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

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) 

Please join us in welcoming local Science Fiction author Donna McCoy to our store. She has penned three books:

Simmion - when a man leaves the planet, he's bound to find trouble. And Simmion just hitched a ride with the wrong 'people'.

Willthor - Capt. Bahal is sent into deep space to locate the missing ship Tachyon. The mission is complicated by her 1st Lt. Willthor, who seems to know a lot about the enemy in possession of the vessel.

Cyrus Banks - After a near-fatal accident, Banks discovers he has a new talent, which lands him in the Interplanetary Defense Force. Join him in his search for an alien species - long thought to be extinct.

Donna is a certified Dental Technician and a Lay Speaker in the United Methodist Church. Her hobbies take her far a wide, where "you learn to build tolerance for other cultures." (Wedgewood, $14.99 each)

In Lynn Levine's new children's book, Snow Secrets, Sarah and Jasmine, both sixth graders, learn to track from Tess, an old woman tracker.

Hey, kids! At this book signing, Lynn takes the role of Tess and teaches you tracking skills! Tracking is like being a detective, and one of the tricks to tracking is being able to identify the clues that animals leave behind. One of those clues is an animal's scat.

Lynn is also the author of the book Mammal Tracks and Scat: Life-Sized Tracking Guide, which she wrote for adults. 

More than a simple biography of nine men who served aboard a B-17 in the AAF during the war, Crosses in the Sky is a true story of preparedness, discipline and training, and of a fortuitous aircrew serving during World War II.

Mr. Bagley is a retired emergency telecommunicator and police officer. He has spent 10 years researching and writing Witcomb's story.

Honor our heroes and pick up a signed copy just in time for the holidays. (Eloquent Bks, $35)

Herbalist / acupuncturist Timothy Lee Scott will sign and talk about Invasive Plant Medicine, the first book to demonstrate how plants originally considered harmful to the environment actually restore Earth's ecosystems and possess powerful healing properties.

Timothy Lee Scott has a master's degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine and undergraduate studies in in psychology and general health sciences. Since 2002, he and his wife Colleen have run Watercourse Way, a community-based health care clinic in Brattleboro, Vermont, providing acupuncture, herbal consultations, massage, and an extensive herbal apothecary.

Award winning singer-songwriter Steve Blunt, along with local illustrator extraordinaire Marty Kelley drop in to sing and sign their new activity book for youngsters, Sing-Along Coloring Fun!

This is a great book for car trips, rainy days, or stuck inside because of 10 feet of snow. You can color the pictures in your favorite medium - pencils, crayons paint? - and best of all - totally rock out to the 15 original song cd included! (paperback, $15)

So come in and get a preview of what a 'boring' day stuck inside can look and sound like. Check the guys out at steveblunt.com or martykelley.com .

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Rebecca Upjohn, author of the picture book Lily and the Paper Man, will be by to sign her latest book, The Last Loon, written for kids ages 8-11, especially. In this book, Evan spends the Christmas holidays in the wilderness with his aunt Mag and hears a lot of talk about a loon that is hanging around on the lake. Evan doesn’t really care - until he discovers that the loon will die without help. Rescuing the wild bird, however, turns out to be a bigger job than he expected.

Smart Choices Kids presents a revolution in children's educational entertainment: Arthur and the Curse of the Rain Sorceress. (DVD, $19.95)

Made right here in New England by local actors and writers, this unique INTERACTIVE DVD teaches kids about making smart choices. At decision points throughout the story, kids get to choose where they want the main characters to go and what to do. If they make smart choices, like helping a person in need, they'll be rewarded with happy endings and more exciting story lines.

Combining classic and original fairytale characters, Arthur is new and fun every time your child plays. It's enjoyed by kids of all ages, and is especially intended for kids 6-10.

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Vintage Gold Muse will be by on Saturday, November 27, from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. to sing her marvelously heartfelt songs. Her music has a mature, modern sound. It’s an acoustic-folk mix with hints of jazz, Middle East blends, further East mantras – a tapestry of ancient wisdom, dreams and visions woven through story and song in Hebrew and English.

Vintage Gold Muse has played at the Jam Factory in Manchester, N.H.; participated in Central Massachusetts’s program in support of arts and culture, stART on the Street; and is spreading beautiful music all across the globe.

We had a great conversation last month. Thank you to all who attended!

