Holiday Baking
By London Koffler    
            As the quintessential college graduate, this year my part-time minimum-wage job did not provide me the money to buy the Christmas gifts my family and friends deserve. For some reason, I decided to try my hand at making my own gifts instead of purchasing them. My recent binge-watching of cooking shows convinced me that I, too, could construct my own culinary masterpieces with great ease. I spent days on the internet browsing recipe sites, trying to choose the perfect one that would please everyone. I finally decided on chai tea cookies with whipped cinnamon icing on top.
            The problem was, my kitchen is probably from the 1970s—no storage or standing room, a gas-burning range, and literally no counter space; I do not exaggerate when I say literally. I have to do all of my food preparation on a wooden chopping block we positioned in the nearby bedroom. Over the previous several months, I had gotten used to this arrangement, but this was the largest undertaking I had faced since moving in. I lined up all my ingredients, pulled out my bowls, and pre-heated my oven. I was ready.
            Or so I thought. As any well-seasoned chef could have predicted, this was going to be a disaster. I didn’t even have a rolling pin or a whisk. Why did I think I could make cookies without a rolling pin or icing without a whisk? I tried so hard to make it work, but nothing I did was good enough. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted my muffin tin. At this point, I was desperate. I took the cookie dough, crammed some in the tin, and shoved the whole thing in the oven. By the time I removed them, they were severely overdone. Looking over at my chopping block, I saw my “icing” that was more of a glaze. I thought, “Why not?” and dumped it over the muffins too. It couldn’t possibly make them any worse, right?
            I still took those cookies/cupcakes/muffins to my family’s Christmas Eve party. I thought, if nothing else, it would be a conversation starter. To my half amusement, half horror, my grandma picked one up and ate it. She noted that she loved them and wanted my recipe. I think my jaw dropped to the floor. Everyone tried one with their coffee and said the same. They all wanted to know where I found the recipe. I hated to tell them, but I didn’t think that was a mistake I could ever recreate.
            Like with most things in my life, I found that my best efforts were, in fact, good enough. I have always been too hard on myself, and this proved to me that I should try to cut myself some more slack. I tried something new, and even though I thought I failed, other people saw it as a success.
Edited by Rachel Menkhus
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By Rachel Menkhus

Why and how do we decide we no longer like or support something? I have been thinking about this question a lot lately. This inquiry comes to mind when thinking about America’s current political climate and it makes me wonder what makes us, as a people, change our mind about something that used to be important to us. Is it age? Education? Could it be that our interests have evolved or even devolved? Don’t worry,—I won’t be discussing politics in this post. Rather I will use an example I am familiar with: DC versus Marvel. The age-old question. If you asked most, I assume they would immediately respond with, “Marvel, you idiot. Have you seen a DC movie recently?” Though for me, I used to be impartial and absolutely support both comic publishers. No, I will not be looking at DC versus Marvel’s cinematic universe. More, I will use the example of DC Comics versus Marvel Comics.

When I was a child I adored Superman. Superman is where many decide they have a love for comics; I know I’m not the only one to have my obsession start with Clark Kent and his love for all things Planet Earth. Now, I certainly have not outgrown my love for Superman, but I have outgrown my love for heroes that I came to cherish afterward. So, alongside many, I decided comics were my destiny. I wanted to know everything there was to know about the industry, its publishers, artists, writers, and characters.

My love for Marvel Comics came fast. I mean, who doesn’t love Captain America, Black Panther, Iceman, America Chavez, Ms. Marvel? Seriously, these are all great characters. But while my love for the publisher began strong, it started to wane when the movies came out. Now here is where I refer to my original question. Why and how do we decide we no longer like—love in my case—or support something? 

In this instance it was not anything Marvel did (though they have had some hiccups recently), rather my love for Marvel waned when I talked to people about the thing I loved. Most people agreed that Marvel was great—“Did you see that last MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) movie? Gosh. No one can compete.” But, when I brought up any of the other publishers that also created comic content, people rolled their eyes. “Yeah, well, DC kinda just sucks. They’re too dark, not funny. Not really superhero movies. Ya know?” The thing is. Whether you like Marvel or DC, sometimes... I wasn’t talking about the movies. So, the conversation, a conversation about the thing I am studying, do for a hobby, and want to spend the rest of my life working with, was no longer fun. It became Marvel versus everyone else. Disney versus Warner Brothers.
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When I ask why we start to dislike something today, negativity also becomes a factor. When you no longer find joy in talking with others about something ingrained in your personality and life, it wears on you. Life isn’t all fun, I know. But when talking about things like this... Why do we all find it so easy to bash people’s interests in the name of rectifying or praising another’s? It really makes you wonder about why you may have started to lose interest in that thing you once loved.
Edited by London Koffler
 
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By Emily Chance

I just finished reading Gaston Leroux’s The Phantom of the Opera. After many adaptions and movies, I realized the story had been skewed. To make the story “better” in the movies and musicals, they made the Phantom somewhat attractive. However, in the book, the Phantom was horribly hideous from birth. So hideous that his own mother didn’t kiss him and just threw a mask at him to hide himself from the world. Everyone he encountered was horrified of him. They stared and were scared of him, so of course he had issues with addressing people. He talked about himself in the third person and had no social cues. For example, he kidnapped Christine out of love, in a way, we do the same to other people, just not as extreme.

