February 08, 2010

Opinion/Humor

Wendy Robards reviews the book, "A Disobedient Girl," by Ru Freeman.

Wendy Robards reviews the book, "After the Floods," by Bruce Henricksen.

Wendy Robards reviews "Beach Trip," by Cathy Holton.

Wendy Robards reviews the book "Between Here and April" by Deborah Copaken Kogan.

Rich characters and vivid dreams provide the counterpoint to this tale of relationships as Solange Ambris loses first her exquisite but straying husband, then her admirable but controlling mother, leaving the middle-aged Sully left with the task of finally deciding for herself who she is when not defined by others.

Wendy Robards reviews the book "Buffalo Lockjaw" by Greg Ames.

Wendy Robards reviews the book, "Chocolat" by Joanne Harris.

Wendy Robards reviews the book, "Christine Falls," by Benjamin Black.

Wendy Robards reviews the book, "Cleopatra's Daughter" by Michelle Moran.

Wendy Robards reviews the book, "Crossed Wires," by Rosy Thornton.

Wendy Robards reviews the book, "Digging To America" by Anne Tyler.

Wendy Robards reviews the book, "Everyone Is Beautiful" by Katherine Center.

Wendy Robards reviews the book, "Finding Nouf" by Zoe Ferraris.

Wendy Robards reviews the book, "Fingersmith" by Sarah Waters.

Wendy Robards reviews the novel "Fire in the Blood" by Irene Nemirovsky.

Wendy Robards reviews the book, "Follow Me" by Joanna Scott.

An overflowing bin of avocados at the grocery store is proof that summer has arrived, and there is arguably no better way to eat an avacado than in the perfect batch of guacamole.

Wendy Robards reviews the book "In Hovering Flight" by Joyce Hinnefeld.

Wendy Robards reviews the third book of Sigrid Undset's trilogy, "Kristin Lavransdatter: The Cross."

Wendy Robards reviews "Book Two of Kristin Lavransdatter: The Wife", by Sigrid Undset.

Wendy Robards reviews the book, "Kristin Lavransdatter", by Sigrid Undset.

Wendy Robards reviews the book, "Last Night In Montreal," by Emily St. John Mandel.

Wendy Robards reviews the book, "Last Night in Twisted River," by John Irving.

Do you dream about buttery cookies, pies crammed with fruit, the brown glaze of fat turkeys just out of the oven, and mounds of garlicky mashed potatoes? This holiday season, just kick those skinny little lo-carb Nazis to the curb and enjoy yourself. After all, carbs are organic.

Wendy Robards reviews "Love Begins in Winter," by Simon Van Booy

Wendy Robards reviews the book, "Love Medicine," by Louise Erdrich.

Wendy Robards reviews the book, "Matrimony" by Joshua Henson.

Wendy Robards reviews the book, "Offshore" by Penelope Fitzgerald.

Wendy Robards reviews the book, "Sacred Hearts" by Sarah Dunant.

Wendy Robards reviews the book "Sea of Poppies" by Amitav Ghosh.

Wendy Robards reviews the book, "Shanghai Girls" by Lisa See.

Wendy Robard reviews the book, "Someone Knows My Name," by Lawrence Hill.

Wendy Robards reviews the book, "The Art of Racing in the Rain," by Garth Stein.

Wendy Robards reviews the book "The Basic Book of Digital Photography," by Tom and Michele Grimm.

Wendy Robards reviews the book, "The Book of Unholy Mischief," by Elle Newmark.

Wendy Robards reviews the book "The Brightest Moon of the Century", by Christopher Meeks.

Wendy Robards reviews the book, "The Cradle" by Patrick Somerville.

Wendy Robards reviews the book "The Help," by Kathryn Stockett.

Wendy Robards reviews the book, "The House on Fortune Street," by Margot Livesey.

Wendy Robards reviews the book, "The Islands of Divine Music" by John Addiego.

Wendy Robards reviews the book, "The Last Surgeon" by Michael Palmer.

Wendy Robards reviews the book, "The Little Giant of Aberdeen County," by Tiffany Baker.

Wendy Robards reviews the book, "The Local News" by Miriam Gershow.

Wendy Robards reviews the book, "The Passport" by Herta Muller.

Wendy Robards reviews the book, "The Promised World," by Lisa Tucker.

Wendy Robards reviews the book, "The School of Essential Ingredients," by Erica Bauermeister.

Wendy Robards reviews the book, "The Silver Swan" by Benjamin Black.

Wendy Robards reviews the book, "The Superstress Solution," by Roberta Lee, MD.