At this month's Green Building Discussion Group, hosted by Christina O’Brien, AIA and Doug Stewart, AIA, LEED AP, we'll be talking about windows and doors - what you like, what you don't like, and how you can help keep your heat from escaping out of them this winter. During this discussion, Christina and Doug will highlight the book Practical Green Remodeling by Barry Katz.

Christina O’Brien, AIA and Doug Stewart, AIA, LEED AP are the two principals who run and operate SISR Architecture, LLC out of Marlow, NH. Although SISR was started in 2007, Christina and Doug have 40 years of combined experience designing additions, renovations and new construction for commercial andresidential projects, large and small.

Nashua author J.W. Ocker drove all over New England to bring you the first-hand experiences of the sites, attractions and artifacts that went into the creation of THE NEW ENGLAND GRIMPENDIUM: A Guide to Macabre and Ghastly Sites.

From a visit to the private collection of a demonologist to a midnight jaunt in an insane asylum cemetery to an overnight stay at a murder scene, Ocker leaves no gravestone unturned in his quest to chronicle the dark heart of New England.

If you love a good scare, please join us for an engaging evening of blood-chilling true tales!

Joseph Marcello visits The Toadstool in Keene each year to fill the Bookshop with beautiful holiday music. Join us on Saturday, Dec. 4 from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m., when Marcello soothes frayed nerves with his elegant versions of favorite holiday classics played on acoustic guitar.

Joseph Marcello has taught guitar for 45 years. In addition to writing chamber, choral and orchestral works, Marcello has written both libretti and scores for three operas and some dozen stage musicals. He has received the Delius Award for composers.

Michael, a teacher and writer living in NH, will be here to sign and talk about THE PRESENT BACKGROUND, his dark tale about a man with a good life.

Hayden Foley has it all. As a senior editor at Lockwell Publishing, he has cemented has position and glows in the accolades of his colleagues. Yet he's burnt out by the daily routine. And when he loses the love of his life, he spirals down into depression and dangerous self-reflection that brings him to the brink of madness. Will he manage to escape the dark tunnel of his soul or disappear completely?

You can learn more about the author at michaelmartinelli.com (Sleepyhouse Pub., $12.95)

LIVE YOUR PASSION is a step-by-step guide to personal and professional happiness and your road map to a more passionate life!

Scott is a living example of how anyone can turn tragedy into something positive. Misdiagnosed with bipolar disorder and experiencing near death due to complications from surgery, the Amherst author developed a steadfast belief that each of us creates their own happiness.

Please join us for an uplifting evening in these troubling times. Meet the author and discover your authentic self. (CreateSpace, $14.99)

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.

Robingale will be on hand to describe and demonstrate her INTENTIONAL JOURNEY CARDS & COMPANION booklet. Reflect and choose a crystal card and by using the booklet you can use the power of your own intuition to transform your life. Learn to develop the tools within you to nurture and empower a better way of life for yourself and those around you.

The cards and booklet come tastefully displayed in a gift bag with ribbon. Perfect for slipping into someone's stocking!

(EmpoweredMindscape.com, $12.95)

Tom and Ellen will be here to sign their book THE T206 COLLECTION: The Players and Their Stories. This is a gorgeous coffee table reference for your baseball enthusiast. Learn how events and the men who who played 100 years ago shaped our national pastime into the game it is today: 

*This player/manager gave George Herman Ruth the nickname "Babe".

*Coaching boxes were introduced because of the antics of this third-base coach from New Hampshire.

*This player was the inspiration for Bump Bailey, the player who died crashing through the fence in the film "The Natural".

This volume celebrates the 100th anniversary of the cards, which were printed between 1909 and 1911, featuring full size, color images of the players. A must have for any card collector, baseball fan, or history buff!

(Peter Randall, $38)

Joseph Marcello visits The Toadstool in Keene each year to fill the Bookshop with beautiful holiday music. Join us on Saturday, Dec. 11 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m., when Marcello soothes frayed nerves with his elegant versions of favorite holiday classics played on acoustic guitar.

Joseph Marcello has taught guitar for 45 years. In addition to writing chamber, choral and orchestral works, Marcello has written both libretti and scores for three operas and some dozen stage musicals. He has received the Delius Award for composers.

Greenfield, NH author Michael Sparling will be here with his children's picture book JOE AND THE FROG. The story is told in rhyming verse about a man and a frog who believe they have nothing in common. But if we each make an effort to get along we just might find we are more alike than we think and can become friends.

A lovely moral fable for your little reader.

Robert B. Parker called her "...a compelling new voice in crime fiction."

