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

Lance Parkhurst will give a multimedia presentation and discussion of Sacred Skies: The Quest. In this book he tells the exciting story of Bob and Lois Pilley’s demonstration of their patented air traffic control system that made use of GPS technology. The couple’s invention posed a threat to multibillion-dollar global corporations, resulting in their becoming the targets of corporate espionage.

Kevin is a local author specializing in true crime books. His first, "Wicked Intentions: The Sheila LaBarre Murders" shocked us with it's tale of a woman seducing men back to her NH farm and cruelly killing them.

"Our Little Secret: The True Story of a Teenage Killer and the Silence of a Small New England Town", co-written with Rebecca Lavoie, is about a murder that went unsolved for 20 years because the people thought the gunman had done "the right thing" in shooting the victim.

Rebecca is a freelance journalist who has written for 'Newsweek', 'Playboy',  and several other print and on-line magazines. She also maintains a regular column in the 'Concord Monitor. 

More information is available on their websites, www.authorkevinflynn.com www.rebeccalavoie.com

The Toadstool Bookshop in Keene welcomes Sylphid!

Sylphid (made up of Adam Michael Kozak, Cora Rose Gaulin, and Eon Fontes-May in Northampton, Mass.) serves up an entirely impromptu, glimmering flurry of sounds. There is twinkling and melting and crackling, and sometimes they build loops and sometimes they sing harmonies.

Come see them play live and watch as they construct and deconstruct little ballads from scratch!

"We have heard the faint sound (far off) and we will follow it (anywhere)."--Sylphid

You can also get a taste of their music on myspace.com/sylphidband.

On Sunday, May 23, at 2:00 p.m. Cheryl Wilfong will be signing and discussing her new book, The Meditative Gardener: Cultivating Mindfulness of Body, Feeling, and Mind. In this wise, down-to-earth book, master gardener and mindfulness meditation teacher Wilfong lovingly offers us a rich bouquet of the Buddha's teachings. Her gentle, friendly, and humorous tone creates a nurturing environment in which to practice mindfulness in our very own gardens.

Beginning meditators will find practical easy-to-follow suggestions. Lapsed meditators can refresh their practice. And seasoned meditators will appreciate the variety of wisdom practices that can be transplanted into daily life in the garden.

Cheryl is a teacher at Vermont Insight Meditation Center.

The MHS History Club started in 2004 and has participated in the National History Day competition at both the state and national levels ever since. In fact, no high school in the state has sent more finalists to compete in Washington than MHS since 2004!

Twenty percent of the evenings sales will be donated to the group to defray expenses in their march to win in DC.

On hand will be team members and displays of their hard work, and to thank you in advance for your contribution to keeping MHS the best in the state. We thank you too! 

On Saturday, May 29, 2010 at 2:00 p.m., Eve Brown-Waite will talk about and autograph her book, First Comes Love, Then Comes Malaria: How a Peace Corps Poster Boy Won My Heart. Eve's dream was to join the Peace Corps … and maybe solve world hunger and win a Nobel Peace Prize along the way. But she secretly feared that she might not be tough enough to survive the bug-infested jungle, much less life without toilet paper and decaf cappuccino. Then she fell head-over-little-black-heels in love with John, a dashing Peace Corps recruiter whose do-gooder passions outshone her own. She became more determined than ever to get into the Peace Corps – and to win John’s heart in the process.

Clara's music has a melancholy folk-pop sound with evocative lyrics and new and original chord usage and harmonization. She has smooth vocals and takes a new approach to old topics. She has opened for national headliners such as Pierce Pettis and Cheryl Wheeler. Several of her songs have received airplay on Maine stations including WCLZ and WBLM, and in 2008 she was named one of "10 Maine Musicians To Watch" by the Portland Press Herald. In late 2008 Clara released her first album, Wave.

We all know that exercise is good for us, but why does it have to be so much like work? Women at Play will guide you through a variety of outdoor activities, enjoyed locally, in season, in moderation and for fun. No gimmicks, no gadgets, no anything-ometers required. Instead, a natural, well-balanced lifestyle that yields impressive results: You'll look good, feel good, sleep well and be happy.

A delightful, empowering mixture of practical suggestions and uncommon common sense, engagingly revealed through stories of childhood summers in the Irish countryside and a lifetime of playing outside in the four seasons of New England, Women at Play will change your view of exercise and - just maybe - change your life.

Joan Griffin is a Boston trial attorney with over 20 years' experience trying civil and criminal cases. She lives in New Hampshire and makes regular trips to Ireland visiting her extended family. 

Angie Frazier says that her debut young adult novel, Everlasting, is the result of an overactive imagination, an addiction to historical research, and dozens of vintage travel posters plastered to the ceilings of a cottage she rented one long, snowbound winter! Here's the gist of the story:

Sailing aboard her father's ship is all 17-year-old Camille Rowen has ever wanted. But as a lady in 1855 San Francisco, her future is set: marry a man she doesn't love in order to preserve her social standing. On her last voyage before the wedding, Camille learns the mother she has always believed dead is in fact alive and living in Australia. When their Sydney-bound ship goes down in a gale and her father dies, Camille sets out to find her mother and a map in her possession - a map believed to lead to a stone that once belonged to the legendary civilization of the immortals. The stone can bring someone back from the dead. Unfortunately, her father's adversary is also on the hunt for the stone, and she must race him to it. The only person Camille can depend on is Oscar, a handsome young sailor and her father's first mate, who is in love with Camille and whom she is inexplicably drawn to despite his low social standing and her pending wedding vows.

Angie lives in New Hampshire with her husband and two daughters, their big black lab, and a pair of highly destructive cats.

Longtime Vermont resident David Fagelson will sign and talk about his first novel, Y. Bindel?, a thrilling story in which OPEC is pressuring the world to get rid of Israel. And if Israel isn't made to disappear, OPEC will halt the production and delivery of oil. Israel, learning of the plot, has created a doomsday scenario that will be put into play if the proposed destruction begins. Fifty Israelis have been selected to implement the program, but only three are active agents - the rest are decoys. All fifty have been reprogrammed physically and mentally to create new identities. Bindel is one of the fifty, and Y. Bindel? tells his fascinating story.

