Jane Kirkpatrick of Moro is back with her 12th book, the final volume in her “Tender Ties” trilogy about Marie Dorion. It’s “Hold Tight the Thread” (WaterBook Press, 408 pages, soft cover, $14.99), and will be available in bookstores April 20.

Dorion crossed the Rockies with the first far expedition after Lewis and Clark. Newly settled in French Prairie in the Oregon Territory, Marie strives to meet the needs of conflict-ridden neighbors. At the same time, her own family is unraveling.

The first two books in the trilogy have won widespread recognition – finalist for Oregon Book Awards, Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association best seller list, BookSense 76 National List, and selected for several book clubs.

Kirkpatrick has claimed many honors with her stories. This latest effort seems to fall right in place with the message: “Unconditional love can shed light on even the darkest places in the heart.”

An untiring promoter, Kirkpatrick seems to effortlessly spin her intriguing tales. But anyone who writes knows that creating stories is very hard work. Kirkpatrick focuses on “the timeless themes of courage, hardiness, faith, commitment, hope and love,” says the publisher, a division of Random House.

Gorge road

The first paved road to leave a west coast city, the 73-mile Columbia River Gorge Highway is in many ways a work of art. It wins recognition again in the new fourth edition of Samuel C. Lancaster’s “The Columbia-America’s Great Highway” (Schiffer Publishing, 160 pages, soft cover, $12.95).

Lancaster designed and built this highway.

The book is filled with historic color plates that show not just the scenery in the Gorge but colorful related objects from American Indian life. It includes a brief account of Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce. The last edition of this book was printed in 1926. We’re fortunate to have this new offering.

Portland poet Walt Curds in a new introduction tells us that when the road was opened in June 1916 during the Portland Rose Festival, a London newspaper dubbed it “the king of roads.”

“For the first time in history it is possible to drive a wagon from the wheat fields of Eastern Oregon through the Cascade Mountains to the sea…”

Plant reference

Western gardeners with questions about plant availability can find answers in “The Plant Locator – Western Region” (Timber Press, 752 pages, soft cover, $19.95).

Compilers Susan Hill and Susan Narizny list more than 50,000 plants and where to find them. The book catalogs 336 nurseries.

No gardener need ever again look at a pretty picture in a book or magazine and wonder, “Where do I find that plant?”