Rebecca M. Douglass, Author

       Titles: Raymie Nightingale   Louisiana's Way Home    Beverly, Right Here  Author: Kate DiCamillo Publication Info: Candlewick Press 2016, 2018, 2019 Source: Library digital resources Publisher's Blurb: For Raymie Nightingale: Raymie Clarke has come to realize that everything, absolutely everything, depends on her. And she has a plan. If Raymie can win the Little Miss Central Florida Tire competition, then her father, who left town two days ago with a dental hygienist, will see Raymie's picture in the paper and (maybe) come home. To win, not only does Raymie have to do good deeds and learn how to twirl a baton; she also has to contend with the wispy, frequently fainting Louisiana Elefante, who has a show-business background, and the fiery, stubborn Beverly Tapinski, who's determined to sabotage the contest. But as the competition approaches, loneliness, loss, and unanswerable questions draw the three girls into an unli...

Oh, yeah. I was going to do the whole 5 days in one post. Now that I've stopped laughing at my silly delusions, I'll share photos from the first 2 days, which is as much as I can even get through at a skim, just picking and editing the photos I want to use. Editing photos from nearly 2 months of hiking is a huge task! In fact, I couldn't even get this small post done in time. What is the JOGT? It's more of a route than a trail in some places, and runs along the coast of Scotland from Inverness to John O'Groats at the far NE tip of the mainland. It normally takes about 14 days , in stages running from about 8 to 15 miles. Don't let the lack of elevation gain fool you, either: with a rough and often overgrown track, those are long, hard days. We didn't have two weeks, and the southern parts of the trail didn't seem as interesting, so we started 2/3 of the way up, with what is officially the 10th stage.    Day 1: Dunbeath Harbour to Lybster One thing to kno...

Title: N-4 Down: The Hunt for the Arctic Airship Italia Author: Mark Piesing. Read by Matt Jamie Publication Info: Harper Audio, 2021. 11 hours 17 min. Source: Library digital resources Publisher's Blurb: The riveting true story of the largest polar rescue mission in history: the desperate race to find the survivors of the glamorous Arctic airship Italia, which crashed near the North Pole in 1928. Triumphantly returning from the North Pole on May 24, 1928, the world-famous exploring airship Italia—code-named N-4—was struck by a terrible storm and crashed somewhere over the Arctic ice, triggering the largest polar rescue mission in history. Helping lead the search was Roald Amundsen, the poles' greatest explorer, who himself soon went missing in the frozen wastes. Amundsen's body has never been found, the last victim of one of the Arctic's most enduring mysteries . . . During the Roaring Twenties, zeppe...

I seem to be having a lot of trouble getting back into the habit of blogging. Maybe that's my subconscious telling me something, like... maybe I should only post when I have something to say?  In all seriousness, I've been carrying on with blogging following the "rules" from when I first started ten years ago, and the truth is, everything has changed. I have appreciated the community that comes with being an active blogger, and I know that I want to remain part of the IWSG. But does blogging three days a week make sense anymore? Do people care about my book reviews, when I get around to writing them? (That's an interesting question--I definitely read and pay attention to reviews from a few bloggers I know have similar tastes, or whose reviews make it clear when a book won't be to my taste). I'm not sure about doing the book tours, either, as they carry an assumption that you will like the book well enough for three stars, anyway. For the record, when I hav...

  Cozy Mystery – Humorous Amateur Detective Mystery 2nd in Series Setting – Arizona Tule Publishing (June 21, 2022) Print length ‏ : ‎ 209 pages Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09QRYQDBY Starting over at fifty might be hard, but it shouldn’t be deadly… Still recovering from an injury that might have permanently derailed her career as an international war correspondent, Kate Tessler is living in her childhood bedroom and pondering her second act when another case lands in her lap. Kate’s father and his coffee group are worried. Their friend Larry married a younger woman who now insists he has dementia and won’t let any of his friends visit. They’re convinced that Larry’s wife and her two adult, dead-beat kids are out to steal his money. Can Kate help?   Soon Kate and her unusual gang of sidekicks are unofficially, officially investigating. But before they can dig out the truth, a murder raises the stakes. Now they need to prove Larry is both mentally competent and not...

I've been back home for a week. You'd think I'd have the photos ready for at least one little post from the beginning of the trip, right? Wrong. I've spent a lot of time getting my computer cleaned up enough to load in the photos. I've organized the basement rec room, the biggest remaining place where stuff from my move was still just kind of randomly sitting about. I've even worked on the new novel, which may eventually even see the light of day. But the photos? I've just scratched the surface.  So instead of a proper trip report, here are a few of the shots off my camera that caught my eye in my first quick pass through the Scotland collection. A good dungeon door would probably help keep me at the computer and on task. On the John O'Groats trail, if you feel like someone is watching you... it's probably sheep. I like lichen. One's home is one's castle... I think I'm glad that's not literally true in my case. And a couple more place...

This is a lousy cover, but is the cover my audiobook had. I'll share a couple of better ones at the end of the post. Title: Lyddie Author: Katherine Paterson, read by Alyssa Bresnahan Publication Info: Recorded Books, Inc., 1993. Originally by Dutton Juvenile, 1991 Source: Library digital resources Blurb (via Overdrive): Lyddie Worthen is only 13 when her family is split up and she is forced to hire herself out at Cutler's tavern. Far from home, she despairs of ever seeing her loved ones again. Desperate, Lyddie makes her way to Concord, Massachusetts where she becomes a factory girl, working as a weaver in a textile mill.  Six days a week Lyddie struggles at the back-breaking looms. In spite of the deafening noise of the machines, the sweltering heat, and the choking air thick with lint and dust, Lyddie holds onto her dream: to save enough money to pay off the family debts and bring everyone back home-together. But as Lyddie earns a reputation for being a hard and thr...

This August IWSG post comes just a little soon for me, as I'm not quite back home yet. But I'll do my best to make it something, and I'll visit anyone I can in the next week. Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds! Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time - and return comments. This group is all about connecting! Be sure to visit and thank the Ninja Captain Alex and our wonderful co-hosts   Tara Tyler,   Lisa Buie ...