On Thursday, June 17, 2010 at 7:00 p.m., Amy McCoy will talk about and sign her new book, Poor Girl Gourmet: Eat in Style on a Bare-Bones Budget. McCoy loves eating well but hates paying a lot. Based on her blog, her cookbook features decadent and delectable recipes for foodies with limited budgets, but sophisticated tastes.

She breaks down the costs for each dish while also
offering money-saving strategies, including tips for growing and preserving your own food, as well as ideas for quick and delicious family meals.

McCoy lives on a gentleman's farm in southeastern Massachusetts.

For the month of June, The Toadstool Bookshop in Keene will be accepting donations of nonperishable food for the Keene Community Kitchen.

Tova is the true story of an extraordinary dog and her owner, Joe. Known as the 'family greeter', Tova would run to the door anytime someone knocked. Her life was full of love, fun, and devotion until it was cut tragically short by Cryptococcosis, a disease of the immune system.

Tova is a heart-felt tribute to a wonderful animal and her life. (XLibris, $15.99 pap.)

Joe's other book is "Behind the Lies".

Michael Perry, the beloved author of Population: 485 and Truck: A Love Story, is back with Coop: A Family, a Farm, and the Pursuit of One Good Egg.

Newly installed in a rickety Wisconsin farmhouse with thirty-seven acres of overgrown farmland, a handful of chickens on order, a pig pen to build, and a baby due to be born in the upstairs bedroom, Perry plumbs his unorthodox farm kid past for clues to navigating the present.

Jonathan Miles, author of Dear American Airlines, said of Coop, "You can read Michael Perry's Coop as an outrageously funny comedy about a semi-hapless neophyte navigating the pitfalls (and pratfalls) of farming life. Please do, in fact. But scratch a little deeper, past Perry's lusciously entertaining and epigrammatic prose, his ultra-charming combo of Midwestern earnestness and serrated wit, and you'll find a reflective, sincere, and surprisingly touching - at times, even heart-cracking - story about a man struggling to put down roots."

Join us here in Milford for a slide show presentation and discussion by Robert Gillmore on how to make large, lush, and colorful  low-maintenance gardens.

He'll also be signing his books, "Beauty All Around You" and "The Woodland Garden".

His best known garden, 'Evergreen', featured in several newspapers and magazines, will be among 11 outstanding private gardens open to the public as part of the Garden Conservacy's Greater Manchester/Monadnock Region Open Days Program on Sat/Sun, June 26 & 27th.

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RODGER
MARTIN reading from and signing THE BATTLEFIELD
GUIDE his updated collection of poems about Harpers Ferry, Antietam,
and Gettysburg

Join us for a special reading and signing by local writer Martha Deborah Hall. She'll be here to tell us just what exactly IS a chapbook and share excerpts from her latest, "The Garbo Reels'. We hope you can make it and thank you for supporting your local artists.

Martha's previous books are "Two Grains in Time" and "My Side of the Street".

In his previous adventures, Nicholas the field mouse has traveled through Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire in search of a missing family journal. Now, continuing his quest, this diminutive creature lands in bucolic Vermont, accompanied by his loyal chipmunk buddy, Edward. Along the way, they make new friends and learn about the state's history, geography, industries, and animals.

Local author Peter Arenstam & illustrator Karen Busch Holman will talk about and gladly autograph their newest book, Nicholas: A Vermont Tale (Book 4).

Join Scott M. Fischer for a high-energy performance / signing of his newest book, Jump!.

If you were a frog in a bog and you saw a bug on a jug, what would you do?

Nature's predatory pecking order reveals itself in bouncy rhymes and goofy illustrations. Each verse, sung from the animal's perspective, ends with an ellipsis, followed by a double-page spread of the critter leaping to save its hide. Children will enjoy helping the animals scram by shouting "Jump!", which appears on these pages in large, expressive lettering.

Fischer is a painter by birth, a musician by training, and a storyteller by choice. This is his first picture book, but not the first book to feature his out-of-this-world pictures. He lives in western Massachusetts with his wife and daughter.

Hey kids! Summer's here and what better time to get fancy with Nancy. We're hosting a party to celebrate author Jane O'Connor and illustrator Robin Preiss Glasser's swank new picture book, "Fancy Nancy: Poet Extraordinaire!"

If you are 5-8 years old, come on down and party with us. We will write some lovely poetry, play splendid games, and of course gorge ourselves on the most beautiful treats!

Please come attired in your fanciest clothes. Reservations are required; please call us to save a place for you. It'll be sensational!

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MICHELLE
HOOVER autographing and discussing THE QUICKENING
her new novel set in the Great Depression era farming country of the upper
Midwest depicting the lives of two neighboring women and their search for
companionship and survival in a time of hardship.

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MARY
MCGOWAN signing and discussing EMILY KLEIN’S
DIARY.  Heart specialist Dr.
McGowan has written a novel for young adults about an overweight and believably
imperfect junior high school girl who embarks on a weight loss program that
turns into a school wide healthy eating project.

In August 2008, eleven men lost their lives climbing the 'savage' mountain, K2 in the Himalayas. Second only to Everest, K2 is considered to be the more difficult to climb.

"One Mountain Thousand Summits: The Untold Story of Tragedy and True Heroism on K2" is an insider's account of one of the deadliest and most controversial tragedies in climbing history.

Veteran climbing writer Wilkinson will be here to sign and discuss his book, presenting the true story - critical of the mainstream press's account, and giving an insightful portrait of the lives of the Sherpas - the true heroes.

Lance will be here to introduce his true story of the two courageous pioneers that championed the use of the Global Positioning System of the US Defense Department right here in New Hampshire.

"Sacred Skies: The Quest" reads like a Tom Clancy techno-thriller combined with the legal intrigue of a John Grisham novel, only the story really happened - right here in NH! Out of work ex-Sanders employees pioneer the use of GPS for navigation and surveillance at Manchester Airport. Their work led to several US patents that helped define the 21st century aviation infrastructure.

