Opinion

Welcome to August, which is National Back to School Month. Monterey County Free Libraries is eager to support students of all ages with their academic and learning needs in the libraries and through our online resources. 1. All MCFL branch libraries function as Student Support...

(This essay recounting an automobile excursion from the Midwest to the Florida archipelago in the Gulf of Mexico is offered by an amateur writer from central California. American Travelogue Magazine does not by habit publish articles other than submissions by professional travel writers, but...

Have you read any good books lately? I have given up rating films as someone always has a different opinion. However, books are another thing. I’m always looking for good books. “To Kill a Mocking Bird” or “The Yearling” are a couple of books...

Us old gals try to be cheery; we really do. Friends since aged 15 and we are always trying to see the world with a half-full glass and getting the others to do the same. And so went the recent conversation about the turn...

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Have you ever asked yourself, “What do I want to be when I grow up?” For those of you who know me, you might say I’m still trying to figure that out. I come from humble means and always wanted to make my mom...

I am not sure what mental quirk, not a medical term, takes place in brain wave synapses, a medical term, triggers a memory which in turn elicits a mental response, but I know they happen; happened to me recently. In this instance, I was...

I am an avid reader, but with limited scope. I don’t read any contemporary novels and don’t know most of the names I see on various Top Ten Books lists. I am a fan of mysteries, though, but usually limit myself to Conan Doyle,...

I am leaning toward the position that Keb’ Mo’ has got it right, but five decades after Shirley he may be too late. Let me explain. By 1968, Americans had experienced six years of turmoil starting with the assassination of a president, the murders...

Have you ever been shot? Kind of a crazy question at the beginning, but I have a reason that I’ll tell you about. First, I want to tell you how I got into a situation that ended with a shot. I have told you...