Journalist/filmmaker Jose Antonio Vargas was 12 years old when his mother sent him from the Philippines to live with his grandparents in California, where she would hopefully join him soon thereafter. Adjusting to life in the United States was enough of a challenge by itself, but the stakes became much higher when Vargas discovered, while applying for a driver's license at age 16, that he was an undocumented immigrant. That revelation sent Vargas on a path where he was forced to hide basic elements of himself from almost everyone around him while trying to figure out where he existed in... Read more →

Hi everyone, Welcome back! How are you? Hope you're able to enjoy the long weekend. I had a pretty productive day on Sunday, especially considering how badly I slept. Got some exercise, did some errands, and then spent most of the afternoon/early evening in the garden alternating between weeding and reading. It was everything I could ask for out of the day, really. However, my back issues flared up again at the end of the night, and long story short, I was up at 4:45 this morning. I let BDH and Little Buddha sleep until the alarm went off, though.... Read more →

Don't know about you, but the new season of Doctor Who is starting to feel like it will never arrive. Even if we get a Christmas or New Year's special first, that's still months away. What's a fan to do? Fortunately, there's a new Doctor Who graphic novel to check out: Doctor Who The Thirteenth Doctor Volume 2 just hit the stands, so at least we can read about the Doctor's latest adventures with Graham, Yaz, and Rian. This collection picks up a few weeks after Volume 1, where the Doctor and fam helped rescue a pair of scientists. #13... Read more →

As is true for so many fans of the show, Tom Baker was our introduction to Doctor Who. The eccentric man with the booming voice, amazing curls, and trademark scarf provided the template for how we saw the Doctor. To some extent, everyone who came after has been measured against the 4th Doctor. We would sit mesmerized in front of the television for each of his adventures, and now some almost 40 years since he left the show, he's done it to us again. This time, wee were glued to the new book: Doctor Who: Scratchman. The story was originally... Read more →

I don't feel like I discovered Doctor Jennifer Ashton's new book, Life After Suicide: Finding Courage, Comfort & Community, by accident. Our story starts with the fact that the 5 1/2 year anniversary of my mom's suicide is coming up in a few weeks, so that was already on my mind. I made plans to go to a 3:15 movie earlier this week, and I thought I'd pass some time by stopping first at the bookstore. It wasn't my usual store, and I found myself walking walking straight to the table that featured the book. That seemed like interesting timing.... Read more →

If you want to take a break from the nonstop coverage of all of the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates, including Joe Biden, let us recommend a crime thriller that stars...Joe Biden. New York Times best-selling author Andrew Shaffer made a splash last summer with Hope Never Dies: An Obama Biden Mystery. It was a fun read that tapped into the famous Barack Obama - Joe Biden "bromance" and hearkened back to a more nostalgic time when the White House occupant wasn't being accused of treason, sexual assault, and other criminal activity on a seemingly daily basis. Shaffer is back, and... Read more →

Jerry Remy has been with the Boston Red Sox for over 40 years between his stint as a second baseman, and now as the team's longtime television analyst. The "RemDawg" has fans throughout Red Sox Nation who appreciate his ability to explain what's happening on the field and do so with a sense of humor. He brings his perspective on baseball, as well as many of the players, managers, and broadcast partners he's worked with, in his new book, If These Walls Could Talk: Stories from the Boston Red Sox, Dugout, Locker Room and Press Box. (Release date: July 9,... Read more →

Let's get this out of the way right at the beginning: Clearing out the Clutter is adamantly pro-dog. We talk to every dog we see on the street (often ignoring their owners), we've got a blue dog running the office (just look at the picture on the right side of this screen), and if forced to say who we like better between people and dogs, the pooches win 99.9% of the time. Long story short: Dogs rule. However, we also appreciate the magnificent and fascinating creatures commonly known as cats. Whereas a dog will make it clear you're the greatest... Read more →

Anthony Bourdain was a hero to many people around the globe. The renowned chef/author/TV journalist spent years highlighting the beauty of the world and our commonalities, through the vehicle of food, and there was no one else like him. That's why it was so devastating when the news came out about his death by suicide in June 2018. His fans felt like they'd lost an advocate, a travel guide, perhaps a motivational coach, and a friend who often appeared on TV from some fascinating location trying a food many of us had never heard of before. His loss still stings... Read more →

Although it's been closed for 25 years, many people still have fond memories of seeing movies at the Concord Theatre. This classic style theater ran for sixty-one years on South Main Street, providing a mix of mainstream hits as well as smaller films. Theresa Cantin was the guiding force behind this longstanding community institution. With the renovated theater scheduled to re-open this year, this is a great time to look back at the building's past, as well as the history of the movies in Concord. That's just what Paul E. Brogan has done with his new book, The Concord Theatre.... Read more →