Book of the Week (12/27/2021)

Pithecophilia: One Man's Quest for Ape Encounters Around the World by Robert Louis DeMayo (U.S.: Wayward Publishing, 2021)

Hollis, NH author and explorer Robert Louis DeMayo traces his quest to discover and understand the world's primates in 'Pithecophilia'.

"From the steep slopes of the Virunga Volcanoes to the steamy jungles of Sumatra, Pithecophilia explores author, Robert Louis DeMayo’s life-changing search for ape encounters, as he discovers the secrets of their history, biology, and what they can tell us about ourselves.

Touching on the efforts of the world’s leading conservationists and scientific institutions, you’ll also discover how the early exploration of Africa and Asia’s untamed wilderness shaped our knowledge of apes and how their efforts to document our planet’s wild animals eventually led to efforts to save them.

Imbued with touching memories, humorous anecdotes, and over fifty years of wondrous, magical, and sometimes terrifying experiences, Pithecophilia paints a beautiful picture of how primates are, in many ways, windows into our own souls." --Publisher's blurb

Book of the Week (12/20/2021)

We Hold On To What We Can by Sarah Alcott Anderson (Lowell & Amesbury, MA: Loom Press, 2021).

In this debut collection of poems, Sarah Alcott Anderson of Exeter, N.H., explores love, longing, loss, marriage, children, and place through her own experiences. She writes, "In mostly plainspoken poems, I explore interior and exterior landscapes—from childhood to motherhood, New England to Ireland—in the hope of honoring that we are here right now." Poet Matt W. Miller in the foreword writes that Anderson's lines seem "at times spun from a sugared lightning, at other times are as enriched as Irish bog or plain as New Hampshire granite, line and lyric come together to insist against a silence the world would have the poet embrace." -- Publisher's blurb

Book of the Week (12/13/2021)

Frontier Elegance: The Early Architecture of Walpole, New Hampshire 1750-1850 by Bill Ranauro (Independently published, 2018).

Walpole, NH author Bill Ranauro spotlights the amazing architecture in his home town in 'Frontier Elegance'.

"From its frontier beginnings, the Connecticut Valley town of Walpole, New Hampshire has come to personify the quintessential New England country town. At the forefront of Walpole’s picturesque landscape is its amazing collection of elegant homes and buildings that date from the first century of the town’s settlement. Beginning in the eighteenth century, Frontier Elegance tells the story of how architectural style developed and evolved. Originating in Europe, guidebooks helped in the migration of architectural style to the urban coastal communities of New England and eventually to the inland communities of the Connecticut River Valley. Utilizing available materials and catering to individual tastes, the people who designed, built, and occupied these structures would play an equally important and fascinating role in developing a strong community that continues to value and preserve its past." --Publisher's blurb

Book of the Week (12/6/2021)

Women of Granite: The Hidden Lives of New Hampshire Women as Seen in the Cemetery, 1674-1992 (Arcadia Publishing, 2021).

The story of women throughout New Hampshire history from all walks of life is here told from the perspective of the historic burial grounds and cemeteries located across the state. The silent gravestones and monuments within their confines which mark the final resting places of women, young and old, speak volumes. By examining them, we can learn much about their place in society and how their status evolved from early colonial times down through the end of the Victorian era and into the twentieth century. The details carved in stone can reveal to us the kind of day-to-day lives they led, as well as their accomplishments and the hardships and tragedies they endured. In this unusual and interesting work, you will read of women from the early colonial days, pioneer women who were among the first settlers in many New Hampshire towns, hard-working everyday women, both white and African American, women who performed heroically in times of war, women who broke barriers in a big way, and women who made their mark beyond New Hampshire on the national stage. -- Publisher's blurb.

Book of the Week (11/29/2021)

This Land of Snow: Journey Across the North in Winter by Anders Morley (Seattle, WA: Mountaineers Books, 2020).

"Journalist Morley debuts with a thoughtful and inspiring account of his cross-country skiing journey across North America. A New Hampshire native, Morley writes of how he fell in love with skiing and literary tales of adventure from an early age, and planned his trip as “medicine for my diffuse sense of nostalgia and civilizational glut,” while working as an English translator and living in Italy with his Italian wife. Though the intensity of organizing his trip fractured his marriage “perhaps beyond repair,” he forged on. Morley, in his 30s, started in British Columbia and skied nearly 2,000 miles east to Manitoba from November 2012 to early March 2013. He traveled solo, but the kindness of strangers—rowdy loggers, hospitable First Nations folks, and fellow outdoors people among them—buoyed his spirits and provided Morley with much needed support. These characters add an upbeat quality to the narrative amid the descriptions of Canada’s cold, wintry landscape. Though the trip came to a chaotic, abrupt halt that left Morley thinking his trek was “a wasted opportunity,” he soon realized the experience revealed his true weaknesses, which left him in a position to work on fixing his life and marriage. Morley weaves together human and natural history with skill, and his philosophy on winter and its purpose—“to reveal weaknesses in living things”—captures the season’s beauty. Those with a taste for adventure and an appreciation for nature’s gifts will enjoy this moving expedition." --Publishers Weekly

