Updated Perspectives

Perspectives is a long-standing program of New Hampshire Humanities that offers facilitated group book discussions, in virtual or in-person settings, where participants engage with diverse perspectives in the humanities through literature to build understanding and empathy, and to support a culture of reading in the Granite State. The Center for the Book supports this program through our Book Bag program.

If your library might be interested in hosting a Perspectives book discussion in the coming year (the new book/program list will be announced at the beginning of November) please join us for an online information session about the Perspectives book discussion program on Wednesday, October 23^rd, 2024 at 11am.  This information session will explain how the Perspectives program works, changes to the program for the upcoming year, as well as give you an opportunity to ask questions.

Whether you are a long-time program host or a new partner, we welcome you to join us at this information session to explore the ways the Perspectives book discussion program can support your organization.  

 Register in advance for this meeting (which will be recorded):

https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwsdOqoqDMqG9Lz0rOSqaqYdAmAWkNvHBNV

 

 

Book of the Week (10/14/2024)

The Fire in the Glass (The London Charismatics) by Jacquelyn Benson (Vaughan Woods Publishing, 2020)

London, 1914. Lily's visions could stop a killer... if she'll trust a reclusive aristocrat with her darkest secret.

A monster stalks the gaslit streets of Edwardian London, draining the blood of the city's mediums. Lily Albright knows who's next.

Lily is plagued by visions of the future she can never change. When a mysterious fiend threatens someone she loves, she's determined this time will be different.

But she can't do it alone. To save a life, Lily must reveal her darkest secrets to someone she has little reason to trust—the reclusive Lord Strangford, a man haunted by his own occult powers.

From the glittering galleries of Bond Street to the rookeries of Southwark, Lily and Strangford plunge into a dark conspiracy that lies at the heart of England's rising eugenics movement.

To thwart it, Lily must face a past rife with betrayal—and embrace the power she has spent her entire life trying to escape.

This gothic historical fantasy series is perfect for those who love supernatural suspense, gaslamp vibes and slow-burn romance. --Publisher's blurb

About the author:

Jacquelyn Benson writes smart historical fantasy where strong women confront the stranger things that occupy the borders of our world. She once lived in a museum, wrote a master’s thesis on the cultural anthropology of paranormal investigation, and received a gold medal for being clever. She owes a great deal to her elementary school librarian for sagely choosing to acquire the entire Time-Life Mysteries of the Unknown Series. 

Her debut novel, The Smoke Hunter, was nominated for Best Historical Fiction by RT Times. When not writing, she enjoys the company of a tall, dark, and handsome English teacher and practices unintentional magic. She lives in New Hampshire.

Book of the Week (10/7/2024)

Corps of Granite: Glimpses of New Hampshire's CCC Camp by Robert W. Averill & Kris Pastoriza (Robert W. Averill, 2024)

Almost a century ago, thousands of young men began arriving in New Hampshire to live for months or years in cabins they built themselves while doing strenuous work in the wild, including cutting state Route 118 through the woods, helping create Bear Brook State Park, and repairing the Old Man of the Mountain.

Even though we still reap the benefits today, most of us have no idea they were here.

Filling that hole in our memories is the main goal of a new self-published book, “Corps of Granite,” about the dozens of Civilian Conservation Corps camps that operated in New Hampshire from 1933 to the early 1940s. The CCC was a program to help unemployed men between ages 18 and 29 (no women were allowed) during the Great Depression, one of several sweeping federal programs in President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal to overcome the nation’s economic stagnation.

The men — more than a million overall in some 1,400 camps throughout the country —fought forest fires, planted trees, created roads, built wildlife refuges and fish hatcheries, as well as bridges and campground facilities. Many of the nation’s federal and state parks were virtually created by them. --Publisher's blurb

NH Book Festival: Co-Authors

Co-Authors: Two Pens are Better than One will be held on the KidLit Stage in the NH Book Festival Village on South Main Street, beginning at 3:40pm on Saturday, 10/5/2024. It will be moderated by Kari Allen and will feature: 

Photo by Mark Mattos

Terry Farish is the author of The Good Braider (YALSA and SLJ Best Book for Young Adults), Either the Beginning or the End of the World (Maine Literary Award) and A Feast for Joseph (with OD Bonny and illustrated by Ken Daley). About The Good Braider, Naomi Shihab Nye writes, “Terry Farish creates a masterful triumph of character and story.” Terry lives in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

Lochan Sharma was born in Nepal. His family was registered at Timai refugee camp after they were exiled from Bhutan. Lochan and his family moved to the US in 2009 and now live in Concord, New Hampshire. He is a student at Keene State College. Go Home, co-authored by Terry Farish, is his first book.