Was she attacked, abducted, or worse? Reporter Liz Higgins vows to find her friend Ellen and deliver a hard-news story to her bosses at the Boston tabloid "Beantown Banner".

Rosemary served for 10 years as the Boston Herald's book review editor. She is the Edgar Award nominated editor-in-chief of The Oxford Companion to Crime & Mystery Writing, and co-editor with the late Tony Hillerman of A New Omnibus of Crime. She makes her home north of Boston. 

On a summer night more than 20 years ago, Maureen was awakened by spiritual guides who directed her to take dictation. These guides, dubbed 'The Committee', assert that life's learning is a process of releasing fear so that we may remember who we are - beings of Spirit - held in a web of eternal safety.

THE PATH OF REMEMBERING: Who We Are and Why We're Here is the result of Maureen's years of transcribing the teachings of The Committee. From them come the tools to claim our power, and the courage to live and love with an open heart.

Please join us for an enlightening evening! (Mount Hope Press, $16.95, pap)

The local writer and TV personality ("The Voice of New Hampshire") visits to share stories and sign copies of his new collection, AS SEEN ON TV: More Stories From New Hampshire Chronicle.

His stories arouse in us a new respect for our forefathers in a young country riding the waves of change. This book offers us history with a view to the human heart, just as it happened in our towns and countryside.

A signed copy for your favorite Granite stater will sure look good under the tree come Christmas morning! (Plaidswede, $19.95)

Joseph Marcello visits The Toadstool in Keene each year to fill the Bookshop with beautiful holiday music. Join us on Saturday, Dec. 18 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m., when Marcello soothes frayed nerves with his elegant versions of favorite holiday classics played on acoustic guitar. 

Joseph Marcello has taught guitar for 45 years. In addition to writing chamber, choral and orchestral works, Marcello has written both libretti and scores for three operas and some dozen stage musicals. He has received the Delius Award for composers.

Local author Bill Flynn joins us to talk about and sign his new novel A DRUMBEAT TOO NEAR: Cape Cod WWII. The Coast Guard recruits three teenagers to help patrol the Cape shoreline and watch out for enemy U-boats.

At the same time we follow the exploits of a German submarine crew and learn of their new mission: launch saboteurs ashore on Cape Cod. The two stories intersect when the boys stumble upon the operation.

Come meet this fascinating writer and (re)discover a piece of our own New England history. Bill's previous book was the popular golf mystery THE FEATHERY.

Direct from Hancock, NH, local favorites Howard Mansfield and Sy Montgomery visit to share the stage to discuss and sign their books.

Howard pursues our living past (Same Ax Twice, In the Memory House, and The Bones of the Earth) and in his new book TURN & JUMP: How Time & Place Fell Apart shows that time has become divorced from place and the evidence is all around us today. From the development of "continuous" vaudeville, to water rights, to a massacre that continues to haunt a town, Mansfield shows us that as we grew, so did our sense of time - ever faster and further from ourselves.

Sy writes about the natural world. Her latest, BIRDOLOGY, looks at six very different species and our relationaship with them. Her stories delight, entertain, and inform us about the wild right outside your window. Her previous titles include The Good Good Pig, Walking With the Great Apes, The Spell of the Tiger, and many titles for children as well. 

Among the Elms Writer's Group meets at the Keene Toadstool the first and third Wednesdays of the month. Among the Elms is a writer's group for those with a love for the written word. Come for feedback, fellowship, support, inspiration, and information. All writers are welcome.

Milford resident, social studies teacher and now author (!) Robert Huckins visits in support of his brand new novel, AMERICAN DREAMLAND.

In a time much like our own...Because of dwindling approval ratings and growing criticism, President George W. Bush is impeached and thrown out of office. At the same time, Bob Dylan and his Never Ending Tour odyssey grows stale, is poorly reviewed and attended, prompting the music legend to retire completely. Over time each struggles to find his place in the fickle cultural landscape. When events place both icons from seemingly opposite sides of life together, they realize they may not be so different after all.

Please join us in supporting our local authors and artists and keeping it Independent.

(iUniverse, $20.95 in paperback)

Among the Elms Writer's Group meets at the Keene Toadstool the first and third Wednesdays of the month. Among the Elms
is a writer's group for those with a love for the written word. Come
for feedback, fellowship, support, inspiration, and information. All
writers are welcome.

Celebrate the launch of Sky Stephenson's new poetry book, Ebbo: Offering. She will read some of the poems and discuss the inspirations and experiences that brought them to life.

