The Left Coast Crime Mystery Conference in Monterey promises a good time for anyone who likes to read. Karen Keskinen – author of “Blood Orange” – shared her Santa Barbara story with me over breakfast at Rosine’s, and many more are on the agenda including Sue Grafton and Louise Penny. The conference registration quick-starts anyone who has run out of books with a tote full of free paperbacks and a room full of books to swap.

The sessions are scheduled for later, but the day started with a French bakery that boasts homemade croissants and a peek in the window of The Old Monterey Book Company, a used bookstore that will draw me back when it opens this afternoon.