Award-winning nonprofit media in the public interest, serving San Diego's inland region

Award-winning nonprofit media in the public interest, serving San Diego's inland region

SUNBELT CELEBRATES 25 YEARS OF INK AND IMAGINATION

Printer-friendly version    by Walter Hall   January 16, 2010 (El Cajon) – Sunbelt Publications, El Cajon’s award-winning regional press, observes 25 years of hard-won success in the book trade this month. The anniversary is a remarkable achievement by a singular couple – Diana and Lowell Lindsay – who have the mischievous look of people who know they’re onto something

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SAN DIEGO BOOKSHELF: ROUNDING THIRD–A DASH FOR EAST COUNTY

Printer-friendly version By Christian Young   January 15, 2010 (San Diego)–Drawing on his own experiences, San Diego author Walter G. Meyer embarked upon a decade -long journey to create his recently published novel, Rounding Third. This book is much more than a fictional account drawn together from adolescent memories. Wthin the story’s characters can be found, according to Meyer, “a bit

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BOOK REVIEW: POLICE AND PUBLIC SECURITY IN MEXICO

Printer-friendly version  Edited by Robert A. Donnelly and David A. Shirk   Book Review by: Dennis Moore January 13, 2010 (San Diego’s East County)–Yajaira Mota Orozco,a San Diego mother of two children, lost her life while eating at a restaurant in Tijuana. During December, she became the 88th victim of alleged gang and drug violence in a single month, underscoring

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LOCAL AUTHOR’S FANTASY NOVEL “ICE SONG” RECEIVES CRITICAL PRAISE

Printer-friendly version GENDER-BENDER BOOK RATED “BEST OF 2009” BY BARNES & NOBLE, SCHOOL LIBRARY SCHOOL JOURNAL, AND ROBOTS AND VAMPS   San Diego, CA January 8, 2010 – San Diego author Kirsten Imani Kasai’s debut novel ICE SONG, about a uniquely gifted single mother’s quest to rescue her abducted children, has been lauded as one of the best books of

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BOOK REVIEWS: LOCAL AUTHOR OFFERS TREASURIES FOR DOG AND CAT LOVERS

Printer-friendly version    Reviews by Dennis Moore   December 21, 2009 (San Diego’s East County) — If you’re looking for last-minute holiday gifts for the pet lovers on your list, I heartily recommend  Richard Lederer’s newest books.   Most of us are either a cat lover or a dog lover–though Lederer, author of A Treasury for Cat Lovers and A

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BOOK REVIEW: ANZA-BORREGO: A PHOTOGRAPHIC JOURNEY

Printer-friendly version  Anza-Borrego: A Photographic Journey. By Ernie Cowan. Foreword by Diana Lindsay (Anza-Borrego Foundation and Institute). San Diego. Sunbelt Publications. 2008. Illustrated with full color plates. 80 pages. $19.95. Reviewed by Walter Hall   Cowan captures the essence of this grand desert Park and shares it with the world in this heartfelt account. Mark C. Jorgensen, Superintendent, Anza-Borrego. December

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BOOK REVIEW: THE STRAIGHT-UP TRUTH ABOUT THE DOWN-LOW

Printer-friendly version  The Straight-Up Truth About the Down Low  By Joy Marie  Book Review by Dennis Moore    December 9, 2009 (San Diego) — While having dinner at a friend’s home this past Thanksgiving, my friend told me that her friend’s husband had left her after more than 30 years of marriage for a man that he had been having

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BOOK REVIEW: SAN DIEGO BAY: A CALL FOR CONSERVATION

Printer-friendly version  San Diego Bay: A Call for Conservation   By the Students at Jacobs High Tech High. Foreword by E. O. Wilson. Preface by Jane Goodall. University of California San Diego Sea Grant Program. San Diego. 2009. Paperback. Illustrated. 344 pages. $24.95.  Distributed by Sunbelt Publications, El Cajon, CA.   Reviewed by Walter Hall   Part history, part politics,

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LOCAL PUBLISHER TURNS 25, THROWS EARLY HOLIDAY PARTY DEC. 3

Printer-friendly version  December 2, 2009 (El Cajon)– San Diego’s own book publisher, Sunbelt Publications, whose latest local-interest book is San Diego’s Finest Athletes: Five Exceptional Lives, turns twenty–five years old in December with a wide array of new books for all ages, and a big holiday party. On December 3, 2009, from 4:00 to 8:00 PM, Sunbelt will host their annual

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BOOK REVIEW: CHAPTER & VERSE: CROSSWORDS AND OTHER PUZZLES ~ GENESIS, BOOK ONE ~ BY T.J. JOHNSON

Printer-friendly version     Xulon Press, ISBN # 9781604773200 Available through author’s website at www.hayneskid.com , Amazon.com, and Barnes & Noble   Review by Dennis Moore November 29, 2009 (San Diego) — TJ Johnson, a Bible teacher at Bayview Church in San Diego, sums up the genesis of her inspiration for writing a book of Biblical crossword puzzles.     “These

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Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting — not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine’s local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.

