The Boys

Several weeks before my vacation I got a phone call from my friend Tracy, in Seldovia. Tracy is the one who allowed both Thing & Djuna to come live with me, for which I am eternally grateful. This time, she had news of two boys in desperate need of a home.

I have inherited many traits from my mother such as my strength of character, an inordinate fondness for socks, and the complete inability to say no to an animal in need. I am smart enough to realize that I simply cannot have 4 cats, however, so I agreed to rescue the boys only as a foster parent. The Devon Rex Rescue Group agreed to find them a permanent home as soon as they could, and I agreed to house them until then.

So that’s how Floyd and Thorvald came to live with me. I put them up in the spare room upstairs with a litter box in one corner, a scratching post in another corner, and an electric blanket on the bed.

Thor was a tiny cream colored cat, and was beyond cute with a smudgy little face that just made you want to kiss him every time you saw him. His favorite thing to do was to curl up in your lap and snuggle.

Floyd was white with big green eyes, and was huge. The average Devon weighs perhaps 7 pounds – he weighed 18. His hair was softer than a chenille blanket, though, and he had the biggest ears I’d ever seen on a cat. Oddly enough, he was completely deaf. He also had some sort of neurological thing going on, making his head wobble all the time.

First thing I did after their arrival was get them a doctor’s appointment. Dr. Kavenaugh, at The Pet Stop, gave the boys a thorough examination, administered their shots, clipped their toe nails, and cleaned out their ears. She sent them home with eye drops to clear up some conjunctivitis, and pronounced them healthy.

Finding a home for them turned out to be more difficult than I expected, and took a lot longer than I ever thought it would. The issue was exacerbated by the fact that I needed to clean that spare room out and get it rented to help pay my bills. Thankfully, however, a home was eventually found – the boys are now happily (I hope) living in Homer with their new human.

The Cow

One day, as we were driving back to base camp after our work in the field was done; we came across a herd of cattle in the road. Mind you, “road” is rather misleading: we were on a trail in the dirt. Also, the cattle, as well as every other animal in Kenya, were basically just bones with skin hanging off them. They are “recovering” from a 2-year draught.

So, anyway, we come across this herd of cattle in the road. Our Land Rover was moving at perhaps 25 mph at the time, but as he saw the cows the driver, Hassan, slowed down. The cows didn’t move, so Hassan slowed down some more. Eventually it was fairly obvious that the cows were not going to move, so Hassan had to basically stand on the brakes. He didn’t stop in time, however, and ended up hitting one of them. In reality, it was more like he bumped one. But he did hit the cow. And the cow went down.

Now, I’m sitting in the passenger’s side - which over there means I’m on the left side of the vehicle. This also means I have the best view of us hitting the cow, and I start to freak out. “You hit the cow!!! You hit the cow, and the cow went down!!! You hit the cow, and the cow went down, and it’s not getting back up!!!” I kept shrieking this over and over again – I couldn’t help myself. But it’s true; the cow was not getting back up again.

So, Idi (our guard, a local man) got out of the vehicle to assess the situation. I think part of what was freaking me out was that I was absolutely positive that he was going to shoot the cow, right there in front of me. Thankfully, he didn’t. What he did was actually pick up the cow and set it back on its feet again. He then held it for a minute while the cow got its balance back, and then helped it across the road to the other side where the rest of the herd was.

These animals are so weak from the draught, they can barely stand up. It was so … so… I don’t know what to call it. And I’m still sitting there, shrieking “You hit the cow!!!! You hit the cow and the cow went down!!!” over and over again…

Coming Soon!

I finished my Africa Travelogue today. Got the write-up done and spell-checked, the pictures chosen and arranged properly, and the captions all figured out. Now we're just waiting on my brother to put it together on my brand new website!

Keep your eyes peeled... it'll be up and running soon.
The link is to your right >

That's Just Wrong

I wrote something today, fully intending to post it on my blog for all the world to see. What stopped me is the realization that my family would all see it, and read it.

Isn’t that funny: I’m okay with the entire world knowing personal things about myself, but I’m not okay with the people who are supposed to be closest to me knowing those same things.

That’s backwards… don’t you think?

Blog Updates

Check out the new links located to the right of this posting.