Ebbo means "an offering or sacrifice given to the orishas (spiritual beings or deities) and ancestors in Yoruba-based spiritual practices (including Santeria and Candomble) for the purposes of attaining and strengthening ashe (the sacred cosmic energy of the universe)".

Her poems broaden the concept of offering, exploring themes ranging from the personal and intimate to the cultural and spiritual. These include travel in Latin America, spiritual initiations in Santeria and Candomble, social justice and peace issues, and the realm of the ancestors.

Refreshments will be served. :)

Skye Stephenson wrote her first poem at age four and has been writing poetry ever since. She has spent most of her adulthood working to promote greater understanding between the Americas and has lived in Latin America for more than a decade. Author of Understanding Spanish-Speaking South Americas: Bridging Hemispheres (Intercultural Press, 2004) as well as Bounded Evolution, an earlier book of poetry, she is founder of Jade Journeys, which offers transformational travel to Latin America. Skye is a practicing crystal healer and holds a doctorate in international relations. She works at Keene State College.

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Join us on Thursday, Jan. 27, 2011 at 6:30 p.m., for the Green Building Discussion Group hosted by Christina O’Brien, AIA and Doug Stewart, AIA, LEED AP.

This month they'll do a show-and-tell of locally manufactured green building products - paints, wood flooring, ceramic tile, etc. Local vendors will show samples of their products and answer your questions.

Christina O’Brien, AIA and Doug Stewart, AIA, LEED AP are the two principals who run and operate SISR Architecture, LLC out of Marlow, NH.  Although SISR was started in 2007, Christina and Doug have 40 years of combined experience designing additions, renovations and new construction for commercial and residential projects, large and small.

We are excited to host very local author Daniel Palmer, here to sign and chat about his debut thriller DELIRIOUS, in which one man is taken to the edge of sanity in a mind-bending novel of paranoia, deception, and revenge...

Charlie Giles is an electronics superstar, having sold his high-tech startup company to a giant Boston firm. Poised to unveil his latest creation, his job and inventions are inexplicably wrenched away. Stunned, Charlie is unable to tell whether he's become the agent of his own destruction, or the victim of a diabolical attack. Now he races to discover the truth, realizing nothing can be trusted - least of all his own fractured mind.

Daniel is a graduate of Boston University, a musician and songwriter, and an e-commerce pioneer. The author makes his home right here in New Hamphire with his wife and children. (Kensington, $25)

Readers young and old, stop by the store and meet some of the many talented authors and illustrators of books for kids and grown ups from the area.

Featured writers will be: Linda Haynes, K.D. Mason, Kristina Schram, and J.E. Seymour.

Please support your local artists. You never know who'll make it big and give you the bragging rights to say "I knew them when...!"

Join us in welcoming Robert C. Huckins, a Milford resident who teaches high school social studies. He has finished his first novel, American Dreamland, which he will talk about and autograph.

The story is set in a time very much like our own:

In the face of dwindling approval ratings and growing criticism, President George W. Bush is impeached and thrown out of office near the end of his second term. He returns home to Texas, bewildered and humiliated, his political career in ruins.

Meanwhile, a deeply respected but poorly reviewed Bob Dylan finds his Never Ending Tour odyssey growing tired and stale as fans and critics alike view him more as a traveling museum than as a dynamic performance artist. Disillusioned, Bob retires from music.

As the sun fades on these two men, each of them struggles to find his place in the increasingly fickle American cultural landscape. Bush's and Dylan's worlds come together in strange and unpredictable ways, demonstrating how seemingly opposite ends of life's spectrum may not be so far apart from each other after all.

The voters of New Hampshire changed the course of history forever when in November 2009 thirteen women, eleven democrats and two republicans, were elected to steer the state through one of its worst economic crises. Thirteen Women, by Michaeline Della Fera, gives the reader a rare glance inside Senate chambers and documents these women Senators' remarkable abilities to juggle their lives and commitments with the demands of the campaign trail. Thirteen Women reveals the women's determination, work ethic and dedication to not only the constituents of New Hampshire but to the continuation of the political process.

Senator Molly Kelly will join Michaeline for this event!

Michaeline Della Fera lives in Hollis, New Hampshire.

Due to illness, NOAH has been forced to CANCEL his signing at our store. The publisher is sending us bookplates which we will be happy to give out. We're hoping to reschedule sometime in the future. Sorry for any inconvenience.

The BRICKLAYER is back! Best-selling author Noah Boyd visits hot on the heels of the release of his brand new thriller featuring ex-FBI agent Steve Vail, AGENT X.