Book of the Week (11/22/2021)

New Hampshire Now: A Photographic Diary of Life in the Granite State (Concord, NH: New Hampshire Historical Society, 2021).

Inspired by the Farm Security Administration photography documenting life in America during the Great Depression, the New Hampshire Society of Photographic Artists and the New Hampshire Historical Society joined forces to undertake a three-year project to photographically record daily life in the state. This book is the result of nearly 50 photographers covering the seven regions of the Granite State, making thousands of images that create a 21st-century portrait of the people, places, culture, and events in New Hampshire. The body of work created not only illustrates this book, but also is featured in eight exhibitions around the state (all opening October 1, 2021) and archived at the New Hampshire Historical Society in Concord, New Hampshire. Gary Samson, award-winning photographer and seventh New Hampshire Artist Laureate, served as project director for New Hampshire Now.

This publication, featuring more than 250 photographs and an introduction by Howard Mansfield of Hancock, is a truly New Hampshire product: created by New Hampshire artists; designed by Peter E. Randall Publisher of Portsmouth; printed by Puritan of Hollis, one of the nation’s leading fine art and photography printers; and printed on paper produced by Monadnock Paper Mills of Bennington, founded in 1819 and the oldest continuously operating paper mill in the United States. -- Publisher's blurb

Book of the Week (11/15/2021)

The Hero Behind the Sand Dune by Susan Blanchard (Portsmouth, N.H.: MindStir Media, 2021).

Written by NH author, Susan Houck Blanchard and illustrated by NH student, MacKenzie Craig, 'The Hero Behind the Sand Dune" is their first collaboration.

"David loves his super hero costumes, however he was unable to wear one this day. The lesson he learned was, that you don't need to have a super hero costume, in order to be a hero." --Publisher's blurb

Book of the Week (11/8/2021)

Deer Dancer by Mary Lyn Ray (Beach Lane Books, 2014).

In this mesmerizing picture book from the author of the New York Times bestselling Stars, a young ballerina finds dancing inspiration in the natural world.

There’s a place I go that’s green and grass,
a place I thought that no one knew—
until the deer came.

This gorgeous picture book from celebrated author Mary Lyn Ray features luminous and evocative art from Lauren Stringer and will capture the hearts of young dancers everywhere. -- Publisher's blurb

From the book jacket: "Mary Lyn Ray wrote this story after a deer approached her in a field on the old farm where she lives in South Danbury, New Hampshire." 

Book of the Week (11/1/2021)

The Heirloom Gardener: Traditional Plants and Skills for the Modern World by John Forti (Portland, OR : Timber Press, 2021).

John Forti is a nationally recognized lecturer, garden historian, ethnobotanist, garden writer and Director of Bedrock Gardens in Lee, NH.

"Modern life is a cornucopia of technological wonders. But is something precious being lost? A tangible bond with our natural world—the deep satisfaction of connecting to the earth that was enjoyed by previous generations?

In 'The Heirloom Gardener', John Forti celebrates gardening as a craft and shares the lore and traditional practices that link us with our environment and with each other. Charmingly illustrated and brimming with wisdom, this guide will inspire you to slow down, recharge, and reconnect." --Publisher's blurb

Join John Forti on Tuesday, November 16, 2021 at 6:00 pm as he discusses his newest book with Toadstool Bookshop via Zoom: 

https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZErde2vqTorHtc7DpQY_eT7mda_AS_QC86l

 

Book of the Week (10/25/2021)

The 'Peyton Place' Murder: The True Crime Story Behind the Novel that Shocked the Nation by Renee Mallett (WildBlue Press, 2021).