My brother is unemployed for the winter season, so is keeping himself busy on the computer. I benefit by not only getting my computer serviced and upgraded with new software, but also by getting my Blog updated as well!

Let me know what you think... and sign my Guestbook.

The Best Part of a Vacation

Mother says "The best part about going on vacation is coming home." and I have to say, I tend to agree with her.

Not that I had a bad time, or anything. I really enjoyed my vacation: great people, awesome place, interesting work. Really, it was fantastic.

There's just nothing to beat sleeping in your own bed, you know? Or, better yet, taking a shower in your own bathroom! With water, even. Hot water. Water that washes out all the soap from your hair.

And I get to eat all my comfort foods again: Soup. Fresh baked bread. Tea out of my favorite ceramic mug. Liquid chocolate shared with a good friend.

It almost makes up for the 85-degree temperature drop I experienced in roughly 24 hours.

3 Gallons

I recieved a certificate in the mail the other day from The Blood Bank of Alaska saying that I'd reached the 3-gallon mark!

That's a lot of blood.

I'm rather proud of myself, actually. I just might have that thing framed.

I'm Back

I arrived in Anchorage late last night after about 34 hours of travel time. It was quite a shock to the system to step out into -3 degree temperatures after having spent the past 18 days in 100 degree temps! I was not dressed for it... I will be posting more on the expedition soon, I promise.

I have a ton of stuff to do now. I need to unpack everything and get settled in. I have to snuggle with the kids and reassure them that I did not abandon them. I really need to find a place for the boys; they are such sweethearts, they deserve a loving home.

I need to go thru all the photos I took and create a travelogue of my trip. I also need to create two power-point presentations of the expedition: one of Earthwatch in general with Africa tacked on at the end for the Eagle River Nature Center talk I'm giving on the 16th of December (all are invited!) and one of the trip exclusively for any other talks I'll give in the future. Perhaps the zoo will let me present? I want to show my family the trip, as well. My brother has a big screen TV that will work just fine: a great way to kick off our Family Movie Night perhaps.

All the paperwork and receipts I came home with need to be organized. Earthwatch is a nonprofit organization which means I can deduct the whole thing off my taxes this year! Airfare to and from Africa, the cost of the expedition itself, as well as any taxis and/or food = it all adds up.

I have to re-register for unemployment again, since being gone for 3 weeks closed my account down. I also need to get an add up at the University offering a room to rent. And I really need to work hard at finding myself a job. I have plans for my next vacation, don't you know - a job would really come in handy for funding that!

My Christmas cards are all ready to go - they just need to be addressed and stamped. The Christmas letter needs to be written up, however. I had hoped to do that before I left but never got around to it.

Then, to top it all off, I really should take a look at all my investments, banking, and money issues to make sure I have things as organized as I can get them. I have limited funds available so really need to keep on top of it all to make sure I don't run out unexpectedly.

I'm Off to Africa!

I fully intended to write this long fantastic post to send myself off to Africa with, but I just never got around to it. So, you'll have to make do with this last minute one...

I leave tomorrow morning, bright and early! Hard to believe I'm actually going. But, everything is in order and I'm ready to go.

My bags are packed: I got everything in to one carry-on even! This way I don't have to worry about Lost Luggage, extra fees for checked baggage, or things getting stolen out of my bags. I also don't have to wait around for baggage claims - I can just step off the plane and head out into the world.

My friend Lorna is going to drive me to the airport early Monday morning. She is being extra-generous as it will be 6:00 in the morning. But she insisted, and I certainly don't want to take a taxi. She will hopefully wait around till I've cleared security in case I have to unpack the bug dope. I'm not sure if they'll let that go thru since the container is larger than 3 ounces. If it doesn't go thru, I'll give it to her and just buy some more when I reach Africa.

My niece Katy is going to meet me in Seattle for my layover there. I don't have enough time to go anywhere, but I have just the perfect amount of time to sit in a cafe at the airport and chat over a cup of tea! I'm excited to see her again - it's been a whole month.

