NCW Libraries

"When global climate change and economic crises lead to social chaos in the early 2020s, California becomes full of dangers, from pervasive water shortage to masses of vagabonds who will do anything to live to see another day. Fifteen-year-old Lauren Olamina lives inside a gated community with her preacher father, family, and neighbors, sheltered from the surrounding anarchy. In a society where any vulnerability is a risk, she suffers from hyperempathy,...

"Desmond Aloysius Limerick ('Dez' to all) is a retired mercenary and enthusiastic amateur musician, currently in Southern California, enjoying the sun and sitting in on the occasional gig, when the hotel he's at falls under attack. A skilled team attempts to kidnap the chief legal counsel of Triton Expeditors, a major military contractor--in fact, Petra Alexandris is the daughter of the CEO--but their meticulously-planned, seamlessly executed scheme...

"Mia Tang has a lot of secrets. Number 1: She lives in a motel, not a big house. Every day, while her immigrant parents clean the rooms, ten-year-old Mia manages the front desk of the Calivista Motel and tends to its guests. Number 2: Her parents hide immigrants. And if the mean motel owner, Mr. Yao, finds out they've been letting them stay in the empty rooms for free, the Tangs will be doomed. Number 3: She wants to be a writer. But how can she when...

"AVALON follows Bran, a high school graduate in California who is raised by her 'common-law-stepfather' in a rowdy home following her mother's death. After graduating from high school, Bran stays in town and is introduced to Peter, a college student who is engaged, and the two begin an intense relationship revolving around philosophy, literature, and their attraction for one another. Encouraged by Peter, Bran begins writing scripts for their friend,...

This guide to nearly 500 public campgrounds in Southern California is perfect for tent and RV campers alike. Within each campground listing is vital information on location, road conditions, fees, reservations, available facilities, and recreational activities. The listings are organized by geographic area, and thorough site maps will simplify the search for the perfect campground. Included are campgrounds designed for hikers, equestrians, boaters,...

Southern California is where dreams come true-or so Scarlett Gardner thought. When she moved there and opened the Palm Trees and Page Turners bookshop, she thought her boyfriend and business partner would be part of the story. When he leaves her for a better job, Scarlett finds herself struggling to keep her new business afloat. That's not the only thing she has to worry about--she discovers something underneath the pier by her bookshop that she didn't...

"Of the #1 New York Times-bestselling Kinsey Millhone series, NPR said, 'Makes me wish there were more than 26 letters.' Two dead bodies changed the course of my life that fall. One of them I knew and the other I'd never laid eyes on until I saw him in the morgue. The first was a local PI of suspect reputation. He'd been gunned down near the beach at Santa Teresa. It looked like a robbery gone bad. The other was on the beach six weeks later. He'd...

Follows the experiences of a former Hollywood stuntman-turned-Mormon polygamist who is blackmailed by an ambitious developer to enroll his children in public school.

"Southern California, 1960s: endless sunny days surfing in Malibu, followed by glittering neon nights at Whisky A-Go-Go. In an era when women are expected to be housewives, Carol Donelly is breaking the mold as a legendary female surfer struggling to compete in a male-dominated sport--and her daughters, Mindy and Ginger, bear the weight of her unconventional lifestyle. The Donnelly sisters grow up enduring their mother's absence--physically, when...