East County Magazine
LEDERER ON LANGUAGE
Printer-friendly version What the Dickens! by Richard Lederer courtesy of San Diego WriteWay February 1, 2012 (San Diego) — Two centuries ago—on February 7, 1812—Charles John Huffam Dickens entered the earthly stage. Born into an impoverished family, his father having served a term in debtor’s prison, Charles, worked as a child slave in a London blacking factory. The rags-to-riches
46TH ANNUAL AUTHORS EXHIBITION IN FEB.TO FEATURE MANY AUTHORS PROFILED IN EAST COUNTY MAGAZINE
Printer-friendly version By Dennis Moore January 26, 2012 (San Diego)–The San Diego Public Library hosts the 46th Annual Authors Exhibition at the downtown library throughout the month of February. The Local Author Exhibit highlights the intellectual and creative accomplishments of writers in the San Diego region, and I am fortunate to be included among those. The aim of the
LA MESA HOSTS READERS AND WRITERS FESTIVAL FEB. 25
Printer-friendly version January 22, 2012 (La Mesa)—Do you have the “write stuff to be a novelist or nonfiction writer?” Want to learn about the literary world or meet local authors? From romance writing to knights and chivalry, from political figures to an e-book publishing expert, you’ll find it all at the first annual La Mesa Readers and Writers Festival. This
NOW THAT YOU HAVE THAT KINDLE, NOW WHAT?
Printer-friendly version by Mayan Avitable January 20, 2012 (La Mesa) — So many people now have one of the forms of the Kindle by Amazon. Some of the Kindles do more than others, but all of them have a book-reading function. Many readers have been finding that books are very expensive through ordinary sources. However, there are many sites

BOOK REVIEW: DEAD CELEBRITY COOKBOOK IS SURE TO DELIGHT FANS OF CELEBRITIES AND CULINARY DELIGHTS
Printer-friendly version The Dead Celebrity Cookbook, By Frank DeCaro (Health Communications, Inc., Deerfield Beach, Florida, 2011, 370 pages.) Book Review by Dennis Moore January 15, 2012 (San Diego’s East County)–Best known for his years as the flamboyant movie critic on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Frank DeCaro has written a book with wit and humor – packed
ATTENTION FOODIES & FILM FANS: AUTHOR OF DEAD CELEBRITIES COOKBOOK TO HOLD BOOKSIGNING IN SAN DIEGO JANUARY 14
Printer-friendly version January 12, 2011 (San Diego) – Want to cook up a dish savored by your favorite Hollywood celebrity from a bygone era? Frank DeCaro, author of The Dead Celebrity Cookbook—A Resurrection of Recipes from More than 145 Stars of Stage and Screen, will sign copies of his book January 14 at Babette Schwartz gift store, 421 University Avenue
HOLLYWOOD SCREENWRITER, AUTHOR FREDERICA ‘FREDDIE’ MAAS MAKES FINAL EXIT AT AGE 111
Printer-friendly version La Mesa woman who wrote tell-all book about film industry was third-oldest Californian January 8, 2012 (La Mesa) – Silent movie screenwriter Frederica Sagor Maas gained fame and notoriety in an era when few women attained such acclaim. But on Thursday, December 29, 2011, Maas made her final exit, passing away at Country Villas, a La Mesa nursing
RAINBOW ANIMALS PROVIDES A COLORFUL AND ENCHANTING CHILDREN’S TALE
Printer-friendly version Book Review by Dennis Moore December 28, 2011 (East County) — Anat Tour, this East County (San Diego) resident , has done it again – following up her debut publication of Mama’s Shoe with an enchanting story of friendship and hope, The Rainbow Animals. She has taken The Rainbow Animals a step further by having it published as
GROSSMONT ADULT SCHOOL’S WHODUNIT BOOK CLUB WILL DISCUSS MYSTERIES AT THE EL CAJON LIBRARY
Printer-friendly version December 27, 2012 (El Cajon) — Mystery fans, read and discuss mysteries at the Whodunit Book Club, a free Grossmont Adult School class that starts Tuesday, Jan. 3, at the El Cajon Library, 201 E. Douglas Ave. The weekly class is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the library Seminar Room. The group will discuss the
HEAVEN, IRON AND I: THE RON MARTINELLI STORY
Printer-friendly version Veteran/Wrestler pens a poignant memoir Heaven, Iron and I: The Ron Martinelli Story, By Ron Zuccaro (Tribute House Publishing, Macomb County, Michigan, 2011, 145 pages.) Book Review by Dennis Moore December 13, 2011 (San Diego’s East County)–Ron Zuccaro, a highly decorated former Marine, has written a riveting and at times spiritual memoir of a tumultuous time
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Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting — not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine’s local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.
A Requiem for Reading?
Printer-friendly version by Craig S. Maxwell The memorial service for my grandfather, Vernon Wahrenbrock, was sparsely attended; the inevitable consequence, I suppose, of his having lived nearly a century. All his friends and much of his family were gone. We, his survivors, were there of course. And so were a few of the folks he’d come to know at
BOOK REVIEW: HOWARD DEAN’S PRESCRIPTION FOR REAL HEALTHCARE REFORM: HOW WE CAN ACHIEVE AFFORDABLE MEDICAL CARE FOR EVERY AMERICAN AND MAKE OUR JOBS SAFER
Printer-friendly version By Howard Dean, M.D. Chelsea Green Publishing Reviewed by Miriam Raftery The free market just doesn’t work in medicine. You can’t be an informed consumer. I never saw someone with severe chest pain jump off the table and say, Doctor, I’m going to the cheaper guy down the street.” — Howard Dean. M.D. , on a
LEAVE NO MAN BEHIND: THE SAGA OF COMBAT SEARCH AND RESCUE
Printer-friendly version George Galdorisi and Thomas Phillips. Minneapolis, Zenith Press. 2008. 642 pages. Reviewed by Walter Hall August 15, 2009 (San Diego)–This is a remarkable and opportune book. San Diego-based authors George Galdorisi and Thomas Phillips – both with significant operational experience in multiple theaters – are not poets. But they have given their narrative an epic quality.
EXPLORE 7 MILLION YEARS OF EVOLUTION AT THE SAN DIEGO ZOO
Printer-friendly version Author of New Book on Anza-Borrego Desert’s Fossil Treasures Featured at Aug. 15 Event July 29, 2009 (San Diego)—Lowell Lindsay, co-author of Fossil Treasures of the Anza-Borrego Desert: The Last Seven Million Years, will be at the San Diego Zoo’s new Elephant Odyssey Exhibit on Saturday, August 15. He will be discussing, in a hands-on presentation, one of
HOPE BEGINS IN THE DARK
Printer-friendly versionBook Review by Dennis Moore Jamie Reno, an award-winning journalist and an 11-year survivor of stage IV non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, has written a book about the resilience of the human spirit. Hope Begins in the Dark chronicles the lives of 50 lymphoma survivors, revealing their exclusive stories. The book speaks of the frailty of our existence as human beings and
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Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting — not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine’s local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.
East County Magazine

