The Toadstool Bookshops of Keene, Milford, and Peterborough, NH

Charlie Christos is a singer/songwriter who has built a steady
presence in the New England area, playing over 200 shows in 2008. His
most recent work, Widow’s Gun, was shaped by the surroundings
of the seashore, old graveyards, and a handful of psych books. The
album was written and recorded over a 2 year period at various
apartments in Allston and Cambridge Mass. Let’s Go NH magazine calls it a "chilling and provactive storyteller’s record." Stop by to see Christos and hear some finely crafted music.

Our SF group meets on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday night each month to talk about the books they are reading. Open to adults and older teens. Please join us!

Kids become the critics when they get free books to review. This evening is for middle schoolers who wish to meet and share their love of reading. Your host is Sue Carita; please call ahead and reserve your place at the table.

Why do millions of people world-wide shrug off their conventional life for that of High Fantasy? Ethan traveled the globe asking just that, passing from one fantasy world to another. Come meet the author and discover the gamer in all of us.

James Hofford will be signing his book, Here UpCountry: Poems of New Hampshire, and screening his DVD, Living in the Green.

About Here UpCountry, Rebecca Rule said, "You'd be hard pressed to find a more New Hampshire book. Hofford describes the harmony that can, sometimes, be achieved between people and nature in a village among hills."

This event starts at 11:00 on Sat., Sept. 12. We look forward to seeing you!

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CAROLANN EDSCORN introducing TEACHING
HOPE: STORIES FROM THE FREEDOM WRITER TEACHERS edited by Erin Gruwell.
Edscorn and other teachers trained by The Freedom Writers Foundation share
uplifting, devastating, and poignant stories from the classroom.

Union Leader columnist John Clayton drops in to regale us with stories about the people who have contributed so much to our largest city in New Hampshire with, "Remembering Manchester: Towering Titans and Unsung Heroes". Please join us for what should be a fascinating and inspirational evening!

Charlie Christos is a singer/songwriter who has built a steady
presence in the New England area, playing over 200 shows in 2008. His
most recent work, Widow’s Gun, was shaped by the surroundings
of the seashore, old graveyards, and a handful of psych books. The
album was written and recorded over a 2 year period at various
apartments in Allston and Cambridge Mass. Let’s Go NH magazine calls it a "chilling and provactive storyteller’s record." Stop by to see Christos and hear some finely crafted music.

On Sunday, Sept. 20, starting at 2:00 p.m., Katrina Kenison will sign and talk about her new book, The Gift of an Ordinary Day,
an intimate memoir of a family in transition - boys becoming teenagers,
careers ending and new ones opening up, an attempt to find a deeper
sense of place, and a slower pace - in a small New England town. If
you've experienced the bittersweet intensity of life with teenagers or
the desire to hold on while needing to let go, you'll certainly
appreciate this.

The wonderful local writer will join us to read from and sign her powerful collection of poems, "My Side of the Street".

Join us on this special Saturday for visiting local writers Gregory Norris (writing as Jo Atkinson) and Roxanne Dent. They'll tell us about their work, sign copies for you, and describe the thrill of being the first authors selected to be featured on the 'Home Shopping Network' for Romance writers!

Greg has written two paranormal romances: "Endangered Love" and "Twilight's Edge". Roxanne has penned an Historical Romance with "The American Heiress".

And if that's not enticing enough, we'll be serving up treats provided by Milford's own Yankee Chef!

Hope to see you here...

Junie B., our favorite first grader returns with Mr. Woo the bus driver to thrill us with her antics based on her books!

Please note: this special event will take place at the AMATO CENTER (The Boys & Girls Club) 56 Mont Vernon St., Milford. 

We'll have plenty of Junie's books for sale with 25% of the proceeds going to the Center. After the show Junie will join us in the lobby to sign your books with her special stamper!

This event is free and no tickets are required. General seating, with ample parking. Call us if you'd like more information. See you there!