This time Steve reluctantly agrees to help his former employers find Calculus, a Russian officer with a list naming US spies selling secrets to the Soviets. But Calculus disappears, and with him the chance to nail the traitors. It's up to Vail aka The Bricklayer, to decipher the clues and buck the Fed's by-the-book procedures to get his man - by any means possible. High octane thrills and ingenious sleuthing make Noah's mysteries the critics and readers favorite!

Noah is a former FBI agent with more than 20 years working some of the Bureau's toughest investigations, including the Green River Killer case and the Highland Park Strangler (which he is credited with solving). He currently works on cold cases when not writing. He lives in New England.

(Wm. Morrow, $24.99, OUR PRICE $19.99)

Local author K Spirito returns (with oatmeal scotchies I hope!) to sign and discuss her new installment in the La Rosa Chronicles.

"Summer and August: A Cape Cod Murder Mystery" follows Dr. Curt Shirlington filling in as temporary medical examiner/coroner in Chatham.

"If you want a peek behind the idyllic setting of summer on Cape Cod to a place filled with secrets, deception, and a dead body or two, read "S&A", a saga of genealogical consequence and intrigue." - Debra Horan, owner of Booklover's Gourmet, Webster, MA

(Snowy Day, $16.95 pap) 

Please help us welcome author Michaeline Della Fera, here to sign and chat about her new book Thirteen Women: Inside New Hampshire's Female Majority Senate.

Michaeline makes her home right here in the area. She has written several books for adults and children. Please join us in supporting our local writers and artists.

(L&L Dreamspell, $13.95, pap)

K Spirito's La Rosa Chronicles are set in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Maine. Come by to meet K and discover this exciting series! Here are a few of her books in no particular order:

Please join us in welcoming back local artist JILL WEBER. She's here to sign and discuss her gorgeously illustrated version of award-winning children's author Eric Kimmel's THE STORY OF ESTHER: A PURIM TALE.

The Purim story is full of drama. In it, you'll meet a mighty king, a scoundrel, and a wise uncle. But is is the Morning Star - Queen Esther - whose cunning and courage outwits evil and saves many lives. This thrilling tale has been told for thousands of years and is still an inspiration. (Holiday House, $16.95)

Jill lives on FrajilFarms(.com) right here in NH. She is also the illustrator of Even Higher: A Rosh Hashanah Story, Maple Syrup Season, Smart About the Presidents, and Smart About the First Ladies as well as many others. We look forward to seeing you!

Kevin O'Hara, author of Last of the Donkey Pilgrims about his true travels around Ireland with his beloved donkey, Missie, will join us to regale us with more stories from his new memoir Lucky Irish Lad.

Kevin vividly recreates his boyhood of growing up in the 50s and 60s in small-town Massachusetts. His family often struggled to make their way in the new world by never giving up. Set in a time when people believed anything was possible as long as you dared to dream and have faith in yourself, Kevin shows us that a little Irish luck doesn't hurt either.

(Forge, $14.99, pap) www.kevin-ohara.com

We have International Thriller Writer of the Year LISA GARDNER stopping in for a 'drive-by' signing. She'll be visiting on her way home from the southern leg of her national tour in support of LOVE YOU MORE.

Brian Darby lies dead on the floor. His wife, a state trooper, claims to have shot him in self defense, and bears the bruises to back up her story. For veteran detective D.D. Warren it should be an open-and-shut case. But where is the couples' six-year-old daughter?

Lisa is the author of thirteen best-selling novels including Live To Tell, Hide, Alone, and The Neighbor. She makes her home right here in New England. You can learn more about Lisa and her books at: www.lisagardner.com

*PLEASE NOTE: Because of the nature of this event we cannot guarantee when Lisa will make it to the store. Seven-ish is our estimate from Boston. You are most welcome to stay and wait to say hello, or if you'd like you can leave your book(s) for her to sign. Call us if you have any questions.

Everybody has a memory of visiting Benson's over in Hudson, NH. Bob, in conjunction with the 'Images of America' series, has created a lasting tribute to the farm/park with Benson's Wild Animal Farm.

From its creation in the 1920s to the eventual closing in the late 80s, Benson's was a destination for young and old. Mr. Goldsack's thorough documentation of the park is rich with photos of the animals, rides, and memorabilia we still hold dear.

Please join us for a wonderful afternoon sharing stories of one of New England's treasured attractions.

(Arcadia, $21.99) pap.

