California’s best nature walks! But how can they narrow it down to just 32? I grew up on the Southern California coast, and have been fortunate to live in the far Northern part of the State (Humboldt County), the Bay Area, and now the Central Coast (Santa Cruz). Along the way, I’ve hiked for years …
A young woman named Lucca Marino works for a mysterious boss known only as Mr. Smith. Her job responsibilities are a bit murky at first, but clearly she is a con artist who is given a phony identity and the name of a mark…so now she is Evie Porter. Her mark is Ryan Sumner. As …
I am definitely losing it. I received a copy of Joe Hart’s latest, Never Come Back, from Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I loved it, so I looked for more by him. Turns out Never Come Back is book #2 in the “Nora McTavish series” so I went back …
I haven’t eaten beef, chicken, turkey, veal or any other “meat” for many, many years. (I do eat salmon and halibut so I don’t call myself vegetarian but I work to eat healthy and focus on plants). I have looked at tons of recipes and tried many over the years, and am always happy to …
When I read and reviewed Tana French’s standalone novel The Witch Elm in 2018, I noted that I would have enjoyed seeing more of the Dublin Murder Squad characters (Antoinette Conway, Stephen Moran, and others), but that I had enjoyed getting to know a “whole new cast of characters.” When I reviewed her next book, The …
As someone who has spent a LOT of time and energy dealing with anxiety and depression, I am always looking for helpful tips and techniques to help. The Aging Well Workbook is FILLED with useful information and practical ideas for managing my own “issues,” and would also be a wonderful resource for anyone caring for …
NOTE: the first paragraph is copied from an earlier (2020) review. “I have a history with Val McDermid, and her wonderful protagonist Detective Chief Inspector Karen Pirie of Police Scotland. Back in 2016, I read and reviewed Out of Bounds by Val McDermid, #4 in the series with this feisty female protagonist. At that time, I said, …
Liza Mundy is a NYT author, as well as having written Code Girls, about the women who were successful code breakers in WWII. In her latest book, The Sisterhood, she goes deep into the history of the CIA, and tells amazing stories of the many (mostly unknown) women whose work often kept us safe and …