Book of the Week (9/28/2026)

Death By Molasses by Kate Schoedinger (Peter E. Randall Publisher, 2026)

Middle grade historical fiction novel, Death By Molasses, follows Luca, a child survivor of the 1919 Great Boston Molasses Flood, who dares to speak out against greedy powerhouses, to avenge his sister’s death. His testimony becomes a spark that ultimately contributes to the creation of modern workplace protections, now known as OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration). --Publisher's blurb

About the author:

Kate Schoedinger recently retired after forty joyful years teaching in the Bedford, New Hampshire school district where she learned daily from the curiosity, humor, and persistence of her students. Kate holds an M.Ed., from Antioch of New England, an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts, and a BA from Wittenberg University. Kate grew up in Bexley, Ohio as a dedicated Ohio State Buckeyes fan before relocating to Weare, NH on Lake Horace thanks to marrying the waterski counselor at Camp Kawanhee for Boys, the summer camp her parents directed for over thirty years. She serves as the secretary on the board of the George and Raymond Frank Foundation, which operates Camp Kawanhee and is also a founding board member of the New Hampshire Book Festival.

Join Kate at Gibson's Bookstore on Thursday, October 8, 2026 at 6:30 pm where she will present her new book!

Book of the Week (9/21/2026)

Manchester through the Lens of Frank Kelly by Sam Kelly Theodosopoulos & Manchester Historic Association (Arcadia Publishing, 2026)

Frank Kelly was a prominent Manchester photographer in the mid-20th century, owning and operating Frank Kelly Studios for over 49 years.

Together with his wife, Eleanor, he captured the essence of Manchester through portraits of its people, businesses, and iconic landmarks. This book showcases his remarkable body of work, including rare images of local businesses and notable events, such as multiple presidential visits to the Queen City. Additionally, Frank Kelly was a well-respected portrait and wedding photographer who took great pride in photographing generations of Manchester families. -- Publisher's blurb

About the authors:

Sam Kelly Theodosopoulos, grandson of Frank Kelly, is a committee member of the Manchester Historic Association. A Manchester High School Central graduate, he holds a bachelor of arts in political science from George Washington University. 

The Manchester Historic Association, established in 1896, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to collecting, preserving, and sharing the rich history of Manchester, New Hampshire.

Book of the Week (9/14/2026)

Noble Reckoning: An Emma Noble Thriller by Andrew Bridgeman (Mission Point Press, 2026)

A dead man sends Emma Noble a text: FIND NADIA.

Emma buried him only three weeks ago.

The message sends her searching for a teenage girl. Nadia knows the location of the terrorist behind the inauguration attacks. He evaded capture-vanished two years ago. And now, he's operational again.

But others are hunting the girl too. They need what's in her head. Whether she survives the interrogation isn't their concern. Somewhere in Florence, Nadia is running out of time.

Fired from the FBI, Emma has no badge and no backup.

And no idea there's a target on her back. -- Publisher's blurb

About the author:

Andrew Bridgeman is the internationally published author of the Emma Noble thriller series, with editions in Germany and Hungary. A former rugby player, jazz singer, and entrepreneur, he studied creative writing at Dickinson College and received a business degree from Washington University in St. Louis. Andrew lives in Ossipee, New Hampshire with his wife, Kathy. Beyond writing, his interests include hiking, music, and camping.

Join Andrew at Gibson's Bookstore on Tuesday, October 6, 2026 at 6:30 pm where he will be discussing his newest novel in the Emma Noble series!

Book of the Week (9/7/2026)

Calmly on the Waters: Seasonal Essays From Monadnock by Jarvis Coffin (Bauhan Publishing, 2026)

Calmly on the Waters is Jarvis Coffin’s first collected volume of essays. For more than a decade, as co-owner with his wife of New Hampshire’s oldest inn, The Hancock Inn (now, The Inn at Hancock), Coffin offered a steady sense of place in conversations with travelers from around the world, and in popular, monthly pieces sent to the inn’s guest list.