This is a great show for multiple reasons.  MMoss returns to Peterborough with their huge psychedelic sound mixing electric guitar / bass / drums / rhodes piano / flute / and vocal harmonies.  They will make you feel  like you are in a Bill Graham happening, lights in your eyes, and the heavy sound of a band that knows what it wants and how to get it.

        Megafauna returns to the bookshop with a full band, and creates layered indie & dance masterpieces.  

        Black Norse plays their last show in the area for some time, mixing garage rock with black sabbath and a deep dark groove.

Doors 6:30 PM  - $5.00 all ages

http://www.myspace.com/themmoss

http://soundcloud.com/megafauna-1

http://www.myspace.com/blacknorse

Sharpen your pencil. Real sharp. Sharper still.

Learn how writers plot, construct and populate the mystery short story, from the light-hearted to the noir. Four local authors who contributed to Thin Ice: Crime Stories by New England Writers talk about writing in a lively format that will interest readers and writers of mystery shorts. (Level Best Books, $15)

Panelists will be: Mark Ammons, Sharon Daynard, Kathy Fast, and Leslie Wheeler.

Give Tammy a call here, or stop in for more information and let us know if you'll be attending.

Local artist RAHEL will be here to perform a live, acoustic set of ethnic music here as the VINTAGE GOLDEN MUSE.

VGM plays a repertoire of beautiful music from across the globe, weaving a tapestry of ancient wisdom, dreams and visions through story and song.

You can visit her website: vintagegoldenmuse.com for more information. CDs will be available for purchase and signing! See you in the aisles!

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. The discussion will be hosted by Christina O'Brien, AIA and Doug Stewart, AIA, LEED AP.

This month we will be discussing alternavite building methods. Chet Pasho from Preferred Building Systems in Claremont, NH will talk about modular homes. Zack Leroy from Panel Pros in Keene, NH will discuss structural insulated panels (SIPs). And Christina O'Brien and Doug Stewart from SISR will talk about their earth berm and straw bale projects.

Storytime returns to The Toadstool! Join us as Keene resident John Hathaway reads selections suitable for preschoolers of all ages. We look forward to seeing you!

The next Storytime is scheduled for 10:00 on Thurs., April 7.

APRIL is Poetry Month! Every year we celebrate with our contest for children in grades 1-12, including homeschoolers.

HOW to enter: Write your poem and its title on one page. DO NOT put your name on the same page as the poem. On a second page, include your name, grade, address, phone, and category.

CATEGORIES are: Grades 1-3, Grades 4-6, Teens, Haiku.

ONE entry per person. Mail or bring your poem to The Toadstool Bookshop, 586 Nashua St., Milford, NH 03055. Entries are due by the end of business (5pm) Sunday, April 17, 2011. Winners will be called by May 1st and invited to a party on Sunday, May 15th to share their poems and receive prizes. Good luck!

APRIL is Poetry Month! Every year we celebrate with our contest for children in grades 1-12, including homeschoolers.

HOW to enter: Write your poem and its title on one page. DO NOT put your name on the same page as the poem. On a second page, include your name, grade, address, phone, and category.

CATEGORIES are: Grades 1-3, Grades 4-6, Teens, Haiku.

ONE entry per person. Mail or bring your poem to The Toadstool Bookshop, 586 Nashua St., Milford, NH 03055. Entries are due by the end of business (5pm) Sunday, April 17, 2011. Winners will be called by May 1st and invited to a party on Sunday, May 15th to share their poems and receive prizes. Good luck!

Please join us in welcoming WMUR TV personality Jennifer Vaughn - signing her debut novel of intrigue and espionage.

LAST FLIGHT OUT is the story of being true to yourself, facing regrets, and making the opportunity to set things right before its too late.

Ella Sheridan has spent her life disappointing her family. When she's diagnosed with cancer, instead of telling her family, Ella runs off to LA and her most trusted friend. While enroute she meets Dezi, a chance encounter that proves the most deep and intense they've ever felt. Enter Ahmed, a man set on vengenance for perceived wrongs against his family.

(SciArt Media, $19.95)

APRIL is Poetry Month! Every year we celebrate with our contest for children in grades 1-12, including homeschoolers.

HOW to enter: Write your poem and its title on one page. DO NOT put your name on the same page as the poem. On a second page, include your name, grade, address, phone, and category.

CATEGORIES are: Grades 1-3, Grades 4-6, Teens, Haiku.

