Rebecca M. Douglass, Author

Way back at the beginning of the year I joined Jemima Pett's SpaceTime Reading Challenge . Jemima has been hosting the SpaceTime Reading Challenge for a few years now, and I keep signing up and then losing track. If you are a SF fan, like a little mind-bending time travel now and then, or just want to find out if you do, sign up and jump in. I recommend following jemimapett.com for ideas about what to read--I've gotten a lot of good tips from her reviews (and currently have two more SF books on my reading pile)! #spacetimereads You can read any book that is from the science fiction/time-travel genres. Any sub-genres are welcome as long as they incorporate one of these genres.  Non-fiction is not included in this challenge. You don’t need a blog to participate but you do need a place to post your reviews (even one-liners) to link up. (blog, Goodreads, booklikes, shelfari, etc.) Make a goal post and link it back to Jemima's page with your goal for this challenge. Bo

My second of Katherine May's books in just a couple of months, so you know that she's touched something in me. (See review of The Electricity of Every Living Thing ).     Title: Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times Author: Katherine May Publication Info: Riverhead Books, 2020. 245 pages (Kindle edition). Source: Library Publisher's Blurb: An intimate, revelatory book exploring the ways we can care for and repair ourselves when life knocks us down. Sometimes you slip through the cracks: unforeseen circumstances like an abrupt illness, the death of a loved one, a break up, or a job loss can derail a life. These periods of dislocation can be lonely and unexpected. For May, her husband fell ill, her son stopped attending school, and her own medical issues led her to leave a demanding job. Wintering explores how she not only endured this painful time, but embraced the singular opportunities it offered. A moving personal narrative shot through with

Little Shop of Murders is a collection of short mysteries by 15 authors, and we are fortunate to have  Geraldine Moorkens Byrne here to share some background on her musical Dublin mystery, "Requiem for a Violin." Also--be sure to check out the giveaway at the end of the post--four print cozy mysteries! The Little Shop of Murders (Collected Cozy Mysteries) By Millie Ravensworth, ACF Bookens, Geraldine Byrne, Rachel McLean, Diane Kelly, Nikki Knight, London Lovett, Lise McClendon, Flora McGowan, Kathryn Mykel,  J. New,  Eryn Scott, Debbie Young, Victoria Tait, Carlene O’Connor  THE LITTLE SHOP of MURDERS (COLLECTED COZY MYSTERIES) By Millie Ravensworth, ACF Bookens, Geraldine Byrne, Rachel McLean, Diane Kelly, Nikki Knight, London Lovett, Lise McClendon, Flora McGowan, Kathryn Mykel,  J. New,  Eryn Scott, Debbie Young, Victoria Tait, Carlene O’Connor  About The Little Shop of Murders The Little Shop of Murders (Collected Cozy Mysteries) Cozy Myste

Title: Tigers of the Snow: How One Fateful Climb Made the Sherpas Mountaineering Legends Author: Jonathan Neale Publication Info: Thomas Dunne Books, 2002. 320 pages Source: Kamzang Journeys trekking library! Publisher’s Blurb: In 1922 Himalayan climbers were British gentlemen, and their Sherpa and Tibetan porters were "coolies," unskilled and inexperienced casual laborers. By 1953 Sherpa Tenzing Norgay stood on the summit of Everest, and the coolies had become the "Tigers of the Snow." Jonathan Neale's absorbing new book is both a compelling history of the oft-forgotten heroes of mountaineering and a gripping account of the expedition that transformed the Sherpas into climbing legends. In 1934 a German-led team set off to climb the Himalayan peak of Nanga Parbat, the ninth highest mountain on earth. After a disastrous assault in 1895, no attempt had been made to conquer the mountain for thirty-nine years. The new Nazi government was determined to pro

  Title: Maud and Addie Author: Maureen Buchanan Jones Publication Info: May 2021 Fitzroy Books. Paperback is 240 pages. Source: Library digital resources Publisher’s Blurb: In 1910, the two sisters, eleven- and twelve-year-old Maud and Addie, are eagerly anticipating their Summer Social in Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia. However, the event does not quite go according to plan, and the two girls are swept out to sea as they are rowing home at the day’s end. They find themselves adrift in the unforgiving North Atlantic with only the contents of a picnic hamper to sustain them and a carriage blanket to keep them warm. Finding their way through stormy seas, the girls finally make landfall on a deserted island. With string and a jackknife recovered from Maud’s pockets and a parasol and novel contributed by Addie, the girls create a world for themselves among the island dunes, keeping company with sea birds and other sea creatures. Their ensuing adventures test their wits and, in the pr