In this collection he gathers a selection of essays rooted in life beside a pond in the woods of southern New Hampshire. Quiet, attentive, and occasionally humorous, these essays invite readers to slow down and observe a world reachable “on two feet, or by canoe, or by car, with no more than a tank of gas.” Written against the backdrop of deep winters, uncertain springs, brief summers, and colorful autumns, Calmly on the Waters is organized by season, following the rhythms that shape daily life in rural New England. --Author's website

About the author:

Jarvis Coffin writes fiction and essays on rural life from southern New Hampshire. In addition to his bi-weekly column in the Monadnock Ledger-Transcript, his work has been published in Jimson Weed, Down in the Dirt, Swanannoa Review, ellipsis...language and art, and the Glint Literary Journal (forthcoming). He is the former co-owner with his wife of New Hampshire's oldest inn, The Hancock Inn, and, for thirty years, was a media and advertising sales executive with leading magazines, newspapers, and co-founder and CEO of internet ad sales pioneer, Burst Media.

Join Jarvis at the following locations where he will be discussing his new book:

September 11, 2026- Bob’s Chocolate Cafe in Francestown, NH, 6:30 p.m. 

September 12, 2026- The Toadstool Bookshop, Peterborough, NH, 11:00 a.m.

September 19th, 2026- Bound Together Books, Nashua, NH, 1:30 p.m.

Book of the Week (8/31/2026)

Passionate Teaching in Troubled Times: A Practical Guide by Robert L. Fried (Beacon Press, 2026)

Every teacher can be a passionate teacher—one who engages young people in the excitement of learning and ideas—if teaching is not undermined by the ways we "do business" in schools. In this book, a professor draws on the voices and firsthand accounts of teachers in urban, rural, and suburban classrooms to provide educators everywhere with useful advice and ‘things to try'. Their successes will inspire you to grow and maintain your own passion for teaching in the face of day-to-day obstacles.

This edition of The Passionate Teacher also includes a new chapter for teachers beginning their careers.-- Publisher's blurb

About the author:

Rob Fried, Concord resident since 1976, is an author of several books on effective teaching and education reform.  He was a professor of education at Northeastern University and headed the Upper Valley Educators Institute in Lebanon, NH.  His books include: "The Passionate Teacher" (now revised and expanded as "Passionate Teaching in Troubled Times"; "The Passionate Learner," and "The Game of School." Fried has interviewed several local educators for his books, as well as nationally known leaders of education reform. He served on the Concord School Board and wrote columns for the Concord Monitor. He is married to Patricia Wilczynski.

Join Rob at Gibson's Bookstore on Thu., September 10, 2026 at 6:30 pm where he will discuss his book.

Book of the Week (8/24/2026)

Death in a Blackout (A WPC Billie Harkness mystery, Book 1) by Jessica Ellicott (Severn House, 2022)

1940. Britain is at war. Rector's daughter Wilhelmina Harkness longs to do her duty for her country, but when her strict mother forbids her to enlist, their bitter argument has devastating consequences.

Unable to stay in the village she loves, Wilhelmina - reinventing herself as Billie - spends everything she has on a one-way ticket up north. Hull is a distant, dangerous city, but Billie is determined to leave her painful memories behind and start afresh, whatever the cost.

The last thing Billie expects on her first evening in Hull, however, is to be caught in the city's first air raid - or to stumble across the body of a young woman, suspiciously untouched by debris.

If the air raid didn't kill the glamorous stranger, what did? Billie is determined to get justice, and her persistence earns her an invitation to the newly formed Women's Police Constabulary. But as the case unfolds, putting her at odds with both high-ranking members of the force as well as the victim's powerful family, Billie begins to wonder if she can trust her new friends and colleagues . . . or if someone amongst them is working for the enemy. --Publisher's blurb

About the author:

Jessica Ellicott loves fountain pens, Mini Coopers and throwing parties. She lives in New Hampshire where she obsessively knits wool socks and enthusiastically speaks Portuguese with a shocking disregard for the rules of grammar.

