Book of the Week (12/30/2024)

4000s by 40: Tackling Middle Age in the Mountains of New Hampshire by Matt Larson (Vandreren Publishing, 2024)

Following in the footsteps of writers like Cheryl Strayed and Bill Bryson, 4000s by 40 gives voice to the universally relatable journey of dealing with middle age, and doing so while stumbling around in New Hampshire’s 4000-foot mountains.

Faced with the fact he couldn’t stay in his 30s forever, Matt Larson fled to the mountains where no one could remind him how old he was getting. From failed summits to hitchhiking with strangers, 4000s by 40 is one man’s quest to conquer all of New Hampshire’s tallest mountains before turning 40, while trying not to get himself killed in the process. An adventure of mistakes and self-discovery, Matt’s journey led him from idiocy to expertise, and ultimately newfound humility, when a series of health crises derailed his life. Getting over the hill took him over quite a few hills, and taught him that no matter how many mountains we climb, greater challenges await, each one leading us closer to discovering our best selves. --Publisher's blurb

About the author:

Matt Larson started hiking in the White Mountains as a kid, over forty years ago, and immediately felt a deep connection to the region. Since that time, his fondness for the area has only grown. Always a writer at heart, his career distracted him for twenty-five years, limiting his opportunities to write. It only makes sense that the place where he first felt truly inspired during his childhood is what turned him back to his passion for writing.

Matt lives in New Hampshire with his wife, Liz, and their four children. When he’s not writing, he’s looking for ways to get them all out in the mountains together.

Book of the Week (12/23/2024)

The Art of Small Business Social Media: A Blueprint for Marketing Success by Peg Fitzpatrick (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2024)

In The Art of Small Business Social Media, social media expert Peg Fitzpatrick offers a comprehensive guide tailored specifically for small business owners. Recognizing that social media isn’t a one-size-fits-all tool, Fitzpatrick provides a roadmap for entrepreneurs to navigate the digital landscape effectively. Drawing from her extensive experience working with brands big and small, she demystifies choosing the right platforms, crafting a robust social media plan, and engaging with communities online. Real-world examples from various industries serve as case studies, offering actionable insights that can be applied to any small business setting.

Whether you’re a solo entrepreneur or part of a small team, The Art of Small Business Social Media is your key to unlocking the full potential of social media marketing. It’s not just about being online; it’s about being online effectively. This book equips you with the skills to participate in the digital world and thrive in it, giving your business a competitive edge in today’s marketplace. --Publisher's blurb

About the author:

Peg Fitzpatrick is a social media powerhouse and co-author of The Art of Social Media: Power Tips for Power Users with Guy Kawasaki. She was the first head of social strategy for Canva and has led successful social media campaigns for global brands like Motorola, Audi, TJMaxx, and Google. She lives in Keene, NH.

Join Peg at Gibson's Bookstore on Thursday, January 9, 2025 from 6:30-7:30 pm where she'll be discussing her newest book!

Book of the Week (12/16/2024)

New Hampshire Trivia by Rebecca Rule (Islandport Press, 2024)

Rebecca “Becky” Rule's New Hampshire Trivia is a fascinating, educational, and entertaining collection of facts and stories that will test your knowledge and spark your curiosity to learn even more about this great state. New Hampshire may be a small state, but it has a rich history. Plus, Becky adds in her signature sense of humor to make this book of trivia fun and engaging. There's something for everyone with 500 questions in such categories as History, Arts and Entertainment, Sports, Notables, Natural Wonders, Strange and Unexpected, and much more. A great gift for those who love New Hampshire, love history, or just love trivia.

Perhaps best of all, Becky Rule is the perfect author for a book that dives into the history, culture, and sometimes quirkiness of her home state.-- Publisher's blurb

About the author:

Rebecca Rule hosted the New Hampshire Authors Series for ten years on NHPBS and now hosts Our Hometown on NHPBS She’s been telling stories in New England, especially NH, for more than thirty years. She hasn’t visited every town in the Granite State, but has found her way to many of them — speaking at libraries, historical societies, church groups, and charitable organizations. She likes collecting stories because “they’re free and you don’t have to dust them."

Her books include N is for New Hampshire with photographs by Scott Snyder; The Iciest Diciest Scariest Sled Ride Ever! illustrated by Jennifer Thermes; Headin’ for the Rhubarb, A NH Dictionary (well, kinda); and That Reminds Me of a Funny Story.

