Autumn is a great time to cuddle up with a good book. Here is a list of books by local authors you might enjoy while you sip a hot pumpkin-spice latte.
The Road to Paradise
by Karen Barnett
As of 2016, more than one-third of National Park Service employees were women. That was hardly the case in 1927, when protagonist Margie Lane arrived at Mount Rainier with the dream of working as a park ranger. Written by a former Mount Rainier park ranger, The Road to Paradise is a historical Christian fiction book that pits “a reclusive park ranger and a naïve young socialite against an unscrupulous businessman determined to develop (the park) for his own personal gain.” Waterbrook; $9.99
The Co-Parenting Handbook:
Raising Well-Adjusted and Resilient Kids from Little Ones to Young
Adults Through Divorce or
Separation by Karen Bonnell
Between 40 to 50 percent of married parents in the United States will eventually divorce, so this book by Karen Bonnell is a practical manual for parents who may be raising children in two separate households. Topics include schedule synchronization, cohesive parenting, and explaining separation in a kid-friendly way. Sasquatch Books; $19.95
Razor Clams: Buried Treasure of the Pacific Northwest by David Berger
This book is by far the quintessential guide to all things having to do with Pacific razor clams, and it’s clear that author David Berger is utterly beguiled by these shiny, golden Siliqua patula. Not only does Berger go to great lengths to teach readers how to dig, clean, and prepare razor clams using his favorite recipes, but he also explores the commercial and recreational history of Northwest clamming. University of Washington Press; $26.95
Images of America: Naval Air Station Whidbey Island by William R. Stein
Written by a local military historian, this visual history of Naval Air Station Whidbey Island will appeal to military buffs and island hoppers alike. Follow along as author William R. Stein takes the reader on a journey through time as the air station’s namesake island morphed from a sleepy isolated landmass with a population of 350, to a military boomtown. Arcadia Publishing; $21.99
Map of the Heart: A Novel by Susan Wiggs
This novel is the most recent work of local New York Times bestselling author Susan Wiggs, who has written more than 50 novels, including the popular Lakeshore Chronicles. Map of the Heart sees Wiggs flawlessly introduce a widowed photographer, Camille Palmer, who — along with her father and teenaged daughter — embarks on a journey half a world away to learn about the family’s secret past. William Morrow; $25.99