In every workplace, inside of every school, there is someone so broken that everyone can see it. However, nobody wants to help them. All they do is pull that brokenness apart and find their flaws. When they find those flaws, they poke fun at them and make that flawed person feel that they’re the only flawed one, like they are ugly inside and out. When that broken person is put down by everyone around them, they haven’t developed proper social skills, and they have issues addressing anyone without anger.

In The Phantom of the Opera, it is revealed that the Phantom is extremely talented. He is a talented singer and ventriloquist, but due to his “ugliness of a corpse,” nobody knows about the talents he had before he went to the Opera. They only cared about the external flaws the phantom expressed, not ever stopping to listen or help him, or give him any sign that he was an interesting man.

In a way, society creates Phantoms doing the same thing. Very few people stop to help or listen. Instead of focusing on skills, they focus on flaws and problems. If one is not guilty of helping to create a phantom, it could be because they, themselves, are phantoms, or they were phantoms at some point and they don’t want to be a part of the issue.
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Edited by Rachel Menkhus

Title: Polishing the Fragments
Author: John Kaniecki
Published By: Dreaming Big, Nov 2017
Reviewed By: Jessica Bucci
 
Genre: Poetry, Inspirational, Religious, Mental Illness
Pages: 134 (Paperback)
 
Rating: 4/5 Stars
 
John Kaniecki is not afraid to express himself through free form poetry. He examines the mental health care system, critiquing its practices and treatment of patients. The reader is taken on a long journey through pain, struggle, and finally hope. This is the second book I have read by Kaniecki, the first being More Than The Madness.
 
John beautifully crafts his story through 70 poems, each taking on a unique topic. While the message is powerful and thought provoking, because it is in poetry form I unfortunately know I missed parts of the intended message. As I have said before in other reviews, poetry/prose is not my favorite genre to read. However, I believe it can be one of the best ways to express oneself in written form. It captures sporadic thoughts and feelings differently than a fully story might.
 
Polishing the Fragments is a dark collection that explores deep topics. It is for a mature audience who isn’t afraid to delve into serious issues. Although the poems and collection itself are short, it is not necessarily something that can be read in one sitting. The best way to read this collection is in sections, absorbing the heavy contents slowly.
 
About the Book:
In a collection based in self-exploration and realization, Kaniecki takes on issues of mental illness, abuse, and religious actualization. Kaniecki's usage of imagery and theme express a relatable yet unique story of discovery, failure, and hope. The reader is taken on a journey through childhood experiences, growing pains, finding love and Christ, and living with the aftermath of mental illness. This hard look at mental health offers a critique of the current system while expressing hope for a brighter future.
 
About the Author:
John Kaniecki is a poet and prose writer residing with his wife Sylvia in lovely Montclair, New Jersey. John currently has nine books out, five of poetry and four of prose with more to come. John’s primary function is as a caregiver to his wife Sylvia. John also is an activist as a member of Woman’s International League Of Peace And Freedom as well as New Jersey Peace Action. John is a minister of the Church Of Christ At Chancellor Avenue, which is located in the South Ward of Newark. John has suffered from bipolar disorder since that age of twenty. His story is told in his memoirs More Than The Madness also published by Dreaming Big Publications.
 
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for writing a review. I was not obligated to give a positive review, and all thoughts are my own.
 
Amazon
 

Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan, published by Picador
Reviewed by London Koffler
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About the Book:
            A Winner of the Alex Award, a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for First Fiction, named a Best Book of the Year by NPR, Los Angeles Times, and San Francisco Chronicle.
            The Great Recession has shuffled Clay Jannon away from life as a San Francisco web-design drone and into the aisles of Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore. But after a few days on the job, Clay discovers that the store is more curious than either its name or its gnomic owner might suggest. The customers are few, and they never seem to buy anything―instead, they "check out" large, obscure volumes from strange corners of the store. Suspicious, Clay engineers an analysis of the clientele's behavior, seeking help from his variously talented friends. But when they bring their findings to Mr. Penumbra, they discover the bookstore's secrets extend far beyond its walls. Rendered with irresistible brio and dazzling intelligence, Robin Sloan's Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore is exactly what it sounds like: an establishment you have to enter and will never want to leave.

