Diary of a Camping Diva: A Practical but Fun Guide for Surviving the Great Outdoors by Dina Wills, El Dorado Hills

This non-fiction reference book is written in a fun and chatty voice and explains the various types of camping, outlines how to choose the best campsite, makes recommendations for specific gear, offers outdoor cooking tips, tells you which critters to avoid and much more. Available at amazon.com and Face in a Book

The Cutting Four-piece: Crime and Tragedy in an Era of Prison Overcrowding by Scott Thomas Anderson, Folsom

The U.S. currently has the most overcrowded prisons in the world; some states are combating the legal and political fallout from this reality by enacting new experiments for handling criminals. Award-winning journalist Scott Thomas Anderson builds on his years as a newspaper crime reporter to probe the link between prison overcrowding, criminal thinking, addiction, mental illness and policy born from political exploitation. Available at amazon.com

 Devil’s Moon by Amanda Scott, Folsom

Sir David “Devil” Ormiston did not expect his moonlight chase of a horse thief to end in a lady’s bedchamber, let alone that of a lady he vowed to protect. And, although Lady Robina Gledstanes will do anything to protect her family castle from greedy kinsmen, Dev’s “help” may prove more dangerous than those vying for the castle’s treasure. In the end, Robina must risk more than she ever dreamed, or lose everything. Available at amazon.com and Barnes & Noble

Rising Above the Ashes: Reigniting Your Joy After Any Loss by Dortha Hise, Folsom

For anyone who has experienced loss and needs to reignite their joy, this book will help you cry through it, lift you up, and reignite your passion for life. If you’re ready to get out of chaos and begin the journey to healing your broken heart, this book is for you. Available at Colton Books, amazon.com and risingabovetheashes.com

 In the Footsteps of Greatness by Josh Mathe, Sacramento 

After failing to traverse the 212-mile John Muir Trail twice, Josh Mathe decided to up the ante one last time and run its course. From the shady depths of Yosemite Valley to the top of 14,505-foot Mount Whitney, this inspirational memoir (complete with bear encounters and snowstorms) is a thrilling adventure and also a poignant look into the mind and spirit of an athlete that is nothing, if not human. Available at joshmathe.com, amazon.com, audible.com and iTunes

Little River by James L’Etoile, Cameron Park

A vacation in Jamaica takes a deadly turn when two girls disappear from a local resort. Two single parents are thrown together in a hellish nightmare when their daughters disappear without a trace. With nothing to lean upon but one another, they struggle to find anyone with information. Their search puts them in the sights of a sadistic crime boss and human trafficking kingpin. What would you do if your daughter disappeared, and how far would you go to save your child? Available at amazon.com, Barnes & Noble and Face in a Book

 Out of the Hatbox, The Violet Chapeaux & Other Bedtime Stories by Marguerite J. Daly, Camino

This delightful collection of stories was written by the author for her children growing up, and the stories were actually stored inside a hatbox. They include a violet hat, a frog and green beans snapping, Play-doh, blocks and a kitten napping. Children will love to take a peek inside the hatbox before they fall asleep every night. Available at amazon.com, Barnes & Noble and xlibris.com

Lightline, by Dayana Stockdale, Placerville

Syedahl is bound to the deep by the duty of her birthright. An heiress to magical power, she is stuck forever in the dark seamount city of Ezkine, protecting the king alongside her father. On the night of her initiation to the practice of lava magic, Syedahl decides that it is a mysterious mermaid named Joaviz, not the king, who needs her protection. Syedahl and Joaviz escape to sunlit waters and begin an adventure that links cities, species and strange events. Available at amazon.com and various Gold Country bookstores.

 Corridor of Darkness: A Novel of Nazi Germany by Patrick W. O’Bryon, Cameron Park

Hitler’s stranglehold grips 1930s Berlin, where an American operative and his former lover are on the run from her powerful and sadistic Gestapo husband. The spirited blonde has stolen intelligence, which could save millions of lives should it reach Washington in time, but their nightmarish flight across the Third Reich brings death and deception at every turn. Available at amazon.com and audible.com

Wake-Up Call by Amy Avanzino, Folsom

Sarah’s lost five years of memory overnight. She’s no longer a fast track, ad executive, party girl—now she’s an unemployed, pudgy, married, stay-at-home-mom! She tries to piece together how her dreams and aspirations could’ve disintegrated completely, while utterly failing to manage a life she can’t imagine choosing. She’ll have to make a choice: Does she follow her bliss and “do-over” her life, or does the Sarah she’s forgotten hold the answers to how she got here…and how she can stay? Available at amazon.com, Face in a Book and Colton Books

 Flask of the Drunken Master: A Shinobi Mystery by Susan Spann, Fair Oaks

August 1565: When a rival artisan turns up dead outside Ginjiro’s brewery, and all the evidence implicates the brewer, master ninja Hiro Hattori and Portuguese Jesuit Father Mateo must find the killer before the magistrate executes Ginjiro and seizes the brewery, leaving his wife and daughter destitute. Will Hiro and Father Mateo unravel the clues in time to save Ginjiro’s life, or will the shadows gathering over Kyoto consume the detectives as well as the brewer? Available at Face in a Book, amazon.com and Barnes & Noble

Gold Rush Ghosts of Placerville, Coloma and Georgetown by Linda J. Bottjer, Placerville

Fueled by a dream to strike it rich, Argonauts’ enthusiasm soon collided with the harsh reality of the backbreaking work needed in the search for gold. Hard times and poverty were often the only reward, followed by sickness and death. Some were even murdered for their gold caches, and their restless spirits still haunt businesses, cemeteries and hotels of Placerville, Coloma and Georgetown. Specter sightings woven into historic tales of the area will thrill modern-day readers. Available at the El Dorado County Visitor Center, H.ART Lounge and amazon.com

Crow’s Rest by Angelica R. Jackson, Sierra Foothills

On a visit to her Uncle Tam’s cottage, Avery Flynn is eager to rekindle her summertime romance with Daniel, but Daniel’s not the sweet, neurotic guy she remembers—and she wonders if someone or something has taken his place. Her quest to find the real Daniel plunges Avery into a world of fae and changelings, where creatures swap bodies like humans change their socks, and magic lives much closer to home than she ever imagined. Available at Face in a Book, amazon.com and indiebound.org

Dying for a Dude by Cindy Sample, El Dorado Hills

When Laurel McKay agrees to perform with the Sassy Saloon Gals during Hangtown’s annual Wagon Train parade, her greatest fear is a wardrobe malfunction. Before she can lace up her corset though, a 150-year-old skeleton turns up on her grandmother’s property, then her detective boyfriend jails her ex-husband for murder. With the help of her zany family, she tries to juggle her wilting romance, two kids, and both murder investigations—before the killer adds her name to Hangtown’s bloody history. Available at Face in a Book, Placerville News Company and amazon.com

-Tara Mendanha