For my 22-hour layover in London, I have a friend who said she'd meet up with me and show me the sights there. I don't actually know her, but have spoken to her on facebook for several months now. I'm so very glad that she agreed to meet up with me. Contrary to what you might think, given the evidence on hand - I am not a very brave travelor! Knowing that I will have a freindly face waiting for me in an unfamiliar city makes me a lot more comfortable about going.

And finally, once I arrive in Nairobi, I will have a whole day to myself and plan on seeing the sights there. More than likely one or two of my fellow Earthwatch volunteers will be there early as well, and will hopefully like to join me. Nairobi is not exactly a safe city to be wondering the streets alone, unfortunately.

When I get back in to Anchorage my friend Heather has said that she will pick me up. It's late at night and is also 3 weeks away - we'll see if she remembers!

Till then - I hope everybody has a great November - be well, be safe, and I'll talk to you later.

My Kindle

I got my Kindle the other day! I love it – it’s so much easier to use than the other electronic book reader I had, and not just because this one actually works.

First thing I did when I got it home was plug it in to fully charge it. That was Sunday night, and I’m still going strong without having to recharge again. Of course, it’s been off a lot. We’ll see how well it holds its charge on the planes when I’m reading it for hours at a stretch. The manual says it should last several days minimum. I’m not sure what I’ll do with it while out in camp – but perhaps I’ll be so busy with the African Wildlife and my job there that I won’t have time to worry about reading anything.

On Monday I got the manual out and read thru it with my Kindle in hand, familiarizing myself with all of its functions. As I said, it’s very easy to use. The keyboard is really small, though: I’ll have to get used to clicking on teeny tiny buttons if I want to download any new books. But honestly, it’s not that difficult. I could use a pencil eraser if I really got concerned about fat fingers.

Once I figured out how to use the thing, I went shopping! That’s one feature on this Kindle that is just the coolest thing ever: you don’t have to be at home on your computer - you can shop for books from anywhere. It’s all built in to the unit.

The price of books is really cool, too: the new releases are typically just $9.99, and some of the older releases (equivalent to paperbacks as opposed to hard bounds) can be as low as $1.00. I think I even saw some that were free – can’t beat that price.

So far I have the following books, for which I only paid $34.95 (which averages out to be $5.83 per book):

The Lost City of Z by David Grann
Brooklyn by Colm Toibin
Claws by Stacey Cochran
The Walk by Lee Goldberg
Origin by J.A. Konrath
The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

My credit card gives me points for each dollar I spend (as I’m sure most everybody else’s credit card does). The reason I mention this is because one of the rewards available to me is a gift card to Amazon.com. I got all excited about that, and ordered one so that I could use it to buy books for my new book reader.

Unfortunately, now that I actually have the Kindle in hand, I find that my idea just isn’t going to work. There’s no way to use a gift card when downloading books directly into the thing – it just automatically gets charged to my credit card without giving any other options. I suppose I might be able to shop on-line at home and download the books later - I honestly just now thought of that and haven’t had a chance to see if that’s an option or not.

But what I’m thinking I’ll do is purchase the leather holder that’s made specifically for the reader. It’s a nice black leather thing with special clips to attach to the reader, while still allowing you access to all of its functions. It protects the screen from any scratches or dings, and even provides a mental “feel” to the reader, as if you’re holding a book rather than a screen.

There’s also an Extended Warrantee available that I probably need to get. After having gone thru that whole mess with my last one, I can definitely see the benefits to having a warrantee, and will even make sure it’s valid prior to needing to use it.

As for transporting the Kindle to the opposite side of the world, I have a pouch that fits it perfectly (even with the new leather covor). My friend Shelly made it for me a while back. She actually thought I would give it away as a gift to the Africans, but I’ve decided I’ll keep it instead. It’s made of a red tapestry material, with a red trim that turns into the strap that fits just perfectly over my shoulder. It even has a zippered pocket to hole the chords for recharging it!

Thank you, Shelly!

Broken Toe

It’s not really broken - but it sure hurt like the dickens!

I stubbed it the other day, taking a corner in my house too fast. I miscalculated my trajectory and slammed my foot into the leg of my couch. It hurt so bad I almost passed out!

Thing was with me and she got really upset about it (cats are empaths, you know, so I think she got hit by the sonic boom of pain that emanated out from the event) – almost more than I was.