My Review: 5/5
            Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore is truly a book for bibliophiles. This smart and adventurous novel celebrates books while also acknowledging the value of technology in the literary world. In a time that asks, “paper books or eBooks?” Sloan argues the necessity of both to preserve knowledge. While Clay loves the books in the store, he is also a skilled computer programmer and graphic designer. He represents the ideal balance of old and new knowledge, and without either one, he would have no chance at solving the mystery. The mysteries of the bookstore and its patrons lead to an exciting adventure full of twists and turns. Sloan’s humor is on point, and it really helps to keep Clay relatable and likeable. He is just an ordinary guy thrown into an extraordinary situation. The rest of the characterizations are vivid, painting a realistic, three-dimensional picture of each character.
            While I gave the book a five out of five rating, there was one detail that bothered me. The characters encountered a lot of obstacles along their journey, yet they quickly overcame them. There were too many convenient coincidences, and all of the characters had an unusually high level of intelligence to easily solve their problems. However, this did not occur to me while reading; it was only upon reflection that I noticed.
            This is the most captivating book I have read in a long time, and I had fun reading it. Once again it made me feel, through the content and through the reading experience, the quiet magic of books and bookstores. It is a light, whimsical book I would recommend for mystery and fantasy lovers of all ages.

About the Author:
            Robin Sloan is the author of the novels Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore and Sourdough, published in the U.S. by MCD. He grew up near Detroit and now split his time between the Bay Area and the internet.
 
https://www.amazon.com/Mr-Penumbras-24-Hour-Bookstore-Novel/dp/1250037751#customerReviews
 
 
 

What Being a Military Kid Taught Me
By Laurel Copes
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Growing up in a military family has dramatically influenced my perspective on the idea of home. I spent all of my formative years viewing my house, friends, and community as transitory parts of my life. It was Fort Campbell this year and Fort Huachuca the next. For a long time I hated living this way. I longed for stability and comfort and ignored the many blessings that the frequent moves brought me. However, as I enter into the last years of my time as a military dependent, I am beginning to realize that a permanent home has never been what I needed and is no longer what I want. I would not be the person that I am without the things that I experienced as a military child, and I am so thankful for the lessons that I learned along the way.
When you move every few years, you get the chance to experience new cultures all the time. One of the greatest gifts that living life as an Army kid has given me is the opportunity to be a part of so many varied and dynamic communities. I learned early on that the world is vast and so full of people who live differently from me. Being friends with people from every background and religion has taught me to see the full value of experiences separate from my own. This is especially true when you move abroad. There is nothing like walking down the street in a country you’ve never been to with a language you’ve never spoken to put you in your place. After a while you become accustomed to your new location, absorbing parts of their culture and creating a place for yourself in their community.
This part of military life taught me how to value my time and work for my friendships. It can be hard to create new relationships just to have to end them later on, but every person I’ve invested myself in has been worth the chance that they would fade out of my life after I moved. I am grateful for everything that the people I surrounded myself with at each new place taught me and contributed to my life. When you know that the time you have with people you really love is limited, you learn to live in the moment and focus on the things that really matter.
Fortunately for me, there are three people who I have never had to leave because of a move.  My family has been the one constant part of my time as an Army brat. Our ever-changing environment forced us towards each other because sometimes we were the only people around that we could trust. I have loved being best friends, travelers and explorers with my dad, mom, and brother and having them play roles in my life that they might not have been able to any other way. The military is not conducive to traditional family life, but at least in my family it allowed us to create something even better.
There are some obvious downsides to military life, but even those have had some positive outcomes for me. The deployments my dad has been a part of taught me to be resilient and responsible. Leaving people that I cared about showed me that real love takes work and that some people aren’t meant to be in your life forever. Most of all, this semi-nomadic lifestyle has shown me that home is what you make it, and for me that means always learning, growing, and exploring.
 
Originally published on The Odyssey Online.  (https://www.theodysseyonline.com/military-kid-taught)
Edited by London Koffler
 
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“To travel with a truly open mind is to forget who you were when you started.”
 
Title: Travel as Transformation: Conquer the Limits of Culture to Discover Your Own Identity
Author: Gregory V. Diehl
Published By: Identity Publications, 2016
Reviewed By: Jessica B
 
Genre: Travel
Pages: 168 (Paperback)
 
Rating: 4/5 Stars
 
Travel as Transformation is not your typical travel book. It is a journey of self-discovery and finding one’s own identity through experiencing different cultures and situations. The author encourages the reader to immerse himself or herself in new, possibly uncomfortable, places, to help shape one’s true identity. Gregory uses a 10-part story to fill the pages of his book. Being a world traveler, he shares a multitude of personal stories as a way to justify his message.
 
