FOUND

By: Bree Loewen Publisher: Mountaineers Books
Found: A Life in Mountain Rescue is a new adventure narrative from local author, alpinist, and Seattle Mountain Rescue volunteer Bree Loewen. Seattle readers will appreciate this placed-based book as they ramp up their outdoor activities and it makes a nice companion in a backpack or summer road trip. Each chapter of Found is centered around a rescue (or recovery) involving Bree’s search and rescue crew and interlaced with her personal reflections on life—her life and life in general. Readers will recognize many of the locations and terrain of the I-90 corridor where her stories take place –Snoqualmie Falls, Little Si, Chair Peak near Alpental, Rattlesnake Ledge, and others. A highly competent female search and rescue leader in a traditionally male field, Bree writes with an honest and thoughtful voice — at times laced with dark humor — about intense situations, the bonding with fellow volunteers, as well as the raw beauty of wilderness landscapes.

A BRIDGE NAMED SUSAN

By: Sharon Chase Hoseley Publisher: Xlibirs

In “A Bridge Named Susan,” Hoseley tells her mother’s story, connected by family bridges. Susan left the relationship of a distant mother, only to marry an even more distant man and work partner, during the worst economic downturn in the history of the industrialized world.

“My mother was a great storyteller,” Hoseley said. “I was fascinated by the hard times she experienced in the first thirty years of her life. The other two-thirds of her life held no clue as to what she had lived through.”

For the past 17 years, Hoseley has written, directed and produced children’s plays. She has gained recognition in several writing contests and published another book, “Jesus, Lord of My Seasons – Hard Places,” in 2014.

“I want this story to reach the multitudes that want to give up and escape because life is too hard,” Hoseley said. “Everyone can find their courage and strength if they have faith.”

DISCOVERING SEATTLE PARKS

By: Linnea Westerlind Publisher: Mountaineers Books

Linnea has visited each of Seattle’s 426 city parks, an effort which she documented on her blog, YearofSeattleParks.com. The new guidebook is based on Westerlind’s blog, but for this book, she has revisited and further researched every single park she describes, and now includes even more detailed information and descriptions on more than 110 parks.

TAKE A WALK: SEATTLE, 4th EDITION

By: Sue Muller Hacking Publisher: Sasquatch Books

Spring is here! Pacific Northwesterners no longer have an excuse to stay inside; it’s time to get outside in search of a rare glimpse of sun, or just some stress-free adventuring. Rain or shine, Take a Walk: Seattle offers an abundance of walks within easy reach of Seattle and its surrounding cities. It also features gorgeous scenery that can be found right here at home. This is a classic guide to the Puget Sound area, and the 4^th edition has been updated and expanded to include all the best walks. Readers looking for some outdoor inspiration are in good hands.

• Ravenna Park, Seattle: peaceful walk through a stream-cut ravine that blocks out the noise of the city and showcases native plants
• Jennings Memorial and Nature Parks, Everett: gentle walk through twin parks with lots of activities for kids, wetland animals, and a meditation garden
• Ardmore Park, Bellevue: short walk in a mini wetland area with wide trails, bridges, streams, and a lawn good for picnics
• Seahurst Park, Burien: variable intensity walk through forest and along the beach in a microcosm of the Pacific Northwest habitat, complete with beach crabs