I had been rushing to get my things together so that I could pick up my niece from her dorm room and meet up with Mother to have pancakes that day – so I just put my shoes on and limped out the door without really checking on it.

Afterwards, when I finally got back home again, I pulled my socks off and took a look. It was pretty nasty looking. My toe (the one right next to the pinky toe) had swelled up to almost twice its normal size, and was a sickly shade of bluish-grey with lots of dried blood all over the place. I could manually move it around with minimal pain, so figured it wasn’t really broken – just severely bruised.

Today, 6 days later, I can still see the bruising but the swelling is entirely gone and the pain is only a problem when I stub it again. I’m really trying NOT to stub it again, but as you know – once you’ve hurt yourself somewhere, you are hyper-aware of it and can’t seem to stop bumping it every time you turn around.

Mother offered to amputate it for me but I really think it will come in handy out in the plains of Africa – so I think I’ll keep it for now.

Electronic Book Reader

My brother gave me an Ectaco jetBook for Christmas last year. For those of you not familiar with the item, it is an electronic book reader – plus a whole lot more. It is a spiffy looking one, too: sleek and slender, burgundy in color, with a good-sized screen to read the books on. It not only hold electronic books, but also music and photos.

The problem, however, is that it doesn’t work.

It took me a while to figure that out, too. I am not the most technologically advanced person in the world (which is odd considering the fact that my job requires me to work on computers all day long), and I tend to have a disastrous effect on anything electrical (my own electrical field shorts them out when I get worked up about things).

So when I finally realized that it really wasn’t working properly, I called the company that made it. The help desk there at Ectaco was really quite helpful, yet they really couldn’t do a thing unless I could produce a receipt proving that it was still under the one-year warranty. Unfortunately I’d waited so long to deal with the problem that my brother no longer even remembered where he bought the thing.

So, all I can do is send it back to the company and have them recycle it.

However, I have the World’s Best Big Brother – because rather than get upset at me for not having taken care of the problem back when I first got the book reader like I should have, he bought me another one!

This one is a Kindle, which is more universally recognized and should therefore be easier to deal with. I don’t physically have it yet, but it has arrived and is waiting for me to pick up at his house.

The whole reason I need one in the first place is for traveling. I read a lot, and while spending 17 hours on a plane with nothing else to do I could theoretically read 2-3 entire books. That’s just one flight, too. When you go to some of the places I’ve been to (most notably Mongolia, which took about 42 hours to get to) you have to bring a lot of books just to get there, to say nothing of having to get back. And my next trip – to Africa – I have a limit of 22 pounds worth of gear that I’m allowed to bring, so 6-8 books are not practical.

Hence the electronic book reader.

My Kindle is slim, at just over 1/3 of an inch thick. It’s lightweight, at 10.2 ounces – so it won’t take away anything from my weight restrictions. And it can hold over 1,500 books!

Camryn Amry Schock

I got to meet a brand new baby girl last week, and she is just the cutest little thing.

Camryn was born on Thursday, October 17 – weighing in at 7.6 pounds and measuring 20.5 inches long. She has a cute little button nose and the tiniest little fingers and toes.

I waited to go visit her till about a week had passed, to give her and her parents a chance to get to know each other without intrusions. This is their first child, and is quite a huge deal – as those of you with children know well.

Even though I don’t have any myself, I do love babies – and am looking forward to watching little Camryn grow up.

It’s Just Not Fair

I got a call this morning from a company located out-of-state. They are recruiting for a job by large Engineering firm and had my resume on hand.

They went thru all the requirements, which I meet. They went thru the job description, all of which I can do quite well. They went thru the benefits, all of which sounded good to me.

Finally, after talking up the job to where I was quite excited – they finally get around to the location: Ft. Greely.

Damn. That’s about a 6-8 hours drive from here! Completely not doable.

In his defense, he didn’t know that. That’s one disadvantage of being recruited by a company from out-of-state. In fact, when I said how far away that was, he said he’d go talk to somebody and confirm that the job was in fact located out there and call me back.

He did, and it is.

So now, he’s going to keep my resume at the top of the pile because “Jobs come up all the time, and you just never know.”

I’m wondering how he got my resume in the first place. I don’t recognize the name of the company he works for, and I keep fairly good track of who I send things to. Not that I’m upset in the least, especially if I can land a job like the one he called me on.