Please join us and learn more about this amazing local story. "Sacred Skies: Or, Playing Frisbee in a Mine Field" is available in paperback for $29.95.

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LINDA
GREENLAW bestselling author of The Hungry Ocean discussing
and signing here new book SEAWORTHY  a fast-paced account of her return to swordfishing

Please join us when local writer Christian Passen visits to sign and talk about the creation of his latest book, "Half a Heart". It's a collection of poetry, prose and quotes centered around the theme of to live, to lose, and to love again...

Mr. Passen was born in Portsmouth, NH and now resides in the Souhegan Valley. His first book, "No U-Turn: Never Back Down" was published in 2008.

"Half a Heart" is available in paperback for $17.99.

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JANE
BROX author of Here And Nowhere Else and other
books about New England farming, returns to sign BRILLIANT: THE
EVOLUTION OF ARTIFICIAL LIGHTING

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JAMES BOLLE  the
composer-conductor introducing and discussing his latest CD

Seven writers converge on our store to lead a spirited panel discussion on the aspects of writing fantasy. If you are an aspiring author, or fan wishing to meet the visitors, please join in this free event!

Details are still coming together (snacks, etc.) so check back. It's sure to be an illuminating and inspirational afternoon!

The authors, in alphabetical order: Ellen Booraem (The Unnameables), Chris Brodien-Jones (The Owl Keeper), Leah Cypess (Mistwood), Marissa Doyle (Betraying Season, Bewitching Season), Deva Fagan (Fortune's Folly, The Magical Misadventures of Prunella Bogthistle), Angie Frazier (Everlasting), Kate Milford (The Boneshaker).

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K.
SPIRITO signing and
discussing her latest book SUMMER
AND AUGUST: A CAPE COD MURDER MYSTERY

It's official! Lisa visits just two weeks after her new DD Warren novel hits the streets to chat and sign copies of "Live to Tell".

An entire family is wiped out in a senseless act of violence. But to look closer is to see that sometimes the most devastating crimes are the ones closest to home. It's a case that will push DD right to the edge.

If you haven't been to a signing with Lisa, you don't want to miss a great time talking 'shop'! Visit lisagardner.com for information and don't forget to sign up to 'kill a friend, maim a buddy!'

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.

Join Among the Elms Writer's Group for a poetry reading and discussion with Matthew Guenette. Matthew is the author of Sudden Anthem, winner of the 2007 American Poetry Journal Book Prize from Dream Horse Press.

Denise Duhamel says, "Sudden Anthem is a raucous, boisterous song of praise. Matthew Guenette's outrageous poems romp across the page then make a beeline for your gut, your heart, and your intellect. Guenette is both a nimble purveyor of pop culture and a singer of the most intimate of songs. Sudden Anthem is a deliriously witty collection."

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The
bookstore is open until 9 pm and there’s a concert next door with “Moving Pictures” (that’s Ben Rogers,
Randy Patrick, and Jentri Jollimore with drums, guitar, and keyboard) also “Maryse” and “Miss Olivia Kennett” beginning at 6:30 pm and for all ages. $5.00

That's right. When we're not reading and helping you find the the best books, we are creating magnificent works of art! Now for the first time, we've banded together for a show and invite you to visit the store and view our work - even the Peep Show!

That's right. When we're not reading and helping you find the the best books, we are creating magnificent works of art! Now for the first time, we've banded together for a show and invite you to visit the store and view our work - even the Peep Show!

On Saturday, August 7 at 2:00, K Spirito will sign and talk about her new thriller, Summer and August, which is part of her La Rosa Chronicles.

Peek behind the idyllic setting of summer on Cape Cod to a place filled with secrets, deception, and a dead body or two! Several Chatham, Massachusetts locations are featured in this great summer read. Unexpected twists and turns abound!

For lots more information about Summer and August and other books by K Spirito, visit her Web site: kspirito.com

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CHANA BLOCH reading
from her poetry and discussing her poetic contribution to Monadnock
Music’s  summer project “Music For The
Mountain” , poems celebrating Mt Monadnock,
set to music by visiting composers and to be premiered at Monadnock Music’s
free concerts this summer.

That's right. When we're not reading and helping you find the the best books, we are creating magnificent works of art! Now for the first time, we've banded together for a show and invite you to visit the store and view our work - even the Peep Show!

The local author stops in to autograph and talk about her new book for early readers.

In the tiny hamlet of Deering, NH, someone is stealing fresh baked pies! Who the thief is and their reason for crime will leave you with a bigger picture of life in a small town.

Please bring your eager elementary school reader and grab a copy of "The Apple Pie Thief". (ppk, $8.95)

That's right. When we're not reading and helping you find the the best books, we are creating magnificent works of art! Now for the first time, we've banded together for a show and invite you to visit the store and view our work - even the Peep Show!

That's right. When we're not reading and helping you find the the best books, we are creating magnificent works of art! Now for the first time, we've banded together for a show and invite you to visit the store and view our work - even the Peep Show!

Cape Cod author William Powers has written a book, Hamlet's BlackBerry: A Practical Philosophy for Building a Good Life in the Digital Age, in which he argues that we need a new way of thinking, an everyday philosophy for life with screeens. Part intellectual journey, part memoir, Hamlet's BlackBerry sets out to solve what Powers calls the conundrum of connectedness. Lively, original, and entertaining, Powers' new book will challenge you to rethink your digital life.

That's right. When we're not reading and helping you find the the best books, we are creating magnificent works of art! Now for the first time, we've banded together for a show and invite you to visit the store and view our work - even the Peep Show!

That's right. When we're not reading and helping you find the the best books, we are creating magnificent works of art! Now for the first time, we've banded together for a show and invite you to visit the store and view our work - even the Peep Show!

That's right. When we're not reading and helping you find the the best books, we are creating magnificent works of art! Now for the first time, we've banded together for a show and invite you to visit the store and view our work - even the Peep Show!

