10 Books That Make Great Gifts!

This year I read a number of wonderful books that were published independently or by small presses. Since you might not hear about these books, I decided to feature ten of them. They are all recently released and make great gifts!

NONFICTION WILD LIFE by Lisa Alpine What a life Lisa Alpine has lived! This book covers her adventurous travels over the span of 40 years. I loved reading these short, often funny, often poignant pieces about her adventures from exploring the Galapagos with a crazy group of people in the early days before there were tours there; to spending several years volunteering at Jazz Fest in New Orleans and meeting so many of the great musicians; to going on a wild tour of Israel with a young, fiery lover. MOTHERTRUCKER by Amy Butcher This book weaves together two women's lives: Joy Wiebe, the nation's only woman ice road trucker, and Amy Butcher, a writer and professor who is suffering an abusive relationship. Even though they have different views on religion and politics, they grow close as they share a road adventure in the dazzling, dangerous Alaskan wilderness. This book builds to two crescendos that are empowering and heartbreaking. The portrait of Joy will stay with me a long time, as will Amy's ruminations on domestic abuse (which resonate strongly with the book/Netflix series Maid). THE BURNING LIGHT OF TWO STARS by Laura Davis This book hit home on so many levels. I was often moved to tears and teary laughter at Davis' portrayal of her embattled relationship with her difficult, dynamic mother, Temme. When Temme develops dementia, Laura anxiously steps up to fulfill her promise to care for her--even though she feels her mother has betrayed her in the past. How mother and daughter find their way back to each other is a journey portrayed with all its thorns and blossoms. RABBIT IN THE MOON by Heather Diamond There is so much about Heather Diamond​ 's memoir that resonates with me, especially the propensity to reinvent oneself many times. Her writing is gorgeous, and the story kept me wanting to turn the page. I loved the way her introduction to her new husband's Hong Kong family makes it clear how much family means to them. An introverted white woman born in the U.S., she is both repelled by and drawn into a world so different from her own. This leads to her examination of the emotional and physical distance between her and her own family. BEST BREAKUP EVER! by April Hirschman I wish I'd had this book when I was going through my bad breakups. But I still got a lot out of it in terms of self-care. The book is jam-packed with great advice for loving on yourself. It's also freaking hilarious and smart AF. That's April's personality shining through. When I finished reading it, I felt like I was wrapped in love. SWING by Ashleigh Renard The light touch at the beginning of this book segues into powerful soul-searching around sexuality, marriage, and her issues with perfection--mirroring her own journey from surface-to-deep-dive. And yet, while serious, she maintains that sense of humor. I'm sure this book will resonate with those who, as she puts it, want to rehab a shabby marriage. ANIMAL BODIES by Suzanne Roberts It felt like I'd fallen under a spell as I read this book. Roberts weaves stories into powerful insights that honor the complexities of life. She's also darkly funny. The subtitle "Death, Desire and Other Difficulties" covers a wide swath of issues. The ones that most resonated with me were her relationship to her mother (and her mother's past and death), her observations of the way we treat "Animal Bodies" and women's bodies, and how political divides can affect longtime friendships. NOTE: This book doesn't come out until next year, but you can pre-order now.  BONUS MEMOIR: Mine! CALL IT WONDER, which won the Bisexual Book Award. Reviewers have called it "insightful" and "inspiring." FICTION LIFE, ORANGE TO PEAR by John Brantingham A bittersweet, quirky, equal parts dark-and-delightful novel. Each chapter reads as a standalone piece, but read the whole thing through to get the most of the relationship between the father and daughter--and to understand the poignant title. I loved this book and want to read more of Brantingham's work. BEET FIELDS by Robin Somers Santa Cruz is not only the setting but, in a way, a character in this book. I enjoyed reading about my former town as the backdrop in a "murder mystery." Yes, it's that--but it's also a book about organic farming. Her lush descriptions of that life kept me enthralled. The characters are lively and multidimensional, and the suspense kept me turning the page...as did the masterful examination of environmental issues. REVOLUTIONARY KISS by Mary-Kate Summers Mary Janelle Melvin and I co-wrote the novel we wanted to read! Reviewers have said it's in the vein of Dr. Zhivago and Gone with the Wind. Another wrote that it's "passionate, intelligent and thoroughly engrossing." If you enjoy losing yourself in a page-turner, check it out!

