Rebecca M. Douglass, Author

Another in my long list of books about being in or traveling in the wilderness, Boyd Varty's memoir is a little different.   Title: Cathedral of the Wild: An African Journey Home Author: Boyd Varty. Audiobook narrated by the author. Publication info: Random House Audio, 2014. 9 hours. Hardback Random House 2014, 304 pages. Source: Library Publisher's Blurb: When Nelson Mandela was released after twenty-seven years of imprisonment, he needed a place to recover and adjust to his new life. He went to Londolozi Game Reserve. Founded over eighty years ago by Boyd Varty's great-grandfather, Londolozi started as a hunting safari. But in 1973, Boyd's visionary father, Dave, transformed it into a nature reserve, creating a blueprint for modern-day conservation. This transformation is the backdrop of Boyd's family history and his own personal odyssey. Alongside his feisty, daring sister, Bronwyn, Boyd grows up learning to track lions, raise leopard cubs, and pilot L

I will admit to being a little mystified here. It appears that this book was originally published (in 1980) as a much longer adult novel. I had been expecting middle-grade, but at the youngest I would call this YA, given a fair number of rather adult incidents, not to mention a morally ambiguous resolution. The version I got was "updated in time for the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic," a central event in the book.     Title: Amanda/Miranda Author: Richard Peck Publication Info: Abridged edition 1999 by Dial Books for Young Readers; Kindle edition by Speak, 2001. 176 pages. Publisher's Blurb: This updated edition of the popular Richard Peck novel, available in time to commemorate the anniversary of the Titanic's fateful voyage in 1912, starts with a chilling prophecy. When Miranda begins her position as maid-servant to the glamorous and selfish Amanda Whitwell, Amanda wastes no time in using Miranda to suit her own cruel purposes. Miranda becomes

A couple of weeks ago I spent a few days visiting friends in the Methow Valley on the east side of the Cascades. We were in the grip of some serious winter, but the snow wasn't deep so we went out for some little "hikes" in the beautiful powder (made me wish I were a skier!). Photography was a little challenging but I got a few cool shots, no narrative needed. Driving out over Blewett Pass Winter trails Critters in the snow Another critter in the snow Pearrygin Lake Winter sundown Hope you enjoyed this little tramp in the snow! ©Rebecca M. Douglass, 2024  As always, please ask permission to use any photos or text. Link-backs appreciated. Don't miss a post-- Follow us !    

It's come to my attention that I really need to highlight my backlist from time to time. Over the past 12 years I've published 4 middle grade novels and a picture book in addition to 6 cozy mysteries, and they deserve a little love now and again! Today's feature: A Fair Maiden who breaks all the rules.   A would-be Hero who fails everything by the book.   It’ll be the adventure of a lifetime… if they survive past breakfast. Okay, for one thing, this may still be my favorite cover. For another, I love the story and so will you--and your 8-12 year old kids! I wrote this out of my own love of fantasy, tempered by an awareness of the absurdity of many high fantasy conventions. A would-be Hero in training, looking for a princess to rescue. A Fair Maiden who breaks all the rules, working as a kitchen wench. In this fun fantasy adventure they form a team that seems doomed to failure. But things don’t always go as expected in the lands be

It's been a long time since I read the first in this series, and I recalled having reservations about it, despite very strong recommendations from Jemima Pett. But her insistence on the quality of the series prevailed, and I don't regret it.   Title: The Janus Stone Author: Elly Griffiths Publication info: Kindle edition, 2011 by Mariner Books, 337 p. Originally published 2010 by Quercus Publishing. Source:  Library  Publisher's Blurb: It’s been only a few months since archaeologist Ruth Galloway found herself entangled in a missing persons case, barely escaping with her life. But when construction workers demolishing a large old house in Norwich uncover the bones of a child beneath a doorway—minus its skull—Ruth is once again called upon to investigate. Is it a Roman-era ritual sacrifice, or is the killer closer at hand? Ruth and Detective Harry Nelson would like to find out—and fast. When they realize the house was once a children’s home, they track down the Cat

Notice the name change? I think the "Photo Friday" feature is more realistically my weekend photo feature, and I shall call it that whichever day or hour it comes out. This weekend's feature is a stunning day hike I did last fall up Granite Mountain in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. The hike is just under 8 miles RT, with nearly 3700' of gain and--more to the point as far as my knees are concerned--loss. It's a popular hike, but not really for the faint of heart. In early October, it also offered some of the best fall color I saw this year.    We started from the trailhead at 8:15 in the morning, beating the crowds and warm temperatures. The climb begins almost at once, through thick conifer forests. Fog at the trailhead gave way gradually to sunshine above. Avalanche chutes are filled with vine maple and other plants turning color. Once we left the big trees, we climbed for a long way mostly among the vine maples. Halfmoon framed by vine maple leaves Eventually we

Yes, my friends, it's that time again! Revisions! Notes and outlines and corrections and lions and tigers and bears, oh my!  Whenever and wherever I have the chance to work on it. Okay, those are old photos, but you get the idea.  Today's discussion: where am I in the process, and how is it going?  Way back last fall, just before I began drafting Seffi Wardwell #3 ( Edited Out ), I took a squint at #2. My initial reaction was that I'd done an amazing job with the first draft (not something I usually think). My second reaction was that if I thought it was all in such good shape, I needed a second opinion. I don't usually care to have anyone read a story until I've revised it a couple of times, but I needed advice, so Ellen Jacobson kindly agreed to read the MS of Washed Up With the Tide .   Thanks to Ellen's insightful comments, I am now in the process of my usual level of revision and re-vision. Between her comments and my own realizations as I began reading aga

Reading this book was part of my on-going quest to educate myself about all things trans, and was recommended by a reader of this blog, I believe. Title: The Argonauts Author: Maggie Nelson. Read by the author. Publication info: Blackstone Audio, 2015, length 4:40. Original Greywolf Publishing, 2015, 160 pages. Source: Library Publisher's Blurb: An intrepid voyage out to the frontiers of the latest thinking about love, language, and family. Maggie Nelson's The Argonauts is a genre-bending memoir, a work of "autotheory" offering fresh, fierce, and timely thinking about desire, identity, and the limitations and possibilities of love and language. At its center is a romance: the story of the author's relationship with the artist Harry Dodge. This story, which includes Nelson's account of falling in love with Dodge, who is fluidly gendered, as well as her journey to and through a pregnancy, is an intimate portrayal of the complexities and joys of (queer

In keeping with the lag between when I do a trip and when I have the photos ready to share, this Friday post is late. If we're lucky, it's still Friday. Back in October, I flew back to Maine for my more or less annual visit to a good friend and the autumn color. I nailed it for fun times with friends; the color was less inspiring. We may have missed the peak by a week, but it also just wasn't a very good year for it.  The bulk of my visit was spent in a wonderful cabin on Webb Lake, near Mt. Blue State Park (we stayed there last year, too). The weather was a bit unsettled, but there was still opportunities for nice hikes, and dawn and dusk on the lake were worth it all by themselves. One of dozens of sunrise shots from the dock. One thing I like about spring and fall trips: I don't actually have to get up early to see the sunrise. Over in the State Park we found a tranquil forest and modest color.     We also found running and falling water. And we were practically dive