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“MOVING PICTURES” in concert part two with appearances by “MMOSS” and “REDWING
BLACKBIRD”  -all ages. $5.00

That's right. When we're not reading and helping you find the the best books, we are creating magnificent works of art! Now for the first time, we've banded together for a show and invite you to visit the store and view our work - even the Peep Show!

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JAMES GODDARD signing and discussing FREEDOM
FOR A DAY in which he takes the concepts offered in the bestselling
book The Secret, applies them to his own life, and encourages the reader
to imagine “what if you believed for just one day that everything would work
out perfectly?”

Hallman set out to document the history of utopian thought and literature and to visit a handful of modern utopian projects. He lived three weeks at the world's oldest "intentional community." He sailed on the first ship on which it's possible to own real estate. He trained at the world's largest civilian combat school. He toured a $30 billion megacity built from scratch on an artificial island off the coast of Korea. Now he has come to The Toadstool in Keene to tell you about his experiences and to autograph his new book on the subject, In Utopia. We look forward to seeing you!

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Joyce Maynard will sign and talk about her book, Labor Day: A Novel. In a manner evoking Ian McEwan's Atonement and Nick Hornby's About a Boy,  Maynard tells a story of love, sexual passion, painful adolescence, and devastating betrayal as seen through the eyes of a thirteen-year-old boy – and the man he later becomes – looking back on the events of a single long, hot, and life-altering weekend.

Joyce Maynard, acclaimed author of At Home in the World and To Die For (among others), started her writing career when she was fourteen. She is the mother of three grown children and lives in northern California.

Kids over the age of 10 are invited to sign up and take part in our very dangerous and potentially educational (for summer!) time conducting questionable experiments based on "The Book of Catastrophic Science" by Sean Connolly.

Parachute an egg from an upstairs window! Distill DNA from a half-eaten banana! Spark lightning in your mouth! This book contains detailed information about the most DANGEROUS scientific discoveries of all time. Try 'em at home.

There will be prizes, refreshments and bandaids for all! Safety goggles and kevlar optional. Don't forget to sign up to save your place in the lab. 

Sean is also the author of "The Book of Totally Irresponsible Science" and assures you that every experiment demonstrates real science at its most memorable.

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long time nuclear industry reporter STEPHANIE COOKE autographing and discussing IN MORTAL HANDS: A CAUTIONARY HISTORY OF THE NUCLEAR AGE in
which she reminds us again, as nuclear power is seeing a “renaissance”, that
hubris and wishful thinking are inappropriate in those trying to manage the
“unmanageable”.

The way she sees it, volunteer fire chief Gwen Fifield's life is about as good as can be. Sure she's gained twenty pounds and her property taxes increased just in time for Christmas, but the basement hasn't flooded for the first time in years and the General Store has started delivering pizza.

Good that is, until an arsonist burns the local museum flat and a charred body is found in the ruins.

Come meet Jessie, purchase a signed copy for your reading pleasure and find out what happens to Gwen and the small town of Winslow Falls, NH. If you're a fan of Janet Evanovich, try "Live Free or Die".

Editors Tom and Judith visit to sign and discuss their new book, "Visions of Tomorrow: Science Fiction Predictions That Came True".

In this stunning anthology of never before collected stories, our worlds' greatest science fiction writers demonstrate the truth can be just as strange as fiction.

(Skyhorse Pub, $12.95 ppk)

Join us for Local Authors Night as we feature three of the area's best writers sharing their latest books. Mystery writers Jessie Crockett (Live Free or Die) and Walt Schnabel (Blood Club) join fantasy writer Kristina Schram (Chronicles of Anaedor) to read from and discuss their novels and take questions from the audience. Come support local authors and find out about great new books written in our region!

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former NHPR host JOHN
WALTERS signing and discussing ROADS
LESS TRAVELED: VISIONARY NEW ENGLAND LIVES extended  profiles of two dozen accomplished
people  he interviewed for his “Front
Porch” program on NHPR.

Please join us for a special reading and signing with local writer Evelyn Blanchard for "Peace and other poems". As she says in the preface:

"Most of the poems presented here reveal what was in my heart at the time of its conception. It is to be noted that I am a lover of the divine and the beauty of nature; that I have deep feeling for the joys and sorrows, loves and fantasies of people of all ages, and that I can still see the amusing side of life. Children will find poems here written especially for them." 

John Walters, of New Hampshire Public Radio's The Front Porch, has published Roads Less Traveled: Visionary New England Lives. In the course of his work as a writer and radio personality, Walters has interviewed some of the most extraordinary people in New Hampshire and Vermont. For Roads Less Traveled he has written extended profiles of some of his very favorite people. Walters writes of brilliance, talent, dedication, and persistence; of devotion to an art, craft, a cause; or simply of a life lived long and well. He writes of people who have, quite literally, taken a road less traveled. They have pursued their own visions. Their stories testify to the breadth of human intelligence and creativity, and the indomitability of the human spirit.

John Walters is a writer, editor and radio journalist. He was the creator and host of The Front Porch, an award-winning interview show on NHPR. He is a former resident of Elkins, N.H., and now lives in East Montpelier, VT. He is the managing editor of The Bridge, a weekly newspaper, and is the 2009 winner of the Donald M. Murray Outstanding Journalism Award presented by the New Hampshire Writers' Project.

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CYNTHIA AMIDON- autographing and discussing REMEMBERING
HANCOCK: TALES FROM A QUAINT NEW HAMPSHIRE TOWN an illustrated
collection of historical incidents from Hancock’s storied past. 

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EDIE CLARK signing and discussing STATES
OF GRACE: ENCOUNTERS WITH REAL YANKEES . The “Yankee Magazine” writer’s
newest book is a collection of profiles of over 30 extraordinary New Englanders
“with one deep abiding passion at the center of their lives”, “each of them
living in a state of grace”.

Look - a squirrel! But not just any squirrel. Join us and NH author Jacqueline Heistman as she talks about the inspiration for her new picture book, "The Adventures of Tommy the Tailless Squirrel".

This little fellow is different and shunned by all the other animals. When Tommy acts selflessly and performs a brave deed, the others realize that being different doesn't mean you can't be a good friend!

