Some believe that Sedona, Arizona, is like the Pyramids—or is it Atlantis?—where celestial forces converge, or where ley lines become singularities, whatever that means, or maybe it has to do with the warp of time and space. Hard to say exactly. Very nonlinear. Some say that extraterrestrials visit Sedona to breed with us. It's said to be very special, lasting hours. There are books about it, self-published, usually. Some...

Alex and I met Barb and Ben, the four of us lagging behind the others on a Monterey bird walk. “Anne and Alex, Barb and Ben, Birding Team AA and Birding Team BB," as Alex phrased it. The ranger's expertise was impressive, I suppose, but her bird jokes made the event fun for us not-ornithologists. Why does a stork stand on one leg? If he lifts it, he'll fall over. The four of us walked, me beside Ben, and Alex beside Barb,...

Travels with My Aunt, by Graham Greene, a review by Steven Perkins, English 131, The Modern Novel Travels with My Aunt (1969) by English author Graham Greene is about a dahlia-tending retired bank manager named Henry Pulling whose eccentric Aunt Augusta leads him from his staid ways into a world of adventure, criminality and sexuality. Aunt and nephew board the Orient Express bound for Istanbul -- Greene's second trip on...