Where The Sidewalk Ends is an independent bookstore comfortably nestled in the the  historic business district of Chatham, Massachusetts. Founded in 2005 by Joanne and Caitlin Doggart,  this mother-daughter team has grown in leaps and bounds. In fact, they are currently in midst of a major expansion project to grow their selection of children's books. I had the opportunity to speak with Caitlin on a few occasions and her passion for books is as obvious as it is refreshing. Read on as Caitlin presents in depth reviews and perspectives on some of today's current book releases.

Still Alice

by Lisa Genova

Still Alice by Lisa Genova (mass market paperback version published  in early January). Simon and Schuster. Still Alice is a gripping tale told from the unusual point of view of a woman, Alice Howland, as she transforms from a healthy and vibrant Harvard professor in her 50's into an early-onset Alzheimer's patient.

The author, Lisa Genova, watched her parents and aunts cope with the complexities of her grandmother's Alzheimer's and was transfixed by the idea of what it would be like to experience mental degeneration from the perspective of the patient. Writing in coffee shops in Brighton and Cambridge for over a year during her daughter's school hours, Lisa finished her novel and began the arduous process of looking for an agent and publisher. After being told there was no market for such a specific topic, she decided to self publish Still Alice in order to generate enough "buzz" about her book to catch the attention of the larger publishing industry. Her tireless publicity efforts on her own and her natural and sincere enthusiasm worked. Booksellers, readers, reviewers, book clubs, and Alzheimer's groups fell in love with Still Alice and through word-of-mouth the title's popularity spread.  In the spring of 2008 Lisa Genova signed a contract with Simon and Schuster, who published Still Alice in January 2009. It was on the New York Times bestseller list for 30 weeks during the first year of publication, there are now over a million copies of Still Alice in print in the US alone, and Simon and Schuster has Lisa Genova's next two books under contract!

Maple sugaring season in New England is a sure sign that spring is on it's way. The sweet smell of pure maple syrup permeates the air as residence and visitors make their way to one or more of the many maple sugar shacks in New England. Generating nearly 500,000 gallons of maple sugar per year, Vermont is the largest producer of maple syrup in New England and in the United States. New Hampshire produces approximately 90,000 gallons of maple syrup per year followed by Massachusetts who produces about 50,000 gallons of maple syrup per year.

Sugaring in New England was first discovered by the American Indians and was later taught by the Indians to New England's first English settlers. This Indians called this candied sap, "sinzibukwod" which translates to "sweet buds". The Indians used maple syrup as an ingredient in their stews, teas, breads, and even vegetables.  Cooking with maple syrup is still popular today. It is used in everything from maple baked beans to maple ice cream.

The procedure for making syrup hasn't alter much over time. A metal pipe or spile is driven about 2-1/2" deep into the trunk of a Sugar Maple or Hard Maple tree. A bucket is then hung just below the pipe to catch the sap as it's flow starts and stops. In order to get a suitable flow, a Sugar Maple's trunk needs to be about 10-12 inches in diameter. It usually takes a Maple 40-45 years to grow to this girth. Unbelievably, it takes anywhere between 40-43 gallons of sap to make just one gallon of pure maple syrup.