Book of the Week (12/9/2024)

Propaganda Girls: The Secret War of the Women in the OSS by Lisa Rogak (St. Martin's Press, 2025) 

The incredible untold story of four women who spun the web of deception that helped win World War II.

Betty MacDonald was a 28-year-old reporter from Hawaii. Zuzka Lauwers grew up in a tiny Czechoslovakian village and knew five languages by the time she was 21. Jane Smith-Hutton was the wife of a naval attaché living in Tokyo. Marlene Dietrich, the German-American actress and singer, was of course one of the biggest stars of the 20th century. These four women, each fascinating in her own right, together contributed to one of the most covert and successful military campaigns in WWII.

As members of the OSS, their task was to create a secret brand of propaganda produced with the sole aim to break the morale of Axis soldiers. Working in the European theater, across enemy lines in occupied China, and in Washington, D.C., Betty, Zuzka, Jane, and Marlene forged letters and “official” military orders, wrote and produced entire newspapers, scripted radio broadcasts and songs, and even developed rumors for undercover spies and double agents to spread to the enemy. And outside of a small group of spies, no one knew they existed. Until now.

In Propaganda Girls, bestselling author Lisa Rogak brings to vivid life the incredible true story of four unsung heroes, whose spellbinding achievements would change the course of history. --Publisher's blurb

About the author:

Lisa Rogak is the bestselling author of numerous books, including "And Nothing But the Truthiness: The Rise (and Further Rise) of Stephen Colbert", and "Angry Optimist: The Life and Times of Jon Stewart". She is the editor of the New York Times bestseller "Barack Obama in His Own Words". Rogak lives in New Hampshire.
 

Book of the Week (12/2/2024)

The Lions of Winter: Survival and Sacrifice on Mount Washington by Ty Gagne (TMC Books, 2024)

On January 25, 1982, during a four-day search for two missing ice climbers on New Hampshire's Mt. Washington in extreme weather conditions, Albert Dow, a member of the all-volunteer Mountain Rescue Service, became the first-and so far the only- member of a backcountry search and rescue team to be killed in the line of duty in the White Mountains. He was caught in an avalanche in terrain previously thought to present no risk. His teammate, Michael Hartrich, was injured in the accident.

In The Lions of Winter, author Ty Gagne describes the ordeal of the missing climbers, the selflessness and courage of the dedicated rescuers, the tragic circumstances surrounding the avalanche, and the heartbreak of the family, friends, and teammates of the fallen rescuer. Gagne also chronicles how this grueling event became a landmark of White Mountain history, ushering in a new era in the search and rescue community of New Hampshire.

In what is by far his longest and most in-depth book yet, The Lions of Winter, author Ty Gagne describes the ordeal of the missing climbers, the selflessness and courage of the dedicated rescuers, the tragic circumstances surrounding the avalanche, and the heartbreak of the family, friends, and teammates of the fallen rescuer. --Publisher's blurb

About the author:

Ty Gagne is chief executive officer of New Hampshire Public Risk Management Exchange (Primex³), a public entity risk pool serving local governments in New Hampshire. He is a certified Wilderness First Responder and the author of the book Where You’ll Find Me: Risk, Decisions, and the Last Climb of Kate Matrosova, and The Last Traverse: Tragedy and Resilience in the Winter Whites. Two of his essays, “Emotional Rescue,” and “Weakness in Numbers: How a Hiking Companion can be Dangerous” were published in Appalachia journal.

Join Ty at the BNH Stage in Concord on Tuesday, December 3, 2024 from 6:30-7:30pm, hosted by Gibson's Bookstore or at The Country Bookseller in Wolfeboro on Thursday, December 19th from 3-5pm where he will be discussing his newest book.

Book of the Week (11/25/2024)

53 with a Tree: Family-Friendly Hikes in New Hampshire's Town Forests by Tom Eid (Bondcliff Books, 2021)

New Hampshire’s town forests and conservation lands are distinctive, diverse, and delightful. They provide a healthy environment for a wide variety of fauna, flora, rocks, and waters, as well as habitats for amphibians, birds, fish, insects, mammals, reptiles, and many other forms of life. 

