Journey of Light

Book Reviews (The Lighter Side Of)

I started a Facebook book club with a friend of mine, or rather she started it, and I helped get things going (I still get admin privileges though). The intention is/was to have an active discussion going, but we've yet to use the group chat feature. Instead we end up posting comments on the wall, and the discussion works as feedback. Every now and then when I decide to be a little wacky about it, and do something unexpected. For instance, a while back we read the story A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. It was a very powerfully written story. I got a lot out of reading out and make what I felt to be some pretty good input, but I also make a post for the story based on information that I made up on the spot.

Me: "Fun Fact: Actually the 1000 splendid suns is a reference to a scifi novel by Coleman Trotter. The story takes place 12 centuries after the earth has been destroyed. It catalogs the journey of Captain Brand Havershine, a man who awakens from cyrolsleep only to discover the earth has long since been destroyed and that humankind, unable to find an inhabitable world, has lived the past 12 centuries on starships. Because of this they have lost touch with their humanity, and are nothing like the people who once inhabited earth. Captain Havershine and his crew set out on a journey to discover a new earth. The journey spans, you guessed it, 1000 splendid suns before they find another world similar to the original earth. Khaled Hosseini is a huge science fiction fan."

My entire reference to a scifi novel by Coleman Trotter was 100% fabricated. I made it up. I don't even know if there is a writer named Coleman Trotter. Although... now that I think about it, that's actually not a bad pen name. If I ever publish anything, maybe I should use Coleman Trotter as my pseudonym. That might be fun. Maybe having a "writing name" will inspire me to become a writer as opposed to a dabbler. When without a muse, perhaps my own muse I should make?

My latest craziness?

Me: "Goodbye Columbus is a fictional tale. It is not the true story of Christopher Columbus, but what might of been had history gone a little differently. Goodbye Columbus chronicles the misadventures of Christoper Columbus. Caught in a raging storm at sea, Columbus and crew arrive at what is now known as modern day America in late November, over a month later then recorded in our history books. Suffering malnourishment from most of their food supplies being washed out to sea, the severely weakened crew finally reach land. They are far more susceptible to diseases like dysentery, and many of the crew, including Amerigo Vespucci succumb to the illness.

"With the Death of Vespucci, America is ultimately given a different name (to find that out you'll have to read the story). The states as we knew it form much differently then the ones we know today, some of which remain under Indian rule because the diminished number of Europeans to claim the land. The people who would otherwise be known as Indians name themselves Colombians, in a mockery, as opposed to an honorary,of Christopher Columbus, thus making the modern day confusion which type of Colombian people are referring to as opposed to which type of Indian. It's a strange and humorous story, making the reader wonder what inspires a writer to take such liberties with history, the re-imagining ultimately becoming a satirical mockery of modern day society and of our established history."

Goodbye Columbus is actually a short story by Philip Roth having nothing to do with what I wrote in my book club. I wrote it because it amused me to do so. If you want to know what the read story of Goodbye Columbus is about, your local library probably carries it.

Thanks again for listening,

~Light~

... Or is it Coleman Trotter?

Thanks again for listening,

~Coleman Trotter~

Let me know if you think the name suits me.