LOCAL NOVELIST EVOKES APPALACHIA IN DEPRESSION ERA

Printer-friendly version Thank Ye, Mister Sun by Bob Riffenburgh   Reviewed by Pennell Paugh   June 5, 2025 — Award-winning San Diego resident Bob Riffenburgh has written a charming historical fiction novel about Appalachia, 1939-40.    Thirteen-year-old Ronson Allen stays hungry after dinner because there isn’t enough food to go around. Nevertheless, he feels carefree, loves his family, and is

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CAMP SALVADOR, SAN DIEGO AUTHOR’S NOVEL SET IN BAJA

Printer-friendly version Novel by M.L. Meurs Reviewed by Pennell Paugh May 30, 2025 (San Diego)  — San Diego resident, M.L. Meurs, has released her debut novel, Camp Salvador. Written in first-person, the book reads like a memoir. The main character, Ellis Robinson, shares her experiences in Baja, Mexico where roughly built homes have a spectacular view of the Pacific Ocean.

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PULITZER PRIZE WINNING AUTHOR AND JOURNALIST CHRIS HEDGES TO SPEAK ON GAZA, SIGN BOOKS MAY 30 AT KNSJ FUNDRAISER

Printer-friendly versionMay 24, 2025 (San Diego) — Pulitzer  Prize winning author Chris Hedges will speak at a fundraiser for KNSJ radio on Friday, May 30 at St. Paul’s Cathedral, 2728 6th Avenue in in San Diego. Hedges, is a journalist, author, commentator and Presbyterian minister who has worked as a war correspondent and New York Times Middle Eastern Bureau Chief,

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VERMONTER: LOCAL AUTHOR’S CIVIL WAR NOVEL DRAWS FROM ANCESTOR’S EXPERIENCES

Printer-friendly versionNovel by A.J. Converse Reviewed by Pennell Paugh   May 22, 2025 (San Diego) — Long-time San Diego resident Al (A.J.) Converse has written a historical fiction novel about his great-grandfather’s experience serving in Company G of the Thirteenth Vermont Volunteers, Second Vermont Brigade in the Union Army that fought at Gettysburg, PA.   Converse details the way of

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ON TWO LEGS AND THREE WHEELS: THE TRAVEL ADVENTURES OF A COUPLE OVERCOMING AGE AND DISABILITY

Printer-friendly versionMemoir by Cary D. Lowe Reviewed by Pennell Paugh   April 30,2025 (San Diego) — On Two Legs and Three Wheels, by San Diego writer Cary Lowe, gives an emphatically positive answer to the question of whether readers can continue traveling as they get older or become disabled.   Lowe describes his trips with his multiple-sclerosis-disabled wife to sites

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SAN DIEGO AUTHOR ANNOUNCES RELEASE OF MURDER MYSTERY NOVEL

Printer-friendly version By Pennell Paugh April 30, 2025 (San Diego) — San Diego writer, Peter Shaw recently released a debut novel: Murder on the Way: A Camino de Santiago Mystery. On a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, the Camino family sends a hitman who poses as a pilgrim. His target stole a bag of the gang’s money, now travels as

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MONSTERS ON THE LOOSE: THE TRUE STORY OF THREE UNSOLVED MURDERS IN PROHIBITION-ERA SAN DIEGO

Printer-friendly versionBy Richard Carrico Reviewed by Pennell Paugh April 2, 2025 (San Diego) – San Diego denizen and resident Richard L. Carrico pieces fragments of evidence together for cold cases, while shedding light on a dark chapter in San Diego’s history. Monsters on the Loose tells the tragic, true stories of three females who were murdered early in 1931: Virginia

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Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting — not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine’s local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.

Pretty Happy: healthy ways to love your body

Printer-friendly versionBook by Kate Hudson Review by Heidi Hope October 5, 2025 (San Diego) – Pretty Happy is a New York Times best-selling self-help book written by my favorite actress, Kate Hudson. She thoughtfully researched each area and provided a variety of questions to ask, as well as suggestions to reference and ideas for carrying out each lesson to take

Lucas and Emily’s Food Bank Adventure by Dave Grunenwald

Printer-friendly versionReviewed by Pennell Paugh September 28, 2025 (San Diego) – Lucas and Emily’s Food Bank Adventure is a children’s book for 5- to 10-year-olds. It is designed to inspire children and their families to volunteer in community programs that help those in need. In the book, two friends and a grandparent visit a group that make and deliver sandwiches. Next,

Blood in the Water: an A.J. Hawke legal thriller

Printer-friendly versionNovel by Donald McInnis  Reviewed by Pennell Paugh   September 4, 2025 (San Diego) —Blood in the Water, though fictional, exposes a flaw in the United States’ tripartite federal government structure as established in the Constitution.   The third branch of government, the Judiciary, cannot enforce its rulings, even when those rulings are necessary for protecting an individual citizen’s rights or the constitutional powers of