In other job news, I attended a job fair the other day at the Sullivan Arena. I hate crowds and I hate the Sullivan Arena, but I hate not having a job even more – so I went. I went early, right as the doors opened, so as to avoid most of the crowds. That worked quite well, except that some of the booths hadn’t arrived yet, so I did miss out on one or two opportunities.

I have to say, however, that the whole event was rather unexceptional. There was nothing there that I didn’t already know about, and had already applied to the ones that fit me. But, I did have a chance to talk to a recruiter who had “lost” my resume, so they will now have no excuse since I gave them another one.

And – I apparently won a drawing! I’m to go pick up my $50.00 gift certificate to Fred Meyers today from the Anchorage Daily News.

Acidophilus Pills

On the advice of several trusted friends, I went to Natural Pantry the other day and picked up some Acidophilus pills for my trip to Africa. I’m told that this will help calm my stomach down despite all the foreign foods I will be eating, and might even keep me from getting the dreaded Traveler’s Diarrhea.

There were several brands to choose from, most of which required refrigeration. Since I will be out in the middle of nowhere for 16 days, to say nothing of the three days on either side of that just getting to and from my destination, and will not have access to electricity of any kind – I had to go with the brands that can be kept at room temperature, which narrowed down my options considerably. I still had four to choose from, however, so asked the clerk helping me which one she would recommend.

I ended up purchased Jarro-Dophilus EPS, whith each individually blister sealed capsule containing 5 billion organisms “for intestinal and immune health.”

Right on the front of the box, it states that these are vegetarian capsules – and yet, if you read the back of the box it states (in very small lettering) that it contains “less than 0.01% milk”

How can it be considered vegetarian if it has milk in it? Isn’t milk an animal product? Or am I thinking Vegan rather than Vegetarian? Is it the amount that makes it vegetarian? I mean, 0.01% is a very small amount… it’s just all so confusing.

Another question I have is: Does “room temperature” include temperatures that I will be encountering in Africa? I can assure you they will be nothing like the “room temperatures” I am used to up here in Alaska!

Room to Rent

I posted an add on Craig’s List last night, offering up my spare room to rent. I worked on the add for a couple days, drawing on a friend’s experience from when she had to look for a place as well as on my own wants & needs. What we came up with was short and sweet, but enticing and gave all the pertinent information.

I already got two responses!

Oddly enough, both of them are nurses: one is from Finland and the other, while she doesn’t exactly say so, I am assuming is also not American. That is more than fine with me: I like being exposed to other ethnic personalities as it helps expand my own individuality.

Hopefully I will have the room rented out by the time I leave for Africa. Also hopefully I will be comfortable with my new roommate so will not have to worry about her while I’m gone.

I have responded to each girl’s contact with a follow up email. I’m hoping to be able to meet with each one so that I can make a decision. Both sound quite nice so far.

I’ll keep you posted!

Ticket Price Check

I just checked on the price of a ticket from Anchorage, Alaska to Nairobi, Kenya: it is currently sitting at about $2,228.00 (including taxes). I bought my ticket back in January and only paid $1,763.00

That’s a savings of $465.00 – quite a good deal, I’m thinking!

My flights will take me from Anchorage to Seattle on Alaska Airlines, and then from Seattle to London on British Airways. In London I get a 20-hour layover: part of that is over night, but I will at least get to spend the evening in town. My friend Anne has given me some advice on a walking tour to see as much as I can while I’m there. I will take off again the next morning from London to Nairobi on British Airways.

My return trip is basically just the reverse, except the layover in London is just 9 hours. That’s not really enough time to get out and see much, so I plan to just stay at the airport. I’m told it’s like a huge shopping mall anyway, so I will be able to keep myself amused, I’m sure.

Maybe I can get some good Tea while I’m there!

Summer Hiking

Had a great summer’s hiking season this year. Most of the hikes listed below were with family – but some of them were with other friends, too. All of this was to get me in shape for my Africa trip, and I think I did fairly well.

