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The Vampyre Annals-Regina
My name is Regina Grace Waverly DuMonde. To my grandfather, I am Regina Grace. To my father, I am Reggie. To my mother, I am Mountain Rose or sometimes Mountain Flower when she is in her times of madness and believes I am her daughter who died as a child on the Trail of Tears.…
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Deciem Slovember Sale
Everyone is familiar with the Black Friday sales. You’ve been getting notices about them for weeks probably. I’m frugal, so I like bargains as much as the next person. Even so, I don’t go crazy during these events. I went to exactly one in-person Black Friday sale and watched people scoop up carts full of…
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INCI Decoder
When I was in my twenties, the last thing on my mind was skincare. My older sisters-in-law warned me, “You live in Texas and have no idea what this climate does to your skin!” Like many young people, I figured, “I’ll be fine.” How wrong I was. Decades later, I was in for a regular…
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Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir-Book Review by Joseph Snoe
Andy Weir’s PROJECT HAIL MARY is a joy to read. Good. Good. To begin, the title is not a direct religious reference. It has a football origin, meaning going for a long-shot gamble when there’s no other realistic choice. Instead of saying “He’s praying for a miracle,” we say “the quarterback threw a Hail Mary.”…
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The Spymasters: How the CIA Directors Shape History and the Future by Chris Whipple-Book Review by Joseph Snoe
I learned a lot reading Chris Whipple’s THE SPYMASTERS: HOW THE CIA DIRECTORS SHAPE HISTORY AND THE FUTURE, and I’ve already forgotten most of it. The introduction was an eye-opener. If you don’t read the book, visit your local library and read the introduction. A couple things I came away with: the CIA (Central INTELLIGENCE…
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H Is For Karen Henry
How in the world did this happen? For most people, it’s often asked when a bookshelf comes tumbling down after you cram that one final book onto an already sagging shelf or a child comes in completely covered in royal blue paint and looking like a Smurf. It’s a question Karen Henry asks herself often…
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G Is For Ulysses S Grant
Ulysses S. Grant (April 27, 1822-July 23, 1885) was born Hiram Ulysses Grant at Point Pleasant, Ohio to Jesse Root Grant and Hannah Simpson. Hundreds if not thousands of books and stories have been written about Grant the general and the president. Every detail of his actions during the war has been examined. I’m sure…
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F Is For Fort McHenry
Anyone who is familiar with basic American history has probably heard of Fort McHenry. But, before we get to the reason why most Americans know Fort McHenry, we need to know its early beginnings. It started out as a small earthen star fort called Fort Whetstone during the American Revolution. The fortress was situated at…
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E Is For Nathan G. “Shanks” Evans
Nathan G. “Shanks” Evans was born in Marion, South Carolina to Thomas and Jane Beverly Evans on February 3, 1824. He attended Randolph-Macon College before receiving an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1848. There, his classmates nicknamed him “Shanks” because of his spindly legs and knocked knees. He graduated…