As Jessie Crockett she’s the author of the nationally bestselling Sugar Grove Mysteries, and the Daphne du Maurier Award winner, Live Free or Die. She also is the author of the books in the Change of Fortune mysteries as Jessica Estevao.

Book of the Week (8/17/2026)

Book Lovers' New England: A Guide to Literary Landmarks by Sheila Moeschen (Globe Pequot Publishing, 2026)

New England is one of the most storied regions of America, home to a host of literary icons. Who were the people behind the pages? Book Lovers' New England answers this question by bringing readers on a fascinating and lively tour of the places and locations that shaped the contributions of authors such as Louisa May Alcott, Mark Twain, Edith Wharton, Sylvia Plath, Robert Frost, and more. Structured as an interactive, fascinating compilation of day trips and opportunities to experience regional travel in a new way, the book offers rich literary history of America as centered in New England coupled with sumptuous photography. Book Lover’s New England is a one-of-a-kind literary road trip designed to inspire book lovers, travelers, and anyone curious about the creators behind the creative art.

Book Lovers' will explore primary places associated with New England authors such as homes, estates, museums, and commemorative sites with a descriptive scoop on the surrounding towns and cities that shaped their lives and art. The book will feature interest-worthy locations such as notable bookstores or libraries holding important author papers or manuscripts and each sidebar will be dedicated to famous books set in New England sites and streets—a book lover’s dream! --Publisher's blurb

Book of the Week (8/10/2026)

Don't Go There: A Tour of the World's Most Sinister Spots by J. W. Ocker (Quirk Books, 2026)

Embark on a guided tour of 30 of the most dangerous and mysterious locations that we simply cannot stay away from.

Have you ever visited a forest or an abandoned building and gotten a bad vibe? There are places that are rife with rumors of hauntings, monsters, and sinister phenomena that can’t be explained. And there are just as many sites that are the confirmed home of disasters, murders, and man-made mistakes. Everyone’s heard about the Bermuda Triangle, but do you know these chilling sites?

Roopkund: There's a lake tucked high in the frozen Himalayan Mountains . . . and it's full of skeletons.

Mount Shasta: This mysterious mountain in California inspired the I AM cult and is said to host UFOs, bigfoots, and lizard people.

Nahanni National Park: Called the "Valley of the Headless Men", this national park in northern Canada is famous for legends of a hidden gold mine . . . and a series of decapitated miners.

Pine Barrens: Best known as the home of the Jersey Devil, this desolate pine forest has also hosted pirates, the mafia, and moonshiners.

Ciudad Blanca: This fabled pre-Columbian "Lost City of the Monkey God" in Honduras doesn't want to be found, and explorers seeking it have met violent ends. --Publisher's blurb

About the author:

J.W. Ocker is a nationally bestselling, Edgar-winning author of macabre travelogues, spooky kids books, and horror novels. His books include A Season with the Witch, Twelve Nights at Rotter House, The Black Slide, and The United States of Cryptids. He is originally from Maryland but has lived in New Hampshire for almost two decades.

Join J.W. at Toadstool Bookshop in Keene, NH on Sat., August 22, 2026 at 2:00 pm where he will be presenting and signing his newest book!

Book of the Week (8/3/2026)

The Old Scarecrow by Tabatha Jean D'Agata (Hb Publishing House, 2025)

Farmer Fred faces a tough choice. His old scarecrow, Tom, has stood guard over the cornfield for years. But now, a relentless flock of crows threatens to devour his crops.

As the crows invade, Fred's bond with Tom is tested. It's not just about the corn; it's about tradition, loyalty, and what it means to protect.

Farmer Fred scratched his head as the crows swarmed the cornfield. Tom the scarecrow had been a loyal guardian for years. But with the corn disappearing faster than ever, Fred began to think it might be time for a change.

Will Goose, Cow, and a particularly shaggy Sheep (who desperately needs a shave) rally together to save their cherished scarecrow, Tom, from possible replacement?