The book “53 With a Tree: Family Friendly Hikes in New Hampshire’s Town Forests” is designed for you to be inspired and refreshed by visits to local town forests and conservation areas. Information includes: 

• An overview of the importance of open lands for New Hampshire’s development
• A history of the town and community forest movement in New Hampshire
• Key types of softwoods and hardwoods trees
• Common habitats and why ecosystems develop
• How landscapes sculpt floral growth
• Where and why trees and forests grow

The book provides descriptions and excursions in 53 town forests and their hiking trails, covering all 10 of New Hampshire’s counties. Town forests and conservation lands are identified with locations, hiking trails, forest data and history, and nearby places of interest. --Author's website

About the author:

Tom Eid is an environmentalist and certified naturalist who lives with his family in Nottingham, NH. He is an avid hiker and fisherman who enjoys being outdoors in all seasons.

Book of the Week (11/18/2024)

Katie Girl: Deadly Germs, Modern Medicine, and a Family's Fight by John S. Bentley (Peter E. Randall Publisher, 2024)

This is the true story of a four-year-old girl with a life-threatening illness, the desperate fight of her doctors to keep her alive, and her family’s navigation of life-changing events. It offers a rare glimpse into the inner workings of a large hospital’s pediatric intensive care unit, and the ability of a family to overcome unexpected changes. --Publisher's blurb

About the author:

JOHN BENTLEY, a New Hampshire native, grew up in a small town surrounded by nature, stone walls, extended family, and good neighbors. Over the years, he has worked as an automobile mechanic, sawmill laborer, farmhand, excavation contractor, carpenter, machinist, purchasing agent, and college administrator. John holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Southern New Hampshire University. In his spare time, he operates a small nonprofit charity that provides winter clothing to underprivileged children and serves as treasurer of the International Lilac Society. John lives with his wife and two daughters on a small farm near a brook, down a long dirt road, deep in the woods.

Book of the Week (11/11/2024)

The Hitchcock Hotel by Stephanie Wrobel (Berkley, 2024)

A Hitchcock fanatic with an agenda invites old friends for a weekend stay at his secluded themed hotel in this fiendishly clever, suspenseful new novel from the international bestselling author of Darling Rose Gold.

Alfred Smettle is not your average Hitchcock fan. He is the founder, owner, and manager of The Hitchcock Hotel, a sprawling Victorian house in the White Mountains dedicated to the Master of Suspense. There, Alfred offers his guests round-the-clock film screenings, movie props and memorabilia in every room, plus an aviary with fifty crows.

To celebrate the hotel’s first anniversary, he invites his former best friends from his college Film Club for a reunion. He hasn’t spoken to any of them in sixteen years, not after what happened.

But who better than them to appreciate Alfred’s creation? And to help him finish it.

After all, no Hitchcock set is complete without a body. --Publisher's blurb

Book of the Week (11/4/2024)

New England Sea Glass: A Vibrant History by Roxie J. Zwicker (The History Press, 2024)

The lure of beachcombing in New England has been around since Colonial times. From shipwrecks, relentless storms and spooky maritime mysteries, pieces of sea glass are tumbled treasures speaking to us about our past.

Many frosty cobalt blue shards come from medicine bottles from the early 20th century and can be found on beaches surrounding Boston Harbor. The seaside town of Rockport, where Hannah and the Hatchet Gang launched a destructive raid on liquor, still holds brilliant fragments of the past. The treasures of Captain Kidd are rumored to be hidden somewhere in Jamestown, Rhode Island, while lost seaside amusement parks in Connecticut produced shimmering treasures now rolling in the tides.

Roxie Zwicker reveals the secret clues hidden in the colorful glass, their origins, and the best places to discover them. --Publisher's blurb

About the author:

New England’s Mystery Maven, Roxie J. Zwicker has been entertaining locals, visitors and curious souls since 1994. Her company, New England Curiosities, located in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, has been offering award-winning tours, presentations and special events since 2002 based on New England folklore and mysterious history. Roxie is a published author of several books that delve into the region’s history, legends and lore. Her extensive collection of sea glass and beach found treasures takes up an entire room in her house. Wicked Curious Radio is Roxie’s podcast, available on all major podcast platforms.

Book of the Week (10/28/2024)

Property of the Revolution: From a Cuban Barrio to a New Hampshire Mill Town: A Memoir by Ana Hebra Flaster (She Writes Press, 2025)

In this sweeping, historical, yet intimate memoir, the author details her family’s transformation from pro-Castro revolutionaries in a scrappy Havana barrio to refugees in a New Hampshire mill town—a timeless and timely tale of loss and reinvention.