Get yourself a personalized copy and share a very important lesson with your child. 

Whether building new, adding onto, or remodeling your existing building, come learn about the many different options in environmentally friendly building products and construction techniques. Many manufacturers these days are claiming that their products are green ... but how green are they?

Christina O'Brien, AIA, and Doug Stewart, AIA, LEED AP, will start out their discussion by clarifying the difference between "green" and "sustainable" products (and, yes, there is a difference). They'll also focus on the importance of a well-designed building envelope (foundation, insulation, windows, roofing).

The book Green $ense for the Home by Eric Corey Freed and Kevin Daum will be highlighted during the discussion.

Rich and Sandra Wallace, husband and wife, will sign and talk about their books for young readers, Little Joe, Kickers 01: Ball Hogs, Sports Camp, and Winning Season: Second-String Center.

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MARY CATHERINE BATESON – autographing & discussing COMPOSING A FURTHER LIFE: THE AGE OF ACTIVE WISDOM a follow
up to her 1991 best seller Composing A Life. The new book is an
exuberant exploration of a new stage in the life cycle, “Adulthood 2”, created
by unprecedented levels of health, energy, time, and resources.

NH author Toby Ball visits to sign and discuss his new novel of an alternate 1930s dystopian America in, "The Vaults".

At the height of the most corrupt administration in the City's history, a mysterious file is discovered deep within the Vaults - a cavernous hall containing all the criminal justice records from the last seventy years.

Three men will separately undertake their own investigations into the dark past and uncertain future of the City and its climate of corruption and conspiracy. 

Please meet the author and discover what all the advance praise is about. You can also visit www.tobyball.com for more info. (STM, $24.99)

The Classics Crowd meets every other month on the THIRD Thursday to discuss titles voted on by concensus. New readers of timeless literature are encouraged to join. Snacking is welcome!

Month and selection (so far)...

September 23 is the FOURTH Thursday: "Frenchman's Creek" by Daphne du Maurier.

November 18: "Of Human Bondage" by W. Somerset Maugham. 

We are proud to have author David Rubel here to talk about his new book for children and adults, "If I Had a Hammer: Stories of Building Houses and Hope with Habitat for Humanity".

Learn about: Personal accounts from volunteers and homeowners; The physical challenges due to climate, materials, etc at sites around the world; Habitat's "hand up, not a hand out" message to people in need.

Please bring your family and share in this rewarding experience. (Candlewick, $10.99 ppk)

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HOWARD MANSFIELD signing and discussing TURN
AND JUMP: HOW TIME AND PLACE FELL APART . In the days before “Standard
Time” towns kept their own time pegged to the sun. With the rise of the
railroads time needed to be synchronized to make scheduling possible and the
hour no longer reflected the exact position of the sun overhead. In a series of
essays Howard examines what time has meant to us in New England, from the days
of continuous vaudeville, to Swanzey’s famous “Old Homestead” play that
depicted chores “measured by the task, not by the hour”, to the long years of
Derby’s department store in Peterborough.

The Red River is a group of eight men and women from the West Coast. They will perform music from their CD, Little Songs About the Big Picture. With both acoustic and electronic instruments, and vocals with harmonies, their sound has been described as warm, light, and intimate.

The Riverfront Times of St. Louis says: "Why this band isn't huge yet is beyond me. The Portland-via-Long Beach, California band's album, Little Songs About the Big Picture, is full of small joys: rhythms pitter-pattering like a heartbeat, stately chamber-music arrangements, drive-by synthpop flashes, sincere harmonies. This is a fall album, suitable for playing while you huddle under a blanket for warmth. Fans of Lost in the Trees, Azure Ray and Luna will find much to like."

On Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2010 at
7:00 p.m., Among the Elms Writers' Group and The Toadstool Bookshop in Keene welcome Rodger Martin. He will sign and talk about his Battlefield Guide: Harpers Ferry, Antietam, Gettysburg, a book of narrative poems illustrated by Chad Gowey. These poems are a time-travelers guide to the battlefields that shaped the American conscience. They explore obscure but fascinating links to the world of today and test our assumptions about the Civil War. Included with the book is an audio CD with live recordings of “Gettysburg”, “Blue-Eyed Boy”, and “Antietam” read by the author and accompanied by Tim Mowry on mandolin, Ellen Carlson on violin, and Val Blachly on bass.

Rodger Martin, founder of Monadnock Pastoral School of Poetry, is a poet and editor who dedicates his work to bringing the power of the word to audiences of all persuasions. He conducts workshops in which he provides a multi-sensory approach to writing so that it is not just a reaction to the eye but also to the ear and sense of touch. He lives in New Hampshire.

Whether you're an aspiring writers or a practiced one, one of the persistent challenges of beginning any new piece is locating its entry point.

San Fransisco writer Maya Stein visits as part of her traveling poetry project, "Tour de Word"  to facilitate a NO-COST writing workshop using a series of most un-rigorous activities.

The workshop is approximately two and one half hours long and is open to writers of all genres, and non-writers as well. Maya asks participants to bring: a stack of Post-it notes, an item of clothing you never - or always - wear (to bring, not wear!), a fruit, vegetable or other food you identify with or feel in complete opposition to, an item from your purse, wallet or bureau, a title of a poem, short story, or novel you like.

Please call and reserve a place at the workshop for you! For more information visit Maya's site: www.tourdeword.com 

Timothy (and family) will be driving by and stopping in briefly to meet you and sign his illustrated children's books, including the brand-newest, "Snook Alone".

Abba Jacob is a monk who lives on a faraway island with his loyal rat terrier, Snook. The two are inseparable until one day a ferocious storm blows in, and Snook must learn to fend for himself in the wild alone. Will he ever hear the loving voice he waits for?

Simply told by poet Marilyn Nelson and beautifully illustrated by Timothy, this moving tale of friendship conveys the power of faith against all odds.

Mr. Ering is the illustrator of the award-winning "The Tale of Desperaux" and "Finn Throws a Fit!". His books include "The Story of Frog Belly Rat Bone" and "Necks Out for Adventure!"

