Author Archives: Charlie

Top 50 Books to Read Next List

This is my reading list. What I’ve read, what I’m reading, what I’m going to read next. As an English major, I feel that it my sworn duty to at least attempt to be well read. My goal is to read interesting, entertaining, meaningful books by gifted authors and expand my mind. Continue reading

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Sonoran Desert Snyder Family Letter | 2023

So, we find ourselves at Del Charro, the final stop on the Santa Fe Margarita Trail. I ordered the Santa Fe Trail Margarita, which, in addition to the Hatch Chile-infused tequila, also includes a handful of actual Santa Fe Trail gravel and a few sticks. According to a local reviewer, the margarita “will knock the socks off a timid out-of-towner.” Thankfully, I’m not timid, nor was I wearing socks. Continue reading

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42nd Avenue

Our family home was on 41st and Vera Cruz, one block off the main drag, 42nd, which runs straight through town. Everything was right off 42nd. Our church, the junior high, Joyce’s old apartment, Margaret’s old apartment. Spanjers Park, where Jon and I played softball and my very first library, the Robbinsdale Library, a little home for books built in 1925 by the Robbinsdale Library Club. Continue reading

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Remembering Paul Gaulke

ShareTweet Paul Gaulke, my best friend from college, passed away this past Monday after a 10-year battle with cancer. He was our best man when Rose and I married. Thankfully, I was able to speak to him on Sunday and … Continue reading

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Sonoran Desert Snyder Family Letter | 2022

That first used puzzle we bought, well, it wasn’t a great experience. I opened the box thinking it would just be like opening any puzzle box, but I wasn’t prepared. In and amongst the pieces, I found … hair. Human hair? Cat hair? Did a dog own this puzzle? Honestly, I’m not sure how or why I proceeded, but I did. I wanted to do the puzzle; it was a circle. Continue reading

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My Favorite Books of 2021

ShareTweet My Favorite Books of 2021 Fiction 10. Beloved, by Toni Morrison A Pulitzer Prize winning novel that tells the story of a family of former slaves in the aftermath of their enslavement. Writers and critics ranked the novel as … Continue reading

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Sonoran Desert Snyder Family Letter | 21

When we arrived in Manhattan Beach, we hurried to the pier and the ocean. Might have been the best moment of the year. We were so excited to be there. We rented bikes and cycled up the Strand. Beautiful views. Rose got bogged down in sand and crashed. She tipped over, slow motion style. Fortunately she fell in six inches of sand. No injuries were sustained. Continue reading

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