It’s a new year, but don’t miss these books released by Tucson authors in 2025!

undersea mural — Mural by Jessica Gonzales on the side of Antigone Books, Tucson

Order, order!

I’ve included links to order via Bookshop.org, but you can also check your favorite local bookstore.

Fun fact: Most bookstores that sell new books can order just about anything in print, whether they carry it or not. If they don’t have an online shop, call or stop in.

Find an independent bookstore near you. Or order from any of the ones listed below.

If you prefer to browse in a brick-and-mortar shop, I’ve listed independent Tucson- and Phoenix-area bookstores that say they have a particular title in stock. (I didn’t bother which stores you can order these books from, because the answer is any of them.)

Barnes and Noble also had a few of these books available in certain stores, so you can check there if that’s the option closest to you.

Urban Trails Tucson book at a desert trailhead. — Via Trails Inspire / Sirena Rana

Book List

1. Urban Trails Tucson

by Sirena Rana

You may know the author from…

Her Arizona Trail advocacy, as well as her photography and writing about hiking and the outdoors.

About the Book:

This book is part of the Urban Trails series, published by Mountaineers Books. It’s a look at nearly 50 trails in Tucson and the surrounding areas. Each trail has a several-page description, along with maps and photos. Even before you get to those, there is tons of information about desert wildlife, Tucson culture, hiking tips, and local pronunciation. There’s a handy map and chart that will allow you to quickly find a trail based on location and length, as well as kid- and/or dog-friendliness.

Continue reading “7 Books to Check Out: New Titles by Tucson Writers”

I was skeptical about the palm tree on the Genoa travel poster and whether it could actually grow in a city that far north.

What I hadn’t realized is that Genoa is on the shores of Mediterranean — specifically, the Italian Riviera. This coastal region in Liguria also includes towns like Portofino and the Cinque Terre, and it has a climate warm enough to support palm trees, agaves, and sun-seeking tourists.

In fact, the Italian Riviera was already a tourist destination in 1884, when Claude Monet visited and painted scenes like the Palm Trees at Bordighera.

Now if the word “riviera” initially made you picture a river (same here), you weren’t completely wrong. The Italian word rivièra can actually refer to the shores of a river, lake, or, in this case, a sea.

Because there’s an Italian Riviera, English speakers called the Mediterranean coast on France’s side of the border the “French Riviera,” borrowing the Italian word again. Apparently, there’s also a (much) lesser-known English Riviera, which seems like a tourism-bureau invention.

And, yes, in Italy, you can just call the Italian Riviera the “Riviera.”

Photos via:

Art Auction House Günther
AudreyH. CCL. (Waterfront in Riva Ligure)
trialsanderrors. CCL. (1920s poster: La Riviera Italienne)
Regan Vercruysse. CCL. (Monet’s Palm Trees at Bordighera at the Met)
Our Italy trip (map in the Vatican)
Martina Pathogens. CCL. (Beach in Alassio)
Regan Vercruysse. CCL. (Detail of Palm Trees at Bordighera)

I’ll be linking up with Thursday Tree Love at Happiness and Food.

Tag: tree love

7 Books to Check Out: New Titles by Tucson Writers

Order, order!

Book List

1. Urban Trails Tucson

Genoa, the Italian Riviera, and a Palm Tree