Exploring the National Museum of the Marine Corps
Going to this museum was one of my favorite parts in my recent trip to Virginia. The National Museum of the Marine Corps doesn’t ease you into its facility, instead it makes a big statement. It’s a sharp, rising structure that gives the impression that it is in motion, almost as if it is launching into the…
A Visit to Mount Vernon: History Through the Lens
A couple of weeks ago, I took a quick trip to Virginia to see my mom, and to Mount Vernon. The home of our first President. George Washington. The mansion is located along the Potomac river and served as Washington’s plantation, and home for much of his life. Today it still stands as one of…
Choosing Who You Become:
“On Destiny,” By Aileen Erin 455 pages If “On Mission” was pressure, “On Destiny” is the payoff. This book is the culmination, and not just plot threads, but of identity. What works here is that “destiny” doesn’t feel like a magical label that gets stamped onto Ami. It feels like the results of everything she…
When Strength Becomes Duty
By Aileen Erin 450 pages In book 3 of Aileen Erin’s Aunare’s book series “On Mission,” we catch up with Ami. She is learning the rules of a world she never asked to enter. In “On Mission, we learn that this phase is over. We enter her new phase; survival must shift to responsibility. What…
From Earth to Sel’Ani: A Sci-Fi Tale of Conflict
Aileen Erin’s sequel to “Off Planet” and book 2 of the 4-book series continues on. 498 pages In the second book of this series, we pick up on directly after the events of the previous book “Off Planet,” and we find Amihanna di Aetes (formerly Maite Martinez) has made it safely on the planet Sel’Ani,…
Run, Hide, Fight: Off Planet by Aileen Erin
405 Pages In Ms. Erin’s book, we meet Maite Martinez, a young woman who is hiding on a polluted, corporate- run earth, who is secretly half human and half Aunare, an alien species that Earth’s major corporation Space Tech views as a major threat to the planet. When a touchy-feely customer attacks her during a…
Truth vs. Credibility: A Forensic Scientist’s Struggle
Our story revolves around Dr. Claudia O’Sheil, a forensic scientist preparing to give a public lecture on a murder case she helped solve years ago. The murder case, known to the public as the “Chester Terrace murder,” resulted in the conviction of a young man largely based on Claudia’s forensic testimony. As Claudia prepares…
Exploring Poverty in the Great Depression: The Lester Family’s Struggles
Our story takes place during the Great Depression. The genre of the author’s story is a mix of Southern Gothic and social realism. The focus is the effects of extreme poverty, moral decay, survival, and exploitation. Its tone is grotesque, disturbing, and bleak. The story revolves around the Lester family. They are white tenant farmers…
Frank Lightning: Anti-Hero of a Lawless World
In Mr. Roundtree’s story, we learn how violence, reputation, and legends can take shape in a lawless world. The author’s story is set in post-Civil War Texas. Its anti-hero is Frank Lightning, a mysterious figure who moves throughout the landscape, leaving destruction and horror in his path. The story begins with a series of encounters…
The Barrister Building: A small piece of cinema history
The Barrister Building in Phoenix, originally opened in 1915 as the Jefferson Hotel, was the tallest building in Arizona at the time and a celebrated local landmark. Its rooftop garden and modern architecture were widely admired. The building gained nationwide recognition for its cameo in the opening sequence of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 film “Psycho”. After…
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