You'll get a leg up on the competition when you sit in on Cynthia's presentation for her new book, "366 Tips for a Successful Job Search".

Award-winning author and illustrator Grace Lin will be here to sign and talk about her books for young readers, "Dim Sum for Everyone!" "The Year of the Dog" "The Year of the Rat" and her very latest, "Where the Mountain Meets the Moon".

A fantasy crossed with Chinese folklore, WTMMTM spins a wonderous story of family and friendship, as Minli toils by day in the fields and dreams of her father's tales by night. Until one day she decides to find the Old Man of the Moon and ask him how she can change her family's fortune.

Please join us for a very entertaining afternoon of fable and fun! You can learn more by visiting Graces' website gracelin.com

All the way from Great Falls, Virginia, please welcome David E. Morine, who was the head of the land acquisition for The Nature Conservancy from 1972 to 1990. He will be signing and talking about his new book, Two Coots in a Canoe: An Unusual Story of Friendship, in which he details his adventures canoeing the Connecticut River with his friend, Ramsay Peard.

Please welcome Elizabeth Marshall Thomas, author of the books The Hidden Life of Dogs and Tribe of Tiger. Elizabeth will be here to sign and discuss her latest book, The Hidden Life of Deer, a narrative masterpiece and a naturalist's delight.

In the fall of 2007 in southern New Hampshire, the acorn crop failed and the animals who depended on it faced starvation. Elizabeth Marshall Thomas began leaving food in small piles around her farmhouse. Soon she had over thirty deer coming to her fields, and her naturalist's eye was riveted.

Throughout the next twelve months she observed the local deer familiesas they fought through a rough winter. She hiked through her woods, spotting tree rubbings, deer beds, and deer yards - she discovered a vast hidden world. Deer families are run by their
mothers. Local families arrange into a hierarchy. They adopt orphans; they occasionally reject a child; they use complex warnings to signal danger; they mark their territories; they master local microclimates to choose their beds; they send countless coded messages that we can read, if only we know what to look for.

Former NH Poet Laureate Patricia Fargnoli pays us a visit to read from her latest collection "Then, Something".

..."vividly and gratefully aware of the comforts and assurances of the natural world; she does not miss a stitch of beauty, neither does she avoid the darker aspects of our own human awareness of our own continual aging"...Mary Oliver

Joining her is fellow poet Tim Mayo, who will share his work in "The Kingdon of Possibilities".

It's time once again for our semi-annual sale for Teachers.

During this week, they'll get 25% off anything in our stores. Think classroom, birthdays, Holidays, bestsellers, cards, music, movies and more! 

There will be events at the store that week as well as freebies and raffle items. Just our way of saying thank you for all the tireless work you do with our children. 

It's time once again for our semi-annual sale for Teachers.

During this week, they'll get 25% off anything in our stores. Think classroom, birthdays, Holidays, bestsellers, cards, music, movies and more! 

There will be events at the store that week as well as freebies and raffle items. Just our way of saying thank you for all the tireless work you do with our children. 

It's time once again for our semi-annual sale for Teachers.

During this week, they'll get 25% off anything in our stores. Think classroom, birthdays, Holidays, bestsellers, cards, music, movies and more! 

There will be events at the store that week as well as freebies and raffle items. Just our way of saying thank you for all the tireless work you do with our children. 

Not just for Teachers!

Lindsay is the Grand-Niece of E.B. White, and will be here to share with us anecdotes from his life as well as some of the artifacts he used in his writing.  For example, she'll have the typewriter he used to create such fabulous stories as "Charlotte's Web".

Teachers in attendance this night will get to enter their names in a drawing for a free visit to their classroom from Ms. Morand! 

Please join us for a memorable night. 

It's time once again for our semi-annual sale for Teachers.

During this week, they'll get 25% off anything in our stores. Think classroom, birthdays, Holidays, bestsellers, cards, music, movies and more! 

There will be events at the store that week as well as freebies and raffle items. Just our way of saying thank you for all the tireless work you do with our children. 

