Category Archives: Reading

“Opting In” – Free Short Story Offer

For five days, from Thursday June 19th to Monday June 23rd, my short story “Opting In” will be available for free download on Amazon.com here.  Stop in and pick yourself up a copy.  Here’s what it’s about: An old man, … Continue reading

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Faux Book Review: Reviews and Reflections on Books, Literature, and Writing by John Walters

Why is this a faux, or fake, book review?  Because it’s a review of my own book.  My plan earlier in the week had been to use this week’s blog post to merely announce the publication of this book, and … Continue reading

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On the Publishing of Independent Short Stories

Usually I do not make a special announcement when one of my short stories gets published digitally as an individual entity.  I wait until I collect the stories together in both print and digital form, and then I let you … Continue reading

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Why I Write Book Reviews

Writing book reviews grew out of my desire to create a blog.  I wanted a web presence to accompany the publication of my books.  In the beginning I wasn’t sure exactly what I would write about, though I had a … Continue reading

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Why Reading Gets Me Off

My youngest son has recently caught on to the joy of reading.  It happened abruptly, and when it did it snowballed or avalanched into an all-consuming passion.  The catalyst was a book that sparked his interest – nothing more.  But … Continue reading

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Getting Old: A Journal; Part Two: Good Stuff

I hadn’t intended to write more about getting old, at least not soon, after I had finished the first part of this journal.  Down the road a bit, yes, but not soon.  However, while contemplating it during a walk under … Continue reading

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Short Story Author Highlight: Cordwainer Smith

Cordwainer Smith was the pseudonym of Paul Myron Anthony Linebarger, a military officer who specialized in East Asia and psychological warfare.  He wrote non-fiction and spy thrillers, but he is best known for the science fiction he produced in the … Continue reading

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More Favorite Short Stories

Yes, I do love those short stories.  In my last post on my favorite short stories I wrote about five of the all-time greats.   They were: 1.  “I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream” by Harlan Ellison. 2.  “Sundance” … Continue reading

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Book Review: The Books in my Life by Henry Miller

Henry Miller at his best is a virtuoso writer.  He can write about anything and it is entertaining.  He is with words like Jerry Garcia was with guitar:  you didn’t really give a damn whether he was actually playing a … Continue reading

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Treasure Hunt: Searching For Books in Thessaloniki

I’m a bookaholic.  I gotta have my books.  I can’t stand being without books.  And when I say books I mean the paper kind with binding and covers and so on.  I did, to be honest, at my wife’s prompting, … Continue reading

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