However, help can often come in mysterious shapes and sizes.

Join Fred on this heartfelt journey. Will he choose practicality or sentiment? Dive into The Old Scarecrow and find out. --Publisher's blurb

About the author:

Tabatha Jean D’Agata is a writer who has authored several books for children. As a dedicated literacy columnist for the Parent Express Newspaper, she advocates for the importance of reading and writing in children's lives. D’Agata shares her love for writing by conducting workshops for children in schools and libraries, inspiring the next generation of storytellers. D’Agata resides in Hooksett, NH where she enjoys making memories with her family, tucking a penny in her shoe for good luck, sending wishes with dandelion fluff, and indulging in chocolate—because she believes chocolate fixes everything! 

Book of the Week (7/27/2026)

Photosynthesis & Respiration: Poems by Christopher Clauss (Silver Bow Publishing, 2022)

The thread running through this collection of poems is relationship, but many take a scientific perspective. In most ecological systems the process of photosynthesis is responsible for the creation of food from inorganic carbon dioxide and water, absorbing energy from the sun to fuel life on our planet. Respiration in living things does just the opposite, breaking down that food into its original components and releasing energy to power every life process in which we engage. The two processes function in tandem, intertwining in an elegant dance, depending on one another to keep us all alive, much like partners in a relationship. One could describe this collection as love poems about science or science poems about love. Either way, they bridge the gap between two marvelous phenomena, neither of which we will ever fully appreciate, and about which we still have so much to learn. --Publisher's blurb

About the author:

Christopher Clauss is a father, poet, and middle school science teacher from Chesterfield, New Hampshire. He has represented his home state six times at the National Poetry Slam as a member of the Slam Free or Die poetry slam team. Christopher's work explores the bliss and turmoil of faith, teaching, parenting, marriage, and community in rural New England, with a scientific flair. His poems have been published in New York Quarterly, Plants and Poetry Journal, Sylvia, FreezeRay, and Bureau of Complaint. You will find him in the middle of the Pacific Ocean exploring the seafloor or wading into tidepools in the North Atlantic.

Join Christopher and the Slam Free or Die Competition Team at Gibson's Bookstore on Wed., August 19, 2026 from 4:30-6:00pm for an afternoon of poetry!

Book of the Week (7/20/2026)

The Cure at Walden Pond: A Guide to Recovering Our Humanity by Thomas Moore (Pegasus Books, 2026)

Among the pages of Henry David Thoreau’s journals and his legendary Walden, Thomas Moore, beloved bestselling author, psychotherapist, and public thinker, has found transformative ideas and approaches that promise to help us live better. As Moore writes, “We need to make the journey to our own ‘Walden Pond’ and find a cure for our cultural lostness.”

Like Moore’s own million-copy-bestselling Care of the Soul, The Cure at Walden Pond will be widely heralded among readers for its beautiful prose, accessible voice, and profound insights into the human condition. 

Thoreau was disillusioned in his day by the same kind of frantic consumerism, round-the-clock work, and narrow imagination that trouble us today. Moore will help readers slow down, be more present and mindful in their relationships with their loved ones, and appreciate the beautiful world we share. For Moore, as for Thoreau, there is immense spiritual power all around us.

New Hampshire’s Mount Monadnock is a “natural temple” for all New Englanders, a place of reverence and renewal, and Moore encourages us to find our own places of rejuvenation. There is neglected spirituality—and humanity—in the everyday objects that sustain us too. Moore explores his own memories of an old farmhouse, a grinding stone, and an out-of-tune piano that bring him back to his childhood and his family history. 

