Rebecca M. Douglass, Author

Title: Restart Author: Gordon Korman Publication Info: Scholastic Press, 2017. 256 pages (Hardback).   Source: Library digital resources Publisher’s Blurb:  Chase's memory just went out the window. Chase doesn't remember falling off the roof. He doesn't remember hitting his head. He doesn't, in fact, remember anything. He wakes up in a hospital room and suddenly has to learn his whole life all over again . . . starting with his own name. He knows he's Chase. But who is Chase? When he gets back to school, he sees that different kids have very different reactions to his return. Some kids treat him like a hero. Some kids are clearly afraid of him. One girl in particular is so angry with him that she pours her frozen yogurt on his head the first chance she gets. Pretty soon, it's not only a question of who Chase is--it's a question of who he was . . . and who he's going to be. My Review:  Restart is an quick and enjoyable read with an interesting premise. I...

In honor of Valentine's Day, photos from one of my favorite parks! (Yeah, I’m a little late. Took a while to get both time and wi-fi to do this!) Last October we met my husband’s brother and sister-in-law in Utah for a week of hiking and travel. We visited Arches National Park and then moved on to Capital Reef.   The campground was full—fall is a popular time of year in Utah, as the summer heat is mellowed and  the cottonwood trees are turning color. We found an informal campsite outside the park, and enjoyed a quiet night, free from the campfire smoke that makes me no great fan of campgrounds. It got cold, though—down to about 20, I think. Dining out in style. In the late afternoon it was warm in the sun, chilly in the shade. In the morning we sent the guys off on a very long hike, which I couldn’t do because of my plantar fasciitis. Carol and I did our own explorations. These included a stop for pies at the little park bakery shop, and I noticed that they’d had the sprinkle...

While I'm busy traveling in Patagonia... I'm sharing some photos from a very different landscape, from last October! I shared photos from the first two parts of that trip here , and here (and I see I never  finished talking about the New England part of the trip). In the middle of October, we left the fall colors and flew to Denver (where we’d left our car), and continued the trip, meeting my husband’s brother and sister-in-law in Moab. Highlight number 1 was Arches National Park. The low-light was that after all the mountain climbing in the first two parts of the trip, I had to back way off my injured foot, so my SiL and I did some nice short and easy hikes while the guys did the big ones (yes, I was envious). Arches gets over a million visitors a year these days, which puts a lot of stress on the infrastructure (like the one road...). We dodged that by getting up and leaving our campground near Moab very, very early, and enjoying the best hours of the day in the park. Ready ...

An old blogging acquaintance has come back from a long hiatus (we both used to write to Chuck Wendig's prompts), and has issued a new writing challenge. For himself, and for anyone who wants to ride/write along. It involves writing something each Friday to a single month-long prompt, but in in different genres, starting with haiku and extending to flash fiction. Read all about it on the Urban Spaceman's blog. I can't really keep up, most likely. But this week's challenge is haiku, and I figured I could manage 17 syllables. The theme: WEALTH Long way from my home, Free to wander the whole world. What could be richer? ©Rebecca M. Douglass, 2020 As always, please ask permission to use any photos or text. Link-backs appreciated!

... WAY out of town. If all has gone according to plan, I'm in the Valle Chacabuco in Chile. I'm in the middle of 10 days of travel and camping in some very remote areas, with no internet service. I'm probably not writing, aside from my journal. If I am, it's because my foot is hurting and I can't hike, so I hope I'm not! So I'm not doing an IWSG post this month (and maybe not next month, though again I'll leave SOME trace to let you know I'm alive!). If I get a chance, I will try to visit a few of you, but I can't even promise to do return visits this time. I do encourage everyone to head on over to the IWSG and hop around to see how other writers are doing. And what is the IWSG? Read on! The Insecure Writer's Support Group is where writers can express their 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 al...

  Title: The Hunt for the Mad Wolf's Daughter Author: Diane Magras; read by Joshua Manning Publication Info: Listening Library, 2019. Hardcover, Kathy Dawson Books, 2019. Source: Library digital resources Publisher's Blurb: In this Scottish medieval adventure, after attempting a daring rescue of her war-band family, Drest learns that Lord Faintree's traitorous uncle has claimed the castle for his own and convinced the knights that the lord has been slain . . . at her hand. Now with a hefty price on her head, Drest must find a way to escape treacherous knights, all the while proving to her father, the "Mad Wolf of the North," and her irrepressible band of brothers that she is destined for more than a life of running and hiding. Even if that means redefining what it means to be a warrior. My Review: I reviewed the companion to this book a few weeks ago. That I immediately went and put a hold on the sequel at the library tells you that I really liked the sto...

Title: Twerp Author: Mark Goldblatt, read by Everette Plen Publication Info: 2013, Listening Library. Hardcover 2013, Random House Source: Library digital resources Publisher's Blurb: It's not like I meant for him to get hurt. . . . Julian Twerski isn't a bully. He's just made a big mistake. So when he returns to school after a weeklong suspension, his English teacher offers him a deal: if he keeps a journal and writes about the terrible incident that got him and his friends suspended, he can get out of writing a report on Shakespeare. Julian jumps at the chance. And so begins his account of life in sixth grade--blowing up homemade fireworks, writing a love letter for his best friend (with disastrous results), and worrying whether he's still the fastest kid in school. Lurking in the background, though, is the one story he can't bring himself to tell, the one story his teacher most wants to hear. Inspired by Mark Goldblatt's own childhood growing u...