Ana Hebra Flaster was six years old when her working-class family was kicked out of their Havana barrio for opposing communism. Once devoted revolutionaries themselves but disillusioned by the Castro government’s repressive tactics, they fled to the US. The permanent losses they suffered—of home, country, and loved ones, all within forty-eight hours—haunted her multi-generational family as they reclaimed their lives and freedom in 1967 New Hampshire. There, they fed each other stories of their scrappy barrio—some of which Hebra Flaster has shared on All Things Considered—to resurrect their lost world and fortify themselves for a daunting task: building a new life in a foreign land.

Weaving pivotal events in Cuba–US history with her viejos’—elders’—stories of surviving political upheaval, impossible choices, and “refugeedom,” Property of the Revolution celebrates the indomitable spirit and wisdom of the women warriors who led the family out of Cuba, shaped its rebirth as Cuban Americans, and helped Ana grow up hopeful, future-facing—American. But what happens when deeply buried childhood memories resurface, demanding an adult’s reckoning?

Here’s how the fiercest love, the most stubborn will, and the power of family put nine new Americans back on their feet. --Publisher's blurb

About the author:

Ana Hebra Flaster has written about Cuba and the Cuban American experience for national print and online media including The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and the Boston Globe. Her commentaries and storytelling have aired on NPR and PBS’s Stories from the Stage. She loves watching birds, walking in the woods, and chatting with just about anyone. After almost forty years in the Boston area, she recently moved back to southern New Hampshire with her husband, Andy, and their dogs, Luna and Beny.

Book of the Week (10/21/2024)

Iggy Who Breathes Fire by Carrie Kruck (Disney Hyperion, 2024)

Meet Iggy, a fiery new hero who knows exactly what she's about—no matter what others think.

This hilarious picture book celebrates self-awareness and is perfect for fans of IMOGENE’S ANTLERS and THE PAPER BAG PRINCESS.

Iggy was born to set the world on fire—literally. Her parents aren’t so sure. They bring in the experts—a professor, fire chief, librarian, and doctor—who suggest everything from eating ice cream to sitting in a cold room, but none can help her tame her fire.

Hilarious and heartwarming (get it?) in equal measure, IGGY WHO BREATHES FIRE celebrates that kids are the true experts when it comes to their own identity, and it’s up to them to decide when and how to share themselves with the world. --Publisher's blurb

About the author:

Carrie Kruck was born and raised in Canada, studied and worked as a psychologist in Australia, and now lives in a cozy house at the edge of the woods in New Hampshire. Her home is filled with laughter and love and a lot of Lego, and has a room with built-in bookshelves that she calls “the library,” so she has pretty much everything she needs!

Join Carrie on Sunday, November 17th, 2024 at 1 pm at Gibson's Bookstore where she will be holding a story-time along with NH children's author Kari Allen!

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

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

Book of the Week (9/23/2024)

New England Fairies: A History of the Little People of the Hills and Forests by Andrew Warburton (The History Press, 2024)

Tales of fairies and bewitching Little People have amazed and horrified New Englanders for over four hundred years.

In the nineteenth century, residents of Marblehead, Massachusetts, reported malicious pixies leading them in circles at dusk. In Aroostook County, Maine, elves called lutins exasperated farmers with their mischievous tricks and games. In Uncasville, Connecticut, beguiling creatures emerged for centuries at twilight to collect corn-filled baskets from members of the Mohegan Tribe. And in Harrisville, Rhode Island, a vision of fearful banshees augured death to an Irish seer.

From the ancient tales of Algonquian elders to the fireside stories of European immigrants, Andrew Warburton scours New England folklore to uncover the secrets of the region's Fair Folk and the storytellers who've encountered them through the years. --Publisher's blurb

Book of the Week (9/16/2024)

Death in Disguise: A Rev & Rye Mystery by Maren Tirabassi & Maria Mankin (Brain Mill Press, 2024)

The Reverend Wanda and her best friend Rye are back, shocked at the layers of secrets that the latest murder uncovers and how all those secrets seem to trace back to Rye . . .

A multifaith Mardi Gras celebration sounds like the perfect way to ease into Lent, with enough music, King cake, and socializing to distract Reverend Wanda Duff from the cold, dreary New England weather-until she and her friend Rye stumble on a body.

