It's Thursday. We're adding to our California reading list. Plus, a scathing new report from the state slams San Francisco's barriers to building more housing. |
 | | Illustration by The New York Times; photographs by Jerome Tisne/Getty |
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Choosing your next book to read can be a dizzying task. I'm often overwhelmed by having so many options and, more often than not, so little time. |
So to help anyone who might want to read for pleasure about California, we've compiled a California Reading List. It's a project of this newsletter that's intended to guide people who are looking for their next great book about the Golden State. |
The list is based on wonderful recommendations from readers, which I've been sorting through for weeks (and requesting from the library). |
Today I'm adding several books to our growing list, which you can peruse here. The latest additions are shown in bold. Feel free to keep emailing me your suggestions at CAtoday@nytimes.com. Please include your full name and the city where you live. |
Here are the new entries, and some of what readers shared about them, lightly edited: |
"The Last Days of the Late Great State of California" by Curt Gentry (1968) |
"The novel begins with an account of a massive earthquake on the San Andreas fault that threatens to split the westernmost part of California into the Pacific Ocean. This catastrophic event is the basis for a look back on major events in the Golden State's political and social history. Ronald Reagan's campaign for governor in 1966 and the Watts Riots of 1965 are described in detail. The epilogue lays out what the rest of the world would do without, including the significant amount of food produced by California's important agricultural industry. It is an entertaining history lesson slipped into a story about something we Californians often muse about: Will the Big One slide our coastal cities into the ocean?" — Allison Wonder, San Ramon |
"There There" by Tommy Orange (2018) |
"Orange's novel 'There There' is a story unlike any I've read. With 12 main characters, all of which shine on their own without feeling rushed or incomplete, their paths converge at the Oakland Powwow. This book is a master lesson in storytelling and provides a unique look at the urban Native American experience." — Jennifer Nuñez, San Jose |
"Palo Alto" by Malcolm Harris (2023) |
"I grew up in the Santa Clara Valley in the '50s and '60s and had a very simple and idyllic impression of the contributions that the valley made to society — i.e., Hewlett-Packard and other early tech innovators. The author chillingly brings us to the current time and all the frightening outcomes of the earlier, relatively simple days. The book is long, but well worth reading." — Hester Lyons, Brooklyn, N.Y. |
"Slouching Toward Bethlehem" by Joan Didion (1968) |
"The centerpiece, her report from Haight-Ashbury in the '60s, feels so much more honest and curious than the usual rose-colored boomer reminiscing I read about that period. Her writing makes me nostalgic for places I've never been, like the hot, quaint Sacramento of her youth." — David Burris, Los Angeles |
"Up and Down California in 1860-1864" by William Henry Brewer (1930) |
"This is an entertaining, readable journal describing conditions in the state in its infancy, written during Brewer's tenure as a distinguished, field-going member of the California Geological Survey. Notable is his description of the Great Flood of 1862, with its foreshadowing of potential disaster for Californians today." — Jeff Stone, Yreka |
"Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck (1945) |
"Nothing quite catches the spirit of post-World War II Monterey like Steinbeck's 'Cannery Row' (1945) and its sequel, 'Sweet Thursday' (1954). The rollicking adventures of these down-and-outers center on a latter-day King Arthur named Doc, a character based on Steinbeck's great friend, the marine biologist Ed Ricketts. Their misadventures are both sad and laugh-out-loud hilarious." — Tom Post, Pebble Beach |
"Devil in a Blue Dress" by Walter Mosley (1990) |
"There have been many detective-type books and series written over the years, often centered in Los Angeles. But the best for me is Walter Mosley's series featuring the great character Ezekiel 'Easy' Rawlins. These books are a terrific history of race relations in California, beginning post-World War II and stretching to the '70s. They also provide a good overview of the development of Los Angeles and Southern California during that time frame. 'Devil in a Blue Dress' is the first book in the series." — Michael Fawkes, San Francisco |
"The High Sierra: A Love Story" by Kim Stanley Robinson (2022) |
"While several of the recommended books embody particular geographies (both physical and cultural), I think that the Sierras are one of the defining elements (along with the coast, of course) for many Californians. Robinson's love story captures the physicality of this magnificent range, both in descriptions of the land and the experience of tramping over it." — Paul Conte, Sunriver, Ore. |
If you read one story, make it this |
Gain unlimited access to The Times — with just one subscription. Independent reporting. Recipes. Games. Product reviews. Personalized sports journalism. Enjoy it all with an introductory offer. |
 | | Gills Onions of Oxnard said in a statement that it was voluntarily recalling bagged precut onion products, including fresh diced yellow onions, out of an "abundance of caution."U.S. Food and Drug Administration |
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- Three separate buyers of lottery tickets in Southern California have each won more than $1 billion in the last 12 months, with one of them winning a record-setting $2 billion.
- The Los Angeles police said a man broke into a Studio City woman's apartment, yelled antisemitic insults and threatened to kill the woman and her family, KTLA reports.
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- Fresno's school district said that it was prepared for a teachers' strike and that it had proposed changes within its operations to meet the union's requests, The Fresno Bee reports.
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 | | San Gregorio State Beach.Brian Baer/California State Parks |
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Today's tip comes from Jorge Moreno, spokesman for California State Parks. He recommends visiting San Gregorio State Beach near Half Moon Bay: |
"With easy access from the Bay Area, San Gregorio is a beautiful location for a beach day and can serve as a starting point for visiting some of the other state beaches in the area. A small estuary and the San Gregorio Creek rest at the base of the expansive sandy beach, which is terrific for beachcombing, fishing, picnicking, building sand castles or simply relaxing. The mile-long beach is perfect for a daylong getaway and has a grassy knoll with picnic tables perched above the shoreline as well as ample parking. If you're feeling adventurous, other beautiful beaches, such as Pescadero State Beach to the south and Half Moon Bay State Beach to the north, are well worth the trip." |
Tell us about your favorite places to visit in California. Email your suggestions to CAtoday@nytimes.com. We'll be sharing more in upcoming editions of the newsletter. |
Today we're asking about love: not whom you love but what you love about your corner of California. |
Email us a love letter to your California city, neighborhood or region — or to the Golden State as a whole — and we may share it in an upcoming newsletter. You can reach the team at CAtoday@nytimes.com. |
And before you go, some good news |
A pilot program to make California's state parks more financially accessible to people of all income levels is bringing a new community of visitors to the state's pristine parks, new survey data shows. |
Started in 2021 by a nonprofit group, the program, called the California State Library Parks Pass program, gives Californians with library cards free vehicle day passes to over 200 state parks. Since beginning with just 5,000 passes, the program has exploded in popularity, with 33,000 passes now available for lending in more than 1,100 of California's public libraries. The passes are among the most checked-out items, librarians say. |
The impact has been significant, too: In a recent survey from the Department of Parks and Recreation, 90 percent of respondents, many of whom reported incomes below $60,000 or identified as Black, Indigenous or people of color, said they planned to visit the parks more than seven times a year. |
The program is set to expire in 2024, but the California State Parks Foundation, the organizing nonprofit group, is urging the State Legislature to designate state funding to ensure its permanence. "These programs have already made a significant impact, benefiting thousands of students and families and promoting the physical and mental well-being of Californians," Rachel Norton, the executive director of the organization, said. |
Thanks for reading. I'll be back tomorrow. — Soumya |
Soumya Karlamangla, Maia Coleman and Briana Scalia contributed to California Today. You can reach the team at CAtoday@nytimes.com. |
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