www.parksidebooks.com

Store Events in November

.    Wednesday, November 11, 10:00 a.m. The Morning Book Club

(discussing: Shoot the Moon by Billie Letts)

Saturday, November 21, 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Book Signing

with Local Author, Marie Wakefield

Happy Thanksgiving        

It hardly seems possible that we are entering another Holiday Season.  This year has been flying by and we’ve enjoyed being with all of you through out the year. 

We are starting our Holiday Sale the day after Thanksgiving, this year.

November 27^th  to December 31

All used books will be on sale at 50% off.  (No store credit will be used during the sale period.)

Journals and Book Marks will be 25% off.

November Book Signing Event

Local author Marie Wakefield will be holding a book signing of her book, Dodging Her Chariot, on Saturday, November 21st from 1:00-3:00pm   call 224-9082 for more info 

Dodging Her Chariot

Reviewed by Linda Carrell, Parkside Writers Group

Marie Wakefield’s memoir of growing up during the late 1950’s and ‘60’s might have been a joyful journey filled with entertainingly quirky characters. The book describes her relationship with her parents, brothers and sisters, grandparents, aunts and uncles. What could be more endearing? But instead of a light hearted romp, Dodging Her Chariot quickly reveals itself to be a dark story of betrayal. The term “dysfunctional” offers only a hint of life in the household.

Short chapters carry the reader on a hectic journey that bounces between hope and despair. Much of Wakefield’s narrative is set in Missouri, although the central characters slingshot around the country, always one step ahead of the rent collector. One brief portion of the story takes place in Germany and these scenes are some of the author’s best descriptive accounts.

At its heart, Dodging Her Chariot is a story about survival, and, if not quite forgiveness, at least understanding. What Wakefield makes most clear is that things are not always what they seem, even in the family next door.

Cartiful Publishing

206 pages

The Pilgrims’ Menu

Foods that may have been on the Menu

Seafood: Cod, Eel, Clams, Lobster

Wild Fowl: Wild Turkey, Goose, Duck, Crane, Swan, Partridge, Eagles
Meat: Venison, Seal
Grain: Wheat Flour, Indian Corn
Vegetables: Pumpkin, Peas, Beans, Onions, Lettuce, Radishes, Carrots
Fruit: Plums, Grapes
Nuts: Walnuts, Chestnuts, Acorns
Herbs and Seasonings: Olive Oil, Liverwort, Leeks, Dried Currants, Parsnips

What Was Not on the Menu

Surprisingly, the following foods, all considered staples of the modern Thanksgiving meal, didn't appear on the pilgrims’ first feast table:

Ham: There is no evidence that the colonists had butchered a pig by this time, though they had brought pigs with them from England.
Sweet Potatoes/Potatoes: These were not common.
Corn on the Cob: Corn was kept dried out at this time of year.
Cranberry Sauce: The colonists had cranberries but no sugar at this time.
Pumpkin Pie: It's not a recipe that exists at this point, though the pilgrims had recipes for stewed pumpkin.
Chicken/Eggs: We know that the colonists brought hens with them from England, but it's unknown how many they had left at this point or whether the hens were still laying.
Milk: No cows had been aboard the Mayflower, though it's possible that the colonists used goat milk to make cheese.

Source: Kathleen Curtin, Food Historian at Plymouth Plantation.