It’s summertime, and that means vacation for many of us. Regardless of your plans, there is undoubtedly time for relaxing and reading. Here are a few suggestions that I found enjoyable, all of them from the Pembroke Public Library. In their own way, each could be a vacation in themselves, or provide pleasant company on yours. Hope you like them and “Bon Voyage!” 

Looking for a relaxing local venue to hear interesting, engaging music? Is listening to loud rock bands playing in grungy bars way in the past for you? Would you like to stay at least somewhat local? Well, you’re not alone, and fortunately there are plenty of options right here on the South Shore.
Here are a few:

It is with great excitement and enthusiasm that I embark on my first article as the arts and entertainment columnist for the Pembroke Express. The focus of this column will be as varied as the title implies: wine, cooking, music, literature, restaurant and concert reviews … “The good life.”?

When Get Out! was a brutally handsome junior in high school, he was forced to spend the summer attending summer school to pass English. Unlike some of my summer classmates, I not only knew how to read, I loved to read. What I didn’t like to do was actually attend English class, and thus summer school was required. However, like Virginia Slims, Get Out! has come a long way, baby! Nearly two years ago, the Express was gracious enough to give me an opportunity to write this column, and it has allowed me to meet some really interesting Pembrokians along the way.

Get Out! understands the holidays can offer up a wide array of emotions for Pembrokians. For many, Christmas is a treat because people are reunited with their families to celebrate. For others, Christmas is a nightmare because people are reunited with their families to celebrate. Christmas vacation offers up a chance for many parents to take the week off from work and spend time with their kids. There is, of course, a flip side to that for some as well.

Get Out! has had a long, healthy relationship with Santa Claus.

Get into the holiday spirit or stop by for story time at the Pembroke Public Library in December. All programs require registration unless noted. Visit the youth services desk or call 781-293-6771.

Get Out! is a numbers guy. I love stats when it comes to virtually anything. Sports statistics? Love ‘em. Political polling numbers? I devour them. I’m also a cookie guy. There’s an old saying in economics that the plural of anecdote is data. With that in mind, when the Pembroke Cookie Company sent over a sampling of their ridiculously good cookies, I had the option of eating one and assuming they were all good or quickly inhaling as many as I could — just to be sure. Taking one for the team, I pounded down a handful of cookies in minutes and am here to report, they are excellent. The cookies look more like small pieces of artwork than confectionary delights. In fact, I initially couldn’t decide whether to frame and hang them or eat them. I went with eating them.

Thanksgiving is coming – don’t panic!  The prospect of out of town guests and relatives expecting the picture perfect holiday meal doesn’t have to be intimidating.  Follow these simple suggestions and you just might find yourself wondering why you feel so relaxed hours before the big meal.

Get Out! was unable to attend the opening of the Pastels for the Pantry fine arts exhibition that opened recently at the library. In a pinch, I decided I’d need to find the most attractive woman in Pembroke, send her up there and have her report back. My wife was very impressed. No, she wasn’t impressed by the attractive woman — she’s the attractive woman — but she was impressed by the exhibition. She’s an actual artist, where Get Out! is more of the paint-by-numbers type. In fact, we were shopping recently and I stumbled across a piece of artwork that caused me to wonder aloud “Who would possibly want that piece of art in their home?” My wife then explained to me that the piece was done by Picasso, and I realized that “art critic” was probably not a job title I’d be placing on my resume.

Get Out! is about to drop some Halloween knowledge on you. I’ve always enjoyed Halloween. I have an addiction to chocolate that is so severe I keep waiting for friends and family to stage an intervention. I also like dressing up in orange and, frankly, I like scaring people. Boo!

Get Out! can hit a golf ball farther than any person in Pembroke. Facts are a stubborn thing, my friends. Now, I have virtually no control over the direction of where the crushed golf ball lands; I just know it goes very, very far. Sometimes it goes far into a pond, sometimes it goes far into a sand trap, but usually it just goes far into the woods. My golf balls have attacked more trees in Pembroke recently than the Massachusetts Highway Department has. Some people golf to close business deals. Others golf for the exercise, and many simply golf because they are addicted to trying to overcome the incessant punishment that a tiny white ball can inflict on one’s confidence. Whatever the reason, there’s no better one than playing golf for a good cause.

A hearty minestrone soup is an ideal way to make use of early autumn flavors while taking advantage of the local vegetables still lingering in the garden and on farm tables. Loosely translated into “to serve the big soup,” minestrone’s roots reach as far back as the ancient days of Rome when the Roman army was said to have “marched on minestrone.” There isn’t one definitive recipe for this peasant soup, although every minestrone is chock full of vegetables. In Italy, the rest of the ingredients vary region to region. In Milan, minestrone is made with rice and peas; in Genoa, a swirl of pesto is added; and, in Florence, the beans are cooked separately — half of the beans are pureed and added back in to thicken the soup. 

Get Out! is back and better than ever. Many of you have probably been concerned about my whereabouts as my column has been missing for the past few weeks. Fear not. The last column I wrote was about an event that ended up being canceled, so the piece didn’t run. I have not been slacking. This Saturday, Sept. 19 at 7 p.m., the Pembroke Country Club will play host to a trio of local comedians. Now, I love good stand-up. I love unintentionally bad stand-up. If you are standing up and I’m watching you, I probably am enjoying myself.

The first rehearsal for the Snug Harbor Community Chorus is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 14 at 7:30 p.m. at the Performing Arts Center in Duxbury.

A meal at the Marshfield Fair typically includes a slice of pizza, a hot dog or a piece of sugary fried dough. But there are a surprising number of vendors making unique and delicious artisan foods. The siren call of the flashy sausage and pepper booths overshadow the humbler stands of these passionate cooks, but there are kettles and pans brimming with unexpected delights.

The Pembroke Public Library will show the independent film “The Drummer” on Monday, Aug. 24 at 7 p.m.