Many books cross the editors’ desks of What's Up? Media. We present several of those books (plus a few more), both large and small, fact to fiction, and bound to Chesapeake Bay culture and creativity; perfect for perusing, curling up with, or sharing as presents this holiday season.
Field Guide to Fishes of the Chesapeake Bay
By Edward O. Murdy and John A. Musick
A must-have reference book for anglers, watermen, and anyone fascinated by ichthyology (the anch of zoology that studies fish), complete with faithful illustrations of more than 200 species and text descriptions of each.
Memoirs of a Main Street Boy
By Ralph W. Crosby
Nostalgic reflections of growing up in the heart of Downtown Annapolis from the Great Depression through the latter half of the 20th century will spark readers’ own memories of our ever-evolving state capital.
Dual Lives: From the Streets to the Studio
By Michael Bell
This biography chronicles the life of Bell, a renowned American artist and 3-time national award-winning “Teacher of the Year” and his meteoric rise to becoming one of the most highly decorated public school teachers in America, all the while, living out a storied and often controversial professional painting career as “Mob Artist.”
Tubman Travels
By Jim Duffy and Jill Jasuta
This recently released second travel book from writer Duffy and wife/photographer Jasuta offers synopsis of 32 journeys/trips throughout the Eastern Shore of Maryland and Delaware, each inspired by several pivotal historical players, including Harriet Tubman, in the Underground Railroad.
Secret No More: A True Story of Hope for Parents with an Addicted Child
By Lisa Hillman
Writing from first-hand experience, Annapolis-based author Lisa Hillman shares her family’s story of addiction. It’s an extremely personal account of her son’s struggle, battle, and resolve with opioids—a descriptive account that, hopefully, offers empathy and support to those who read the book.
Way Down in the Hole
By Ed Norris with Kevin Cowherd
Today, he’s a popular radio personality and regularly appears on local news programs, offering opinioned outlooks and advice regarding policing, crime, and public safety. But it’s Norris’ 20-plus year career trajectory—from NYC beat cop to Baltimore Police Commissioner to head of the Maryland State Police—and subsequent nose dive resulting from an internal corruption investigation (a hit job by federal prosecutors?) that creates the riveting real-life drama captured in this biography.
Inn Significant
By Stephanie Verni
Written by Severna Park, Maryland, native Verni, this novel is set in the town of Oxford, Maryland, and follows protagonist Millie Foster’s struggle with depression (resulting from her husband’s untimely death) and climb out of darkness by means of running her family’s bed and eakfast on the Eastern Shore.
Flickering Treasures
By Amy Davis
This 302-page hardback explores the many forgotten Baltimore-area movie palaces and theaters, pairing vintage black-and-white images with photojournalist Davis’ contemporary full-color photographs. A forward by acclaimed filmmaker and producer Barry Levinson complements this descriptive and visually stunning book.
The Grassfed Gourmet Fires it Up!
By Rita Calvert and Michael Heller
Maryland-based author, chef, and What’s Up? Media contributing columnist Rita Calvert paired with Michael Heller, manager of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Clagett Farm, to deliver a book chock full of recipes and ruminations about sustainable farming practices and how they can benefit your own culinary whims.
Footprints to Murder
By Marcia Talley
The 15th novel in Annapolis-based author Marcia Talley’s Hannah Ives murder mystery series finds the protagonist reunited with a former roommate at a college reunion and agreeing to help manage the Sasquatch Sesquicentennial conference in Flat Rock, Oregon. But when a conference guest is found murdered and all signs point to a big-footed culprit, Hannah searches for the truth.
