesting people and the life of Mr. Rowe.  If you read my posts, you know when doing a book review, I like to include comments of others who had read the book also.  Here we go.

As you can see, people love the book.  One other thing—the font size is large enough so you do not have to squint if you are over thirty years old.  Spacing is adequate and the stories are concise and short enough to read two or three, rest your eyes and carry on with the next one or two.  In conclusion, I can definitely recommend this book to you.  Poignant, funny, sad in some ways, uplifting; all of those adjectives do apply.

READ THE GOOD BOOKS FIRST

So, tell me, do you remember your teachers in high school or college?  At the university I attended the first two years were considered, by our professors, the “wash-out” years.  Students in engineering would change majors or leave the school altogether.  Junior and senior year, the professors started paying attention.  They became interested in those of us who were interested.  Those who worked, came to class, asked questions, turned in homework.  I always thought this somewhat cruel but that’s just the way it wan.

For some reason, I remember most names of my teachers from high school rather than my university years.  One very unforgettable teacher in my high school was Ms. Robinson.  (OK, not that Ms. Robinson.)  Ms. Robinson was a professor of literature and taught at Central High School in Chattanooga, Tennessee for over thirty (30) years.   She always told us: “read the good books first”.  Of course, I think she meant the classics.  The last non-classic book I have read this year was “Until the End of Time”, written by Dr. Brian Greene.  Dr. Greene has a PhD in physics in addition to being a well-respected mathematician.  The book was fascinating; really “deep” and certainly made you think about where we came from and where we are going as a species.   I decided after completing this book, I would go back to the classics as professor Robinson suggested.  With that being the case, I have just finished reading “The Human Comedy” by William Saroyan, “The Pearl” by John Steinbeck. “The Dove” by Robin Lee Graham and now finishing up on “The Good Earth” by Pearl S. Buck.  Please note, these books are not lengthy books, the longest being two hundred and sixty pages.  A good one or two-day read for each.  

Let’s take a very brief look at the theme for each book.

THE HUMAN COMEDY:  This novel, set in a small American town during World War II, is a coming-of-age story anchored by the experiences of Homer Macauley, a teenage telegraph messenger who discovers truths about human experience in general and about himself in particular while delivering telegrams, many of which report on the deaths of loved ones. Episodic and poetic, with an emphasis on creating a portrait rather than developing a plot, The Human Comedy explores themes relating to the existential, essential loneliness of human existence and the different ways human beings strive and struggle to keep that loneliness at bay.  I thought the book was extraordinary in that it detailed a completely different era in time relative to today’s hectic and complicated pace.  The characters are not perfect by any means but they are real-to-life and exhibit personalities we many times see in friends and neighbors we know.

THE PEARL:  Kino is a young Mexican-Indian pearl diver married to Juana; they have a baby named Coyotito. Their lives seem rather peaceful, but their tranquility is threatened when a scorpion bites Coyotito. Juana tells Kino to go to town and get the doctor, but Kino and their neighbors tell Juana that the doctor will never come to where they live, so Juana decides to take matters into her own hands and sets off with Coyotito to the doctor. Kino accompanies Juana, and many members of the village follow them to see what will happen. At the doctor’s house, the doctor’s servant tells Kino and Juana that the doctor is not at home — in truth, the doctor is home but will not help Coyotito because Kino cannot pay the doctor as much as the doctor wants, but also because the doctor is prejudiced against Kino’s race.

Kino goes to work diving in the Gulf for oysters from his canoe; Juana tends to Coyotito in the canoe by applying brown seaweed to his shoulder, which is swollen from the scorpion’s bite. As Kino is collecting oysters on the ocean bottom, he spots a larger-than-usual oyster, collects it, and returns to the canoe. Kino does not want to open the oyster immediately, but Juana prompts him to open the oyster; when he does, he finds a pearl the size of a sea gull’s egg. Juana gazes at the immense pearl; she then goes to check on Coyotito and discovers that Coyotito’s shoulder is no longer swollen. Kino is immensely happy about both the pearl and Coyotito and yells loudly enough that he attracts the attention of the other oyster divers, who race toward his canoe.  This story is very sad indeed, at least from my standpoint.  Good read but with a terrible ending.