The journey to Walden Pond is an essential American pilgrimage, and The Cure at Walden Pond embodies Thoreau’s essence, guiding us through Thoreau’s precepts so we can find more harmony in our communities and in ourselves. Immersing ourselves in the music of the natural world The Cure at Walden Pond is a resonate read that will move and inspire any one in search of a new way of being. --Publisher's blurb

About the author:

Thomas Moore is the author of the bestselling Care of the Soul and twenty other books on spirituality and depth psychology that have been translated into thirty languages. He has been practicing depth psychotherapy for thirty-five years. He lectures and gives workshops in several countries on depth spirituality, soulful medicine, and psychotherapy. He has been a monk and a university professor, and is a consultant for organizations and spiritual leaders. He has often been on television and radio, including Oprah Winfrey’s Super Soul Sunday. Thomas also writes fiction, arranges music and plays golf in New Hampshire, where he has lived for thirty years.

Book of the Week (7/13/2026)

You'll Be Sorry by Lisa Gardner (Grand Central Publishing, 2026)

For Raquel and Theo Collins, it appeared to be love at first sight. Raquel, a renowned interior designer, and Theo, a brash financial wizard met and married in a matter of months, only to confront a terrible tragedy. Now, unbearably aware of the distance between them, they’ve come to a remote town in New Hampshire to begin anew.

Perched on a ledge with stunning views, the Dixon’s family lodge was once a crown jewel of the mountains. Until late one August night, when both parents and their four children vanished, leaving behind a trail of bloody footprints, and a mystery that has endured for thirty years. Now, its latest occupants, the Collinses, are arriving, and the former grand lodge is once more stirring to life.

For Amanda Grady, following in her father’s footsteps as the recently appointed Shereford police chief, it’s good to see a fresh start for the derelict Dixon place. However, not everyone is happy about a new family in the old home and its hidden past may have returned with a vengeance.

When a stray dog leads to the discovery of a skeleton on the property, Raquel and Theo face a daunting choice of what to believe, who to trust, and how to survive. Because in the tiny village of Shereford the time has come. The local residents, the new neighbors, and the fledgling police chief must work together to unravel the terrifying events that happened one night thirty years ago, or…you’ll be sorry. --Publisher's blurb

About the author:

Lisa Gardner ia a #1 New York Times bestselling thriller novelist. A self-described research junkie, she has transformed her interest in police procedure and criminal minds into a streak of internationally acclaimed novels, published across 30 countries. She’s also had four books become TV movies (At the Midnight Hour; The Perfect Husband; The Survivors Club; Hide). Lisa lives in New Hampshire where she spends her time with an assortment of canine companions. When not writing, she loves to hike, garden, snowshoe and play cribbage.

Join Gibson's Bookstore, in conjunction with New Hampshire Public Radio and the Capitol Center for the Arts on Monday, August 10, 2026 at 7 pm as they welcome Lisa Gardner to the Bank of NH Stage for "You'll Be Sorry", as part of their author series, Authors on Main!

Book of the Week (7/6/2026)

Ghost Chickens: Omelet from the Other Side by Adi Rule (Tundra Books, 2026)

After eating a glowing green egg, aspiring journalist Florence Fortescue can suddenly see that her house is overrun with ghost chickens in this delightfully bizarre and hilarious first book of a new early middle-grade series for readers aged 8 to 12!

Ten-year-old aspiring journalist Florence Fortescue did NOT want to move to the country, leaving her best friend and city life behind.

To make matters worse, Florence is shocked to discover a Minions-esque flock of ghost chickens running amok all over her new house — and her parents are oblivious! Clearly, Mom and Dad need to take their precious daughter back to the city RIGHT NOW. If only she could convince them . . .

Using her journalistic skills, Florence cooks up a sizzling exposé in her homemade newspaper: TERROR IN THE HAUNTED COOP! But when that plan fails, Florence has to enlist the help of her weird new neighbor, two bizarre dogs and maybe even the ghost chickens themselves! --Publisher's blurb

About the author:

Adi Rule is the author of Nell and the Netherbeast, Why Would I Lie?, Hearts of Ice, as well as The Hidden Twin and Strange Sweet Song, which won the 2016 New Hampshire Writers' Project Literary Award for Outstanding Young Adult Book and the Vermont College of Fine Arts Houghton Mifflin/Clarion Prize. Adi is a member of the faculty of the Solstice MFA in Creative Writing program at Lasell University. She lives in New Hampshire with two and a half warring cats, a macaw, a magician, and a small but mighty flock of chickens.

