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Mass Caterer Feeds the Homeless with their Favorite Recipes

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Matt Robinson, an author based in Belmont, MA, will be at the Boston Public Market on Thursday, October 23 at 6:00 P.M. Robinson will interview Jeanie Gruber. Gruber is the author of the WISHDISH cookbook and owner of Miss Jeanies Catering and Events Co. and founder of the non-profit WISHDISH Project. The interview is part of "Cookbook Chats" a series in Robinson's "The Writer's Block" where he interviews local authors about their current and past works. In this latest talk, he showcases Gruber's "WISHDISH Boston". This collection of recipes comes from members of the homeless community Gruber has interviewed. "By engaging in this dialog and and asking the simple question of, 'what is your favorite food memory dish,' we hoe that we can bring the comfort of home to each of our participants," the WISHDISH website states. "Through this, we celebrate regional culture and heritage, sharing meals and stories that both tug at...

Easton Poet to Sign Copies of New Book

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Barry Eneh will be at Paperback Junction in Easton, MA on Saturday, October 18 to sign copies of his book "Pulse of Becoming: The Path of Infinite Transformation". Eneh's book is a collection of poems that focus on personal growth. The book signing is part of Paperback Junction's efforts to spotlight local authors. Eneh is a mental health advocate who has written his book in hopes of, "guiding you toward the infinite horizon of your becoming," as stated on the book's back cover.  He will be at the store, located on 619 Washington Street from 1-3. "Pulse of Becoming" is his first written work. When he is not writing, Enehe is working in the VA Boston Healthcare System overseeing spiritual care for patients and everyday operations. He earned his Doctorate in Philosophy, Health Services/Health Care Administration from Walden University. Paperback Junction is owned by Denis Donoghue, who re-opened the popular shop last summer.

Book Review: "The Deadly Garden" by Robin Stephanie

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363 pages, published by Primedia eLaunch, LLC, ©2025 Driftwood Cove is a small town in Massachusetts. Like other small towns, Driftwood Cove's residents can be prone to a little gossip. It's an all-too familiar occurrence for Violet Primrose, whose garden is the talk of the town in Robin Stephanie's "The Deadly Garden" . Gardening is just one of Violet's jobs in Stephanie's book. Her garden yields herbs used to make salves that are sold in the local shops. Some of the herbs, like belladonna, are safe when used sparingly. If too much is used, the consequences could be deadly. Unfortunately for Violet, the residents of Driftwood Cove don't realize some plants can be safe if they are used in the right way. People's misunderstanding of Violet and her plants intensifies when her friend, Dorian Drake, is poisoned to death. The town turns on Violet for murdering Dorian, a popular local artist. Violet must now face swirling rumors around town, a murder in...

"The Boston Massacre: A Family History" by Serena Zabin

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296 pages, published by  Houghton Mifflin Harcourt , ©2020 The Boston Massacre. Americans, especially those in Boston have heard the story of that March night where colonists were harassing and shouting at British soldiers. After moments of hurling insults and objects at the regulars, shots were fired into the crowd, killing five men and wounding six. The event is discussed as early as elementary school, and millions of people have seen the engraving  that shows British troops firing on an innocent, unarmed crowd of civilians. The Boston Massacre. What Really Happened? Over the centuries, there have been new facts and information as to what perpetrated the event. Colonists, especially The Sons of Liberty wasted no time in framing propaganda for their narrative. We have learned of shouting, hurling objects into the air, and ultimately firing into a crowd of people hurling objects and insults at the unwelcome British soldiers. What a lot of people don't realize is that the Briti...

"In the Shadow of Salem" by Richard Hite

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281 pages, published by  Westholme Publishing , ©2018 While the witch hysteria in Salem was playing on everyone's fears and superstitions at the time, a lesser-known mania was taking place in another town close by. Andover, Massachusetts was a small town under the protection of the English Crown. Founded in 1646, the town was founded by residents of nearby Ipswich and Newbury. Andover was a relatively quiet town King Phillip's War put settlers on edge. There was another period of unrest that plagued the residents of the town. This time the threat was supernatural. While many throughout the United States and the rest of the world are familiar with the Salem Witch Trials, there are a lot of people who don't know of a similar infamous event in nearby Andover. In the summer of 1692, Elizabeth Ballard fell ill and showed no signs of recovering. At the behest of neighbors, Elizabeth's husband Joseph called on the girls of Salem who had been victims of witchcraft's curse ...

"The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey" by Rinker Buck

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450 pages, published by  Simon & Schuster , ©2015 People are familiar with the Oregon Trail . A lot of adults were introduced to it by a computer game in elementary school. History buffs have studied the 2,100-mile route that started in Missouri and ended in Portland, Oregon. We are all familiar with the route and the dangers that came with it. Today, the wagon trails are replaced by the asphalt-laden state roads and interstate highways. High-speed vehicles are the norm today on the old trail, but there was a covered wagon that retraced the routes taken by the intrepid pioneers of the 1840's. If you missed it, you can read about it in Rinker Buck's "The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey". Buck's book begins with stories of growing up in New Jersey. His father collected a myriad of old vehicles. One summer, he announced to his wife and eleven children the family was going to travel by wagon to Pennsylvania. "It would be a combined camping and coaching e...

"Dead Things are Closer than They Appear" by Robin Wasley

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416 pages, published by Simon & Schuster , ©2024 Llwellyn is a town with a lot to offer. The small-town charm combined with its history and ghosts make it a popular tourist destination. That's right. Ghosts. The town of Llwellyn, or "Wellsie", as it is referred to by the locals, rests on a fault line. It's not a fault line like California that produces sometimes devastating earthquakes. If it was, the Wellsie's residents would take that in a heartbeat. Magic Under the Fault Line Wellsie's fault line protects locals and tourists from magic, a powerful, dangerous type of magic. Sid Spencer is a guardian, one of the people who is responsible for keeping the magic at bay so the unsuspecting tourists can visit quaint Wellsie and be none the wiser about the dangers that lie beneath the charming surface. The problem is Sid doesn't know she's a guardian. She is an awkward teenager who works at Lulu's, the local coffee shop. Sid's job involves servi...