May 04 = Ptarmigan Valley
May 16 = Potter’s Marsh
May 24 = Ship Creek Trail
June 02 = Eklutna Flats
June 7 = Coastal Trail - Point Woronzof
June 11 = Seward
June 13 Bird Point/Potter’s Ridge Trail
June 21 = Power Line Pass
June 27 = Winner Creek
June 28 = Matanuska River Trail by Noel's House
July 5 = Albert Loop Trail (ERNC)
July 19 = South Fork Eagle River
July 26 = Hatcher's Pass
August 2 = Alaska Botanical Gardens
August 16 = Winner Creek
August 20 = Trail of Blue Ice
August 23 = Walk of Trees (UAA)
August 30 = Crevasse-Moraine Trail
Sept 13 = Trail of Blue Ice
Sept 21 = Dew Mound Trail

If anybody wants to see pictures, just ask and I can send you some.

Busy, Busy, Busy

It’s actually been quite a busy week for me.

Monday I had a Discovery Tour. It wasn’t the best one I ever had, but it was a good one, still. The fall colors and the new baby yak – it was a good way to end the season.

Tuesday I had a Green Building Council meeting and then met my friend Lorna at Century 16 for a movie. We saw “Whiteout” which got me so excited about Antarctica I went and applied for a job down there! Not that it will actually happen – but you never know!

Wednesday I attended a lecture at the Museum. It was sponsored by the Green Building Council, so I worked the table at the entrance, and then had to meet up with a few people afterwards to schmooze with the speaker at a bar for a couple hours.

Thursday I had lunch with my niece Lauren at UAA, then came home and got ready for an Earthwatch presentation, which I gave at the Grassroots Store, next to REI. It was not a bad turnout, and people were quite interested…

Friday I met my friend Lynn at the AIA Conference at the Hotel Captain Cook: she’s a vendor for the DIRTT Wall Systems and she let me sit at her booth pretending to help her. It was a chance for me to get inside and talk to all the architects in town. I got to see a bunch of people I haven’t seen in a while, so it was good.

Saturday I worked at the zoo for 6 hours. They had organized a Teacher’s Workshop that gave all the teachers in the area an idea of what the zoo can do for them. We also gave them a tour of the grounds, which was (as it always is) fun.

Sunday I picked my niece up at her dorm and took her to lunch with me at the Perfect Cup. She had a little bit of shopping to do at the GCI store and at Wal-Mart, and then I dropped her off at her dorm and headed back out to the zoo by 2:00. I sat in the Discovery Center for 2 hours, writing letters and reading my book. I did have about 8 people come in to look around, so I talked to them as well.

Today I’m not going to do a thing except maybe make some cards, read my book, play on the computer, snuggle with my girls, and write up an add for Craig’s List looking for a roommate.

Tomorrow I have a job interview out at the Eagle River Nature Center - Wish me Luck! Since I’ll be there at noon, I’m thinking I’ll go ahead and hike the trails afterwards. I’ve been wanting to check out their Dew Mound Trail, so might do that.

And then finally on Wednesday there is a Job Fair at the Sullivan Arena from 10:00 till 5:00. Much as I hate the Sullivan Arena, I think I do need to go and spread my resume around a bit.

10 Books to Read - In No Particular Order

Necroscope By: Brian Lumley

This is NOT your typical romantic vampire story. It scared the crap out of me when I read it 15 years ago, and all the books that follow it are just as scary. Highly recommended!

Harry is startled to discover that he is not the only person with unusual mental powers--Britain and the Soviet Union both maintain super-secret, psychically-powered espionage organizations. But Harry is the only person who knows about Thibor Ferenczy, a vampire long buried in the mountains of Romania--still horribly alive, in undeath--and Thibor's insane "offspring," Boris Dragosani, who rips information from the souls of the dead in a terrible, ever-lasting form of torture. Somehow, Harry must convince Britain's E-Branch that only by working together can they locate and destroy Dragosani and his army of demonic warriors--before the half-vampire succeeds in taking over the world!

Decipher By: Stel Pavlou

This is a very exciting book – I had great fun with it, and wrote about it in my blog even. What was even more amazing was that the author himself put a comment in my blog thanking me for my good review!