Due to the nature of Tim's appearance, we'd be glad to set aside a book to be signed if you can't join us. But we hope you do because we love SNOOK!

Mary Catherine Bateson sees aging today as an "improvisational art form calling for imagination and willingness to learn," and in Composing a Further Life, she relates the experiences of men and women - herself included - who, entering this second adulthood, have found new meaning and new ways to contribute, composing their lives in new keys.

Bateson's book presents each of us - at any age - an exhilarating challenge to think about and approach our later lives with the full force of imagination, curiosity, and enthusiasm.

A new group! Please join us and our host, April Coughlin for rousing discussions on foreign policy.

You'll be engaged in a variety of issues revolving around international relations - subjects to be determined by the group.

They will meet every 3 weeks on Tuesday evening at 7 p.m.

If you're in a book group, thinking of joining one, or starting your own, we welcome you to join us for an evening of networking with fellow readers while sampling delicious treats provided by the Black Forest Cafe of Amherst.

Also with us this evening will be author Katherine Howe to speak about her NYT best-selling novel "The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane" (hint-hint book great read, a staff pick!).

Plans are still in development - stay tuned. Bring your love of reading and be prepared to share the great books you and your group have discovered as well as what you've learned from your meetings.

a fun filled day of activities throughout the town. Come join in the fun!  And find out what makes Peterborough so special.

Mark your calendars, Archer Mayor is returning to The Toadstool on Oct. 16!

In Mayor's new book, Red Herring, VBI head Joe Gunther and his team are called in to investigate a series of violent deaths that appear unrelated until telltale clues reveal a link among them.

Archer Mayor is the 2004 winner of the New England Booksellers Association award for best fiction - the first time a writer of crime literature has been so honored. He is the author of the highly acclaimed, Vermont-based series featuring detective Joe Gunther, which the Chicago Tribune describes as "the best police procedurals being written in America." In addition, Mayor is a death investigator for Vermont's Chief Medical Examiner, and a deputy for the Windham County Sheriff's Department.

Please join us in welcoming Rob and Ginger to our store to sign and talk about their new picture book for younger children, "Daniel and the Harmonica".

Daniel's birthday is almost over when his grandfather hands him a surprise gift - a shimmering harmonica! Rekindle your love of music and join Daniel in this festively illustrated concert of a lifetime.

Rob is a middle school science teacher living in NH and also likes to play harmonia. Ginger lives in the mountains of southern NH and is a full time picture book artist with a magic wand on her desk and a dragon in the basement! 

Stemmer House, $16.95 hc)

College tuition is increasing faster than gasoline or health care, but the quality of education is declining. The Five-Year Party, based on five years of research and Craig's 12 years of experience at a party school in New England, is written for parents who have no idea how little they are getting for their money.

Craig Brandon, author of Murder in the Adirondacks, Monadnock: More than a Mountain and co-editor of The Prison Diary of Chester Gillette, will present a multi-media slide show, after which he will welcome questions from the audience. Craig lives with his wife in Surry, New Hampshire.

Among the Elms Writers’ Group and The Toadstool Bookshop welcome Toby Ball, who will talk about and sign his thriller, The Vaults. The story is set in a dystopian 1930s America, where a chilling series of events leads three men down a path to uncover their city's darkest secret. All three men will undertake their own investigations into the dark past and uncertain future of the City, calling into question whether their most basic beliefs can be maintained in a climate of overwhelming corruption and conspiracy.

Toby Hall works at the Crimes Against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire. He lives in Durham, NH, with his wife and two children.

Writer, editor, and former host of NHPR's interview show "The Front Porch", John Walters will be here to sign his book and share the true stories of the extraordinary people he's encountered in his travels around NH and VT in "Roads Less Traveled: Visionary New England Lives".

These people have pursued their own visions. Their stories are of brilliance, talent, dedication, and persistence. Pick up a copy and learn about your neighbors of this great area we call home.

(Plaidswede, $19.95)

JEAN MASON AUTOGRAPHING AND DISCUSSING THE VIEW FROM #410: WHEN HOME IS COHOUSING  -- NOTE THIS TALK WILL TAKE PLACE AT NUBANUSIT NEIGHBORHOOD & FARM
STEELE RD, PETERBOROUGH
(1.1 miles west of downtown off Union St)
This is the real story of cohousing through a first person account from the earliest planning stages through the building, move in, and settling in. This book will help you understand what is so positive about families and people of all ages living in an interdependent community. Jean provides a detailed look at Cambridge Cohousing, an intergenerational community of 41 households. Follow along as the author moves through the engaging, exhausting and sometimes frustrating and more often thrilling process of their complex journey. Learn about the intricate dynamics and daily experiences of creating and living in the shared living concept that is Cohousing. This unique event will be held at Nubanusit Neighborhood’s Common House – the heart of Nubi’s 29-home green community.
www.peterboroughcohousing.org

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. The fruits of her labor are her La Rosa Chronicles, mysteries set in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Maine. Come by to meet K and to discover this exciting series!

On Sunday, Oct. 24, 2010 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m., Paul Wainwright will sign and talk about his beautiful coffee table book, A Space for Faith: The Colonial Meetinghouses of New England. The photographs capture the essence of Colonial New England and its early Puritan settlers by painting a composite portrait of the New England meetinghouse. The photos are complemented by Peter Benes’ essay which tells the history and stories of these important yet little known icons of American history.

Paul Wainwright is a photo- grapher who works in a traditional manner utilizing sheet film, a large-format camera, and silver gelatin printing. His work has appeared in numerous juried competitions and solo exhibitions, and is included in the permanent collections of both private and corporate collectors, including Fidelity Investments and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. He is based in Atkinson, New Hampshire.

The Red River is a group of eight men and women from the West
Coast, who will perform music from their CD, Little Songs About the Big
Picture. With both acoustic and electronic instruments, and vocals with
harmonies, their sound has been described as warm, light, and intimate.
Good fun!