Come to Manchester, NH. You'll see children playing ball, people jogging by, and a host of pious nuns and monks. It all seems pretty wholesome, until you realize that the people you're seeing are ghosts!

In "Manchester Ghosts: New Hampshire's Haunted City" you'll discover these haunted locations, 'see' the apparitions and the people who hunt them.

"Ghosts of Portsmouth, NH" lays bare a city teeming with the paranormal. From ghosts to pirates, witches and UFOs, the book reveals over 50 locations scattered about our seacoast town.

It's time once again for our semi-annual sale for Teachers.

During this week, they'll get 25% off anything in our stores. Think classroom, birthdays, Holidays, bestsellers, cards, music, movies and more! 

There will be events at the store that week as well as freebies and raffle items. Just our way of saying thank you for all the tireless work you do with our children. 

Neil Gaiman challenged Independent bookstores across the country to host the wildest, most frightening graveyard party ever! Document the event, submit your hauntingly good time and the lucky winner will be visited by Mr. Gaiman himself!!

So we're frantically decorating the store, building terrifying special effects, concocting ghoulishly delicious snacks; all we need is YOU!

Your participation is vital to our winning the contest. Come in costume, bring your friends, your pets, and your willingness to be scared stiff and entice Neil to believe this truly is the most frightening bookstore in the world. Boo!

It's time once again for our semi-annual sale for Teachers.

During this week, they'll get 25% off anything in our stores. Think classroom, birthdays, Holidays, bestsellers, cards, music, movies and more! 

There will be events at the store that week as well as freebies and raffle items. Just our way of saying thank you for all the tireless work you do with our children. 

High noon brings Marianne and Roxie to town for a signing and discussion about ghosts, spirits and the places to find them!

"Haunted Hikes of New Hampshire" will get you out on the trail at the most beautiful time of year. "Get ready for fun...and a good scare! This is one of the most interesting, unusual books for ghost hunters, and it's something different for hikers too."  -Fiona Broome

"Haunted Portsmouth: Spirits and Shadows of the Past" is a tour of the city's back alleys and docksides, filled with the lingering whispers and memories of generations long dead.

We welcome back outstanding and truly sloppy Children's book author/illustrator Marty Kelley to sign and talk about his latest creation "The Messiest Desk" (if he can find it!).

And may we point out, if you are observant and clever, you can find the Toadstool Bookshop inside the 'Desk". Good luck, come down and hang with Marty and grab yourself a signed copy!

It's time once again for our semi-annual sale for Teachers.

During this week, they'll get 25% off anything in our stores. Think classroom, birthdays, Holidays, bestsellers, cards, music, movies and more! 

There will be events at the store that week as well as freebies and raffle items. Just our way of saying thank you for all the tireless work you do with our children. 

Cathryn invites young children to The Toadstool for a reading, gardening song, circle game, and a craft! She'll also be signing her new book, Mystery Vine.

"As the seasons go by, the mystery vine grows and grows and grows. Now, finally, it is autumn, and the mystery vine is no longer a mystery.

"Hello, pumpkins!

"This is the season for jack-o'-lanterns, pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, and pumpkin seeds--ready for toasting and munching, and for saving and planting come spring."

Join Tim Roettiger of Belgian Mare Photography Studio for an insightful look at personal photography, open to all skill levels. Topics for discussion will include:

1. The "rule" of thirds: Breaking it can be good!
2. Foreground elements: Anchors and distractions
3. Lighting: Ambient, backlighting, and flash
4. Depth of field and the f/stop: More important than shutter speed
5. Focal length: What do you want to see?
6. When to use a tripod
7. How much camera do you really need? 

