New England Books and Authors

178 pages; Published by Harcourt, Incorporated ©2001 There are many things we use everyday that we take for granted. We don't think about how they came to be, who came up for the idea, or how people survived or accomplished their work before the invention/discovery. Amir D. Aczel's "The Riddle of the Compass" sheds light on an instrument that proved vital to trade, navigation, and other maritime duties. "Compass" begins in the Bronze Age and immediately challenges the long-held notion that ancient sailors and navigators never let the coast out of their sights for fear of becoming lost at sea. Instead, sailors ventured far from terra firma with the aid of large statues, lighthouses, and even hiring out local fishermen whose knowledge of the waters due to their daily work proved invaluable. As time went on, ships' captains were able to sail the seas on their own with help from a little gadget that helped in big ways. A simple device that today is a basic ...

492 pages; Published by Zenith Publishing ©2021 It’s the 1770’s in Massachusetts, and Tories and Whigs alike are trying to go about their daily life on the eve of the American Revolution despite the constant threat of that life being upended by the tensions between the colonials and the British soldiers who have been sent to nearby Boston to keep the peace.  For young Annalisa Howlett, life is difficult enough at her home in Topsfield without the brewing trouble with the British. Annalisa would rather ride horses and drink cider than wear dresses and learn womanly duties. Society’s expectations keep her at home learning French and keeping house. Annalisa sneaks off to shoot a musket whenever she can and even takes that musket to a neighboring town, disguised as a man, to join its militia.  It’s not the only time she sneaks out, though. Another episode puts her in the middle of a confrontation between British soldiers and colonists on a fateful March night that would become kn...

233 pages; Published by Triumph Books ©2019 “If These Walls Could Talk” by Jerry Remy and Nick Cafardo is an all-encompassing look at the professional and personal life of Remy, a former second baseman for the Boston Red Sox and California Angels who went on to be a color analyst for the Red Sox games on television. It covers his career as a player and a broadcaster and gives you a behind-the-scenes look at his life outside of baseball, including how he met his wife, Phoebe, and what a major league baseball player does during the offseason. Professionally speaking, Remy talks about the different play-by-play announcers he worked with during his 33 years in the broadcast booth and how his time as a player helped him as a television analyst, especially when it came to talking to the players. “ITWCT” follows Remy’s life from a player to a color commentator to being a cancer patient. Every chapter of the book takes you through a different chapter in Remy’s life. Remy talks about his strug...

263 pages; Published by Jean M. Roberts © 2018 I narrated the audiobook version of this work, so I get paid if you purchase it. Tales of arriving in a new land are numerous. History books tell students of all ages about people who left everything behind in order to make a better life for themselves and their family. The dangers they encountered were both exciting and harrowing. For people like Hugh Parsons, the dangers came from the wild of an untamed land and the very community he lived in. "Weave a Web of Witchcraft" by Jean M. Roberts details the struggles of a man who is forced to learn a trade despite wanting to farm and live off the land. After learning his trade, Parsons travels to the New World in hopes of better opportunities, only to find himself accused of witchcraft by his own family. Roberts' book begins in the 1630's. Parsons is working on his family's farm when his father informs him an apprenticeship has been arranged with a local brickmaker. Despi...

416 pages; Published by Simon & Schuster ©2014 Anyone who knows guitars knows Joe Perry . The slender, string-bending virtuoso who was born and raised in Massachusetts has stories to tell from his life on the road, in the studio and all the places in between. It's a safe bet to say the number of stories equals the number of songs written in and out of Aerosmith, his best known sample of work. Perry teamed up with writer David Ritz to write "Rocks: My Life in and out of Aerosmith". Perry's effort gives him a chance to tell his side of things alone, unlike 1997's "Walk this Way" which told of the band's history with input from all of the band's original members. The book's title takes its name from Aerosmith's fourth studio release, considered by many to be one of the best offerings from their catalogue, if not the best. Perry begins his tale in New Hampshire where a story takes the reader into the water. It's an episode he barely...