bookish

Author and Chaffey College journalism professor Michelle Dowd enjoys a nice day in her backyard with dogs, Cedar, left, and Edith. Dawd’s “Memoir Forager: Field Notes for Surviving a Family Cult” will be released March 7, 2023. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Cult survivor Michelle Dowd explores a harsh childhood in her memoir ‘Forager’

By Emily St. Martin

February 1, 2023 at 8:45 a.m.

Raised to survive the apocalypse and Satan’s rule of Earth, Dowd ultimately learned to survive...

A new crop of books is coming from Southern California authors in 2023. (Courtesy)

Put these 10 books from local authors on your must-read list

By Emily St. Martin

January 31, 2023 at 7:28 p.m.

Get ready book lovers, 2023 is going to be lit. Established and debut Southern California...

There’s an insidious danger to our collective knowledge and future ideas when books are banned, contends writer and professor Tom Zoellner. (iStock)

What we all lose when a book gets removed from library shelves

By Tom Zoellner

January 31, 2023 at 5:19 p.m.

"Censorious tendencies are on the rise, even as access to information has never been easier,"...

“So Far Gone,” published June 10, 2025, is the ninth novel by Jess Walter. (Photo by Raja Bose/Cover courtesy HarperCollins)

Jess Walter’s comic new novel ‘So Far Gone’ chronicles a fractured America

By Samantha Dunn

June 10, 2025 at 12:15 p.m.

The novel "So Far Gone" by Jess Walter asks, what happens when people can't agree...

Lida Yuknavitch is the author of the memoir “Reading the Waves” (Riverhead Books). (Photo by Miles Mingo)

Why ‘Chronology of Water’ author Lidia Yuknavitch revisits the past in ‘Reading the Waves’

By Samantha Dunn

March 14, 2025 at 2:03 p.m.

While Kristen Stewarts turns 'The Chronology of Water' into a movie, its author revisits her...

“Still Life at Eighty: The Next Interesting Thing” is the most recent release from renowned memoirist Abigail Thomas. (Photo by Jennifer Waddell Photography)

Abigail Thomas shows the strength of honesty and vulnerability in ‘Still Life at Eighty’

By Samantha Dunn

January 17, 2025 at 2:26 p.m.

Stephen King has called the author, 'the Emily Dickinson of memoirists.'

Garth Greenwell’s latest book is “Small Rain.” (Photo by Oriette D’Angelo / Courtesy of Farrar Straus and Giroux)

How a medical crisis inspired Garth Greenwell’s novel ‘Small Rain’

By Samantha Dunn

September 16, 2024 at 1:04 p.m.

The acclaimed author discusses his novel on the virtual program Bookish on Sept. 20.

Book cover with picture of a full moon beside image of author dancing in a red dress

Moon Zappa shines a light on growing up with celebrity parents in new memoir

By Samantha Dunn

September 9, 2024 at 12:48 p.m.

The author discusses 'Earth to Moon' on the virtual program Bookish on Sept. 20.

“Sleeping Giants” is the latest novel by Rene Denfeld, an award-winning author and public defense investigator in Portland, OR. (Photo by Brian McDonnell/Cover image courtesy of HarperCollins)

‘Sleeping Giants’ novelist Rene Denfeld explores the harm done in the name of helping

By Samantha Dunn

April 18, 2024 at 6:36 a.m.

'Sleeping Giants' is a propulsive thriller infused with thought-provoking themes.

Steve Almond is the author of twelve books. His most recent work is a craft book for writers, “Truth is the Arrow, Mercy is the Bow: A DIY Manual for the Construction of Stories” (Zando).

Steve Almond talks about storytelling in ‘Truth Is the Arrow, Mercy Is the Bow’

By Samantha Dunn

April 15, 2024 at 3:35 p.m.

To write well, says Steve Almond, "You have to want to tell the truth."

LA-based writer Sarah Tomlinson, known for her success as a ghostwriter of celebrity memoirs, has penned her debut novel, “The Last Days of the Midnight Ramblers,” about a ghostwriter caught up in the intrigue of a famous rock band. (Photo by Diana Koenigsberg/Cover image courtesy Flatiron Books)

Sarah Tomlinson blends rock music, celebrity and ghostwriting in debut novel

By Samantha Dunn

March 12, 2024 at 3:53 p.m.

A rock'n roll mystery is at the heart of Sarah Tomlin's debut novel "The Last...

“The Spy Coast” author Tess Gerritsen has authored more than 30 books. She is best known for the Rizzoli and Isles police procedural series. (Photo by Josh Gerritsen / Courtesy of Thomas & Mercer)

Novelist Tess Gerritsen’s neighbors are retired spies. So she wrote about it.

By Samantha Dunn

November 14, 2023 at 12:36 p.m.

The author will speak about her new novel 'The Spy Coast' at Cypress Library Wednesday,...

New York Times best-selling author Jillian Lauren offers a personal account of confronting Samuel Little in “Behold the Monster: Confronting America’s Most Prolific Serial Killer.” (Photo by Robyn Von Swank / Courtesy of Sourcebooks)

‘Behold the Monster’ author Jillian Lauren exposes America’s most prolific serial killer

By Samantha Dunn

July 17, 2023 at 7:30 a.m.

The author describes working to learn about the victims of serial killer Sam Little from...