We are pleased to offer books in various genres for all ages by local authors. Check out the rotating selection of titles below, available for purchase in-store near the front counter.
featured titles
When sixteen-year-old Bobby Ether is abducted and brought to the secluded Jade Academy in Tibet, monks teach him and other special students how to tap into their Anima—the universal energy that connects all living things. But the headmistress of the academy is secretly exploiting the students, looking for genetic triggers to create a new breed of humans with metaphysical abilities. As his powers increase, Bobby is thrust into a cesspool of conspiracy, lies, and betrayal. A jade amulet left by his clairvoyant grandfather may provide answers, but what exactly is his family's connection to this mysterious place?
Can Bobby master his talents in time to uncover the truth? If not, his fate—and the fate of the entire Jade Academy—may be sealed.
Praise for the book:
“Verdict: Author R. Scott Boyer merges science fiction with fantasy to fuel this wonderful story.” – Indie Reader
SCOTT BOYER is the author of the Bobby Ether young adult adventure series that blurs the lines between contemporary fantasy and spiritual fiction by exploring metaphysical phenomenon such as karma, serendipity, communion with nature, and the interconnectedness of all living things.
He graduated from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley. His entertaining yet provocative stories are designed to combine a fun, fast-paced style with a sense of depth and purpose.
It began as a simple flirtation… An Improbable Pairing by Gary Dickson is a historical romance that chronicles the enduring themes of a young man's coming of age and the rebellious love of the mismatched. This pas de deux, set in the golden years of 1960s Paris, Geneva, Gstaad, and Cannes, provides an insider's peek into the worlds of haute couture, three-star gourmet restaurants, and lavish hotel suites—the domains of rank and privilege. But society's privileged resist when an interloper threatens to upset their cozy structure.
…a young American encounters Old World and an older woman with a modern ethic…stir in the author’s encyclopedic love of fine cuisine, fashion, fine wines, great architecture, and beautiful women. All of which adds up to a compelling travelogue of culture and a complicated love…
- Gregory J. Furman, founder and chairman of The Luxury Marketing Council
GARY DICKSON is an inveterate traveler and a Francophile sans merci. Educated in Switzerland in history, literature, and the classics, Gary lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Susie.
Have you ever read a story about a cat told through their eyes? Have you ever wondered what your little fur ball is thinking? Adopt me today and I will fill you in on all of our dirty little secrets and let you spy on my adventures as I sneak outside of the house for a well-deserved vacation. You will be quickly transported to my world and you may just not want to come back. A funny and heartwarming take on life in the animal kingdom.
DAVID CORRIGAN is an Actor/Producer in Los Angeles. After having read about the plight of older strays in the shelters nationwide and how hard it is for them to find FUR-ever homes, he felt inspired to write. This inspiration was further heightened when he learned that animals are property under the law and when one is about to be euthanized, they call it “to be destroyed”. While his trilogy is quirky, fast-paced, and humorous, there is an overarching theme that touches on the harsh reality of life for older strays. His dream and hope is that it inspires others to adopt and save a life. #InspireAdoption
Advice from an Experienced Parent Educator and Child Development Professor
Tools to feel competent as a parent of a teenager - Engaging stories with simple lessons for parenting your teen - Simple messages that all teens need to hear to grow up emotionally healthy - Knowledge of what all teens are experiencing developmentally - Advice on how to navigate important and difficult conversations with your teens - Examples of how to shift from conflict with your teen into responsiveness and enduring connection - Ways to foster your teen’s success in life and build a lasting parent-child bond
Nancy Washburn, M.A., is a Professor and Vice-Chair of Child and Family Studies at LA City College. Her goal as a professor has been to inspire new teachers and parents to go forward, and use their knowledge to help children and families be their best. Washburn has taught a variety of workshops on Parenting, Conflict Resolution, and Guidance. One of her favorite jobs has been raising three children of her own into productive human beings.
Her book You and Me Kid enlightens parents and gives them the tools they need to have a positive relationship with their children and help them to be secure within themselves and in the world.