Seven Hops from Louisiana to Colorado

We had two weeks to make it from New Orleans to our month-long housesit in Colorado. Dave researched mini adventures on the route, segmenting the drive so we'd not have more than five or six hours in the car at a time. As we talked it through, I looked into lodging. Hours later, we had a plan. Here's what we did:

1. I was aching to see the ocean, so we headed east and spent three nights in Gulfport, Mississippi. The road along the coast runs for miles. I felt myself exhale at the sight of white sand and blue water stretching to infinity. 

Gulfport, as seen from our boat tour

After we dropped off our stuff at the Airbnb, a kind-of-cute converted shed billed as a cottage, we referred to Dave's notes and plugged Good Karma Cafe into the GPS. The route took us to a parking lot filled with vans. We called the restaurant. They said we were close and redirected us. That took us to a church. 

By this time, we were exhausted and hungry. That morning we'd done all the obligatory hard work at the end of a housesit: packing (sounds easy but when you've been in a place for three weeks, not so much), cleaning the house, washing the towels and sheets and making the bed, and driving three hours. But we are nothing if not stubborn in our quest for vegan food, so we called again...and voila! Finally. 

And boy was it worth it. The place is darling, and the Indian/Malaysian fusion food is flavorful...so good, in fact, we went two nights in a row. We chatted with the young cook (his mom owns the place) and his girlfriend who is the server. He likes to write, and she wants to travel. Of course I encouraged him to tell his stories, and we told her about housesitting. 

Fishbone Alley murals

The next two days we explored Gulfport. The small downtown is sprinkled with colorful murals. On a stroll, we happened to come across a breast cancer walk, with people (and dogs) adorned in pink. 

We took two hikes, one on the gentle Coffee Creek trail, and another in the Sandhill Crane Wildlife Refuge. After so much city living, it was wonderful to walk in nature, even though we didn't see any of those elusive birds.

An egret (not a sandhill crane) one of Dave's gets on Coffee Creek Trail

Another day we took a dolphin boat tour and learned from the marine biologist on board that the area is one of the most eco-diverse in the world. 

Dolphins!

2. Next we drove to Birmingham, Alabama. Our Airbnb apartment was tucked in a neighborhood that reminded us of the Berkeley hills.

16th Street Baptist Church

We had only one day to spend in Birmingham, and we made it all about the history. The Civil Rights Institute is an immersive experience that makes you feel like you're walking through time, experiencing the human suffering, the resistance, the redemption. 

Birds carrying her away...

The museum sits catty-corner from the 16th Street Baptist Church, which the Klan bombed in 1963, killing four girls, ages 11-14. A heart-rending sculpture called "Four Spirits" honors the girls at nearby West Park. As we walked through the park, we took in other sculptures and monuments in this place deep with history that resonates to this day.

3. Next we drove to Knoxville, Tennessee for one specific reason: to see our niece, Hailey, who is a nursing student at UT.

100-year-old Ayers Hall

We arrived at yet another Airbnb apartment, on the fourth floor of a building near campus. It was compact but had everything we needed. (Except, like some places we've stayed, the couch was like sitting in a hard taco. When we get back to Mexico I want to buy the most comfy couch I can find!) 

What a joy to spend the day with Hailey. We checked out her townhouse and met one of her roommates. Then we went out to lunch and she took us on a tour of the charming town and gorgeous campus. 

Dave, Hailey & Dolly

I couldn't be more proud of Hailey. She's a great student in a challenging major, works at the hospital, does kickboxing, engages with her sorority's activities including volunteering--and she knows what she wants in life! I wish I'd had my head on so straight at that age. 

hat capers

4. Next up was Chattanooga, Tennessee where we had a weekend housesit, caring for super sweet Sasha. 

good girl

The apartment was in an elegant vintage building in a historic neighborhood of grand old homes. Walking the streets, we encountered historical plaques describing battles that took place there. I found that a bit strange, rather long narratives recounting the details of x platoon and y general and z reconnaissance. I'm much more interested in historical people's stories than the technical details of the war machine. 

comfy bed...but the couch wasn't

Another battle site is Lookout Mountain. I skimmed over the information of yet more warring and enjoyed the place as a walk in nature.