Book of the Week (6/29/2026)

Lady Justice and the Sisterhood of the Crones by Jennifer Speidel (Olympia Publishers, 2026)

The world is broken - corrupt men rule, greed runs rampant, and the voices of women have been silenced for too long. Enter Mavon, a demon, who's lost her taste for wicked souls, and Buluku, the ancient goddess of matriarchy, who's had enough. Together, they call upon the crones - women of wisdom, resilience, and untapped power - to rise up and take back what's theirs.

On Peaks Island, an unlikely sisterhood forms: Maxine, a no-nonsense New Yorker with a rebellious streak; Toby, a teacher whose empathy is her superpower; and Sumita, a gentle soul with quiet strength. As their magic spreads, curses unravel the powerful, and a revolution begins. But changing the world won't be easy - especially when the forces of greed fight back.

Witty, fierce, and full of heart, Lady Justice and the Sisterhood of the Crones is a spellbinding tale of justice, sisterhood, and the power of women who refuse to be ignored. For anyone who's ever wished the patriarchy would just... crumble. --Publisher's blurb

About the author:

Jennifer Speidel has been a special education teacher for twenty years. She's passionate about building strong connections with students and community, and founded a school thrift shop that has provided over 11,000 free items to students. She lives in New Hampshire with her partner, Dave, and their two cats. Now empty nesters, they enjoy camping with their daughters. Jennifer loves coastal walks in Maine and reading with a cat curled up on her lap.

Join Jennifer at Gibson's Bookstore on Thu., August 6, 2026 at 6:30 pm where she will be discussing her first novel!

Book of the Week (6/22/2026)

In Wonderland: A Novel by Joyce Maynard (Little A, 2026)

In one golden summer, Frances trades her working-class world for an elite Maine lakeside estate―where privilege and betrayal turn into a deadly game.

Frances believes she’s found a ticket to paradise when a wealthy couple hires her for the summer as their mother’s helper at their lakefront summer home in Maine. The vintage wooden boats, the days at the country club, a shiny new bicycle, and a tennis racquet―suddenly Frances has everything her modest childhood lacked. Best of all, she gets to spend the summer with Forrest Emerson, her father's charismatic childhood friend who escaped their neighborhood when he married into money.

But below the glittering surface of Lake Catherine, nothing is what it seems. When Forrest’s wife, Regina, pulls Frances into her private obsession, the girl finds herself witness to the intimate secrets of adult lives. As the summer heat builds, so do the tensions within Wonderland’s walls. By Labor Day, a death will shatter the seemingly perfect family, leaving Frances to question everything she thought she knew about privilege, power, and the price of belonging. --Publisher's blurb

About the author:

Joyce Maynard is the New York Times bestselling author of thirteen previous novels and five books of nonfiction, as well as the syndicated column Domestic Affairs. Her memoir, At Home in the World, has been translated into eighteen languages. Her novels To Die For and Labor Day were both adapted for film. She is a fellow of MacDowell and Yaddo artists' residencies.

When not running her hotel/retreat center, Casa Paloma, in Guatemala―where she mentors women in the telling of their stories―she makes her home in Northern California and in the state of New Hampshire.

Join Joyce at Gibson's Bookstore on Thu., July 23, 2026 at 6:30 pm and at Toadstool Bookshop in Peterborough on Sat., July 25, 2026 at 11 am where she will be discussing her newest book!

Book of the Week (6/15/2026)

Dominic Bean and the Mammoth Melt by Emilie Christie Burack (Groundwood Books, 2026)

At first, twelve-year-old Dominic Bean is not happy when he and his sister are “dumped” with eccentric relatives on a New Hampshire cattle farm while their scientist parents work on a secret project in the Canadian Arctic. Coping with what he sees as parental abandonment, plus the pressure of bullies, schoolwork and wrangling Harriet (a stubborn pregnant Highlander cow with long, sharp horns) bring out the worst in Dom.