About Tim: "I was born and raised in Wisconsin. Most of my professional career was spent in natural resources, particularly fisheries management. Through my natural resources work, I was able to, among other places, live and work in the Florida Everglades, Isle Royale National Park, Kodiak Island, and the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge. While living in Bethel, Alaska, I was elected President of the Art Guild of the Y-K (Yukon-Kuskokwim). This is a non-profit corporation with the mission of providing an outlet for local artists to sell their work as well as educational opportunities for aspiring artists. I moved to New Hampshire in 2005 and live in Alstead."

Irish mystery author John Connolly visits to sign and discuss his new book about a boy and his dog discovering the next door neighbors are trying to open the gates to Hell.

Fans of his earlier Parker series, as well as "The Book of Lost Things" will thrill to this new entry in the Connolly canon. Two novels in one year? Rejoice!!

johnconnollybooks.com

On Saturday, October 24, 2009 at 2:00 p.m., K Spirito will be signing and talking about her novels, including Father Sandro’s Money, Spiderling, Candy-Colored Clown, and Piscatagua. These mysteries are part of her La Rosa Chronicles, which are set in New England. Come by to meet K and discover this exciting series!

K Spirito has always been a history buff. She loves to browse through microfilm of old newspapers, especially at the Boston Public Library. Noting human-interest articles, she later weaves them into fiction that explores the human condition. K is a member of the New Hampshire Writers’ Project and the Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance.

Plese join us for a ghoulishly good time as Lisa signs and shares the secrets behind her new book, "Zombie Cookbook".

We'll also be treated to a free zombie make-up demonstration. Just in time for Halloween!

Friends of the Nashua Public Library present an afternoon with best-selling author Chris Bohjalian at the Dion Center, Rivier College. Tickets are available for $5 in advance, $7 at the door.

 There will be a private wine & cheese reception with the author at 1 p.m. before his presentation for $25 which will include admission.

The Milford Toadstool does have tickets for sale. Call us or better yet, the Nashua Library at 603-589-4610 if you have any further questions. 

In Mayor's engaging new novel, The Price of Malice, two mysteries preoccupy Joe Gunther. First, there's the body of 32-year-old Wayne Castine, which turns up in an amateur prostitute's apartment in Brattleboro, Vermont. Second, new information surfaces about Gunther's girlfriend Lyn Silva's father and her brother, who vanished in a boat off the New England coast. Silva's investigation into her family members' disappearance distracts Gunther from the homicide inquiry.

Mayor keeps the suspense building and the reader guessing until the end. Series fans will appreciate the local cultural insights and the authentic cop lingo.

What do Louisa May Alcott and Henry David Thoreau have in common with the inventors of barbed wire, margarine and the washing machine? They were all deeply moved by their time spent in the beautiful Monadnock region of southwest New Hampshire. Inspired by beloved local storyteller Fritz Wetherbee, Historical Society of Cheshire County director Alan F. Rumrill collected their stories in his series, "Monadnock Moments", broadcast on Keene radio station WKNE from 1985 to 2005. Here he has gathered one hundred of his most interesting vignettes and paired them with historic images, chronicling the lives of successful businessmen, politicians and soldiers, and spinning tales of disaster, murder and adventure that all had their roots in towns like Keene, Stoddard, Walpole and Jaffrey. Entertaining, informative and often surprising, these snippets of history capture the essence of southwest New Hampshire.

The Toadstool Bookshop and Among
the Elms Writer’s Group welcome Carol Hoenig, who will be signing and discussing her books Without Grace: A Novel and The Author’s Guide to Planning Book Events. Without Grace is a heartening portrait of small-town life and a tender and triumphant coming-of-age tale about the complexities and comforts of family and the
healing that comes with letting go of the past.

Carol Hoenig is a fulltime freelance writer and publishing consultant. ForeWord Magazine named Without Grace and The Author’s Guide to Planning Book Events Book of the Year 2005 and 2007, respectively. Carol’s essays, articles, book reviews and short stories appear in a wide number of publications.

Steve Delaney will be signing his new book, Kevin: The Last Invisible Vermonter, on Fri., Nov. 6 at 3:00 p.m.