“The reader should know that people’s very being and identity is based on their existence among others.”
 
To me the book is filled with general statements that can apply to most everyone in some fashion. What the reader will gain from this novel will depend entirely upon the reader’s openness to new ideas and thoughts. The book contains a number of inspiring quotes to me. As someone who has traveled, briefly, outside of the country and within the United States, some of what Gregory is saying applies more personally to me than it might to others. While I don’t necessarily agree with all that he is saying, I believe Gregory wrote a strong novel that is worth reading. I do agree that the world can and should shape someone. Nowadays the media is so biased one way or another, that the other way to truly understand what is occurring and to truly develop one’s own opinions, is to see firsthand different cultures and places.
 
“Travel will not only give you the opportunity to ask uncomfortable questions – it will force you to come up with meaningful answers.”
 
Now some people will argue that one doesn’t need to travel to discover oneself. Traveling can be difficult, expensive, and is not for everyone. However, I think the more general point being made by this book, is that in order for a person to fully develop, they need to experience as much as they can, or at least something different than the norm. One can only grow so much with what is around them. Now both sides to the coin can be debated, but I will not get into the argument here.
 
“Most people cannot accept that there is no big end to personal development.”
 
I believe that regardless of one’s past or future with traveling, that there is something to learn from this book. It is about discovering one’s true self and identity and realizing that growth never ends. It is a constant, incessant process that changes as the reader does, and it will continue for life.
 
About the Book:
   A daring, intelligent, and unapologetic call to find yourself through wanderlust. When you travel to a foreign place, do you experience this new life as your old self? Or do you become a new version of you? 
   From living in a van on the streets of San Diego, to growing chocolate with indigenous tribes in Central America, to teaching in the Middle East and volunteering in Africa, bestselling author Gregory V. Diehl has followed a worldly and unconventional path through life. Leaving his California home as a teenager, he fully immersed himself, living and working, in 45 countries across the globe--all by age 28. In Travel As Transformation, he puts his diverse cultural experiences on display and asks the reader to question how their own identity has been shaped by the lifestyle they live.
   As you delve into Travel As Transformation, you will learn just how profoundly travel can influence your perception of yourself. Diehl teaches aspiring travelers, vagabonds, and nomads to let go of their internal inhibitions and former sense of self. To encourage world wanderers to embrace change, he shares his own stirring experiences of transformation across Costa Rica, China, Morocco, Armenia, Iraq, Monaco, Ecuador, and more. By embarking on this nomadic journey alongside him, you will learn to examine all of humanity through unbiased eyes and discover all that lies just beyond your backyard. A new, vast cultural experience awaits. 
   To travel with a truly open mind is to forget who you were when you started. It is to be constantly born anew, and identify with ways of existence you did not know were possible. Travel As Transformation will give you the wisdom, the inspiration, and the resources to conquer the limitations placed on you by your home culture. It's time to take advantage of everything the world has to offer and become everything you can be. Find yourself through Travel As Transformation.
 
 
About the Author:
   Raised in California, Gregory Diehl soon embarked on a global quest for learning, self-discovery, entrepreneurship, and inquiry. Gregory has lived and worked in 50 countries and continues to help others along the path of self-fulfillment through exploration.
   Gregory’s books, Brand Identity Breakthrough and Travel As Transformation, are Amazon bestsellers. His podcast, Uncomfortable Conservations With Gregory, taps into the core of self. He is the co-founder of Identity Publications, an organization that shares valuable messages through the production and promotion of books, courses, and videos. Gregory likes to kidnap felines from streets around the world.
   For other press, media, and other inquiries, please email: contact@gregorydiehl.net.
 
Plan an Escape with the Author for 20 Minutes
   To inquire about working directly with Gregory Diehl in a coaching or mentoring capacity for your personal growth, please visit www.gregorydiehl.net/coaching and apply for a complimentary 20-minute introductory session.
   During this exploratory session, you will discuss your reasons for seeking personal development guidance, what you expect to get our of it, and why you specifically chose Gregory for this fundamental process of deep inner and outer work.
   Not everyone is a good fit, but it will be the best way for some people to get where they need to go next on their journey. If for some reason you are not ready for intensive one-on-one interaction with Gregory, you can prepare yourself by attending one of this online courses at www.gregorydiehl.net/courses.
 
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Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for writing a review. I was not obligated to give a positive review, and all thoughts are my own.