But the sleepy farm turns out to be full of surprises. A developer is trying to buy the Bean family land to build an Arctic-themed amusement park under a plastic dome. Dom’s nemesis at school, Edith, turns out to have a way with Harriet. And reading his dad’s old journal leads Dom to an ancient woolly mammoth tusk that his father once found in the farm’s bog.

Dom learns that his jam-making aunt and whiskey-distilling uncle are in fact in cahoots with his parents on a secret project in the old milking barn ― a project that, if successful, will “de-extinct” the woolly mammoth and possibly help save the planet.--Publisher's blurb

About the author:

Emilie Christie Burack's debut novel, The Runaway’s Gold, was a Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People and a winner of the New England Book Festival. She holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts and lives in New Hampshire, where she is the co-founder of the New Hampshire Book Festival.

Book of the Week (6/8/2026)

Out Clause by Ernest Thompson (Global Collective Publishers, 2026)

What if you could leave your life? Oxton Paris, the ultimate misfit, disfigured and ostracized, years ago left his and repurposed his angst into helping others escape their own entrapments, bad marriages, poor choices, compromising positions. He created Out Clause, providing thousands of Travelers a new life, a second chance, a smoother fit.

The compact, though, comes with caveats: one, a commitment to discontinue all contact with what's been left behind, no texting, no coded messaging on social media, no burner phone calls, no keepsakes tucked in backpacks. And, two, a promise to live a better life, predicated on honesty and kindness, not only to others but to oneself. Could you do that, become the better angel you perhaps have always longed to be?

If Travelers fail in their mission, their bodies will be discovered where they went missing, near a bridge, on a Caribbean beach, stumbled over by hikers or exposed when a glacier recedes, a house torn down, a subway tunnel reactivated. There's a vast network of spirit guides ensuring that Travelers reach their destinations. And stay true to the Out Clause ethic.

Enter a New York detective obsessed with suicides, especially those he calls No Bodies, and determined to find out where they've gone, setting up a human chess game with Oxton Paris and putting the entire sweet construct of Out Clause in jeopardy. --Publisher's blurb

About the author:

Ernest Thompson has written numerous films, plays and songs, and has worked extensively as an actor and director. In addition to his Oscar for On Golden Pond, Ernest's work has won two Golden Globes, a Writers Guild Award, a Broadway Drama Guild Award and been nominated for a Tony, an Emmy and a British Academy Award. His plays have been seen in theaters around the world, his most enduring, On Golden Pond, translated into 30 languages and presented in more than 40 countries. From his home base, a 200-year-old farm in rural New Hampshire, Ernest has worked with hundreds of writers, hosting his internationally-renowned Write On Golden Pond workshops.

Join Ernest at Toadstool Bookshop in Keene, NH on Saturday, June 20, 2026 at 6 pm where he'll be discussing his latest book!

Book of the Week (6/1/2026)

Skyland: A Novel by Ann Joslin Williams (Islandport Press, 2026)

When Celia is murdered by a troubled young man from across the street, her husband Henry and daughters Nora and Lucy are left to navigate the unthinkable in their small town of Kittery, Maine. Desperate to help his daughters heal, Henry sends the girls to spend the summer at Skyland Farm, a remote artists' retreat in the New Hampshire mountains run by his beloved cousin Franny.

But the girls, feeling abandoned, struggle to find their footing among the resident artists. Nora grapples with her complicated feelings about Blake, the young man who destroyed their lives, while forming a new bond with a young sculptor. Lucy, the sole witness to the murder, retreats into silence and the mysterious world of a painting above her bed. Back in Maine, Henry battles his own grief and faces his greatest test when he becomes entangled with Blake's alcoholic mother, threatening his twelve years of sobriety.