Grace Metalious, born and raised in Manchester, New Hampshire, came from humble beginnings. A former mill worker, mother of three, and school principal's wife, she would shock the nation in 1956 with the publication of Peyton Place, her first novel about a murder in a small town. Quickly becoming the best-selling book of its time, the sexually-charged book spawned sequels, two Hollywood movies, and a long-running television series on ABC starring Mia Farrow and Ryan O'Neal. It also made Metalious a pariah in the town where she lived, and tabloid fodder for years, ultimately leading to the her untimely death at the age of 39. Unknown to most readers, behind the fictional story about the lives and scandals of residents of a small New England town Metalious called Peyton Place, lay a dark secret based on fact. The story was, in part, inspired by a true life crime known in the press as 'The Sheep Pen Murder,' which took place in Gilmanton, New Hampshire in the late 1940s. In The 'Peyton Place' Murder: The True Crime Story Behind The Novel That Shocked The Nation' historian Renee Mallett skillfully weaves together the lives of Metalious and Barbara Roberts, the confessed killer behind The Sheep Pen Murder. In her book, Mallett shines a new light on the inspiration behind the shocking best-selling novel and explores what happens when true crime and literature meet. -- Back Cover. 

Book of the Week (10/18/2021)

Chasing Eden: A Book of Seekers by Howard Mansfield (Peterborough, N.H. : Bauhan Publishing, 2021).

"Seekers are all around us. They are seeking God, seeking freedom, seeking peace. Chasing Eden: A Book of Seekers is about this pursuit, about Americans seeking their Promised Land, their utopia out on the horizon — which by definition, is ever receding before us. In Chasing Eden we meet a gathering of Americans – the Shakers in the twilight of their utopia; the Wampanoags confronting the Pilgrims; the God-besotted landscape painters who taught Americans that in wilderness was Eden; and 40,000 Africans newly freed from slavery granted 40 acres and a mule – only to be swiftly dispossessed. These and other seekers were on the road to find out, all united by their longing to find in America 'a revolution of the spirit'."-- Publisher's blurb

Join Hancock, NH author Howard Mansfield on Saturday, October 23, 2021 at 11 am at the Peterborough Toadstool Bookshop as he signs and discusses his newest book.

Weather permitting this event will be outside the store. There are plans to have the event streamed live through Facebook for those who cannot attend.

Book of the Week (10/11/2021)

A Deep Presence: 13,000 Years of Native American History by Robert Goodby (Peter E. Randall Publisher, 2021).

Almost 13,000 years ago, small groups of Paleoindians endured frigid winters on the edge of a river in what would become Keene, New Hampshire.

This begins the remarkable story of Native Americans in the Monadnock region of southwestern New Hampshire, part of the traditional homeland of the Abenaki people.

Typically neglected or denied by conventional history, the long presence of Native people in southwestern New Hampshire is revealed by archaeological evidence for their deep, enduring connections to the land and the complex social worlds they inhabited.

From the Tenant Swamp Site in Keene, with the remains of the oldest known dwellings in New England, to the 4,000-year-old Swanzey Fish Dam still visible in the Ashuelot River, A Deep Presence tells their story in a narrative fashion, drawing on the author's thirty years of fieldwork and presenting compelling evidence from archaeology, written history, and the living traditions of today's Abenaki people.-- Publisher's blurb.

NH author and Franklin Pierce Professor, Robert Goodby, will be discussing and signing A Deep Presence: 13,000 Years of Native American History, in an outdoor event at The Monadnock Center on Grove St in Peterborough on Saturday, October 16th at 11 am. 

"Professor Goodby has done extensive archeological work on the Abenaki tribes that inhabited this area. His digs have revealed their presence going back to the end of the ice age and include sites in Keene, Hinsdale, and Peterborough. His fully illustrated new book is a fascinating and informative tour of the sites. The Toadstool Bookshop is presenting this event in conjunction with The Monadnock Center For History And Culture. It will be held in the Peterson Courtyard on their grounds. Guests are invited to bring a chair or blanket for comfort while enjoying the talk."

For more information, visit: https://www.toadbooks.com/event/peterborough-robert-goodby-discusses-his-book-native-american-presence-nh

Book of the Week (10/4/2021)

On the Hoof: Pacific to Atlantic, A 3,800-Mile Adventure by Jesse Alexander McNeil (North Pomfret, VT: Trafalgar Square Books, 2021).

Warner, NH native Jesse Alexander McNeil documents his travels from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean on an untrained horse in 'On the Hoof'.

"The true tale of a voyage that broke a man down and built him back up, with the help of one special horse.

 

At 36 Jesse McNeil―at times carpenter, commercial fisherman, dabbler in real estate―decided to buy an untrained horse, make himself into a horseman, and ride all the way across the United States, from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean.