THE DOVE:  In 1965, sixteen (16)-year-old Robin Lee Graham began a solo around-the-world voyage from San Pedro, California, in a twenty-four (24)-foot sloop. Five years and thirty-three thousand (33,0000) miles later, he returned to home port with a wife and daughter and enough extraordinary experiences to fill a bestselling book called the Dove.  This is a true story and filled with unforgettable characters and places.  Mr. Graham’s parents must have been very compliant in allowing their son to sail around the world at the tender age of sixteen.  Great book.  Mr. Graham and his wife live in Montana today.

THE GOOD EARTH:  Wang Lung is a poor young farmer in rural, turn-of-the-century China. During the time in which the novel takes place, Chinese society is showing signs of modernization while remaining deeply connected to ancient traditions and customs. When Wang Lung reaches a marriageable age, his father approaches the powerful local Hwang family to ask if they have a spare slave who could marry his son. The Hwangs agree to sell Wang a twenty (20)-year-old slave named O-lan, who becomes his wife. O-lan and Wang Lung are pleased with each other, although they exchange few words.  Wang is initially disappointed that O-lan does not have bound feet.  (This I find to be really fascinating.  What one considers to be beautiful is always intreging.)

Together, Wang Lung and O-lan cultivate a bountiful and profitable harvest from their land. O-lan becomes pregnant, and Wang Lung is overjoyed when O-lan’s first child is a son. Meanwhile, the powerful Hwang family lives decadently—the husband is obsessed with women, and the wife is an opium addict. Because of their costly habits, the Hwangs fall on hard times, and Wang Lung is able to purchase a piece of their fertile rice land. He enjoys another profitable harvest, and O-lan gives birth to another son. Wang Lung’s new wealth catches the attention of his greedy, lazy uncle. Custom dictates that Wang Lung must show the utmost respect to members of the older generation, especially relatives, so he is forced to loan his uncle money despite knowing that the money will be wasted on drinking and gambling. The Hwang family’s finances continue to falter, and the Hwangs sell another tract of land to Wang Lung.  I will go no further but it’s a good read in my opinion does not have a beautiful ending.  Tough read this one.

CONCLUSION:  I think Ms. Robinson was correct when she said “read the good books first’.

WORDS MATTER

We all know that words matter.  What we say and what we think really do effect people in a multitude of ways.  Washington Irving said, “ A tart temper never mellows with age, and a sharp tongue is the only edged tool that grows keener with constant use.”  Robert M. Helsel said,” He who dares to speak with a razor sharp tongue, shall in end, bare the final scar.”  Well, I think we can all agree that being overly critical and unkind can produce real issues between the speaker and the recipient. 

If that is the case, how about those times when we just do not get the message correct.  We know what we mean but it just does not come out as intended.  We all do it at times. 

I have examples below showing the brighter side of providing a “mixed-message”.  These are actual statements written to deliver information and content.  Church Bloopers, if you will.  Let’s take a look.

• Scouts are saving aluminum cans, bottles and other items to be recycled.  Proceeds will be used  to cripple children.
• The outreach committee has enlisted twenty-five visitors to make calls on people who are not afflicted with any church.
• The Ladies Bible Study will be held Thursday morning at 10:00. All ladies are invited to lunch in the Fellowship Hall after the B.S. is done.
• Low self-esteem support group will meet Thursday at 7:00 to 8:00 P.M. Please use the back door.
• For those of you who have children and don’t know it, we have a nursery downstairs.
• The pastor will preach his farewell message, after which the choir will sing, “Break Forth into Joy”.
• Miss Carlene Mason sang, “I will not pass this way again, giving obvious pleasure to the congregation.
• Ladies don’t forget the rummage sale. It is a good chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house.  Bring your husbands.
• The sermon this morning: Jesus Walks on Water.  The sermon tonight: Searching for Jesus.
• Next Thursday, there will be tryouts for the choir.  They need all the help they can get.
• Barbara C. remains in the hospital and needs blood donors for more transfusions.  She is also having trouble sleeping and requests tapes of Pastor Jack’s sermons.
• The ladies of the church have cast off clothing of every kind and they may be seen in the church basement Friday.
• This afternoon there will be a meeting in the north and south ends of the church.  Children will be baptized at both ends.
• Weight Watchers will meet at 7:00 P.M. Please use the large double door at the side entrance.

