I'd like to share my favorite local reads that take place close to home. Enjoy!
Shucked by Erin Murray
Erin Murray shares her experience of spending a year on an oyster farm in Duxbury, Mass. I attended a lecture through the Boston Center for Adult Education on oysters. The class was taught by Erin Murray herself and the founder of Island Creek Oysters, Skip. I learned how to shuck an oyster, the amount of work/pain/care that goes into farming oysters, some great oyster recipes, the history behind Island Creek Oysters, and walked away with a signed copy of her book. Shucked is a light read that is filled with local adventures and some excellent recipes. After reading this book one of two things will happen: you will either want to quit your corperate job and go work on a farm of some sort or be thankful for your warm cozy office. Either way you will appreciate oysters. On a side note Skip the founder is a character. Likeable, soft spoken, has interesting stories, and just one of those people that would fun to have a few beers with. Support your local oyster farms!
Finding Freddy by Paula Munier
Finding Freddie is a loving story for all of you dog lovers out there. A single mom living in Plymouth shares her experience of bringing Freddie the beagle into her and her son Mikey’s lives. This memoir will make you laugh out loud and warm your heart. It is Freddie versus Paula and usually Freddie is in the lead thanks to chewed shoes, destroyed furniture, and horrified guests.
The Big House -by George Colt
The Big House takes you on a trip down memory lane to a large Cape Cod family house that is withering away. The house is set along the Cape Cod coast and has been a local landmark for years. I think it takes place somewhere in the Pocasset area of Cape Cod. Don’t quote me on that I may have just made that up in my imagination but it’s a possibility based on the descriptions. What was once a picture perfect summer home is now looking run down, is expensive to maintain, weathered, and overall has seen better days. It was the home to many summer days, childhood memories, weddings, parties, and family gatherings for many years. The author’s family grows older, family members drift apart, personal priorities change, and the author is left to say her goodbyes to her childhood summer home and friend.
You can drive anyplace in New England and see this type of home. You can be driving along the tucked away coast over the Bourne Bridge or on one of the Cliffs in Scituate and you will see “The Big House”. It’s a house that was once beautiful that now looks neglected. When I see one of these houses I always imagine in my mind what it’s story is. Every house has a story. I refer to these homes as “time capsules”.
The Secret Lives of Lobsters- by Trevor Corson
After reading this book I promise that you will have a different perspective on lobsters and the seafood industry. I went to see the author talk about this book at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Center several years back. After listening to the author’s lecture and reading the book I was amazed at how complicated these tasty crustaceans are. Lobsters have dating drama too! There is more to these crustaceans than just melted butter and a good appetite. The book is scientific, humorous, and overall fascinating.
P-town: Art, Sex, and Money on the Outer Cape-by Peter Manso
As a kid I spent many summers with my family in the Provincetown area. As you can imagine I grew up open minded. My cousin and her partner now own a store in Provincetown so I try to still get down there a few times a year to visit. Provincetown has always been a special place to me. I love the art galleries, shops, beautiful beaches, and like feeling like I am on the tip of Massachusetts………because I am. Provincetown is also dog friendly which means I can bring my dog into shops and to his favorite place; the beach! There is so much beauty and eccentricity in this town, which is the home and getaway to many walks of life.
This book captures how Provincetown has evolved from small Portuguese fishing village to a gay centered getaway and community. This book brings out a cast of characters that make up Provincetown’s personality. The big, the beautiful, the political, the bad, and the sometimes ugly. You don’t have to like or be into Provincetown to enjoy this book. It is an interesting book whether or not you love the place or not.
Barefoot- by Elin Hilderbrand
There is nothing I like more on the beach than a scandalous fictional beach read that takes place in Nantucket. This book is a light read that you will have a hard time putting down. I have never been to Nantucket but felt the author did a great job with her detailed language making me feel as if I was there. Nantucket has become a far away fantasy for me. It is so close yet so far away…... oh yeah and bloody expensive. (I keep my eye out on groupons, online deals, etc sending them to my husband for ideas on Nantucket getaways but they have been ignored. Perhaps they went into his spam folder by mistake. Or maybe he already purchased them and is waiting to surprise me….lol) Anyway….back to the book.
This book reminds me all of what is most important to me in life, family. As we all know life is unpredictable so we have to do our best to make sure that we are in the "now" moment. Each character embodied a trait in all of us women. There are moments of motherhood, friendship, greed, cheating, cancer, love, life, and death represented by the characters in this book. I don’t agree with the decisions that were made by some of the characters. However, overall, the book definitely contained life lessons that I hope readers out there will take and apply to their own lives. The book is light, captivating, and fun.
Happy Local Reading!