Natal Health A Complete Guide to Pregnancy Wellness: Exercise Videos, Recipes, and Nutrition for all Three Trimesters. MORE ENERGY, FEWER ACHES and PAINS, and LESS WEIGHT GAIN are some of the rewards you will enjoy from staying with a regular exercise program appropriate for your pregnancy. You may also experience an easier labor and shorter postpartum recovery time if you exercise consistently during pregnancy.
Look no further. This book is a MUST HAVE! This book is the real deal. A HEALTHY MOM gives birth to a HEALTHY, HAPPY BABY, and that is what Natal Health is all about! – on line review
DAWN WEYLAND is certified by the American Council on Exercise (ACE) and has completed pre- and post-natal nutrition and exercise training programs through several organizations including The National Academy of Sports Medicine. She is the CEO and co-founder of NatalFit – the company motto is “Be fit to deliver.”
Weyand has an undergraduate degree from University of Southern California and a J.D. from the University of West Los Angeles School of Law. Dawn lives with her husband and three children in southern California.
SONIA MARIE is a holistic nutrition coach and wellness counselor. She received her Health Coach training from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, where she studied more than one hundred dietary theories and practical lifestyle coaching methods with some of the world’s top health and wellness experts.
She is a mother of two, and her passion is to help women and children improve their health and lifestyles.
"If you are over 45 you have no idea what you DON'T know about the younger generations. This is a humorous but practical guide to better understanding the profound effect of growing up with the internet, social media, and video games. It illuminates the deeper transcendental effects of growing up in the digital age that only a 25 year old Millennial could tell you. It also outlines an extremely practical approach to the modern college landscape, that every family should know. And it's really funny. "
"There's so many reasons to love this book. And it's hilarious. I will be recommending it to my clients with kids." Lynn, Marriage and Family Therapist
CiVon graduated LCHS in 2011 and attended Art Center College of Design. He is now a freelance concept artist, author, and founder of the Dinostorus.com.
Cancer isn’t just a disease. That word is too soft. It weaves its tendrils through everything that you are, becoming a way of life, a living reminder that you are finite and fragile. It claims you, trying to steal your wildly spectacular and infinitely wonderful breath.
This is what happens when Cancer grabs you by the hand and demands you dance.
Johnny Brookbank is a guy with a weird beard, 4 kids, 1 wife and 10 fingers, all of which he is grateful for. He’s lived in a few different places but currently hails from La Crescenta. He sometimes speaks in third person but I try not to do it too often.
PRAISE FOR THE BOOK: Raw, real and unfiltered. Nothing is held back. You feel the emotions. All of them.
Fifteen year old Dakota Dagger is on the fast track to self-discovery. Living on the Greek island of Santorini soon becomes a distant memory when his parents’ plane crashes, leaving Dakota an orphan. Immigrating to the United States, Dakota settles in Southern California. He lives with his maternal grandparents, who introduce him to his Sioux heritage. Financial hardships, falling in love for the first time and depression lead Dakota to discover his innate ability to capture photographic images through his unique perspective. The story entertains, teaches and reminds us that the rite of passage is an adventure.
The Moon and Stars draws you into its world. This coming of age story manages the characters’ personal losses, triumphs, and young love with care. – excerpt from review by Brandon Quinton
R. Calhoun Sargent has lived in the Upland area of the Inland Empire of Southern California all his life. A graduate of California Polytechnic University in Pomona, he went on to earn a teaching credential. He taught elementary school at first, then spent the majority of his career teaching middle school.
Sarge, the nickname that has stuck with him since his teaching days, combined his experience teaching middle school with memories from his own teen years in writing “The Moon and Stars”. Developing his character Dak took Sarge back to that difficult yet wondrous time of transition from middle school to high school. The story is set in current time yet draws in readers of all ages with references to more simple times .
