Mystery novelist Carol O'Connell has written eight books featuring New York detective Kathleen Mallory. The ninth, "Find Me," takes place prominently on the Mother Road. I found out about O'Connell's book, which has been in stores for about a week, with this review in the Arizona Republic: Mallory is missing at the outset, and in … Continue reading New novel set on Route 66
Category: Books
A preview of Michael Wallis’ Lincoln Highway book
Road warrior and author Brian Butko dropped me a note Friday, telling me that he has received a cover image of Michael Wallis' upcoming book, "The Lincoln Highway: From Times Square to the Golden Gate." The cover is shown below: There's no set release date for the book, except it'll be out this summer. It's … Continue reading A preview of Michael Wallis’ Lincoln Highway book
Battle of the books
Route 66 enthusiast Emily Priddy has announced that she's going to update her parents' guide to the Mother Road, "Route 66 for Kids," on Feb. 1. The book has been available a free download as Adobe Acrobat or a Microsoft Word file from the Kids on 66 Web site since 2005, although it was initially … Continue reading Battle of the books
Route 66 on the silver screen
Speaking of guidebooks, Harry Medved was kind enough to send me a copy of the book he co-wrote with Bruce Akiyama, "Hollywood Escapes." It describes itself as "The moviegoing guide to exploring Southern California's great outdoors." The reason this book is mentioned here is because it contains a chapter about Route 66 and its role … Continue reading Route 66 on the silver screen
A guidebook to a fault
David Lynch (not that David Lynch) was fascinated by the notorious San Andreas Fault in California and sought to explore it. To his astonishment, he found that no complete guidebook to the faultline existed. Lynch explored the fault, a source of earthquake anxiety in the California and inspiration to scores of bad disaster movies, and … Continue reading A guidebook to a fault
“Worst Places” book sparks a furor
Dave Gilmartin has caused quite a stir across the country. He's published a book, "The Absolutely Worst Places to Live in America," which lists 80 U.S. cities were recommended (or derided) by readers. Quite a few of those cities are none too happy about it, either. Five cities on Route 66 made the "worst" list: … Continue reading “Worst Places” book sparks a furor
66 Drive-In included in theater travel guide
The 66 Drive-In on old Route 66 in Carthage, Mo., is one of more than 60 historic theaters listed in the book, "Cinemental Journeys," by Mike and Vicki Walker. The book is a travel guide to classic movie theaters in Missouri, Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska. The photo of the 66 Drive-In seen above is from … Continue reading 66 Drive-In included in theater travel guide
Author writes novel on Route 66 comedy circuit
Ronn Perea once booked comedy shows along Route 66 in New Mexico, including Albuquerque, during the 1980s and '90s. Now Perea has written a historical novel about those times, titled "Smiles, Giggles & Laughs," reports the Albuquerque Tribune. Incidents in the novel - such as the time Greco and a Camaro full of comics get … Continue reading Author writes novel on Route 66 comedy circuit
City-owned buffalo?
Yep. The herd of bison are owned by the Route 66 town of El Reno, Okla. The city wants a local American Indian tribe to place the herd on its land, according to a report in the Associated Press. A little factoid about the El Reno buffalo that I didn't know: The bison are descendants … Continue reading City-owned buffalo?
Get your kitsch
Helped by Brian and Sarah Butko and their 2005 book "Roadside Giants," USA Today lists the top 10 oversized roadside icons in America. One of them is the Gemini Giant, which is part of the Launching Pad Drive-In restaurant on Route 66 in Wilmington, Ill. Also, just a few miles from Route 66 in Inglewood, … Continue reading Get your kitsch