Books

BAT CAVE: A FABLE OF EPIDEMIC PROPORTIONS—book #2 of The Critter Chronicles series—starts where FISH TANK: A FABLE FOR OUR TIMES left off. The allegory considers threats we are all too aware of today, including epidemic disease and immigration. BAT CAVE tackles these issues and more, this time through the lens of a bald eagle, her friend a seagull, and multiple colonies of bats living in a cave, some bats local, some migrating through. BAT CAVE is a fun, science-savvy, thought-provoking story appropriate for all ages. Like all books in The Critter Chronicle series, BAT CAVE is a small book based on a large premise—that story has the power to change the world.

American politics is a crazy place right now. TRUMPELSTILTSKIN puts that craziness into perspective in a simple fairy tale. My only request as you read TRUMPELSTILTSKIN dear reader, is that you have a willingness to think critically, to engage in meaningful discussion, and to question your own beliefs and try to understand those of others. If you are willing to take on these tasks, then it is just possible that TRUMPELSTILTSKIN: A FAIRY TALE may not only be a fun read, but have some value, as well.

FISH TANK:A FABLE FOR OUR TIMES—book #1 of The Critter Chronicles series—is an insightful allegory about the human condition, tackling issues of politics and power, limited resources and climate change. The book provides a thoughtful story about how society makes decisions, in particular those decisions that impact the environment and others around us. FISH TANK is a small book based on a large premise—that story has the power to change the world.

GOOD CAMEL, GOOD LIFE is a tale of hot yoga survival. In this joyful story, a neophyte yoga practitioner finds enlightenment of body, mind, and soul over the course of a 60-day intensive yoga challenge, running concurrently with a major life challenge. This is an ambitious, funny, touching story to be enjoyed by all, particularly anyone facing a challenge of daunting proportions or looking to ahead to figure out "What's next?" GOOD CAMEL, GOOD LIFE will provide the inspiration to begin tackling your own next big challenge!

CROSSING DIVIDES artfully blends Scott Bischke and his wife Katie Gibson's agonizing struggle against Kate's advanced, recurrent, "terminal" cancer with the story of their three month, 800+ mile hike along the Continental Divide Trail across Montana. Numerous themes and parallels weave through the book. Several encounters with grizzly bears, for example, provide an avenue for metaphorical comparisons between the fear of grizzlies and the fear of cancer. Similarly, Kate's ability to persevere through the toils of a long- distance hike provides a constant parallel to her ability to persevere against cancer. Other themes include the importance of a dogged spirit in battling cancer and the importance of wild country in revitalizing the soul.

From the book's cover: Scott Bischke and Katie Gibson have done what many of us dream. They quit their jobs and traded in their possessions for a year of travel and simplicity. During the course of their journey, the biked more than 8,000 kilometers and experienced much of New Zealand's culture and beauty. The couple's freewheeling adventure took them from biking, hiking, and canoeing to fly-fishing for monster trout and picking kiwi fruit as transient laborers. TWO WHEELS is a light-hearted adventure story; but above all it is a celebration of the people, landscape, and lifestyle of New Zealand.