Readers will be happy to know that Sarge is currently working on a sequel to “The Moon and Stars”. In addition to writing, he enjoys hiking in the local mountains and deserts, traveling to unique and lesser-known places here in the West, and spending time with friends. Music and art have always been an important part of his life and informed his writing. Sarge has two grown children and a grand-son, and is active in his local community.
Reviews:
ARC of book granted to me in exchange for an honest review. Great read from start to finish. The super natural plot mixes the old world with the new world and the abundance of characters (many that are familiar to all) are thoughtfully weaved throughout making for an intriguing story. It’s important that you as the reader are able to closely follow the many twists and turns you get taken on (and pick up on the subtle clues presented to you) so you get the full impact when all collide into a spectactuluar ending.
Received an advanced copy and will writ a review. This is a love story of Pierce King and Gillian. Caught up in a magical upheaval of the Earth. How they were torn apart and manage to get back together is the magical journey of this book. Lots of plot twists that will have you thinking, “what is going on”? A rollicking good tale. Read it!!
Originally from Glendale, CA, Brendan Walsh graduated from the College of Wooster, OH, with a B.A. in May, 2017.
His latest novel, Immortale, was recently published by City Lights Press. Noble Animals Book 2, The Serpent League, is scheduled to be published by City Lights Press early this March.
When Brendan is not writing or working at his day job, you can find him reading and watching movies. He writes everyday with the goal of having a career as a novelist, screenwriter, or comic book writer.
Reviews:
A fast-moving tale about the perils of unbounded ambition and the bravery of a rag-tag group of students willing to team together to stop it. Walsh is a young writer but he shows great promise in his craft. I'd recommend this book for fans of urban fantasy or dark sci-fi; you won't be able to put it down in the final act!
An exciting and fast-paced adventure about a bunch of college kids trying to save today’s world, but very reminiscent of the mythologies, mysteries, and monsters of the past. The Raven Gang is both visually and thought-provokingly interesting – a really good read.
Originally from Glendale, CA, Brendan Walsh graduated from the College of Wooster, OH, with a B.A. in May, 2017.
His latest novel, Immortale, was recently published by City Lights Press. Noble Animals Book 2, The Serpent League, is scheduled to be published by City Lights Press early this March.
When Brendan is not writing or working at his day job, you can find him reading and watching movies. He writes everyday with the goal of having a career as a novelist, screenwriter, or comic book writer.
By all appearances,Henry's new foster family is perfect, but it isn't long before the abuse starts. In the basement where he sleeps, Henry's nightmares send him on a frantic search for someone named Charlie. But who is Charlie? And what does he have to do with Henry?
Charlie’s life is pathetic. His criminal past and substance problems make him the prime suspect in a murder. A hasty decision to skip town brings him face-to-face with pimps, drug pushers and junkies, and ultimately Henry, the little boy who changes his life forever.
Boy Unraveled shines a light on the terrible reality of child abuse and all that is wrong with the foster care system. This gripping psychological thriller lures you into the twisted minds of its characters, unravels a web of darkness, and makes you realize that everything you thought you knew was a lie.
This book had it all: religion, paranormal, deceit, murder, proselytism...and that’s just scraping the surface.– on line review
CHRIS BOUCHARD is a bestselling author, ghostwriter, and creative coach who has assisted hundreds of literary, visual, and performing artists throughout the storytelling process. He appreciates art in all of its forms, draws his inspiration from classic literature and contemporary satire, and writes stories that explore the inner workings of the human mind.
To be or not to be? Good question. Here's another: What if we all chose to be what we choose to see in the world? What would we see? Imagine if everyone chose to come from a place of love, where helping one another and kindness were their own currency. A place where we all understood that we are all in this together, and that there is far more we can accomplish by joining forces rather than existing only for ourselves. This world may sound like a fanciful utopia, but it doesn't have to be. We all have the power, within ourselves, to make the world a brighter, more hopeful place.
The secret to happiness is not much of a secret at all. Many great thinkers and leaders understood this. We remember the words of people like Buddha, Jesus, Mother Teresa, Socrates, Plato, Martin Luther King Jr., Ghandi, and so many others, because they lived lives of love for all of humanity. They understood universal truths and lived their lives inspiring others through their words and their deeds. This is why we know their names. This is why we remember and revere them, long after they have departed from this earth.