Someone has murdered Martina Suarez in the basement of Saint Athanasius, and it quickly becomes clear that the question isn't so much who would want to kill the church custodian as who wouldn't. But the more Wanda and Rye learn about Martina and the secrets she kept, the harder it gets for them to ignore the case's connections to the past and to the shadows haunting their own lives.

Soon, Wanda finds herself struggling with love and loss on more than one front, while Rye pieces together the heartbreaking bedtime story her father's never been willing to tell her: the truth of why her mother disappeared.

Delivered with humor, emotion, and a twist around every corner, Death in Disguise is another delightful and inclusive cozy mystery for readers to devour. --Publisher's blurb

Maren C. Tirabassi is a United Church of Christ pastor who serves churches in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. She is the author of 21 books and a former poet laureate of Portsmouth, NH.

Join Maren at Gibson's Bookstore on Thursday, September 26th, 2024 at 6:30 pm as she presents her newest cozy mystery!

Book of the Week (9/9/2024)

Attention Is Discovery: The Life and Legacy of Astronomer Henrietta Leavitt by Anna Von Mertens  (MIT Press, 2024)

A portrait of trailblazing astronomer Henrietta Leavitt and an illustrated exploration of the power of attention in scientific observation, artistic creation, and the making of meaning.

Our galaxy, the Milky Way, has a diameter of about 100,000 light years—a figure we can calculate because of the work of Henrietta Leavitt (1868–1921), who spent decades studying glass plate photographs of the night sky. Visual artist and researcher Anna Von Mertens’s Attention Is Discovery is a fascinating portrait of this remarkable woman who laid the foundation for modern cosmology, as well as an exploration of the power of looking and its revelatory role at the center of scientific discovery. Ushering us into the scientific community of women who worked alongside Leavitt, now known as the Harvard Computers, Von Mertens describes the inventive methodologies Leavitt devised to negotiate the era’s emerging photographic technology.

Interspersed with Von Mertens’s meticulously researched and lyrically written essays are collaborations with art historian Jennifer L. Roberts, cosmologist Wendy Freedman, astrophysicist João Alves, and novelist Rebecca Dinerstein Knight. Alongside Leavitt’s process, evident in her astronomical logbooks and ink notations on the glass plates, Von Mertens includes details of the hand-stitched quilts and graphite drawings she made in response to Leavitt’s legacy. Photographs made by Jennifer L. Roberts using a macro lens amplify the material richness of these artworks and archives. This interweaving of text and image engages and rewards the reader’s own close attention. Highlighting ways that subtle, repeated actions build meaning—whether skilled, technical observation, the crafting of an object, or the mundane tasks that construct our exquisite lives—Von Mertens’s pairing of close looking with close reading creates a layered portrait of Henrietta Leavitt that acknowledges the significance of her discovery and the richness of its inheritance. --Publisher's blurb

About the author:

Anna Von Mertens received her MFA from California College of the Arts and BA from Brown University. Anna is an author, artist, and teacher. She lives and works in Peterborough, New Hampshire.

Join the author at Toadstool Bookshop in Peterborough, NH on Saturday, September 21, 2024 at 11 am where she will present her new book!

Book of the Week (9/2/2024)

The Curse of the Crummy Mummy by Thomas Tosi, illustrated by Meaghan Tosi (Dooney Press, 2024)

NH author Thomas Tosi has released Book #2 in the Green Hill Academy Chronicles, a follow-up to Six Thousand Doughnuts!

Miss Sorenson’s fifth-grade class at Green Hill Academy is going to make a movie… a mummy movie! Brilliant but awkward Bernard Gawain is thrilled his crush, Bridget Matsumoto, has been cast as the leading lady, and he will be playing her hero. But this dream come true unravels when his domineering mother becomes the class substitute teacher and the film's tyrannical director. --Publisher's blurb

About the author:

THOMAS TOSI is a bestselling author and filmmaker whose writing includes six feature screenplays, three novels, and a children's chapter book. He has written and directed numerous short dramatic films and the feature film "Dribbles." His novel "Six Thousand Doughnuts" was narrated for audiobook by AudioFile Magazine Golden Voice, Michael Crouch. In August of 2022, it became the Number One Bestselling Children's Audiobook in independent bookstores across North America. He is the recipient of the 2023 New Hampshire Literary Awards in both the Middle-Grade and Children's categories. He graduated from Boston University winning both the Blue Chip Award for undergraduate achievement and Redstone Award for filmmaking. Living in his native New Hampshire, he frequently collaborates on creative projects with his family.

