It’s that time of year again. summer has arrived in the Golden Isles and its heat often brings a change in the pace of life. For the most part, lives slow down a bit, even if just for the week or two that we get to take a vacation. And what does everyone see themselves doing with this spare …

Summer is almost here, and I decree it is time to start thinking of ice-cold, heat-beating cocktails. Oh sure, you can ice down a six-pack ... nothing wrong with that. But, I’m thinking maybe a few slightly more creative concoctions to whip up when those inevitable island guests arrive.

It may be hard to believe, but Rachel Khong’s novel, “Goodbye, Vitamin” (Henry Holt) is a heartwarming book about Alzheimer’s. It’s narrated by Ruth Young, a willful 30-year-old sonographer who, after being jilted by her erstwhile fiancé, moves back home to a Los Angeles suburb to help care …

“The Salt Path” (Penguin) is a book that beautifully illustrates how lemons can be turned into lemonade. The author, Raynor Winn, starts her story in the dark interior of a crowded closet, and ends it in brilliant sunlight on a cliff above the sea. Together, the beginning and ending scenes a…

A beautiful garden can be done on a budget. It might mean that you will have to forego hiring that garden designer or landscaping company, but simple observation of the gardens you like can provide ideas of design and some choices of landscape material that do well in our coastal climate. If…

I have had the unique opportunity to lend my eyes and expertise on various landscapes throughout the coastal barrier islands of Glynn over the last few weeks. Basically, I was searching for common disease, insect and nutritional issues and the plants most susceptible to the problems. It didn…

There are a number of wonderful novels that depict the lives of real people. In the past decade this trend, referred to as “bio-fiction,” has produced subjects that are often women whose stories have been dwarfed by the more famous men they loved and lived with: Frank Lloyd Wright’s wife, He…

One of the many joys of gardening is the learning experience. Almost 40 years ago, I chose a major in college that would steer my life along a path that would always involve the outdoors, and I have never regretted that decision. Mother Nature is a powerful and interesting educator offering …

Many writers can capture the feeling of the outdoors in their books, but some are better at it than others. Jon Krakauer (“Into Thin Air,” “Into the Wild”) is amazing in his descriptions of wilderness, and so is Delia Owens, whose recent book, “Where the Crawdads Sing,” paints the coastal lo…

By MARY STARR

The newly released book, “Daisy Jones & The Six” (Ballantine), will take you back to another time and place. The time is during the pop culture Golden Age of the 1960s and 1970s; the place is the sun-drenched state of California. The author, Taylor Jenkins Reid, is a bestselling novelist…

Lucille Ball once said “Life takes guts,” and, since March celebrates women’s history, I’d like to recommend a few books about women with — excuse the crudeness — guts galore. The first is about a relatively little known French Resistance fighter named Odette Sansom (1912-1995). “Code Name: …