A fiercely independent traveler, Jesse had navigated previous coast-to-coast trips― solo journeys by moped, bicycle, and small airplane. This time, however, he had a partner: a five-year-old Tennessee Walking Horse named Pepper. An inexperienced horseman with an equally inexperienced mount, Jesse would quickly discover the immense challenges of his new undertaking. Over the course of eight months and fourteen states—beginning in Oregon and ending on a beach in New Hampshire—he would be tested many times over as he learned not only what it took to keep Pepper safe and healthy, but the true value of qualities that he had once easily dismissed: patience and companionship.

The generosity of strangers, from helpful ranchers and storekeepers to suburban families, shaped the pair’s journey east. And while at some points the miles didn’t unfold as Jesse hoped, others yielded unexpected events that changed his perspective―and quite possibly, his future. Written with honesty, grit, and grace, On the Hoof captures an arduous voyage that broke a man down and built him back up, with the help of one special horse." --Publisher's blurb

Book of the Week (9/27/2021)

Traveling with the Atom: A Scientific Guide to Europe and Beyond by Glen E Rodgers (Royal Society of Chemistry, 2019).

Traveling with the Atom is a historical travel guide to the development of one of the most significant and enduring ideas in the history of humankind: the atomic concept. This history covers the notable places and landmarks commemorating this achievement, visiting homesteads, graveyards, laboratories, apartments, abbeys and castles, through picturesque rural villages and working class municipalities. From Montreal to Manchester, via some of the most elegant and romantic cities in Europe, Traveling with the Atom guides the reader on a trip through the lives and minds of the great thinkers who collectively unveiled the mystery of the atom. Fully illustrated and interspersed with intriguing and insightful notes throughout, this book is an ideal companion for the wandering scientist, their students, friends and companions or quintessential fireside reading for lovers of science and travel. -- Back cover.

View a talk from the author about this book on YouTube.

Book of the Week (9/20/2021)

Lady Editor: Sarah Josepha Hale and the Making of the Modern American Woman by Melanie Kirkpatrick (New York : Encounter Books, 2021).

NH native, writer, activist, and editor Sarah Josepha Hale led an impressive and influential life. 'Lady Editor' tells the details of this life. 

"For half a century Sarah Josepha Hale was the most influential woman in America. As editor of Godey’s Lady’s Book, Hale was the leading cultural arbiter for the growing nation. Women (and many men) turned to her for advice on what to read, what to cook, how to behave, and―most important―what to think. Twenty years before the declaration of women’s rights in Seneca Falls, NY, Sarah Josepha Hale used her powerful pen to promote women’s right to an education, to work, and to manage their own money.

There is hardly an aspect of nineteenth-century culture in which Hale did not figure prominently as a pathbreaker. She was one of the first editors to promote American authors writing on American themes. Her stamp of approval advanced the reputations of Edgar Allan Poe, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Nathaniel Hawthorne. She wrote the first antislavery novel, compiled the first women’s history book, and penned the most recognizable verse in the English language, “Mary Had a Little Lamb.”

Americans’ favorite holiday―Thanksgiving―wouldn’t exist without Hale. Re-imagining the New England festival as a patriotic national holiday, she conducted a decades-long campaign to make it happen. Abraham Lincoln took up her suggestion in 1863 and proclaimed the first national Thanksgiving.

Most of the women’s equity issues that Hale championed have been achieved, or nearly so. But women’s roles in the “domestic sphere” are arguably less valued today than in Hale’s era. Her beliefs about women’s obligations to family, moral leadership, and principal role in raising children continue to have relevance at a time when many American women think feminism has failed them. We could benefit from re-examining her arguments to honor women’s special roles and responsibilities.

Lady Editor re-creates the life of a major nineteenth-century woman, whose career as a writer, editor, and early feminist encompassed ideas central to American history." --Publisher's blurb

Book of the Week (9/13/2021)

The Angle of Flickering Light by Gina Troisi (Vine Leaves Press, 2021).

Desperate to find respite from her father's verbal abuse, his various affairs, and her step-mother's psychological torment, Gina spent hours doing Jane Fonda's workouts, smoked cigarettes instead of eating food, and became obsessed with her thinness... with the notion of fading away. She found solace in restlessness-drinking hallucinogenic mushroom tea and inhaling crushed pills and powders-perching herself on the periphery of danger again and again.Gina soon glimpsed a better life for herself when her grandfather, a man who was a surrogate father to her, became terminally ill. She soon fell in love with John, a stranger who was utterly familiar, but who was addicted to heroin. She moved from New Hampshire to California, crossing the country in an attempt to alleviate her self-destructive tendencies, but found herself pulled back to New Hampshire, to John, a man with whom, despite his struggle, she could not deny the sense of home she felt.What would it cost for a girl to run wildly and recklessly into womanhood, making instant, temporary homes? -- Publisher's blurb

Join Gina Troisi for an online event on Zoom with Toadstool Bookshop on Saturday, September 18th, 2021 from 6 to 8 pm EST: https://www.toadbooks.com/event/zoom-event-gina-troisi-and-melanie-brooks-discussing-angle-flickering-light

Book of the Week (9/6/2021)

Six Thousand Doughnuts by Thomas Tosi (N.H. : Dooney Press, 2021).

