Your next recommended read is Duffy Jennings' Reporter's Note Book, A San Francisco Chronicle Journalist's Diary of the Shocking Seventies. "The decade from late 1968 to the end of 1978 was as lawless as any in modern Northern California history," Duffy writes in "Reporter's prologue and then he lists the many events over the decade … Continue reading Reporter’s Note Book by Duffy Jennings
Literature
Palimpsest by Charles A. Fracchia
As pentimento is to a painting (from the Italian from the verb pentirsi, meaning to repent), palimpsest is to literature (from the Latin palimpsestus, which derives from the Ancient Greek παλίμψηστος (palímpsēstos, "again scraped")). Palimpsest is a compound word that literally means "scraped clean and ready to be used again". A pentimento is a visible … Continue reading Palimpsest by Charles A. Fracchia
Garbage by Leonard Dominic Stefanelli
"Garbage" is a book about waste management in San Francisco. Waste Management is what we call garbage removal nowadays, but the book "Garbage" teaches us that originally the garbage industry was known as "scavenging" in which house trash was collected using burlap and loaded into a horse-drawn wagon, later the trash-filled cans were lifted onto … Continue reading Garbage by Leonard Dominic Stefanelli
Raising Mary Jane in 1970s Big Sur by Christian Van Allen
Wesley Daggert, the lead character in Raising Mary Jane in 1970s Big Sur by Christian Van Allen, is the luckiest guy. He eludes law enforcement, attracts the prettiest gal, and beats back the biggest bloke in Big Sur. The opening scene of Raising Mary Jane in 1970s Big Sur follows sheriff deputies racing to bust … Continue reading Raising Mary Jane in 1970s Big Sur by Christian Van Allen
On the Shore of the Sundown Sea – T.H. Watkins
T.H. Watkins' book On the Shore of the Sundown Sea, published by the Sierra Club, tells of the T.H.'s experience camping with his big family at Salt Creek, exploring the southern Orange County coastline during the post WWII years to the passage of Proposition 20 in 1972. I was introduced to T.H. Watkins' book by … Continue reading On the Shore of the Sundown Sea – T.H. Watkins
Californios, A Collection of Stories by Jeff McElroy
You're saturated with online political posts, memes, and tweets. Or you're stuck inside because of rain and no swell. Or both. Now's a good time to read a book. Jeff McElroy's short stories, Californios and Californios 2 will occupy your mind, immersing you in waves of sketchy situations and native splendor. I've wanted to review this two-volume collection, Californios published … Continue reading Californios, A Collection of Stories by Jeff McElroy
Stories of Arroyo Hondo by Chris Chapman
It's been one month shy of two years since I posted a book review on this blog (not for want of California coastal books, of which there are many terrific titles released), because I was otherwise occupied and neglected this site. After reading Chris Chapman's Stories of Arroyo Hondo, the end has arrived for this book review drought … Continue reading Stories of Arroyo Hondo by Chris Chapman
Death in a California Landscape
Almost four years ago I enthusiastically reviewed Elizabeth C. Ward’s Coast Highway 1 as “a fairly essential Coast Road Read,” and now Ms. Ward returns with another must-read for California coast enthusiasts or for anyone who enjoys a good mystery: Death in a California Landscape. Set in Laguna Beach, Ms. Ward gracefully depicts the type … Continue reading Death in a California Landscape
The Coast Road 