Author Archives: John Walters

Book Review:  Turn Right at Machu Picchu: Rediscovering the Lost City One Step at a Time by Mark Adams

This book is not simply a travelogue set in Peru. It is an attempt to follow in the footsteps of the legendary explorer Hiram Bingham III, who supposedly discovered Machu Picchu in 1911. In his literary quest, Adams alternates between … Continue reading

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Book Review:  Finding My Way: A Memoir by Malala Yousafzai

In parts of Finding My Way, Malala sounds like a typical young woman attempting to fit in, have fun, and enjoy new experiences during her college days at Oxford University. However, there is nothing typical about Malala at all. She … Continue reading

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Book Review:  Take Me to Your Leader: Perspectives on Your First Alien Encounter by Neil deGrasse Tyson

As a writer who frequently delves into the genres of science fiction and fantasy, I have, in the past, conjured up various types of aliens as story characters. Depending upon the specific parameters and requirements of the tales, I have … Continue reading

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Book Review:  Teaching a Stone to Talk: Expeditions and Encounters by Annie Dillard

I first encountered Annie Dillard while raising a family in Greece. I started with Pilgrim at Tinker Creek and then moved on to Holy the Firm, The Writing Life, and Teaching a Stone to Talk. I liked her blend of … Continue reading

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A Summertime Gift for My Blog Followers

As a summer gift to readers, I have enrolled digital editions of some of my books and stories in the Smashwords Summer/Winter Sale, which runs through the month of July. (It is called the Summer/Winter Sale because it is summer … Continue reading

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MoPOP: The Museum of Pop Culture

I decided to take a bus to the Seattle Center, the former site of the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair, to visit the Museum of Pop Culture, commonly known as MoPOP. When Paul Allen, the Microsoft billionaire, founded it in 2000, … Continue reading

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On Rereading The Unknown Henry Miller: A Seeker in Big Sur by Arthur Hoyle

Before I begin this review, I have a confession to make: When I picked this book off the shelf on one of my rare forays to the Seattle Central Library downtown, it slipped my mind that I had already read … Continue reading

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Book Review:  A Resistance History of the United States by Tad Stoermer

This is a very emotional book. As the author explains resistance movements and principles from early American history, he does not claim impartiality. It is clear that he is all for resistance against unjust governmental policy. In fact, at the … Continue reading

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Book Review:  Digital Inc: From Print to E-Book – Inside the Transformation of the Book Industry by Richard Curtis

In this fascinating volume, Curtis tells of the radical transformations within the publishing industry over the past several decades: the transition from mass market paperbacks to trade paperbacks; the absorption of hundreds of independent publishers into a few publishing conglomerates; … Continue reading

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The Library of Seattle

Although the ancient Library of Alexandria is the most famous library in history and the United States Library of Congress in Washington D.C. is the largest library in the modern world, for me personally the Seattle Public Library system is … Continue reading

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