Category: Books

By Julie Horner A new book is available at the San Lorenzo Valley Museum: “When the Mission Bells Rang” by Dr. Judith Scott, illustrated by Lydia Gibson and in consultation with the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band. Written for children as a teaching aid and intended for all ages to think about and talk about, the book tells a tale of… Read More

By Lucia MacLean Around 2005 or so, I was given a set of keys to Alba School and declared its docent by a prominent member of the Alba School Community. It was with the idea that I would go through the archives to learn about the history of the school. Slowly, I proceeded through them. Shortly thereafter, I began giving… Read More

By Taylor Kimble As the world struggled with COVID-19 and its various complications, the Santa Cruz Mountains faced yet another life-threatening obstacle in August 2020: the CZU Lightning Complex Fire. The fire forced mountain residents to evacuate their homes and scatter to all corners of the country. In the wake of displacement, fear, and uncertainty, Jo Romaniello, a marriage and… Read More

Local Children’s Book Teaches Resilience  By Julie Horner Jackie Hendricks remembers leaving early in the afternoon of August 18, 2020 when it started raining ash. “The news said the wind will blow it away,” so Hendricks went to her mother’s with only an overnight bag thinking it was going to be over soon. An English teacher at Santa Clara University… Read More

By Julie Horner Kellie “K.M.” Rice grew up with books. “I was really fortunate that my parents read to me every night. It was this magical experience snuggled up next to my mom or dad and seeing the pictures and hearing the words, and it transported me somewhere else.” Rice wrote her first story as soon as she could put… Read More

Pamela Morgan’s Memoir of Self Discovery By Julie Horner “Once seated in the prop-plane, I realized the wing propellers were my only view outside the window,” writes Pamela Morgan in her new memoir/travelog, Island Dreams: A Solo Journey. “It was a smooth takeoff and a not-too-nerve-racking 15-minute flight, but then I noticed the landing strip below was gravel and grass.… Read More

Alverda Orlando’s History of Davenport, California By Julie Horner Retired teacher and librarian Alverda Orlando started working on the idea of a book about Davenport when she was in college. Facing a two-unit deficit from graduating and not wanting to have to do too much studying, she said, she took an easy summer course where the professor asked students to… Read More