Wendy Robards reviews the book, "The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher," by Kate Summerscale.

Wendy Robards reads and reviews John Steinbeck's book, "Tortilla Flat."

Wendy Robards reviews the book of short stories, "Unaccustomed Earth," by Jhumpa Lahiri.

Wendy Robards reviews the book, "What the Dead Know" by Laura Lippman.

Nonfiction

Dennis Smith, who believes that "through art we have the means to peacefully consider violence," has created a war memorial that fills the observer with reverence and tranquility.

Traditional Swedish Christmas pepparkakors -- cookies so good they take two days to make. Each taste contains a memory.

Lassen Volcanic National Park lies almost fifty miles due east of Redding, California. On June 22, 2003 I am not thinking of the Park's beauty. On this night, a murmur of a search in progress begins, and grows as the bright, hot day fades into a still, breezeless night. A tiny child, not yet four years old, is lost. (Originally appeared 07-24-2004)

Cover story.

Having a pet can be a rewarding relationship. Though most of the time, we take care of their needs, sometimes they wind up taking care of ours.

In Humboldt County, California, a young man is missing. Caribou, a trained German Shepherd Dog, is deployed on her first search after she was declared "mission ready." The cliffside terrain is dangerous, and the man seems to have disappeared from the face of the world ...

Whatever is in the water is going to have Kodiak to deal with!

The German Shepherd Dog Kodiak, and little playmate Sam.

Fog drapes the manzanita bushes and wisps across the pavement in front of my car. The road is dark with damp and at its edge sits a golden animal. I brake because I think it's a stray dog, maybe injured and in need of rescue. The animal turns its head to look at me for a second, then bunches its muscles and springs. Its front feet hit the center line of the road, then the back haunches roll forward. The hind feet strike the pavement, while the front legs stretch for the opposite side of the road. The tip of the creature's long tail flicks, as if waving good bye, before it disappears into the thick brush.

My heart thrills and a tingle launches itself up my spine. I have just seen one of the most elusive animals in North America: a mountain lion.... (Originally appeared 2005-02-13)

Cover story

Cover story. First appeared 2004-08-21.

The view extraordinary, the scent sublime -- Mt. Shasta Lavender Farm is a high desert beauty inviting all to turn off the main road and experience summer at its finest.

At the Manzanita Lake entrance to Lassen Volcanic National Park, someone has posted cautionary advice about being prepared for sudden changes in weather. Is it the advice of a furry rodent in shades and ski boots?

Short Stories

Cold winter night? Whip up a batch of Bananas Foster and set fire to dessert to warm up your kitchen!

From the first moment two sets of eyes meet and a romance is kindled, it begins to grow. A lover's kiss sparks Frannie's memory, isolated moments in time telling the story of love's evolution, through times both good and bad.

The two best days of Alice's week are Saturday and Sunday. Yard sale days. Her house is littered with trophies collected from her bargain hunting, but the clutter and the yard sale obsession aren't the problem, they're just symptoms. Originally appeared 2004-10-23.

Naomi Langer is running into problems in her classes, but her professor is very understanding. Very friendly. Very passionate. But a spur-of-the-moment tryst that should have provided Naomi with a quick answer gives her nothing but questions. Runner up in the Piker Press Ghost Story Contest. Part 1 of 2.

What was supposed to be a simple discussion about her performance in class has become an issue of far less ethical "performances" of another kind entirely. But this isn't a case of trying to earn an easy A; there's something almost supernatural about the way Naomi can't resist her professor's advances... Part 2 of 2.

The winning entry from the "Write Fiction Like Cheryl" contest. A winter's day is the setting for a secret admirer, an old friend, a sweet romance, and a touch of poetry.

Comics

A contrast of snow and rock. Lassen Volcanic National Park, Shasta County, California.

Mama and her little mule foal, Ruby

Wendy grew up in a small New England town and began writing really bad poetry in grade school. Luckily, her writing skills have improved since then. She now writes non-fiction pieces, as well as short stories. She has completed one NanoWrimo novel which still lays deep in the files awaiting rewrites.

Wendy currently lives in the mountains of Northern California with her husband and two Search and Rescue dogs, Argus and Caribou, who rule the household. She has been a volunteer in canine search and rescue in California for five years. Because she cannot figure out how to do things that are fun AND get paid, she also does volunteer work at Triple Creek Ranch, a therapeutic horseback riding center for the disabled. She is a licensed Physical Therapist and currently works part-time as an independent consultant to group homes which service developmentally disabled individuals.

She enjoys hiking, drinking good red wine, laying in the hammock with her husband, reading everything she can get her hands on and playing with her dogs.