Donna Gephart's award-winning middle grade novels include: Abby, Tried and True, The Paris Project, In Your Shoes, Lily and Dunkin, Death by Toilet Paper, How to Survive Middle School and others from Penguin Random House and Simon and Schuster. Welcome to the Woofmore is a fun, new early chapter book series--cowritten with Lori Haskins Houran--about a posh dog hotel run by dogs for dogs with a new VIP (Very Important Pooch) appearing in each book. Go Be Wonderful is Donna's first picture book about being perfectly imperfect. She's a popular speaker at schools, conferences and book festivals. Donna lives in South Jersey with her family and her canine office assistant, Benji, a sweet retriever mix and she works for an independent bookstore.

Lori Haskins Houran is a former children's book editor and the author of more than fifty books for kids, including Next to You, a School Library Journal Best Picture Book, and the Kirkus-starred Button Your Buttons. She is also the co-author with Donna Gephart of Welcome to the Woofmore, which Publishers Weekly calls “howlingly good.” Lori lives with the two best pooches on the planet—oh, and some pretty nice humans, too—on the North Shore of Massachusetts.

 The NH Book Festival begins tomorrow!

3 on a Theme: Monsters

Mary's Monster: Love, Madness, and How Mary Shelley Created Frankenstein by Lita Judge

Monstrous by MarcyKate Connolly

Monsters of the Northeast: True Tales of Bigfoot, Vampires, and Other Legendary Creatures by Jessica Freeburg & Natalie Fowler

NH Book Festival: Epics, Quests, and Magic

This panel will be held at the Capitol Center for the Arts and begins at 3:40pm on Saturday, 10/5/2024. It will be moderated by Jocelyn Winn and will feature:

Photo by Janna Giacoppo

Mark Cecil is an author, journalist and host of The Thoughtful Bro show, for which he conducts author interviews with an eclectic roster of award winning and bestselling writers. He has written for LitHub, Writer’s Digest, Cognoscenti, The Millions, Reuters and Embark Literary Journal, among other publications. He is Head of Strategy for A Mighty Blaze and he has taught writing at Grub Street and The Writers Loft. His debut novel Bunyan and Henry, or, The Beautiful Destiny is out now from Pantheon Books.

Ann Dávila Cardinal is a Vermont-based author with an MFA in Writing from VCFA. Her young adult novels include Five Midnights, Category Five, Breakup from Hell, and You’ve Awoken Her, a horror comedy coming from HarperTeen in summer 2025. Her middle-grade debut, a biography of Latin trap artist Bad Bunny, comes out September 3, 2024 from Macmillan. The Storyteller’s Death, her first novel for adults, released in October 2022 and won gold in the International Latino Book Awards. Her next adult novel, We Need No Wings, is coming from Sourcebooks on September 10, 2024. Ann is also a part-time bookseller in Stowe, Vermont, and lives in Morrisville with her husband Doug in a little old farmhouse with a creepy basement.

Lyra Selene was born under a full moon and has never quite managed to wipe the moonlight out of her eyes. She grew up on a steady diet of mythology, folklore, and fantasy, and now writes tall tales of twisted magic, forbidden romance, and brooding landscapes. Lyra lives in New England with her husband and daughter, in an antique farmhouse that probably isn’t haunted. She is the author of the young adult duology Amber & Dusk. A Feather So Black is her adult debut.

M. T. Anderson is the author of Feed, a National Book Award Finalist, and he lives near Boston, Massachusetts. Nicked is his raucous and slyly funny adult fiction debut. Based on a bizarre but true quest to steal the mystical corpse of a long-dead saint this is a fantastical, genre-defying, and delightfully queer historical romp.

 The NH Book Festival begins in 2 Days!

Book of the Week (9/30/2024)

Monsters of the Northeast: True Tales of Bigfoot, Vampires, and Other Legendary Creatures by Jessica Freeburg & Natalie Fowler (Adventure Publications, 2024)

Read 24 chilling stories, from two paranormal investigators, about reportedly true encounters with monsters in New England and the Northeast.

Vampires prey upon family members from beyond the grave. A monstrous dog with glowing eyes seems to vanish into thin air. A giant, red-eyed beast terrorizes homeowners while helping itself to beloved pets—for dinner. The Northeast’s history includes several unimaginable encounters with legendary creatures. This collection of “ghost stories” presents the creepiest, most surprising tales of monsters in the states of Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

Authors Jessica Freeburg and Natalie Fowler are active paranormal investigators with a shared fascination for things that go bump in the night. The professional writers spent countless hours combing the region for the strangest and scariest run-ins with the unexplained.

Horror fans and history buffs will delight in these 24 terrifying tales. They’re based on reportedly true accounts, proving that the Northeast is the setting for some of the most unsettling monster tales ever told. The short stories are ideal for quick reading, and they are sure to captivate even the most reluctant of readers. Share them with friends around a campfire, or try them alone at home—if you dare. --Publisher's blurb