For 12,000 Years, The Message Has Been Buried. In a frozen Antarctica wasteland, in the depths of the Amazon River, in a chamber beneath the ruins of the Sphinx, something has surfaced: a cluster of crystalline artifacts composed of an energy source unknown to modern science, and inscribed with ancient hieroglyphs. Between them a strange signal courses through the oceans. Where it emanates from is a source that has stunned mankind. The lost city of Atlantis has been found.

Subterranean By: James Rollins

This is another exciting book. In fact, it’s the one that got me hooked on this type of book. I think I read it in three days, and was so tense by the end I was sore for a week afterwards. Very intense.

Beneath the ice at the bottom of the Earth is a magnificent subterranean labyrinth, a place of breathtaking wonders—and terrors beyond imagining. A team of specialists led by archaeologist Ashley Carter has been hand-picked to explore this secret place and to uncover the riches it holds. But they are not the first to venture here—and those they follow did not return. There are mysteries here older than time, and revelations that could change the world. But there are also things that should not be disturbed—and a devastating truth that could doom Ashley and the expedition: they are not alone.

The Skystone By: Jack Whyte
I am a King Arthur fan and have read pretty much everything I can get my hands on about him. This series offers a very unique take on the story: it’s very believable, and just might be how it really was.

Before the time of Arthur and his Camelot, Britain was a dark and deadly place, savaged by warring factions of Picts, Celts, and invading Saxons. The Roman citizens who had lived there for generations were suddenly faced with a deadly choice: Should they leave and take up residence in a corrupt Roman world that was utterly foreign, or should they stay and face the madness that would ensue when Britain's last bastion of safety for the civilized, the Roman legions, left? For two Romans, Publius Varrus and his friend Caius Britannicus, there can be only one answer. They will stay, to preserve what is best of Roman life, and will create a new culture out of the wreckage. In doing so, they will unknowingly plant the seeds of legend-for these two men are Arthur's great-grandfathers, and their actions will shape a nation . . . and forge a sword known as Excalibur.

Firefly By: Piers Anthony

If you’re familiar with this author at all, you’ll know him for his whimsical humorous stories. This is his first (and only?) attempt at horror, and I must say – the man has a sick, twisted mind.

Anthony conjures up a nightmarish creature who stalks humans through sexual attraction and leaves them grotesquely sucked dry of their protoplasm. When bodies reduced to skin and skeleton are found on a remote wildlife sanctuary, the reclusive owner of the estate refuses to call in outside help to track down the killer. His employees are left to fend for themselves against the menace of a predator who lures them in the way a firefly traps its prey--by emitting pheromones, powerfully sexual chemicals--and uses digestive acids to dissolve the bodies of its victims.

Gravity By: Tess Gerritsen

I thought for sure they were going to make a movie of this one. It’d be a good movie, too – although as always, I’m sure the book is better. She has since written a lot of other books, but I have to say this is her best.

Much of this scary thriller is set aboard the International Space Station, where a team of six astronauts suddenly find themselves threatened by a virulent biohazard. Victims first register a headache, followed by stomach pains; then their eyes turn blood red. Finally, they convulse so violently they literally bash themselves apart. Most frightening is what spills out of their bodies: green, egg-filled globules. As astronaut Emma Watson, the station's onboard doctor, struggles to fight the outbreak, her colleagues are dying one by one. A Japanese astronaut, the first to get sick, is sent down to earth via the space shuttle, but he's dead on arrival. Panic spreads when military physicians discover a deadly mutant--a creature that's part human, part frog and part mouse--in the eggs that spill from his body. The military, fearing bioterrorism or even an extraterrestrial invasion, quickly traces the contaminant to an experiment on the space station that was funded by a company researching tiny organisms in the ocean off South America, where an asteroid hit thousands of years ago. Meanwhile, back on the station, Watson is the only one left alive. The military says she's already infected and must be left to die in space, but Watson's husband, fellow astronaut/physician Jack McCallum, won't tolerate that decision, and scrambles to find a way to get her home.

The Descent By: Jeff Long

This is another book that scared the crap out of me. It’s a MUST read, for sure. The author has several other books out, and they’re all quite good.