Lookout Mountain

We also spent time walking around downtown Chattanooga. It's a lovely city, with its stunning art museum building, its sculpture garden, and the impressive Walnut Street bridge, built in 1891, that spans the Tennessee River. The bridge used to allow horses and buggies, but now it's pedestrians only.

Our last morning there, I woke up with itchy eyes swollen so badly I could hardly see. I'd inadvertently used apparently toxic shampoo as "soap" to wash my face. We usually share the driving, but Dave would have to take the wheel for our drive to...

5. Paducah, Kentucky. The Airbnb prices in this area were so high that we chose a hotel room instead. I've resisted hotels because I want a homier feel...but the American Inn turned out great. It had two comfy queen beds (we like to have a second bed to put our luggage on) and the usual amenities that were plenty for one night. 

We were taken with with the town's well-maintained historical buildings, clean streets, cute shops, museums, and murals along the ten-mile long floodwall where the Ohio and Tennessee rivers meet. 

The paintings display Paducah's historical days.

One of the images reveals a hidden horror in the town: a Uranium Enrichment Facility that operated from 1952 to 2013 that apparently poisoned many of its workers and contaminated the environment, a problem to this day. (See this article and this film.)  What a terrible injustice for the residents and the health of this area.

6. In the morning, my eyes were still itchy but much less swollen, so I was able to give Dave a break from driving duties. We crossed a large swath of Illinois into Warrensburg, Missouri where we planned to meet up with Darlena Ciraulo, a Shakespeare scholar and professor at University of Central Missouri. We were early so first we walked around the sweet, small campus.

Colorful fall day on campus

It was great to see Dar (who is the daughter of my co-author Janelle; we wrote this book together). And the timing was perfect, because she had a one-hour break in her teaching schedule. We learned that as a Covid precaution, large classes are split up into several smaller meetings...which has more than doubled the time she teaches, giving the same lecture over and over. But she had a smile on her face as we chatted about academia and life. The university is lucky to have her.

With Dar

A few more hours of driving, and we stopped for lunch in St. Louis at Seedz in the leafy Forest Park neighborhood. I had the best vegan Cesar salad ever. 

Dave captured the St. Louis skyline out the car window.

Outside Seedz

A few hours more, and we made it to our Boonville, Missouri Airbnb. The place didn't live up to its cute listing. It was a basement apartment that felt very...basementy. (Cold, dark, damp.) The space heater didn't do enough to combat the chill, and fuses blew a few times. Fortunately, the owner was there and tripped the switch, but for $74 we could have gotten a good hotel room. (Check out this article about why Airbnb prices are going up.)

7.  Another five-hour driving day lay ahead to get to Hays, Kansas. Many people had mentioned that driving through Kansas was boring, but I didn't mind the green-and-gold landscape. And we broke up the trip with a stop in Kansas City for lunch at Cafe Gratitude. 

Food was good but a bit too pricey.

This happened to be a Wednesday, the day I Zoom with three of my girlfriends (and former colleagues) every-other-week. You can see my friend Cathy from the UK on my phone, but I swear I went outside for the conversation!

We had another good hotel experience at the Days Inn in Hays. Great price, comfy bed to lay down our road-weary heads. Oh, and a TV to watch The Voice.

What a joy to wake up the next morning realizing we had only one more five-hour segment to get to our next destination: Denver. We've now been in Colorado a couple of weeks, and I'll tell you all about it in my next installment. 

Car tripping isn't for everyone--and as I said in a previous post, we're in the middle of a road adventure that started in California and, in the spring, will end in Baja Sur, Mexico. It's likely our last big long-distance drive. Yet writing has made me appreciate how much of this vast and complex and beautiful country we've seen.

New Orleans Fun for the Graying Nomads

Our home for 3 weeks

Dave's mouth was hurting. There we were, on the road headed to New Orleans, and the pain was getting worse. As he drove, I searched Yelp on my phone for a highly rated dentist. It was Thursday. We would arrive for a three-week housesit in NOLA the next day. I got him an appointment for Monday. Such a relief. But I wondered if he'd need to see an emergency dentist over the weekend. 