Kevin Beajolias is one of the most vivid characters ever to bubble up from the deep well of Vermont fiction. His struggle between the fears that drive him to hide from bureaucracy and the love that tugs him toward the alluring Maureen fuels this tale of romance and mischief. Their story unfolds in a town where the residents reinforce the adage that Vermont is a state of mind.

Steve Delaney, a Vermonter since 1988, is a fifty-year broadcast journalist who has covered politics in Washington, finance in New York, and wars on three continents. He has won national honors for two NBC White Paper television documentaries, and for radio documentaries and news programs produced for Vermont Public Radio, where his distinctive voice has been heard for a decade. Kevin: The Last Invisible Vermonter is Steve's first novel. He is also the author of Vermont Seasonings: Reflections on the Rhythms of a Vermont Year, a collection of essays.

Robert Jordan's "Wheel of Time" series has been a phenomena in the arena of Science Fiction & Fantasy.

Jordan's widow Harriet chose Brandon to finish writing the final volume after Roberts' untimely death. There was so much material that the thrilling conclusion "A Memory of Light" will be released in 3 volumes. The first being "The Gathering Storm". On sale now at 30% off in our stores!

We are thrilled to have Mr. Sanderson on hand to descibe the writing process and his thoughts on Mr. Jordan and the 'WOT' universe.

Hope you can join us! But if not, we'd be happy to set a book(s) aside for you!

Carolyn Potts Hayward will be signing her new book, Letters from India at 2:00 p.m. on Nov. 7, 2009. The book is a true story chronicling the lives of Ned and Ginny, Carolyn's parents, and the adventures they had in India, the United States, and Canada.

About Carolyn: "I was born in South Africa. Three years later, we moved to Calcutta, India. Life was a constant adventure. There was so much to see in a country filled with history. My schooling was just as adventuresome. At eight, I was sent to Switzerland to attend Chatelard School, above Montreux, nestled in the Swiss Alps in the tiny village of Les Avants. At thirteen, we moved to the united States and settled in Connecticut. I attended Rosemary Hall, a girl's prep school and after graduation, I went on to graduating college with a degree in Art."

Please join us for this special event featuring WMUR TV's meteorologist JOSH JUDGE and 2002 NH environmental educator of the year KATHE CUSSEN; together to sign and discuss their new children's book "Weather Facts and Fun".

"I give Josh and Kathe's book 'five snowflakes!'" -Fritz Wetherbee

"Wonderful for teachers and young students...nicely don!" -Harvey Leonard

Visit www.weatherfactsandfun.com for more information. See you!

The Toadstool Bookshops:

Monday, November 9th through Sunday, November 15th

20% OFF EVERYTHING* PRE-CHRISTMAS SALE !

This is our way of thanking you as we celebrate 37 years of bookselling in Peterborough, 26 years in Keene, and 20 in Milford. 

*Except certain special orders, gift certificates, and already discounted "Select Bestsellers" and "Indie Picks" may not be used in combination with any other discount offers.  See you soon!

The Toadstool Bookshops:

Monday, November 9th through Sunday, November 15th

20% OFF EVERYTHING* PRE-CHRISTMAS SALE !

This is our way of thanking you as we celebrate 37 years of bookselling in Peterborough, 26 years in Keene, and 20 in Milford. 

*Except certain special orders, gift certificates, and already discounted "Select Bestsellers" and "Indie Picks" may not be used in combination with any other discount offers.  See you soon!

The Toadstool Bookshops:

Monday, November 9th through Sunday, November 15th

20% OFF EVERYTHING* PRE-CHRISTMAS SALE !

This is our way of thanking you as we celebrate 37 years of bookselling in Peterborough, 26 years in Keene, and 20 in Milford. 

*Except certain special orders, gift certificates, and already discounted "Select Bestsellers" and "Indie Picks" may not be used in combination with any other discount offers.  See you soon!

The Toadstool Bookshops:

Monday, November 9th through Sunday, November 15th

20% OFF EVERYTHING* PRE-CHRISTMAS SALE !

