In February 2022, there was a criminal on the loose in Lake Tahoe. Homes around the lake were being
ransacked. Unlike most thieves, this one was not after expensive electronics or jewels, instead he
wanted food. Officials pointed the finger at a local 500-pound black bear named Hank the Tank. Due
process is not afforded to black bears, surprisingly, and California Fish and Wildlife had to decide
whether to kill or relocate Hank the Tank. At the eleventh hour, however, DNA evidence collected at the
crime scenes exonerated Hank. Several other bears were responsible for the break-ins around Lake
Tahoe. The prodigious black bear was left alone.
I say this every time and I will say it again: this is my favorite thing to write for the newspaper! I love looking back at what people have been reading.
Here is a list of Inklings Summer Bestsellers (in-store only):
It is no surprise to anyone here that Rob Phillips' new book is THE bestseller at Inklings. Phillips has now sold well over 2000 copies of this series at Inklings alone. If you are a fan of mysteries and local stories and have not started in this series yet, you most definitely should! The books are fast paced, entertaining, and with plenty of twists and turns to keep you on your toes while reading.
"Tanum is a northwest history which offers the reader much more than an account of the development of the Bumping River Valley. Susan Summit Cyr weaves her deep observations and family life in the wilderness along the way. She brings a deep appreciation for the awesome and irreplaceable diversity of life just up the road from here." (Amy Halvorson Miller, Inklings Assistant Manager)
Should trees have standing? Justice William O. Douglas famously pondered this hypothetical in his
dissent in Sierra v. Morton. The Sierra Club had sued to block the development of a ski resort in Mineral
King Valley in California. In a 4-3 decision, the Supreme Court ruled that the Sierra Club had no
standing—the legal right—to sue because the club and its members had not suffered any actual injury.
Marie Marchand is the current Poet Laureate of Ellensburg, Washington. Her newest and second collection is Gifts to the Attentive. This collection is divided into three sections: Reverence, Resilience, and finally Reverie. The beginning poems are about mental illness and the recovery process. Matchand actually has dedicated the book to those mental health providers who have helped her. In the second section the poet writes
Last week I talked with some school-age friends of mine, who every August are asked whether they’re ready for school to start. As usual, there was a range of reactions from hangdog to happy-dance. Let’s celebrate with or reassure our young students with two new back-to-school picture books. It’s a good time for some extra read-aloud snuggles and giggles.
I've read quite a number of books this year, but THIS one is by far the best. Everything about this 1st
book in a new mystery series by Mark Pryor is so good. The dialogue is real, the setting (Nazi occupied
Paris 1940) suits my historical fiction addiction and every page has a new and unexpected turn of
events.
Inspector Henri Lefort has been given five days to solve the murder of a German officer whose body was
found inside the Louvre Museum. Lefort has been denied access to the scene of the crime and the
murder weapon but has been given a list of five suspects all of whom are French citizens. Smart, witty,
sarcastic and cynical Lefort and his assistant Nicola begin the impossible task of finding a murderer in
time to save his own life. Henri and Nicola understand the consequences to Henri if he does not solve
this crime in five days.
Inklings will have at least 16 PNW authors outside its doors signing books this Saturday for Bookstore Romance Day. Three of them are from right here in the Valley.
This week’s review is a little highlight of what each author has to offer. There will be a little bit of everything and a book for just about anyone. From Christian and close door/clean romances, to suspense, contemporary, paranormal, and the more “spicy” titles.
This event has been going on for 4 years now and I confess when I started I had no idea the PNW had so many amazing romance writers. The ones attending are but a fraction of all the talent around here. My list of authors (though obviously not all can attend this month) has about 30 names so far. How exciting is that?
I am going to start with a name that is probably familiar to a lot of our readers, Dalyn Weller. Dalyn lives here in the Valley but you might not know her -yet- from her romances, but from her devotional instead, Rooted and Blooming. Dalyn writes handsome heroes who are brave, wounded, and ready for change; and intelligent, capable women with beauty and character. Her newest title is The Rancher’s Surprise.
My lovely wife has a saying: “Be like Nob Hill Road; Always be working on things.” She’s so funny. So with her words echoing in my head, one day between novels I cracked open Atlas of the Heart. I’d gotten the general impression that Brene Brown was a writer to take seriously in the self-help and Psychology world and so I looked past the kitschy name to see what was up.
My verdict? There are two books that anyone seeking self awareness should read and this is one of them. Yes. It’s that good.
I say this every time and I will say it again: this is my favorite thing to write for the newspaper! I love looking back at what people have been reading. 
Last week I talked with some school-age friends of mine, who every August are asked whether they’re ready for school to start. As usual, there was a range of reactions from hangdog to happy-dance. Let’s celebrate with or reassure our young students with two new back-to-school picture books. It’s a good time for some extra read-aloud snuggles and giggles.
Inklings will have at least 16 PNW authors outside its doors signing books this Saturday for Bookstore Romance Day. Three of them are from right here in the Valley. 