When we arrived, Judy, the homeowner, greeted our road-weary selves and plopped us in the sweet little guest house behind her beautiful shotgun home. The house is in Gentilly, a lively district with friendly neighbors and music drifting over at night from a band jamming in their yard. Judy had stocked the room with treats for us: crackers, hummus, a bottle of champagne. 

We spent the evening together, learning the routines for the adorable Bichons Billy and Trixie. And we prompted Judy to tell us stories about living in this vibrant city. For many years she worked at the radio station, and she knows many local musicians.

cuties

Dave drove Judy to the airport the next day, and we moved from the guest house into the main house. Setting up--finding places to put our clothes, toothbrushes, books and the ukulele--then shopping for food and putting it all away is what finally allows us to relax and settle into a new home. 

Poor Dave did all of this with a pulsating face that was swelling up before our eyes. It was agony. Finally Monday came. It would be the first of five trips to the dentist to take care of a cracked tooth and get a root canal. The dentist lived up to his Yelp review.

When the day finally came that Dave could eat more than soft foods (yay!), we went to Sweet Soulfood and got this vegan deliciousness:

jambalaya, mac n cheese, fried cauliflower, collards and cornbread

We were pleased to discover a lot of vegan options throughout NOLA, including a vegan bakery. And it was good to see that all the restaurants (and most of the music venues) required masks and proof of vaccine. 

Kermit on trumpet

Our first music event was at Kermit Treme's Mother in Law Lounge. To get there, we drove past a massive party beneath a freeway overpass, where thousands of people gathered for BBQ to the sound of blasting boomboxes and revving cars. Kermit's place is quintessential New Orleans, a small bar with low ceilings, an intimate stage, and a sprawling back patio with another stage and an offering of BBQ. Kermit Ruffins is a mainstay of the town, a true entertainer.

With Jonesy and Candis on the patio

There we met up with our friend Candis and her guy Jonesy. Dave has known Candis for years, and we've rocked out at many music events. We've also hung out with her in Hawaii and Tahoe, and she once guided us on a raft trip down the American River. Turns out that Jonesy is great friends with our neighbors in Baja! He immediately felt like our buddy, too.

Even though Jazz Fest was cancelled, The Radiators kept their show dates, which meant getting to see Dave's all-time favorite band with his tribe.

So happy to boogie with Jude at the Rads show!

One afternoon we went to the Broadside to see Anders Osborne, our favorite singer-songwriter. The place had the vibe of the fair, with food, families, dogs, and dancing. I love outdoor music...and music that ends in time for me to get to bed early!

Outdoor, daytime music is the best!

We'd hoped to take the ferry to Algiers, but it wasn't running. Still, we saw a lot of the city driving around...and walking through the French Quarter. 

NOLA Halloween wackiness

A classic

I had two wonderful literary experiences. One day, we were exploring the French Market, and amidst the vendors selling voodoo dolls and Mardi Gras beads I saw a guy sitting at a table surrounded by books. Ah, one of my peeps. He told me his novel, Hood Struggle, is a gritty account of his young life in Baton Rouge. His goal is to publish "raw and uncut literature." I've since read his book, and it lives up to that description. 

the writers

One day I met up with Lynn, another friend who was in town, and we enjoyed a walk around Royal Street, with its charming storefronts, galleries and shops. Later, I popped into Beckham's Bookshop, my favorite kind of used bookstore that feels like you're walking back in time, with hordes of dusty books jammed on floor-to-ceiling shelves, the overflow stacked in slanting piles.

Queen Sugar, a novel that's been on my radar for years, caught my eye. It takes place in Louisiana, so it felt meant to be in my hands. Sitting in Cafe Du Monde, I opened the book to see two of my friends mentioned in the Acknowledgements. I love those moments where time and space collide.

Read Queen Sugar; it's a phenomenal novel

When we made plans to come to NOLA, we thought we'd be attending French Quarter Fest and Jazz Fest, filling our hours and days with tons of live music and huge groups of friends. But both fests were cancelled. And honestly, it was nice to explore the city in a low-key way. 

We also spent time at home. We may be nomads, but we're also kind of homebodies. Perhaps we just need more down time as we get older. And when we housesit, we enjoy being with the animals, in this case, Billy and Trixie. They are also aging, to the point that they need to be lifted up and down the stairs. As I helped them, I thought about how one day someone might need to do so for me. I hope they'll do it with the same tenderness.