This is our way of thanking you as we celebrate 37 years of bookselling in Peterborough, 26 years in Keene, and 20 in Milford. 

*Except certain special orders, gift certificates, and already discounted "Select Bestsellers" and "Indie Picks" may not be used in combination with any other discount offers.  See you soon!

Join us in welcoming Hollis, NH author Lorraine Liscio with her new book, "Paris and Her Remarkable Women".

Lorraine is a writer and editor who has taught at Boston College, where she was director of Women's Studies.

www.littlebookroom.com

The Toadstool Bookshops:

Monday, November 9th through Sunday, November 15th

20% OFF EVERYTHING* PRE-CHRISTMAS SALE !

This is our way of thanking you as we celebrate 37 years of bookselling in Peterborough, 26 years in Keene, and 20 in Milford. 

*Except certain special orders, gift certificates, and already discounted "Select Bestsellers" and "Indie Picks" may not be used in combination with any other discount offers.  See you soon!

The Toadstool Bookshops:

Monday, November 9th through Sunday, November 15th

20% OFF EVERYTHING* PRE-CHRISTMAS SALE !

This is our way of thanking you as we celebrate 37 years of bookselling in Peterborough, 26 years in Keene, and 20 in Milford. 

*Except certain special orders, gift certificates, and already discounted "Select Bestsellers" and "Indie Picks" may not be used in combination with any other discount offers.  See you soon!

The northeast ice storm of December 11, 2008 was remarkable in terms of the extent of area it covered and for its degree of devastation. Tens of thousands of residents were pushed back into the 19th century when electricity, telephones, water pumps and television sets stopped working. For many, it lasted nearly a month. With the hardship came the opportunity for people to help each other out, and that’s exactly what they did.

Dave Eisenstadter, a reporter for the Ledger-Transcript in Peterborough, N.H. spent day after day covering all aspects of the storm, including the recovery effort, the human-interest stories and the many unsung heroes who went out of their way to help their neighbors. The Weight of the Ice collects his months of reporting in a book anyone who survived the storm will want to keep as a souvenir.

Told with heart, humor, and affection, The Gerbil Farmer's Daughter is Holly's ode to a weird and wonderful upbringing and her truly one-of-a-kind father.

If you're like me and had gerbils as pets, you won't want to miss this opportunity to meet the daughter of the man behind the kangaroo rat craze! 

Three of New England’s Premier Poets

Patricia Fargnoli, Kate Gleason and Tim Mayo will be by to read and talk about their poetry and to autograph their books. These poets have each won prestigious awards, and their poems have been published in numerous magazines and reviews. Come hear some fine verse!

Please join us in welcoming Carolyn; here to sign and discuss the memoir of her parents fateful meeting, marrying, and moving abroad during the turbulent years of WWII in "Letters From India".

The Toadstool Bookshops:

Monday, November 9th through Sunday, November 15th

20% OFF EVERYTHING* PRE-CHRISTMAS SALE !

This is our way of thanking you as we celebrate 37 years of bookselling in Peterborough, 26 years in Keene, and 20 in Milford. 

*Except certain special orders, gift certificates, and already discounted "Select Bestsellers" and "Indie Picks" may not be used in combination with any other discount offers.  See you soon!

Julie Dozois will autograph and talk about The Apple Pie Thief, her children’s book about a rabbit family in Deering, N.H. whose quiet country life is disrupted one day by a neighbor’s child who is stealing the apple pies they’ve made. The rabbit family considers whether to inform the other family of their son’s very unusual thievery or to just let it go. Their decisions belie the moral fiber of their family and of those in the neighborhood during tough economic times.

NHPR has selected Keene, and The Toadstool Bookshop, for its November edition of Sounding Board. All are invited to share their thoughts on important issues facing our community and the coverage it receives on NHPR. Come to share ideas or come to listen.

