New England Books and Authors

Photo: elizabethstrout.com 291 pages, published by Random House , ©2022 It hasn’t been an easy life for Lucy Barton, and it’s about to get harder. Lucy lives alone in New York City. She is a novelist, a single woman with two grown daughters, and the main character of the novel “Lucy by the Sea” by Elizabeth Strout. Lucy loves her girls dearly, and she doesn’t want them going through what she had to endure during her childhood: grinding poverty and an apathetic mother. Adulthood hasn’t been easier her ex-husband, William, had cheated on her and ultimately left her for the woman he cheated on her with. Spring is coming to New York, but so is a virus that is afflicting otherwise healthy people and killing many. William, a parasitologist, is familiar with the virus in ways laypeople cannot comprehend. He convinces his daughters to leave the city. As far as Lucy goes, William has plans for her to join him in a rented house in the town of Shirley, Maine .  Lucy is apprehensive about leav...

Photo: bu.edu 249 pages, published by Rowman & Littlefield , ©2024 The Boston Celtics are the defending NBA Champions and currently the number 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. It's an exciting time for fans of the Green, as they watch the C's defend their title and try to win back-to-back championships for the first time since 1966. It's a great time for the Celtics and their fans. It hasn't always been this way. Older fans remember the lean years of the 1990's heading into the 2000's, the years that followed the heady days of the 1980's when Boston won three titles in six years, and almost had a fourth banner to add to the rafters in that time. For Celtics fans who remember watching games in an outdated Boston Garden complete with rats and a lack of air conditioning, Thomas J. Whalen has penned a book about the 1983-84 Boston Celtics. His book is titled "Dynasty Restored: How Larry Bird and the 1984 Boston Celtics Conquered the NBA and Changed B...

photo: emkellythrillers.com 396 pages, published by Great Blue Hill Publishing, ©2024 In the town of Stoughton, Massachusetts , Colton Baker is ready for his first day as a detective. That first day will include a call to investigate a dead body at the train station. It will turn out to be the first of many victims of a serial killer, and it's just one of the tasks Baker is faced with in E.M. Kelly's "Murder by Symbols". Victims and Their Clues Throughout the book, the new detective takes on challenges at work and at home. The body at the train station becomes another case file added to a pile Baker was hoping to whittle down in his new position. It's not going to get any easier for him as more victims are found around town. The victims have coins over their eyes, coins from the time of the American Revolution. What is the significance of the coins, and do they have any connection with the symbols tattooed to the victims' foreheads? Speaking of the tattoos, th...

"Deckhouse: My Story" by Donat LeBlanc 111 pages, published by AuthorHouse , ©2020 Veterans are returning to civilian life every day. The transition is smoother for some than it is for others. Men and women who have seen combat carry physical and emotional scars with them, and not all scars heal easily. There have been many stories about the Vietnam War and what happened to those who came home after they served. Stories about returning home included protests. Some stories include a difficult return to civilian life. Stories and movies tell of battles being fought on the other side of the world and the battles fought when they return home. Deckhouse In his book, "Deckhouse: My Story" , retired marine Donat LeBlanc recalls his time serving in the United States Marine Corps during the Vietnam War. LeBlanc enlisted in the Marines after graduating high school and served in the Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 363. LeBlanc was shot during a mission, and the injuries he ...

"Forgotten Drinks of Colonial New England" 126 pages, Published by American Palate , © 2014 People have enjoyed imbibing longer than history has been recorded. When the settlers came to America, they brought beer, cider, and rum to be enjoyed. Bowls of punch were served at meetings and balls. Taverns had a wide variety of drinks travelers and locals could sip and enjoy while reading the latest mail and newspapers. The days of colonial America are fascinating to history buffs everywhere, but have you ever wondered about what was being served in the rooms where politics were being debated, and taxes weren't being paid? Corin Hirsch takes a peek at what was on the beverage menu in those days with her book "Forgotten Drinks of Colonial America" . "Forgotten Drinks" combines the best of both worlds with its chronicling of American history and a list of alcoholic recipes for the history buff and beverage connoisseur. Relive the days when the fastest news tr...

photo: maureenboylewriter.com 282 pages; published by ForeEdge Books , ©2017 In 1988, nine women were murdered in New Bedford. Their bodies were disposed along the highway surrounding the town. As the bodies were discovered one-by-one, local and state police worked together to identify the bodies and bring the killer, or killers, to justice. Were these murders connected? That's just one of the questions waiting to be answered in Maureen Boyle's "Shallow Graves" . Boyle, who is known for her compelling true-crime novels set in Massachusetts, tackles the murders that captivated the city of New Bedford. The year 1988 was an eventful one for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Its governor, Michael Dukakis had secured the Democratic nomination in the Presidential election , and the Boston Red Sox won the division title after sitting in fifth place at the All-Star Break. There were many reasons for Bay State residents to feel excited. The excitement in the former whaling...