Granite State author, Thomas Tosi has released his latest title, 'Six Thousand Doughnuts'; a middle-grade reader packed with comedic shenanigans and humorous illustrations to compliment the story.

"Why would anyone need six thousand doughnuts?

Big family...little house... Fifth-grader Abe Mitchell is fed up with sharing. All he wants is something to call his own. And he just might get it when he finds a loophole in the fine print of a doughnut shop coupon. Abe thinks it entitles him to a fresh-baked mountain of crullers, dunkers, and chocolate-frosteds. But cashing in means war with Marlene Paczki, the daughter of the doughnut shop owner and Abe's new crush." --Publisher's blurb

Book of the Week (8/30/2021)

New England's Roadside Ecology: Explore 30 of the Region's Unique Natural Areas by Thomas Wessels (Portland, OR: Timber Press, 2021).

 New England’s Roadside Ecology guides you through 30 spectacular natural sites, all within an easy walk from the road. The sites include the forests, wetlands, alpines, dunes, and geologic ecosystems that make up New England.

Author Tom Wessels is the perfect guide. Each entry starts with the brief description of the hike's level of difficulty—all are gentle to moderate and cover no more than two miles. Entries also include turn-by-turn directions and clear descriptions of the flora, fauna, and fungi you are likely to encounter along the way. New England’s Roadside Ecology is a must-have guide for outdoor enthusiasts, hikers, and tourists in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. -- Publisher's blurb.

NH author Tom Wessels will be presenting virtually for Gibson's Bookstore on Thursday, September 2nd, 2021 at 7 pm EST, online via Zoom Webinar. Registration required: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/162574583957

He will also be presenting virtually for the Toadstool Bookshop on September 9th, 2021 at 5:30 pm EST. Please register here: https://www.toadbooks.com/Wessels 

Book of the Week (8/23/2021)

The Light at Fort Point: A History of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse, New Castle, New Hampshire, 1771-2021 by Jeremy Paul D'Entremont (U.S.: Independently Published, 2021).

"Well protected and seldom frozen over, the harbor of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, near the mouth of the Piscataqua River, was one of the busiest ports of colonial America. An act to establish a lighthouse “for the Benefit of Vessels arriving or being upon this Coast in the Night Time” was passed by the colonial legislature on April 12, 1771. The first wooden lighthouse went into service on June 8, 1771, at the tip of the finger of land known as Fort Point in the town of New Castle. It was the first lighthouse in the American colonies north of Boston. The 1878 cast-iron lighthouse that stands at Fort Point today remains an active aid to navigation. This book recounts the history of the lighthouse's role in navigation, as well as the stories of its keepers and their families." --Publisher's blurb

Book of the Week (8/16/2021)

Ten Thousand Tries by Amy Makechnie (NY: Atheneum Books, 2021).

A middle school soccer whiz’s determination to keep things from changing is tested when his father’s ALS symptoms worsen in this touching story about growing up and facing loss, perfect for fans of Shouting at the Rain.

Twelve-year-old Golden Maroni is determined to channel his hero, soccer superstar Lionel Messi, and become captain of his soccer team and master of his eighth grade universe…especially since his home universe is spiraling out of orbit. Off the field, Golden’s dad, once a pro soccer player himself, is now battling ALS, a disease that attacks his muscles, leaving him less and less physically able to control his body every day. And while Mom says there’s no cure, Golden is convinced that his dad can beat this, just like any opponent, they just have to try.

Golden knows that if you want to perfect a skill you have to put ten thousand tries in, so he’s convinced if he can put that much effort in, on and off the field, he can stop everything from changing. But when his dad continues to decline and his constant pushing starts to alienate his friends and team, Golden is forced to confront the idea that being master of your universe might not mean being in control of everything. What if it means letting go of the things you can’t control so you can do the most good for the things you can?-- Publisher's blurb

 Join NH author Amy Makechnie for a celebration of the release of her second middle-grade novel Ten Thousand Tries at MainStreet BookEnds bookstore in Warner, NH on Saturday, August 21, 2021 at 2 pm.