Title: Two Roads Author: Joseph Bruchac Publication Info: 2018 Dial Books. 320 pages  Source: Library digital resources   Publisher’s Blurb: It's 1932, and twelve-year-old Cal Black and his Pop have been riding the rails for years after losing their farm in the Great Depression. Cal likes being a knight of the road with Pop, even if they're broke. But then Pop has to go to Washington, DC--some of his fellow veterans are marching for their government checks, and Pop wants to make sure he gets his due--and Cal can't go with him. So Pop tells Cal something he never knew before: Pop is actually a Creek Indian, which means Cal is too. And Pop has decided to send Cal to a government boarding school for Native Americans in Oklahoma called the Challagi School. At school, the other Creek boys quickly take Cal under their wings. Even in the harsh, miserable conditions of the Bureau of Indian Affairs boarding school, he begins to learn about his people's history and he

  Title: 101 Ways to Go Zero Waste Author: Katheryn Kellog Publication Info: Countryman Press, 2019 Source: Library digital resources Publisher’s Blurb: We all know how important it is to reduce our environmental footprint, but it can be daunting to know where to begin. Enter Kathryn Kellogg, who can fit all her trash from the past two years into a 16-ounce mason jar. How? She starts by saying “no” to straws and grocery bags, and “yes” to a reusable water bottle and compostable dish scrubbers. In 101 Ways to Go Zero Waste , Kellogg shares these tips and more, along with DIY recipes for beauty and home; advice for responsible consumption and making better choices for home goods, fashion, and the office; and even secrets for how to go waste free at the airport. “It’s not about perfection,” she says. “It’s about making better choices.” This is a practical, friendly blueprint of realistic lifestyle changes for anyone who wants to reduce their waste.   My Review: I found the ton

 I missed Friday's post entirely. I noticed it late in the day, but didn't really feel like rushing something together even for a "photo Saturday" post. Instead, I'm skipping ahead, and getting a start on this week's posts. The thing is--I'm writing! Still, I have a review for today. Title: The Ice at the End of the World: An Epic Journey Into Greenland's Buried Past and Our Perilous Future Author: Jon Gertner; read by Fred Sanders Publication Info: Random House Audio, 2019. 13 hrs. Original hardback published 2019, Random House. 418 pages. Source: Library digital resources Publisher’s Blurb: Greenland: a remote, mysterious island five times the size of California but with a population of just 56,000. The ice sheet that covers it is 700 miles wide and 1,500 miles long, and is composed of nearly three quadrillion tons of ice. For the last 150 years, explorers and scientists have sought to understand Greenland--at first hoping that it would serve as

World-building the next novel The germ of my next novel has been in my head for well over a year, but forcing it into some kind of shape has been surprisingly hard. I have some ideas for a couple of reasons for this. For one thing, we can fall back on the ways that grief, loss, and trauma have messed with my head. Focus has never been my strong suit, and it's worse now.  I think that the issues with creating a new world go beyond that, though. I've been writing books in the Pismawallops PTA series for about 7 years, with some ventures back into the world of the Ninja Librarian. In other words, I haven't had to create a story-world from scratch in a very long time. In fact, the last time I did so was the goofy fantasy world of Halitor the Hero --published in 2014 (and I think drafted in 2013 or earlier--probably right after Return to Skunk Corners and while I was working on Death By Trombone ).  All of which is to say: the last time I created a new world, I was a different w

  The Influencer (Professor Molly Mysteries) by Frankie Bow About The Influencer The Influencer (Professor Molly Mysteries)   Cozy Mystery 10th in Series   Publisher: Hawaiian Heritage Press (March 17, 2021) Print length : 205 pages   Digital ASIN: B08QW3QL54   In Which Professor Molly Learns There Is, In Fact, Such a Thing as Bad Publicity It's spring break. Donnie's taken the baby to visit relatives on the mainland, and Professor Molly finally has time to catch up on the assessment paperwork she owes the Student Retention Office. Molly's new renter is a social media star seeking privacy in remote Mahina. The arrangement seems to be working out--until her celebrity renter disappears. Molly and her best friend Emma dutifully call in the Mahina PD and try to stay out of the way. But when fame creates its own reality distortion field, everyone has an angle and nothing is as it seems.   My Review: Frankie Bow knows how to spin a story, and her writing is top-notch. If I fel