Care must always be taken to say what we mean and mean what we say in a fashion that is straight forward, concise, and meaningful.  “I’m saying the obvious”.

AMERICAN ASSASSIN

Over the years there have been very few books I could just not put down.  American Assassin, by Vince Flynn is one of those.  A very good friend “turned me on” to Flynn’s writing and I certainly owe him a big favor.  American Assassin is one of fifteen (15) books in the Mitch Rapp series and even though not the first written in the series, it’s the first you need to read.  Given below are the Mitch Rapp books:

• American Assassin
• Kill Shot
• Transfer of Power
• The Third Option
• Separation of Power
• Executive Power
• Memorial Day
• Consent to Kill
• Act of Treason
• Protect and Defend
• Extreme Measures
• Pursuit of Honor
• The Last Man
• The Survivor
• Order to Kill

American Assassin goes into great detail as to why twenty-two (22) Mitch Rapp is driven to join the CIA as a field operative in the war on Middle-Eastern counter-terrorism. Flynn spends a great deal of time defining the process of weeding out individuals that eventually make the cut. From eight (8) recruits, only two survive, Rapp and an operative named Richardson. In doing so, Flynn develops a vivid picture of each fascinating character as they are introduced chapter by chapter.  This is one of the very best characteristics of the book; the depth of each character.  These people are definitely NOT saints.  There is no “turn the other cheek” in their mode of operation.

“Assassin” details Rapps first assignment as a rookie operative and takes us from Virginia to Zurich, to Moscow, to Beirut, to Hamburg.  We see the seamy side of terrorism as well as the wealthy and posh side.  We are introduced to Russian terrorists, morally deprived Swiss bankers, Palestine arms dealers, as well as CIA manpower driving specific programs to destroy Jihad activities.

BIO FOR VINCE FLYNN:

Vince Flynn is almost as interesting as his books.  Flynn was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1966. He graduated from the St. Thomas Academy in 1984 and the University of St. Thomas with a degree in economics in 1988. After college he went to work for Kraft General Foods where he was an account and sales marketing specialist.

In 1990 he left Kraft to accept an aviation candidate slot with the United States Marine Corps. One week before leaving for Officers Candidate School, he was medically disqualified from the Marine Aviation Program, as a result of several concussions and convulsive seizures he suffered growing up.  While trying to obtain a medical waiver for his condition, he started thinking about writing a book. This was a very unusual choice for Flynn since he had been diagnosed with dyslexia in grade school and had struggled with reading and writing all his life.

Having been stymied by the Marine Corps, Flynn returned to the nine-to-five grind and took a job with United Properties, a commercial real estate company in the Twin Cities. During his spare time he worked on an idea for his first book and for a series of books thereafter. After two years with United Properties he decided to take a big gamble. He quit his job, moved to Colorado, and began working full time on what would eventually become Term Limits, his first publication.

Like many struggling artists before him, he bartended at night and wrote during the day. Five years and more than sixty (60) rejection letters later he took the unusual step of self-publishing his first novel. The book went to number one in the Twin Cities, and within a week had a new agent and two-book deal with Pocket Books, a Simon & Schuster imprint.

Flynn was diagnosed with stage three metastatic prostate cancer in 2010, but continued to write his best-selling thrillers until he died at the age of forty-seven (47).  His death was a great loss to the publishing world and every individual looking for that next great book.  He left a great body of work that is enjoyed by individuals over the world.

I can definitely recommend this book to you. Remember—start with American Assassin.  Read that one first.