Nancy's Bookshelf

Chico coach Chuck Sheley is editor of Smokejumper Magazine and has now published a book, Smokejumpers and the CIA, which contains stories not found in history books. Starting in 1951 smokejumpers were recruited by the CIA “because they could go anywhere, anytime, and do a tough, confusing job and then keep our mouths shut.” This little-known working arrangement peaked in 1975. Also, a commentary on the November 2018 Camp Fire by Richard Parker.

Local author Carl Ochsner drops by Nancy’s Bookshelf to discuss his latest, A New Age Diary: Personal Glimpses of Life in Post-Modern America . In his memoir, Ochsner recounts his experience in California’s counterculture.

Rick Barram is a teacher and Civil War re-enactor who lives in Red Bluff. He researched diaries, letters, and official reports to write a history of the ordinary soldier in the Civil War. Much of the book started as a series of articles for his reenacting group’s newsletter, accumulated over many years. Those articles strung together made up much of the framework for the book. There was a lot of research and reading involved, the internet as a source for information and a way to connect with

Daniel M. Veidlinger is a Professor in the Department of Comparative Religion and Humanities at California State University of Chico. His training is in the texts, languages and practices of South and Southeast Asian religions, in particular Buddhism and Hinduism. Host Nancy Wiegman chats about his work, From Indra’s Net to Internet: Communication, Technology, and the Evolution of Buddhist Ideas .

Award-winning investigative journalist Mary Roach writes humorously about weird science. In her book Grunt , the best-selling New York Times author examines the curious science of humans at war. Listen to a classic episode!

Gayle Brandeis grew up in the Chicago area and has been writing poems and stories since she was four years old. She is the author of many titles, including Fruitflesh: Seeds of Inspiration for Women Who Write , the novel The Book of Dead Birds , which won Barbara Kingsolver’s Bellwether Prize for Fiction of Social Engagement. Her latest, Many Restless Concerns: The Victims of Countess Bathory Speak in Chorus was published by Black Lawrence Press and is now available. Oleta Bryson presents a

Death is an aspect of being human that is a taboo subject in our culture. In her latest book, Nevada City teacher and therapist Patt Lind-Kyle has advice for preparing for this inevitable transition. This week join Nancy for a conversation with the author of Embracing the End of Life: A Journey Into Dying & Awakening .

Conservation scientist and author Lauren E. Oakes set out to chronicle how plants and people could cope with their rapidly changing world. From California, she traveled to the southeast coast of Alaska to discover that groves of yellow-cedar were on the decline. Looking for a doctoral thesis topic, the fast-disappearing yellow-cedar became the focus. What followed was an extraordinary years-long research project and the deeply heartening, In Search of the Canary Tree: The Story of a Scientist, a

Local researcher Maris Thompson collected stories of immigration in the German American Midwest during World War I. Award-winning NPR journalist Tom Gjelten talked to immigrant families in Virginia for his book A Nation of Nations. This week join Nancy for immigration stories past and present.

Author Jackie Shannon Hollis explores the past in her memoir, This Particular Happiness: A Childless Love Story. This Particular Happiness examines relationships, parenthood and the meaning of life. Take a journey with Hollis, from her early years in Oregon to her hard-earned self-acceptance in the later years.