About the illustrator:

MEAGHAN TOSI, after being born on April Fools' Day in New Hampshire, has collected a BFA from Laguna College of Art and Design. She illustrated this book and the graphic novel "Squashed" alongside author Thomas Tosi. She has also self-published "DWEEDY: The Imagined Adventures of My Deceased Cat." She now lives in Portland, Oregon, for the art, coffee shops, vegan food, and the constantly lingering smell of rain.

Book of the Week (8/26/2024)

BETTY: A Life Interrupted: The Untold Story of Betty Hill's Extraterrestrial Life by Dave O. Dodge (Glue Pot Press, 2024)

This is a historical novel of Betty Hill and her extraterrestrial life set during the turbulent 1960's. Betty and her husband Barney, were a well-established interracial married couple living in white New Hampshire. They were the very first documented case of an alien abduction by extraterrestrials while driving through the White Mountain National Forest of New Hampshire.

Their story begins with a late-night drive and continues through multiple investigations from government agencies, months of forensic hypnosis, critical response from the public, and multiple strange occurrences throughout their lives. The couple went on to be the reluctant face of the UFO phenomenon that was sweeping the nation, and now she is considered the 1st lady of alien abductions during that sensational time and continues today.

Betty was a well-respected social worker and admired by her colleagues. Barney was a postman, who become an esteemed volunteer with the State of New Hampshire and its efforts for economic growth, as well as a member of the NAACP. Both Hills were very active with the Democratic Party and even garnered an invitation to the inauguration for Lyndon B. Johnson.

Betty and Barney were catapulted into the media limelight, with countless appearances on national radio, and national TV and features in periodicals, including, Look Magazine. Appearing at the first UFO Conference, they told the story of that night, never wavering from the experience that interrupted that drive so late at night. Their story has been told in a non-fiction account of the occurrence, which went to be a movie-of-the-week on network television in 1975.

Betty; A Life Interrupted is the story of a loving wife, well educated, self-determined, and professional woman; who had her life that was turned upside down, and how she handled it. It is a fascinating read, steeped in detail, based on truth and salted with emotion. --Publisher's blurb

About the author: 

Dave O. Dodge was born and raised in northern New Hampshire. He is an experienced travel writer, marketer, international tour guide and natural story-teller. His first novel, "The Seasons of Grace" is based on the life of influential NH author Grace Metalious and her desire to tell stories such as “Peyton Place”, those that no one dared to tell before that time.

Join Dave at Gibson's Bookstore on Tuesday, August 27, 2024 at 6:30 pm where he'll be discussing his latest book!

Book of the Week (8/19/2024)

One Day I'll Grow Up and Be a Beautiful Woman: A Mother's Story by Abi Maxwell (Knopf, 2024)

A fiery, heartbreaking, riveting memoir that follows one New Hampshire family over the course of three years, unspooling a story of gender identity, class, trans youth, and a child caught in the riptide of America’s culture wars

Abi Maxwell grew up in rural New Hampshire, one of eight kids in a poor town abutting a wealthier lakeside village. As a young couple, Maxwell and her husband planned not to have kids, but when Maxwell became pregnant, she knew she wanted to raise her child near the mountains and lake of her youth. When her six-year-old, who was known to the world as a boy, asks to wear pink sneakers, asks to be a witch for Halloween, asks to wear a girl’s dance costume, Abi worries about how their small community will react. But when that child changes her name, grows her hair long, and announces that she is a girl, a firestorm engulfs the family.

Weaving together the story of her own youth, marked by long afternoons skiing the mountains, a cottage on the lake, and a proud gay brother, but also by neglect and bullying that pushed her brother to the brink, Abi Maxwell contends with the rural America where she was raised and, years later, where she is now raising her daughter, as lawmakers nationwide push to erase the very existence of trans youth. Intimate and stirring, this book is essential reading for this moment in our history. --Publisher's blurb

About the author:

Abi Maxwell is the author of the novels 'Lake People' and 'The Den'. After graduating from the writing program at the University of Montana, she spent many years working in public libraries, and she now works as a high school librarian. She is a dedicated advocate for the rights of transgender youth in her state and frequently testifies in front of the legislature on their behalf. 

Join Abi at Gibson's Bookstore on Tuesday, September 17, 2024 at 6:30 pm where she'll be discussing her newest book!