ONE entry per person. Mail or bring your poem to The Toadstool Bookshop, 586 Nashua St., Milford, NH 03055. Entries are due by the end of business (5pm) Sunday, April 17, 2011. Winners will be called by May 1st and invited to a party on Sunday, May 15th to share their poems and receive prizes. Good luck!

APRIL is Poetry Month! Every year we celebrate with our contest for children in grades 1-12, including homeschoolers.

HOW to enter: Write your poem and its title on one page. DO NOT put your name on the same page as the poem. On a second page, include your name, grade, address, phone, and category.

CATEGORIES are: Grades 1-3, Grades 4-6, Teens, Haiku.

ONE entry per person. Mail or bring your poem to The Toadstool Bookshop, 586 Nashua St., Milford, NH 03055. Entries are due by the end of business (5pm) Sunday, April 17, 2011. Winners will be called by May 1st and invited to a party on Sunday, May 15th to share their poems and receive prizes. Good luck!

APRIL is Poetry Month! Every year we celebrate with our contest for children in grades 1-12, including homeschoolers.

HOW to enter: Write your poem and its title on one page. DO NOT put your name on the same page as the poem. On a second page, include your name, grade, address, phone, and category.

CATEGORIES are: Grades 1-3, Grades 4-6, Teens, Haiku.

ONE entry per person. Mail or bring your poem to The Toadstool Bookshop, 586 Nashua St., Milford, NH 03055. Entries are due by the end of business (5pm) Sunday, April 17, 2011. Winners will be called by May 1st and invited to a party on Sunday, May 15th to share their poems and receive prizes. Good luck!

APRIL is Poetry Month! Every year we celebrate with our contest for children in grades 1-12, including homeschoolers.

HOW to enter: Write your poem and its title on one page. DO NOT put your name on the same page as the poem. On a second page, include your name, grade, address, phone, and category.

CATEGORIES are: Grades 1-3, Grades 4-6, Teens, Haiku.

ONE entry per person. Mail or bring your poem to The Toadstool Bookshop, 586 Nashua St., Milford, NH 03055. Entries are due by the end of business (5pm) Sunday, April 17, 2011. Winners will be called by May 1st and invited to a party on Sunday, May 15th to share their poems and receive prizes. Good luck!

APRIL is Poetry Month! Every year we celebrate with our contest for children in grades 1-12, including homeschoolers.

HOW to enter: Write your poem and its title on one page. DO NOT put your name on the same page as the poem. On a second page, include your name, grade, address, phone, and category.

CATEGORIES are: Grades 1-3, Grades 4-6, Teens, Haiku.

ONE entry per person. Mail or bring your poem to The Toadstool Bookshop, 586 Nashua St., Milford, NH 03055. Entries are due by the end of business (5pm) Sunday, April 17, 2011. Winners will be called by May 1st and invited to a party on Sunday, May 15th to share their poems and receive prizes. Good luck!

APRIL is Poetry Month! Every year we celebrate with our contest for children in grades 1-12, including homeschoolers.

HOW to enter: Write your poem and its title on one page. DO NOT put your name on the same page as the poem. On a second page, include your name, grade, address, phone, and category.

CATEGORIES are: Grades 1-3, Grades 4-6, Teens, Haiku.

ONE entry per person. Mail or bring your poem to The Toadstool Bookshop, 586 Nashua St., Milford, NH 03055. Entries are due by the end of business (5pm) Sunday, April 17, 2011. Winners will be called by May 1st and invited to a party on Sunday, May 15th to share their poems and receive prizes. Good luck!

APRIL is Poetry Month! Every year we celebrate with our contest for children in grades 1-12, including homeschoolers.

HOW to enter: Write your poem and its title on one page. DO NOT put your name on the same page as the poem. On a second page, include your name, grade, address, phone, and category.

CATEGORIES are: Grades 1-3, Grades 4-6, Teens, Haiku.

ONE entry per person. Mail or bring your poem to The Toadstool Bookshop, 586 Nashua St., Milford, NH 03055. Entries are due by the end of business (5pm) Sunday, April 17, 2011. Winners will be called by May 1st and invited to a party on Sunday, May 15th to share their poems and receive prizes. Good luck!

APRIL is Poetry Month! Every year we celebrate with our contest for children in grades 1-12, including homeschoolers.

HOW to enter: Write your poem and its title on one page. DO NOT put your name on the same page as the poem. On a second page, include your name, grade, address, phone, and category.

CATEGORIES are: Grades 1-3, Grades 4-6, Teens, Haiku.