Hell Exists. In Tibet, while guiding trekkers to a holy mountain, Ike Crockett discovers a bottomless cave. When his lover disappears, Ike pursues her into the depths of the earth.... In a leper colony bordering the Kalahari Desert, a nun and linguist named Ali von Schade unearths evidence of a proto-human species and a deity call Older-than-Old.... In Bosnia, Major Elias Branch crash-lands his gunship near a mass grave and is swarmed by pale cannibals terrified of light..... "So begins mankind's realization that the underworld is a vast geological labyrinth riddling the continents and seabeds, one inhabited by brutish creatures who resemble the devils and gargoyles of legend. With all of Hell's precious resources and territories to be won, a global race ensues. Nations, armies, religions, and industries rush to colonize and exploit the subterranean frontier.. "A scientific expedition is launched westward to explore beneath the Pacific Ocean floor, both to catalog the riches there and to learn how life could develop in the sunless abyss. Is there a natural explanation, as the scientists hope? Or is there a true supernatural basis? Are the "demons" part of our evolutionary family tree? Is their enigmatic leader merely a freak genius, or could he be the legendary Satan?

Moonseed By: Stephan Baxter

I love the concept of this one! It is so possible, and so ingenious. Talk about a disaster movie… I have actually bought this book multiple times to give to several people.

When a mysterious "moonseed" dust is accidentally spilled in a Great Britain lab, it begins to eat away at the Earth's crust; soon the rock-solid crust is altered to shifting sand. NASA geologist Henry Meacher is the only one who fully understands the situation's serious implications. Moonseed is a taut, well-researched, and finely tuned speculative spine-tingler that solidifies Baxter's position as one of the genre's most imaginative scribes.

Evolution By: Greg Bear

This one starts out before history began and ends millions of years in the future. In between is some very interesting content… really makes you think. It’s a little hard to “get” at first, but if you persevere, it will get better so that by the time you’re finished, it will be one of your favorites, too.

Stretching from the distant past into the remote future, from primordial Earth to the stars, Evolution is a soaring symphony of struggle, extinction, and survival; a dazzling epic that combines a dozen scientific disciplines and a cast of unforgettable characters to convey the grand drama of evolution in all its awesome majesty and rigorous beauty. Sixty-five million years ago, when dinosaurs ruled the Earth, there lived a small mammal, a proto-primate of the species Purgatorius. From this humble beginning, Baxter traces the human lineage forward through time. The adventure that unfolds is a gripping odyssey governed by chance and competition, a perilous journey to an uncertain destination along a route beset by sudden and catastrophic upheavals. It is a route that ends, for most species, in stagnation or extinction. Why should humanity escape this fate?

Dust By: Charles Pellegrino

This one is a great story of what could happen if we continue to abuse our planet. I tell everybody I know to read it, and have given it out to several people to make sure they do.

The change begins silently, imperceptibly, inexorably. One natural effect topples into the next, like an array of dominoes that stretches to every corner of the globe. Before anyone realizes it, the earths ecology has utterly transformed itself. And the days of the old world are finished. In an idyllic Long Island community, paleobiologist Richard Sinclair is one of the first to suspect that the environment has begun to wage bloody, terrifying war on humanity. What initially appear to be random, unrelated events are, in actuality, violent eruptions in a worldwide biological chain reaction. Along with a brave group of survivors, Sinclair must learn to understand the catastrophe while it rolls around them, slowly crumbling a panicked world and energizing a reactionary fringe that welcomes the apocalypse. The survival of humankind depends on finding an answer immediately—for all else is dust.

The Ruins By: Scott Smith

This book is fantastic. You’ll never go on vacation again! Or at least, not to Mexico. They mangled it in the movie – so even if you’ve seen it, you simply must read it. As far as I know, he’s only written one other book; it was good, but not nearly as good as this one.

Best friends and recent college graduates Amy and Stacy and their boyfriends, Jeff and Eric, are thoroughly enjoying their summer vacation in Mexico. In a few weeks the quartet will begin new chapters of their lives -- but until then, the group is partying with fellow travelers from all corners of the globe. One tourist, a German named Mathias, tells the four about his brother, who disappeared with a seductive female archaeologist working at a dig near Cobá, one of the oldest Mayan settlements on the Yucatán Peninsula. The four Americans agree to accompany Mathias in his search but the journey quickly turns into a waking nightmare…