NHPR Sounding Boards

In an effort to create more of a participatory relationship with New Hampshire
residents, NHPR conducts Sounding Board meetings throughout the state.
Program Director Abby Goldstein and members of the NHPR management
staff travel to the various communities served by NHPR and hold community
forums where listeners would have the chance to offer feedback about NHPR and
engage in open dialogue about the important issue they face in their regions
every day and how NHPR covers those issues. As New Hampshire Public Radio
opens the doors to participatory media, the Sounding Board project can help us
create contacts to help us deepen our coverage and invite our listeners to be a more integral part of NHPR.

You loved it, or hated it: area reporter Dave Eisenstadter has compiled an extensive collection of articles from around southern New England chronicling the devastating ice storm of 2008 and its impact on our area.

"The Weight of the Ice: The Northeast Ice Storm of 2008" is a remembrance and cautionary look at the havoc Mother Nature can dole out. Come meet the author and share your memories. The book makes a great memento or gift for those who missed it.

 
"...an excellent account of the storm and its aftermath, rich in anecdotes from people who went through the event." -Jim Van Dongen,  Public Information Officer, NH Department of Emergency Management

A great book for families with younger kids eager to explore our country.

In this book you'll learn about the land, cities, animals and other wonderful things in each of our 50 states of the U.S.A.

Check out www.weisberg-yoffe.org to learn more and see the book!

David McCullough and Pamela Harrison will be signing their new books, My Mother, Your Mother and Out of Silence, respectively.

Ms. Harrison is an accomplished writer and teacher, specializing in poetry and non-fiction. Her writing has been featured in various publications, and she is the author of three books of poetry: Stereopticon, Okie Chronicles, and Out of Silence.

Geriatrician David McCullough has spent his life helping families to cope with their parents' aging and eventual final passage, experiences he faced with his own mother. In this comforting and much-needed book, My Mother, Your Mother, he recommends a new approach, which he terms "Slow Medicine." Shaped by common sense and kindness, grounded in traditional medicine yet receptive to alternative therapies, Slow Medicine advocates for careful anticipatory "attending" to an elder's changing needs rather than waiting for crises that force acute medical interventions - an approach that improves the quality of elders' extended late lives without bankrupting their families financially or emotionally. As Dr. McCullough argues, we need to learn that time and kindness are sometimes more important and humane at these late stages than state-of-the-art medical interventions.

Delicious smells and sweet treats await you when Gesine visits to discuss her transformation from Hollywood insider to Vermont chef in, "Confections of a Master Baker; A Memoir".

Pick up a pastry and a signed copy of one woman's sweet journey from unhappy Hollywood executive to contented country baker, the creator of Gesine Confectionary in Montpelier, VT. 

Please join us and local hero Fritz Wetherbee when he visits to sign and share his wry observations of the people and places in our Granite state, "Fritz Wetherbee: In Good Company".

Join Jessie Haas for a book signing and projects from Horse Crazy! Jessie will bring in some of the crafts she's done from the book, for inspiration. Also she'll bring in baling twine, and teach kids how to make emergency rope halters. Each child will go home with her own personal piece of baling twine, fully equipped to steal a pony of her own. Bring in horse models or even stuffed horses. Jessie will provide yarns, and you and she can make halters for the toy horses. And there will be a lesson on drawing horses using some of the tricks from the book. All ages are welcome to take part.

The editor emeritus of the Concord Monitor will be here to sign and discuss his revision of Elwin Page's seminal work, "Abraham Lincoln In New Hampshire".

"Not yet a major candidate for president, Abraham Lincoln spoke four times in New Hampshire in 1860. Ten weeks later, NH Republicans started him on his way to the White House. This is the story of how it happened." (from the back cover text)

A must-have for any history buff, and an autographed book makes a great gift!

