Book of the Week #52

Cross-Grained & Wily Waters: A Guide to the Piscataqua Maritime Region edited by W. Jeffrey Bolster (Portsmouth, NH: Peter E. Randall Publisher, 2002)

"The historic sites and nearly pristine estuary of the Piscataqua region represent a mixture of heritage and nature unparalleled in New England. They are worth preserving. For centuries the Piscataqua region was an extended maritime community connected by the Great Bay Estuary, the short seacoast of New Hampshire and southern Maine, and the seven tributary rivers that fortify the Piscataqua River itself. Moving water shaped the region—under its vessels, at its mills, and across its marshes. Carrying the freight of our history, and holding out the promise of community-based conservation: this book (and these waters) invites you on a journey of exploration and renewal. Join the naturalists, fishermen, and historic preservationists who have all felt the pull
of this place, and who wish to sustain it in the face of the headlong development consuming America today." (from the cover)

Comprised of short pieces by a wide variety of writers this book covers many aspects of the region -- including it's literary heritage -- and is filled with black and white photos both modern and historical.

Book of the Week #51

The Christmas Mink and other December Tales from the North Woods by John-Richard Thompson, illustrated by Jon Robyn (Portsmouth, NH: Osiail Publishing, 2009)

Have you ever had one of those days where nothing goes right? Jeremiah W. Blizzard had one of those days last Christmas eve and his explanation to the Workelf Compensation Board of what happened -- included in this volume as the story "Coal" -- will make you feel a lot better about your day.

This collection of tales from New Hampshire native John-Richard Thompson is enhanced by Jon Robyn's illustrations. The portrait of Juniper Dodd and Maurice Turquotte, the "cantankerous and crusty" wreath makers of "Juniper Dodd and the Rein-critters" is one of my favorites. (I think I saw those two at the hardware store recently.)

"The Christmas Mink and Other December Tales from the North Woods brings the spirit of the season alive. In this whimsical collection of Christmas stories and poems from the snowy north woods of New England, see the season in a new light and find the holiday spirit in unlikely places – in Siberia, from the tail of the Christmas Comet, or even your own tree.

Join curmudgeonly old woodsmen, living ornaments, a congress of talking animals, a horde of helpful mice and one grandiose moose in these rousing December tales certain to please both cynic and celebrant alike." (from the dustjacket)

And the winner is ...

Waking Beauty by Leah Wilcox and illustrated by Lydia Monks was selected by New Hampshire children, from preschoolers to third graders, as the winner of the 2009 Ladybug Picture Book Award. There were 20,441 votes cast by children across the state this year at 149 voting sites.
A flyer of the voting totals, suitable for posting, is available on the Ladybug Picture Book Award webpage.

Here are the complete voting results:

• Waking Beauty by Leah Wilcox & Lydia Monks (3467 votes)


• Those Darn Squirrels! by Adam Rubin & Daniel Salmieri (3420 votes)


• Bedtime at the Swamp by Kristyn Crow & Macky Pamintuan (3003 votes)


• Too Many Toys by David Shannon (2929 votes)


• Bats at the Beach by Brian Lies (2043 votes)


• Tadpole Rex by Kurt Cyrus (1534 votes)


• A Visitor for Bear by Bonny Becker & Kady MacDonald Denton (1213 votes)


• Bear's Picture by Daniel Pinkwater & D. B. Johnson (1158 votes)


• Big Chickens Fly the Coop by Leslie Helakoski & Henry Cole (1029 votes)


• Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle & Jill McElmurry (645 votes)
  

The Literary Horse

"... the horses and heroes of myth and literature are alive and thriving in your neighborhood."

Artist Vanessa Wright has created a beautiful exhibit, The Literary Horse: When Legends Come to Life, which pairs photos of today's horses and riders with quotations from the world's great books. This touring exhibit visits libraries -- it was recently in Randolph, Vt. -- and is currently on display (until January 15, 2010) at the Amherst Town Library.

Book of the Week #50

Wine & Dine with New Hampshire by Carla Snow (Portsmouth, NH: Blue Tree, 2009)

Some weeks a book just pops up so often I know it needs to be the book of the week. This was one of those. It was in a magazine I was reading, it was displayed at a bookstore where I was shopping, and I got an email from a local bookseller about it, all in the past few days.

This volume, beautifully illustrated with Brian Smestad's photographs, "offers an in-depth look at New Hampshire's award-winning wines, ciders, and meads and the pioneer companies who create them" (according to the jacket copy.) Recipes that feature the potable, or pair with it are included.

On Saturday, December 19, 2009 (11am-1pm) Carla Snow and Brian Smestad will be at Water Street Bookstore to talk about and sign this book.

What happened to the Book of the Week?

The annual holiday book show on NHPR's The Exhange was on two Fridays ago. Dan Chartrand from Water Street Bookstore and Micheal Herrmann from Gibson's were the guests and they talked about a lot of great books. That was week #48, and I was waiting until the show was on to write about a book that week because I wanted to feature something from the show. I heard most of the show live as I drove to a meeting, and there were several books discussed that appealed to me to write about. By the time I got back from the meeting lots of other stuff was demanding my attention and next thing I knew it was week #49.

I found copies of several of the books that had been discussed on the show and I got a couple of new books in the mail last week. These were added to the large (and ever-growing) pile of potential books-of-the-week in my office. Somehow a few quiet minutes to look at the books and decide what I wanted to say never materialized. It is now Monday of week #50.

I am determined to get back on track but have decided that trying to make up the missed weeks is apt to put me farther behind. Please consider the past 2 weeks a Book-of-the-Week vacation. (The first one since 2007.)

LAL Deadline is coming up!

Entries must be postmarked on or before December 12, 2010 to be entered in the 2010 Letters About Literature competition. Be sure to include a completed entry coupon with your letter.

The address to send your entry to is:
Letters About Literature
Competition Level (Indicate level 1, 2, or 3)
P.O. Box 609
Dallas, PA 18612