When this life ends, as it will for all of us one day, what will we be remembered for? What memories do we want those who love us to hold and cherish? How many lives will we have touched while we were here? Will we have touched those lives in love or in something else? What am I going to put out into the world? These are questions I ask myself often. I think they are good ones to ponder.
There is no question that we cannot receive without giving. I also understand that helping others nourishes the soul. I will continue to look at the world through my love-colored lenses. It is a very beautiful world, and I love every moment--even the difficult ones. Strive to be these seven words every single day. Some days we may feel like we do not have the energy to be even one of them, but try anyway. When we give a little bit of ourselves to others each and every day, expecting nothing in return, what we find is that there is in fact a return--a very large and beautiful return in your heart. It works. It really does.
Dawn has written a masterful and moving book on the powerfulsimplicity of Love. Her words of wisdom are grounded in her true experience of living a life from love, and she shares how each and every one of us can experience true fulfillment and happiness every day from who we choose to BE. – Laura J. Swan, MA
DAWN A. WITTE is the founder of the Desire to Inspire Foundation and co-founder of I Give On: The Giver’s Marketplace. Being a mom is her proudest role and title. Because of her love of children, she started the Desire to Inspire Foundation which provides children around the world with a mother’s love and care. She is working to eradicate hunger and poverty everywhere.
The book, Steve: A Shelter Cat was inspired by C.C. Calton’s own cat “Houdini” who was adopted at The Best Friends Organization in Mission Hills. As soon as she and her husband met this odd little guy, they fell in love with his long teeth and squishy chin. A few weeks after adoption, his unique personality surfaced and revealed a goofy and sweet demeanor. The message of the book is to shed light on how special needs and senior animals are just as worthy of love and to educate all on the importance of pet adoption.
A Temple of Science is a retrospective on the 100th anniversary of the 100-inch Hooker Telescope at Mt. Wilson Observatory. The telescope saw first light in November 1917 and remained the largest in the world until 1949. Astronomers Edwin Hubble and Milton Humason used the telescope to literally discover the entire universe, discover the first observational evidence for an expanding universe, and lay the first observational foundations for the modern concept of Big Bang Cosmology. As a scientific instrument, the Hooker telescope radically, and forever, altered our conceptual understanding of the universe we live in.
Dan Kohne, Stefanos Polyzoides, Tim Thompson and Robert Anderson have written essays for the book covering the history of Mount Wilson Observatory and the influential and brilliant minds that have been connected with it over the years.
Dan Kohne is a trustee of the Mount Wilson Institute. Stefanos Polyzoides is an architect and urbanist, a principal in Moule & Polyzoides of Pasadena, CA, and was an Associate Professor of Architecture at the University of Southern California (1973-1998). Tim Thompson is a physicist and astronomer, retired from a 28-year career at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, has been associated with Mount Wilson Observatory since 1981, and is currently a trustee of the Mount Wilson Institute.Robert Anderson is a docent with the Mount Wilson Institute.
It’s never too late to get back into fitnessand reverse the aging process. At 68, Moor-Doucette competed as a Bikini Diva/ Sports Model, and, at 75, ended up an undefeated six-time International Senior Division INBA Bikini Diva Champion. In her book, Saba walks us through her process with empowering affirmations, visualizations, eating tips, exercise tips, and anti-aging and lifestyle tips that will keep you looking young and fit.
Emmy award winning, licensed life coach Saba Moor-Doucette has been in just about every facet of show business since age six. She has worked as a dancer/choreographer, actress, stunt girl, stand up comedienne, writer, producer, and director. She entertained the troops in Vietnam and even enjoyed doing bare back Rope & Ladder in the circus. Now 75 years young and the reigning Bikini Diva, she has made it her mission to share her story and help women and men of all ages to be inspired and stay fit for life.