The Riverfront Times says: "Why this band isn't huge yete is beyond me. The Portland-via-Long Beach, California band's album, Little Songs About the Big Picture, is full of small joys: rhythms pitter-pattering like a heartbeat, stately chamber music arrangements, drive-by synthpop flashes, sincere harmonies. This is a fall album, suitable for playing while you huddle under a blanket for warmth. Fans of Lost in the Trees, Azure Ray and Luna will find much to like."

We hope you'll join us.

On Saturday, Oct. 30 at 2:00 p.m., Vincent Panella will talk about and sign his new book, Lost Hearts. The twenty-three stories in Lost Hearts comprise a rich and candid account of growing up and growing old in Sicily and America. The stories may be read separately, but they are also linked. "Original Sin," the opening story set in rural Sicily in 1900, pushes a father-son conflict to its tragic conclusion. The protagonist, Peter Marino, emigrates to America, where his descendants - and especially his grandson, Charlie - experience the conflicts, hopes, and needs that add up to the human condition.

Vincent Panella studied English at Pennsylvania State University, and later, fiction writing at the Iowa Workshop. His first book, a memoir, was The Other Side: Growing Up Italian in America, published in 1979. His second book was the novel, Cutter's Island, which won a ForeWord fiction award. He lives in Marlboro, VT.

We missed him last year, but Archer returns to sign and discuss his beloved and respected series of police procedurals featuring VBI head Joe Gunther with, "Red Herring".

A series of violent deaths appear unrelated until the Vermont Bureau of Investigation discover telltale clues that reveal they were all, in fact, murders.

Don't miss this visit with the staff favorite and best-selling author. Don't forget: a signed copy makes a great gift for that reader on your upcoming holiday list.

Arrrgh! Nothing like a zombie to liven up your Halloween. Contributing authors to the first volume of New Hampshire Pulp Fiction will be here to gnaw on and sign their anthology "LIVE FREE OR UNDEAD And 19 More Dark Tales from the Granite State".

With it's small towns and pastoral vistas, New Hampshire can seem like heaven on earth. But in these 20 stories you'll see the dead can find no peace and all hell soon breaks loose.

Visiting writers include: Lorrie Lee O'Neill, David Elliott, David O'Keefe & Gregory L. Norris. Steel yourself for the most terrifying night of literature we can summon from beyond the grave. (Plaidswede Bks, $19.95)

Among the Elms Writers’ Group and The Toadstool Bookshop welcome Toby Ball, who will talk about and sign his thriller, The Vaults. The story is set in a dystopian 1930s America, where a chilling series of events leads three men down a path to uncover their city's darkest secret. All three men will undertake their own investigations into the dark past and uncertain future of the City, calling into question whether their most basic beliefs can be maintained in a climate of overwhelming corruption and conspiracy.

Toby Ball works at the Crimes Against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire. He lives in Durham, NH, with his wife and two children.

Ray Mason is often called the Godfather of the New England music scene.  A godfather is usually that cool uncle or friend of your parents who tells good stories and gives you advice on things that matter. As the Godfather of the music scene, Ray tells stories in his songs and has given more sage advice to young musicians than anyone can possibly imagine.

Throughout the years, Ray has opened shows for NRBQ, The Band, Marshall Crenshaw, Bill Morrissey, Graham Parker, They Might Be Giants, Nils Lofgren, Warren Zevon, Joan Osbourne, Freed Johnston, Joan Jett, and more.

Please join us in celebrating the beauty of words with a reading by poet CHARLES PRATT ("From The Box Marked Some Are Missing: Poems). 'Box' includes poems from his previous three books along with a fair number that have never appeared in a book before. The whole of Pratt's distinguished career is represented.

Also with us this evening is BECKY DENNISON SAKELLARIOU, reading from her new book, "Earth Listening", a collection of poems reflecting the tapestry of two very different worlds she calls home, Greece and New England. The book comes with a cd of the author reading select poems.

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Josh Brooks of Vermont has been hailed by Northeast Performer as “Vermont’s Johnny Cash”. Seemingly without effort, he traverses the American roots spectrum, from touching folk ballad to foot-stomping honky-tonk, country blues and roots rock. Fans of John Prine, Guy Clark and Steve Earle will want to catch the local songwriter widely considered “one of the handful of Vermont artists with the sound, the original songs, and the voice to make the leap from local to national” (Vermont Public Radio).

It’s time for our annual 20% off anniversary sale!

Thanks to you, we’ve enjoyed 27 happy and successful years in Keene. 38 in Peterborough, and 21 in Milford Starting Monday, Nov. 8 and continuing through Sunday, Nov. 14, you can help us celebrate a combined 86 years  of bookselling in the Monadnock Region– and save 20% off everything storewide at The Toadstool Bookshop.

All week you’ll save 20% on anything in The Toadstool’s vast selection of books, CDs, calendars, magazines and cards.

Start your Christmas shopping now, avoid the crowds, and save 20% on every purchase. This sale is at all three Toadstools: Keene, Peterborough, and Milford.

Special orders, gift certificates and already discounted Select Bestsellers are excluded.

It’s time for our annual 20% off anniversary sale!

Thanks to you, we’ve enjoyed 27 happy and successful years in Keene. 38 in Peterborough, and 21 in Milford Starting Monday, Nov. 8 and continuing through Sunday, Nov. 14, you can help us celebrate a combined 86 years  of bookselling in the Monadnock Region– and save 20% off everything storewide at The Toadstool Bookshop.

All week you’ll save 20% on anything in The Toadstool’s vast selection of books, CDs, calendars, magazines and cards.

Start your Christmas shopping now, avoid the crowds, and save 20% on every purchase. This sale is at all three Toadstools: Keene, Peterborough, and Milford.

Special orders, gift certificates and already discounted Select Bestsellers are excluded.

It’s time for our annual 20% off anniversary sale!

Thanks to you, we’ve enjoyed 27 happy and successful years in Keene. 38 in Peterborough, and 21 in Milford Starting Monday, Nov. 8 and continuing through Sunday, Nov. 14, you can help us celebrate a combined 86 years  of bookselling in the Monadnock Region– and save 20% off everything storewide at The Toadstool Bookshop.

