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 …
I’m generally a big Michael Connelly fan, with the newer series featuring Renee Ballard (sometimes partnered with Harry Bosch) probably being my favorite, but I’m also a Lincoln Lawyer/Mickey Haller fan (which I originally read with an image of Matthew McConaghey etched in my brain…now replaced by an image of Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, thanks to Netflix). …
When I get a new book from one of my favorite authors, I tend to just dive in and start reading without spending much time thinking about the series it may be part of, or whether I liked the last released title, etc. And John Sandford is definitely one of my favorite authors, BUT. I …
Recently, after Sam Bankman-Fried’s conviction on seven charges of fraud related to his role in crypto craziness, there has been a ton of publicity around Michael Lewis’s book about SBF. I’ve been generally astonished, fascinated, and horrified by the gullibility of investors, and was curious enough to be happy to receive a copy of Number …
This is the story of my six-year breakup with Nelson DeMille, an author I used to LOVE. It all started in 2017, when I read and reviewed The Cuban Affair, and wrote “Seventeen years ago, someone whose opinions on books NEVER matched mine recommended Lion’s Game by Nelson DeMille, and I LOVED it. Since then, I’ve grabbed …
Mandy Matney became well known because of her podcast Murdaugh Murders, and I have listened to her for many hours, as I became fascinated of the story of the wretched Murdaugh family of South Carolina. Briefly, the Murdaugh family ruled the legal wrangling in the Lowcountry area for generations, with one patriarch after another being …
I am a huge fan of Jeannette Walls, with The Glass Castle being one of my top five all-time favorite books. So when Jeannette says “Hell If We Don’t Change Our Ways is a story of survival that left me choked up and cheering.” My reaction? “SIGN ME UP!” Brittany spent her very traumatic childhood …
Mike Lupica is an author (and former newspaper columnist), enjoyed by sports fans for many years in the New York Daily News. He is also known for his many appearances on the all-sports-all-the-time ESPN network. His latest endeavor is 12 Months To Live, a crime novel collaboration with author James Patterson. Thanks to Little, Brown. & Company …
I am fairly frequent listener to podcasts, and my two favorite categories are politics and true crime (some might say there is overlap there…) In the politics category, my absolute favorite is Pod Save America, and I am a HUGE fan of Jon Favreau, Tommy Vietor, Jon Lovett, and Dan Pfeiffer, so when Dan’s latest …
Publication Date September 12, 2023 I had not previously read anything by Kia Abdullah, but “legal thriller” is possibly my favorite genre, so I was happy to receive a copy of Perfectly Nice Neighbors from Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley in exchange for this honest review. The publisher’s blurb didn’t tell me much, other than …
Publication Date September 5, 2023 Back in 2019, when reviewing William Kent Krueger’s This Tender Land, I called it “…a terrific adventure story on its own,” plus a story of “…orphans’ search for family and home and the history of Native American exploitation.” Quite a lot going on in my first experience reading Krueger. Then, …
Publication Date April 4, 2024 Earlier this year, I read and reviewed Don Winslow’s City of Dreams. At that time, I said my perception of the books written by Don Winslow had been that they were the kind of books my husband loves: full of action, violence, drugs, sex, and maybe even some rock ‘n …
Publication Date September 5, 2023 One of my vivid memories from childhood is watching the NBA playoffs at my aunt’s house. My brother and I were the only 2 really interested in the games, but I loved it despite the fact that “our” team, the Lakers, seemed to be perennial runners-up to the Celtics. During …