Astrid Sheckels will be signing and talking about her new children's picture book, The Scallop Christmas, on Sat., Dec. 12 at 2:00 p.m. She has won a number of art awards, including the Archibald McLeish Prize for Art and the Medici Award in the Visual Arts. Astrid has spent much time in her mother's homeland of Denmark - her Scandinavian roots are evident in her illustrations - and she now lives and maintains her studio in the rolling hills of Greenfield, Massachusetts.

About The Scallop Christmas:

Times were tough in the small New England fishing village where Marcie lived. No one had any money, and work was hard to find. So the villagers rejoiced one glorious fall when an unexpected bounty of scallops filled their little bay. For young Marcie, a week of harvesting scallops also brought an unexpected adventure and a lesson about love that she would never forget.

Don't despair! The author of "Kelli's Quips: Happy Thoughts for Busy People" will be here to sign her new book of positive observations and stories to get you through the year. Perfect for stocking stuffers!

"I look forward to Kelli's quips every Monday to kick start my week and give me the inspirational lift I need to face the world with my head held high and a big smile on my face." -Graeme Watson, Wilton, NH

Kelli is an educator, personal trainer, and owner of Studio 8 Fitness in upstate New York. She also teaches for Peaceful Schools, a company that provides educational and social skills to inner city children.

Ordinary sleepwalkers wake up in the living room or kitchen. But our hero Alfonso tends to wake up tightrope walking the power lines or clinging to the top of a wind-blown tree.

"Dormia" coauthor Peter Kujawinski will be here to sign his new book for juvenile readers and explain the genesis of the book.

Not just for sleepwalkers, but anyone with a hankering for adventure will love an autographed copy and spend many contented hours reading by the tree this holiday season.

Our local writer and proprietor of Karen's Collctibles will join us for a reading from her delightful new book of poems and lyrics, "Within the Heart of a Woman".

Come support your local artists and purchase a signed copy for that special someone (or yourself!). 

The National Parks, the companion volume to the new Ken Burns film, is a sweeping, magnificently illustrated history of the American national park system from the first sighting by white men in 1851 of the valley that would become Yosemite, to the most recent additions to the 84 million acres that comprise this grand national treasure.

Dayton Duncan and Ken Burns will discuss their book and autograph it for you. 

Author, television personality, and New Hampshire's favorite storyteller, Fritz Wetherbee, is coming to The Toadstool to tell stories, answer questions, sign books, and talk about his life growing up in New Hampshire. Wetherbee has five published books including his latest, In Good Company. The books are collections of stories he has written for WMUR-TV's New Hampshire Chronicle.

Elaine, one of our favorite local authors drops by to sign and discuss her new SF novel, "Bastard Queen". She swears she is NOT committing 'trilogy'!

Fiona, daughter of the king, studies magic in an effort to please him - though she shows no talent. When a plague grips their city, she begins to work with the dying and hopes to find a cure. What she finds instead is that the plague's emergence was no accident, but a conspiracy which threatens the kingdom.

Swimming Kangaroo Books, $15.

Among the Elms Keene Writers' Group meets here the first Wednesday of the month at 7:00 p.m. (For a limited time, the group will meet on the third Wednesday too). Among the Elms is a writers' group for those with a love for the written word. Come to share and create work. Come for feedback, fellowship, support, inspiration, and information.

Please join us in extending a warm welcome to Eric Pinder, former weather observer on Mt Washington, as he describes what it's like on the highest summit in New England - "Life at the Top: Weather, Wonder & High Cuisine from the Mount Washington Observatory".

Updated for the 21st century, in wry humor, our author gives us an inside look at the joys and terrors of living in the clouds. A signed copy would be perfect for you or your weather person. (Hobblebush Bks, $16.95)

And don't forget to 'peak' at his children's picture book featuring the observatory's mascot Nin, "Cat in the Clouds".

The blue whale and the fin whale are the loudest animals on Earth. Their subsonic calls were mistaken for earthquakes when scientists first heard them. A fin whale on one side of the Atlantic can be heard on the other.

Join us for an evening of fantastic natural history about these ancient giants with British author Philip Hoare.