Pretty Happy: healthy ways to love your body
Printer-friendly versionBook by Kate Hudson Review by Heidi Hope October 5, 2025 (San Diego) – Pretty Happy is a New York Times best-selling self-help book written by my favorite actress, Kate Hudson. She thoughtfully researched each area and provided a variety of questions to ask, as well as suggestions to reference and ideas for carrying out each lesson to take

Lucas and Emily’s Food Bank Adventure by Dave Grunenwald
Printer-friendly versionReviewed by Pennell Paugh September 28, 2025 (San Diego) – Lucas and Emily’s Food Bank Adventure is a children’s book for 5- to 10-year-olds. It is designed to inspire children and their families to volunteer in community programs that help those in need. In the book, two friends and a grandparent visit a group that make and deliver sandwiches. Next,

Author Tanya Harris hosts book signing Sept. 21 at Grossmont Center to benefit domestic violence survivors
Printer-friendly versionEast County News Service September 5, 2025 (La Mesa) — Local author, domestic violence survivor and advocate Tanya Harris will host a powerful community book signing and awareness event on Sunday, September 21, 2025, from 11:00 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the gazebo at Grossmont Center mall (5500 Grossmont Center Dr., La Mesa). The community-focused event is designed to

Blood in the Water: an A.J. Hawke legal thriller
Printer-friendly versionNovel by Donald McInnis Reviewed by Pennell Paugh September 4, 2025 (San Diego) —Blood in the Water, though fictional, exposes a flaw in the United States’ tripartite federal government structure as established in the Constitution. The third branch of government, the Judiciary, cannot enforce its rulings, even when those rulings are necessary for protecting an individual citizen’s rights or the constitutional powers of