I Stretch & Strengthen provides a basic exercise routine for rehabilitation and for continued development of flexibility and strength. The routine does not require equipment and can be used while traveling and at home. The book is a guide to learn more about your body and brings you a step closer to self-awareness, personal growth and insight. The human body…psyche, spirit and structure are one, and in being so when one aspect is neglected, others fall prey to imbalance, illness and injury. I Stretch & Strengthen presents exercises for the body’s physical and emotional needs, leading to vitality and the opportunity to live a passionate life.
BOB ALONZI has been a Certified Advanced Rolfer in private practice in Santa Monica for over 30 years. His personal interest in physical activity has led him to specialize in athletic and traumatic injuries along with injury prevention and rehabilitation. He has worked with a wide range of professional and recreational athletes in major sports and also treats aerialists, gymnasts, and modern and classical dancers. Bob is an avid cyclist and enjoys endurance sports, hiking and kayaking. His regular exercise routine includes Pilates, Yoga, Pickle Ball and Gardening.
Part business manifesto and part memoir, The Dividends of Decency shows by example how companies can achieve success when following established codes of ethics rather than deceit and dishonesty. Sheppard’s book provides a unique business profile of two decidedly different individuals with distinctly contrasting values. Sharing anecdotes and personal experience, Sheppard demonstrates that principles and profits are not mutually exclusive, and that the former can significantly improve the latter as well as enhance business and community relationships.
“Examples of values-based CEOs who achieved outstanding success for their companies are not just easy to find,” Sheppard notes, “they’re prominent throughout the business media.” Then, with a directness typical of his book’s candor he adds, “If you can’t make it in business by maintaining a reasonable degree of ethics, find something else to do.” Amid so much controversy generated by the Trump Presidency, The Dividends Of Decency stands as essential reading for those seeking a bright post-Trump future for the United States of America.
DONALD LEE SHEPPARD emerged from humble beginnings in a Northern Ontario mining town to become a leader in employee benefits consulting and communications. He rose through the ranks of companies such as Manulife, William M. Mercer, and Johnson & Higgins, and later, built and sold his own employee communications consulting firm. Currently the CEO of Sheppard Properties, LLC in La Cañada Flintridge, he is actively involved in charitable ventures and has received several awards for his community service.
In Philip I. Moynihan’s latest book, overpopulation, insecticide use, pathogens, modern technology, and metaphysics are just a few of the topics up for discussion at a mountain house in the middle of a devastating blizzard. Willy Piggmann has graciously opened up his home to two travelers in need of shelter. In return Brian and Anne O’Neil contribute their own unique expertise to the lively discussions led by Willy and his other guests. Moynihan’s book is presented as fiction, but the issues the group discusses are very real and relevant to society today.
…a powerful rallying cry to anyone worried about climate change, technology and reproductive freedoms! Extremely well-researched, it introduces …concepts in terms easily understood by the serious reader. – on line review
Philip I. Moynihan, PhD, spent forty-five years as an aerospace engineer, including thirty-eight working at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He has since retired and enjoys writing and communing with the local wildlife, as well as spending time with his wife, Penny, and cat, Annie, at their home in La Cañada Flintridge. He is also the author of The Ravens of Snover Canyon.
PERK AND BING AND SQUIRREL’S STING - Perk and Bing live happily in their sticky beehive, collecting honey in acorn shells and throwing away the nuts within. One day, they find their acorns are missing. Who would steal them and why? Help them solve the mystery and watch as they learn about caring, sharing, and friendship.
JENNIFER MARTIN has been a teacher for over twenty-six years and enjoys including educational, entertaining and magical storybooks in her curriculum. She lives in Southern California with her husband and their two playful pets.
Illustrator CURT WALSTEAD studied at Art Center College of Design, Pasadena. He is an animation storyboard artist, freelance illustrator, and plush toy designer. His resume includes such showsas Dora the Explorer, Dragon Tales, Baby Looney Tunes, and Clifford's Puppy Days. He lives in Southern California with his wife.