As the family struggles separately with their trauma, the buried details of that terrible day slowly surface. When Nora makes a desperate midnight drive home to confront her father, their journey becomes a reckoning that will either destroy what remains of their family or finally allow them to face their loss together.

Set against the rugged beauty of coastal Maine and the mountainous landscape of New Hampshire, Skyland reveals how art, nature, and unexpected friendships can slowly guide us back from the brink―and how families can find their way to one another even after the unthinkable. -- Publishers blurb

About the author:

Ann Joslin Williams is the author of the novel Down From Cascom Mountain, and a collection of linked short stories The Woman in the Woods. She is the recipient of awards from the National Endowment of the Arts, the Spokane Prize for Short Fiction, the New Hampshire Writers’ Project Literary Awards, and the Stegner Program at Stanford University. Her writing has appeared in many journals including The Sun, Carve, Ploughshares, The Missouri Review, and elsewhere. She is an associate professor emerita of English at the University of New Hampshire. She enjoys spending time in Alexandria, New Hampshire at her family cabin, hiking in the White Mountains and enjoying the outdoors with her partner John.

Join Ann at Gibson's Bookstore on Tuesday, July 14, 2026 at 6:30 pm where she will be presenting her newest novel!

Book of the Week (5/25/2026)

Midnight Curfew by Penelope Douglas (Berkley, 2026)

Summertime is off-season in southern Florida. Families leave their homes to escape the heat, the streets are empty, and the nights are quiet. Perfect time for a little mischief while the police aren’t looking.

As the middle Jaeger brother, Dallas was often lost in the shuffle growing up. Now a man, he’s prideful of his community on the wrong side of the tracks—Sanoa Bay—and aggressively protective of his land and his inner circle. He’s hungry and ready for a fight.

Callum Ames has a reputation in St. Carmen, the affluent neighborhood abutting Sanoa Bay. The hottest. The most popular. Rich. Powerful. Strong. The one all the women want. After four years away, he’s back, but for all his bravado, he’s got one major secret: he doesn’t want a woman.

Summer is also storm season. Heat, wind, rain…

And a lockdown.  

In a desperate bid to impress his influential father, Callum suggests a curfew to hinder their rivals in the Bay.

Unfortunately, the Jaegers don’t like rules.

As Dallas and Callum face off and engage, out for each other’s blood, they can’t stop the consuming fire between them and the outcome they already see coming…

The storm of the century. --Publisher's blurb

About the author:

Penelope Douglas is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author. Their books have been translated into twenty languages and include the Fall Away series, the Hellbent series, the Devil’s Night series, and the stand-alones Misconduct, Punk 57, Birthday Girl, Credence, and Tryst Six Venom. They live in New Hampshire with their husband and daughter.

Book of the Week (5/18/2026)

Pretty Evil New England: True Stories of Violent Vixens and Murderous Matriarchs by Sue Coletta (Globe Pequot Publishing, 2020)

For four centuries, New England has been a cradle of crime and murder—from the Salem witch trials to the modern-day mafia. Nineteenth century New England was the hunting ground of five female serial killers: Jane Toppan, Lydia Sherman, Nellie Webb, Harriet E. Nason, and Sarah Jane Robinson.

Female killers are often portrayed as caricatures: Black Widows, Angels of Death, or Femme Fatales. But the real stories of these women are much more complex. In Pretty Evil New England, true crime author Sue Coletta tells the story of these five women, from broken childhoods, to first brushes with death, and she examines the overwhelming urges that propelled these women to take the lives of a combined total of more than one-hundred innocent victims. The murders, investigations, trials, and ultimate verdicts will stun and surprise readers as they live vicariously through the killers and the would-be victims that lived to tell their stories. --Publisher's blurb

About the author:

Sue Coletta is an award-winning crime writer and an active member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and International Thriller Writers. Her backlist includes psychological thrillers, the Mayhem Series books, psychological thriller/mysteries, Grafton County Series, and true crime/narrative nonfiction, Pretty Evil New England. Sue lives with her husband in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire.