Love for the Lost Angel from Globerovers Magazine

Lost Angel in Paradise: Outdoor Days from L.A. to the Lost Coast of California by Linda Ballou
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Linda Ballou’s travel writing has provided me with hours of captivated reading. I loved her book “Lost Angel Walkabout” which I could not put down until I finished it. Now she blessed us with “Lost Angel in Paradise“ and her angelic stories about hiking along the sun-splashed Californian coast from Malibu to Mendocino. I have done some of these hikes many years ago and to now read her colourful interpretation of these hikes is pure bliss! She brings to life every aspect of the places she visited because she knows how to appreciate the small things most of us often overlook while hiking or enjoying a day on the beach.

“Lost Angel in Paradise” is the essential guide for hiking and cycling enthusiasts in the Malibu area with tons of practical tips and guidance to get the most out of your visit. However, even if there is no chance that you would find yourself exploring this area in-person, just sit back and let Linda’s writing take you there! She shares her experiences and knowledge of the area in such vivid writing that you don’t even have to go there yourself. A highly recommended read. I’m already looking forward to her next book! Peter Steyn-Editor of Globerovers Magazine


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Adventure travel writer, Linda Ballou, has a host of articles on her site along with information about her novels and articles at www.LindaBallouauthor.com

Subscribe to Linda’s blog www.LindaBallouTalkingtoyou.com to receive updates on books, and travel destinations and events.

The Secret Life of Mrs. London

The Secret Life of Mrs. London by Rebecca Rosenberg
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I am a Jack London aficionado, so I couldn’t wait to read this book. I loved getting in between the sheets with Charmian London and her adventuresome husband. But, I hated that the time with them was in the last couple of years of his incredible life when a self-indulgent, excessive lifestyle was taking its toll. He began drinking as a teen when he was an oyster pirate in Oakland California. He hopped freights for a while and ran with a very rough crowd. By the time he was 40, the dreadful effects of alcoholism and chain smoking were evident.

 Charmian describes him lovingly, but can’t help sharing the hurt and disappoint she felt as he became more and more difficult as his health failed. Still, theirs was a special relationship. She was an incredibly capable and intelligent woman, who adored his brilliant mind. He famously said that, “I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me a magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.” He got his wish. Whether he died from an over dose of morphine, as this account claims, or of uremic poisoning, his course was set for an early death. I am relying on the author’s research and authenticity of detail in this well-written historical novel. It is one that made me smile, but saddened me at the same time. For all his foibles, I still love Jack, the Sailor on Horseback, who took us on many a wild ride. I have been to his Beauty Ranch many times, and will go there again to pay my respects. In the meantime, I will read Our Hawai’i written by Charmian London describing a happier time in both of their lives. Linda Ballou author of Wai-nani: A Voice from Old Hawaii


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Adventure travel writer, Linda Ballou, has a host of articles on her site along with information about her novels and articles at www.LindaBallouauthor.com

Check out www.lostangeladvetures.com my website dedicated to my travel books and articles.

Subscribe to Linda’s blog www.LindaBallouTalkingtoyou.com to receive updates on books, and travel destinations and events.