You Only Live Once is a comic thriller: a contemporary take on Don Quixote about a mental patient who believes he’s a James Bond-like super spy.
“A brilliant homage to everyone’s favorite super-spy, and a hilarious, action-packed thriller about a man suavely dancing along both sides of the thin line between heroism and madness.” —Matt Forbeck, New York Times bestselling author of Halo: New Blood
Haris Orkin is a novelist, a playwright, a screenwriter, and a game writer. His play, Dada was produced at the La Jolla Playhouse. Sex, Impotence, and International Terrorism was chosen as a critic's choice by the L.A. Weekly and sold as a film script to MGM/UA. His original screenplay, A Saintly Switch, was directed by Peter Bogdanovich and starred David Alan Grier and Vivica Fox. He is a WGA Award and BAFTA Award nominated game writer and narrative designer known for Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3, Call of Juarez: Gunslinger, Tom Clancy's The Division, and Mafia 3.
A collection of student letters, emails, and texts spanning 125 years, Letters Home from Stanford evokes a sense of the heritage, history, and shared experience common to students across colleges, generations, and the country. Far from being just about Stanford, Letters Home speaks to a time in our lives when many of us leave home for the first time, setting out to discover purpose, meaning, self—and how to do the laundry. Ultimately, the book is about being human.
Prior to his death this year, newspaperman Ron Funk, whose grandfather once owned the Glendale News-Press, called Letters Home from Stanford "a wonderful and important book".
Per Tony Award-winning playwright (M. Butterly, Chinglish) and L.A.-native David Hwang, "Letters Home from Stanford is essential reading for anyone seeking to anticipate or revisit the joys and challenges of the life passage known as college."
Alison Carpenter Davis grew up in Los Angeles, where she attended the then-Westlake School for Girls. She went on to graduate from Stanford in 1979 with degrees in Psychology and Communications. Her essays have appeared in Stanford magazine, the Chicago Tribune, the International Herald Tribune, and The Des Moines Register, among others. She was formerly an editor at Outside magazine and an adjunct professor at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. She believes in the power of stories to connect people across generations and the dinner table.
other local titles
Children's - Young Adult
Madison Girifalco, The Girl Who Picked Up But Never Put Down (children's picture book)
Jessica Gale Hoeschen, Hmm..I Wonder? (children's picture book)
Salvo Lavis, James Munn, Wild Wild Weasel (children's picture book)
Rose Nielsen, Blondie and the Hidden Treasure (children’s picture book)
Contemporary Fiction
Tim DeRoche (& illustrated by Daniel Gonzalez), The Ballad of Huck and Miguel
Non-Fiction
Libbe HaLevy, Yes, I Glow in the Dark: One Mile from Three Mile Island to Fukushima and Nuclear Hotseat
Conchita Thornton Marusich, In Search of William Wolfskill
Tamar Matossian, What’s Autism?
Ellie Wildermuth, Prepare! Life Goes On: Be Ready for Life's Unexpected Challenges
Dr. Don Yeomans, Near-Earth Objects: Finding Them Before They Find Us
Memoir
Yatindra Bhatnagar, A Fairytale Love Story
Joel Peterson, Dreams of My Mother (fictionalized memoir)
Mystery
Graphic Novel
Gillian Cameron, Calogrenant: Book the First - Oh! What a Knight! and Calogrenant: Book the Second - Maiden Britannia and Calogrenant: Book the Third - Forging Ahead
Poetry
Vibiana Aparicio-Chamberlin
Chanel Brenner
"Uncle" Ruthie Buell
Lin Nelson Benedek
Teresa Mei Chuc
Nicelle Davis
Kim Dower
Jawanza Dumisani
Lois P. Jones
Elline Lipkin
Alice Pero
Thelma Reyna
Keith Richmond
Lynne Thompson
Yun Wang
Romance
Science Fiction & Fantasy
Lambert Cheung, Red Phoenix Legends
Patrick Deu Pree, Reign of the Golden Goddess