All week you’ll save 20% on anything in The Toadstool’s vast selection of books, CDs, calendars, magazines and cards.

Start your Christmas shopping now, avoid the crowds, and save 20% on every purchase. This sale is at all three Toadstools: Keene, Peterborough, and Milford.

Special orders, gift certificates and already discounted Select Bestsellers are excluded.

It’s time for our annual 20% off anniversary sale!

Thanks to you, we’ve enjoyed 27 happy and successful years in Keene. 38 in Peterborough, and 21 in Milford Starting Monday, Nov. 8 and continuing through Sunday, Nov. 14, you can help us celebrate a combined 86 years  of bookselling in the Monadnock Region– and save 20% off everything storewide at The Toadstool Bookshop.

All week you’ll save 20% on anything in The Toadstool’s vast selection of books, CDs, calendars, magazines and cards.

Start your Christmas shopping now, avoid the crowds, and save 20% on every purchase. This sale is at all three Toadstools: Keene, Peterborough, and Milford.

Special orders, gift certificates and already discounted Select Bestsellers are excluded.

It’s time for our annual 20% off anniversary sale!

Thanks to you, we’ve enjoyed 27 happy and successful years in Keene. 38 in Peterborough, and 21 in Milford Starting Monday, Nov. 8 and continuing through Sunday, Nov. 14, you can help us celebrate a combined 86 years  of bookselling in the Monadnock Region– and save 20% off everything storewide at The Toadstool Bookshop.

All week you’ll save 20% on anything in The Toadstool’s vast selection of books, CDs, calendars, magazines and cards.

Start your Christmas shopping now, avoid the crowds, and save 20% on every purchase. This sale is at all three Toadstools: Keene, Peterborough, and Milford.

Special orders, gift certificates and already discounted Select Bestsellers are excluded.

It’s time for our annual 20% off anniversary sale!

Thanks to you, we’ve enjoyed 27 happy and successful years in Keene. 38 in Peterborough, and 21 in Milford Starting Monday, Nov. 8 and continuing through Sunday, Nov. 14, you can help us celebrate a combined 86 years  of bookselling in the Monadnock Region– and save 20% off everything storewide at The Toadstool Bookshop.

All week you’ll save 20% on anything in The Toadstool’s vast selection of books, CDs, calendars, magazines and cards.

Start your Christmas shopping now, avoid the crowds, and save 20% on every purchase. This sale is at all three Toadstools: Keene, Peterborough, and Milford.

Special orders, gift certificates and already discounted Select Bestsellers are excluded.

The Earth is full of extraordinary animals - from the lion standing in the grass, to the panda in the bamboo, or a polar bear disappearing in the snow.  David's lyrical verse, accompanied by stunning block print illustrations by award-winning illustrator/author Holly Meade reveal a world of beauty and wonder. This gorgeous picture book will bring hours of lyrical reading as well as introducing youngsters to some of the favorite wild anilmals we share this planet with.

David is the acclaimed author of several books for young readers, including ON THE FARM (also illustrated by Holly Meade), FINN THROWS A FIT!, and the NYT best-selling AND HERE'S TO YOU!

Holly Meade has written and illustrated many picture books for children, including the Caldecott award-winning HUSH: A Thai Lullaby, and its follow-up PEEK! A Thai Hide-and-Seek.

Harry Lee Smith was a thoughtful and spiritual man. It was never his intention to abandon his wife of 40+ years, Angelika. So when he passed on November 5, 2006, he began an amazing series of communications through his daughter Jane. With the aid of spiritual helpers, Harry illuminates the afterlife and offers lessons for living this life and letting go.

Please meet the author of this amazing true life story and discover for yourself the greatest gifts of all in "We Are Here: Love Never Dies".        (Burnham Pr, $15)

It’s time for our annual 20% off anniversary sale!

Thanks to you, we’ve enjoyed 27 happy and successful years in Keene. 38 in Peterborough, and 21 in Milford Starting Monday, Nov. 8 and continuing through Sunday, Nov. 14, you can help us celebrate a combined 86 years  of bookselling in the Monadnock Region– and save 20% off everything storewide at The Toadstool Bookshop.

All week you’ll save 20% on anything in The Toadstool’s vast selection of books, CDs, calendars, magazines and cards.

Start your Christmas shopping now, avoid the crowds, and save 20% on every purchase. This sale is at all three Toadstools: Keene, Peterborough, and Milford.

Special orders, gift certificates and already discounted Select Bestsellers are excluded.

New Hampshire's favorite weatherman returns to our store to sign and talk about "EXTREME NEW ENGLAND WEATHER" (Sciart Media, 29.95)

Josh explains the hows and whys about the worst storms of the last 100+ years. Joining forces are 15 of New Englands's well known meteorologists contributing their stories about savage weather in their region. Chock-full of illustrations and breathtaking photographs, you'll be front row center for the worst Mother Nature can dish out. 

Visit Josh's website: www.joshjudge.com to learn more! See you Sunday...

For Local Authors Night, we feature some of the area’s best writers sharing their latest books. Scheduled to appear are Jane Smith Bernhardt, Vincent Panella, and Paul D. Bagley, who will read from and talk about their books and take questions from the audience. Come support local authors and find out about great new books written in our region.

Jane Smith Bernhardt's book is We Are Here: Love Never Dies. It holds an impossible story in which the dead speak and herald miracles of forgiveness and transformation.

Paul D. Bagley's book is Crosses in the Sky: A True Story of Preparedness, Discipline and Training, and of a Fortuitous Aircrew During World War II.

Vincent Panella's twenty-three stories in Lost Hearts comprise a rich and candid account of growing up and growing old in Sicily and America.

Dr. Shanahan trained at Cornell University's Molecular Biology program where she learned how nutrients direct physiologic growth. She found that older patients raised on traditional foods tended to be the healthiest in their family, with attractive features, strong joints and sturdy bones.

In "Deep Nutrition", written with enologist Luke Shanahan, the authors explain why your family's health depends on eating traditional foods. With a fuller, clearer picture, we can control our destiny in ways we might never have imagined.

(Big Box Bks, $19.99)