There’s a wide range of choices for different tastes and ages in this new winter batch of newly released books. One remembers a childhood decades ago, another now has growing-up lessons for children.

Two new series are represented, one with a tale set around the food industry and a supermarket family; a second defines another series of mysterious actions at Wellfleet. There’s a book of poetry that was revealed after two high school classmates reunited after decades, and a book that shows how determination helped a local man walk again. See what catches your eye:

“A Boy Called Tommy: Growing Up in Sudbury”, by Tom Brewer (2021, independently published)

Brewer, a self-described ‘washashore’, moved to East Falmouth three years ago, although he visited several times and then vacationed every year until his retirement. His memoir recalls what it was like growing up on a farm in a small country town in the 1950s and 1960s and what he calls “the freedom of those days.” It was, he says, “a time when kids could roam all over town without fear of getting into major trouble. At that time, we all took care of each other and were welcome to come into anyone’s house. …We cycled carefree around the world, all over town and even on train tracks. The heartbreaking part of the story is that he grew up in a foster home situation, with his mother working away and only visiting him occasionally. Brewer says he felt like he grew up without a mother or father figure; his father had died during World War II.

Coming soon:‘The Owl Is Like Me’: Sandwich Mom’s Book Represents Kids With ‘Differences’

“Strike,” by Daniel Harris (2021, Page Publishing Inc.)

“Strike” is the final installment in Harris’ trilogy focusing on 30-year food industry veteran Russell Riley, following “Checked Out” and “Blood Feud.” Harris, a part-time Mashpee resident whose family owned the Coonamessett and Popponessett inns, tells the story as Riley, CEO of Food Basket stores, is offered the chance to buy Galetti supermarkets. The Galetti family’s food wars saga continues as this new situation is complicated by visits from old friends, a tenacious reporter, a workers’ strike and the Governor and Attorney General of Massachusetts who seek Riley for answers to a crisis. economic. Additionally, there are two killings of people related to the escalating situation.

“Sidelong Glances”, by Dennis Rivard (2021, Wrinkled Sea Press)

The story behind this book of poetry is as much about the publisher as the author. In high school, Orléanais Gerry Grenier said he was “stunned” by a poem Rivard wrote in his 1971 yearbook. Enough, in fact, that Grenier had read the poem which presented a dystopian vision of Christmas in every season parties for 50 years and shared it widely. When Grenier retired in December 2020, he tried to find out what happened to Rivard, a member of the “cool crowd”. Grenier found Rivard in an assisted living facility in White River Junction, Vermont, diagnosed with pre-Alzheimer’s disease. They exchanged life stories and Rivard showed Grenier 700 poems he had written during his lifetime. This inspired Grenier to found Crumpled sea pressat his Cape Town home, and worked with South Dartmouth poet Paul Cordeiro to select 100 poems for this book.

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“I Wiggled My Toes…Hallelujah!: An Unplanned Journey of Recovery After Brain Surgery,” by Joseph C. Salvo (2021, Westbow Press)

Salvo, who lives in Mashpee, underwent surgery in March 1999 to remove a brain tumor the size of an orange. After a 12-hour operation, he said, he was totally paralyzed on the left side of his body and partially paralyzed on the right side. Medical staff told him he could hope to use a walker while on the road, but it would be the most mobility he would have. This book is the story of how he beat those odds, coming out of a rehab home three and a half weeks later after “working every bit of it” to walk. Salvo hopes his story can inspire others in a similar situation, and also says he’s ready to talk or meet anyone who needs help.

“A Day of Surprises”, by Auralie Catherine Currier (2021, independently published)

Currier, who grew up in Wellfleet, now works as a clinical oncology nurse/oncology nurse practitioner and says she has “a passion for prevention, survival and healing”. She says she wrote this first children’s book in the hopes “to inspire young children and their parents to live healthy lives, from an early age.” In the book, young Haley and Matthew live on a farm and are surprised when they are asked to look after their aunt’s puppy while she recovers from an illness in the hospital. They not only learn how to take care of the puppy, but also how to stay healthy and strong. Currier includes a worksheet at the end to help kids brainstorm their good, best, and best health habits, including healthy food, exercise, and sleep. The book is ideal for ages 1 to 7, but Currier says ages 27 to 107 would also enjoy it.

A lot of choices :Cold Weather Reading: 5 New Books From Cape Cod Authors

And a sequel (well, two)

“Searching for Icebergs” and “Letters from Santa: Be the Right Spark”, by James P. Holmes (2021 and 2022, published independently)

In August, I described Holmes of East Falmouth as a prolific author because he’d released three books in 2021. But he wasn’t done — he’s since released two sequels. ‘Searching For Icebergs’ is the second book in The Mailbox Mystery series and finds hero Jack Harrington, back in Wellfleet after a tour of Afghanistan, wanted for the skills he has acquired in military intelligence. Jack discovers what is described as “an ugly reality that has tentacles stretching all over the world”. Holmes also recently submitted for publication “Be the Right Spark”, the sequel “Letters to Santa” to his book about a Wellfleet girl who asks Santa not to visit her for fear of spreading COVID-19, and l effort to prove that Christmas magic is stronger than the pandemic. Look for this vacation-focused suite soon.

Are you a Cape Cod author with a new book? Contact Kathi Scrizzi Driscoll at [email protected] to be considered for future book columns.