ONE entry per person. Mail or bring your poem to The Toadstool Bookshop, 586 Nashua St., Milford, NH 03055. Entries are due by the end of business (5pm) Sunday, April 17, 2011. Winners will be called by May 1st and invited to a party on Sunday, May 15th to share their poems and receive prizes. Good luck!

APRIL is Poetry Month! Every year we celebrate with our contest for children in grades 1-12, including homeschoolers.

HOW to enter: Write your poem and its title on one page. DO NOT put your name on the same page as the poem. On a second page, include your name, grade, address, phone, and category.

CATEGORIES are: Grades 1-3, Grades 4-6, Teens, Haiku.

ONE entry per person. Mail or bring your poem to The Toadstool Bookshop, 586 Nashua St., Milford, NH 03055. Entries are due by the end of business (5pm) Sunday, April 17, 2011. Winners will be called by May 1st and invited to a party on Sunday, May 15th to share their poems and receive prizes. Good luck!

APRIL is Poetry Month! Every year we celebrate with our contest for children in grades 1-12, including homeschoolers.

HOW to enter: Write your poem and its title on one page. DO NOT put your name on the same page as the poem. On a second page, include your name, grade, address, phone, and category.

CATEGORIES are: Grades 1-3, Grades 4-6, Teens, Haiku.

ONE entry per person. Mail or bring your poem to The Toadstool Bookshop, 586 Nashua St., Milford, NH 03055. Entries are due by the end of business (5pm) Sunday, April 17, 2011. Winners will be called by May 1st and invited to a party on Sunday, May 15th to share their poems and receive prizes. Good luck!

APRIL is Poetry Month! Every year we celebrate with our contest for children in grades 1-12, including homeschoolers.

HOW to enter: Write your poem and its title on one page. DO NOT put your name on the same page as the poem. On a second page, include your name, grade, address, phone, and category.

CATEGORIES are: Grades 1-3, Grades 4-6, Teens, Haiku.

ONE entry per person. Mail or bring your poem to The Toadstool Bookshop, 586 Nashua St., Milford, NH 03055. Entries are due by the end of business (5pm) Sunday, April 17, 2011. Winners will be called by May 1st and invited to a party on Sunday, May 15th to share their poems and receive prizes. Good luck!

APRIL is Poetry Month! Every year we celebrate with our contest for children in grades 1-12, including homeschoolers.

HOW to enter: Write your poem and its title on one page. DO NOT put your name on the same page as the poem. On a second page, include your name, grade, address, phone, and category.

CATEGORIES are: Grades 1-3, Grades 4-6, Teens, Haiku.

ONE entry per person. Mail or bring your poem to The Toadstool Bookshop, 586 Nashua St., Milford, NH 03055. Entries are due by the end of business (5pm) Sunday, April 17, 2011. Winners will be called by May 1st and invited to a party on Sunday, May 15th to share their poems and receive prizes. Good luck!

APRIL is Poetry Month! Every year we celebrate with our contest for children in grades 1-12, including homeschoolers.

HOW to enter: Write your poem and its title on one page. DO NOT put your name on the same page as the poem. On a second page, include your name, grade, address, phone, and category.

CATEGORIES are: Grades 1-3, Grades 4-6, Teens, Haiku.

ONE entry per person. Mail or bring your poem to The Toadstool Bookshop, 586 Nashua St., Milford, NH 03055. Entries are due by the end of business (5pm) Sunday, April 17, 2011. Winners will be called by May 1st and invited to a party on Sunday, May 15th to share their poems and receive prizes. Good luck!

APRIL is Poetry Month! Every year we celebrate with our contest for children in grades 1-12, including homeschoolers.

HOW to enter: Write your poem and its title on one page. DO NOT put your name on the same page as the poem. On a second page, include your name, grade, address, phone, and category.

CATEGORIES are: Grades 1-3, Grades 4-6, Teens, Haiku.

ONE entry per person. Mail or bring your poem to The Toadstool Bookshop, 586 Nashua St., Milford, NH 03055. Entries are due by the end of business (5pm) Sunday, April 17, 2011. Winners will be called by May 1st and invited to a party on Sunday, May 15th to share their poems and receive prizes. Good luck!

David will be here to sign his new picture book for children, I CAN HELP.

When a duck gets lost and a monkey joins him to help find his way, it startsa chain reaction where all the young animals help each other solve their problems.

The author/illustrator makes his home in Amherst, MA. His next book, due this summer, is LITTLE PIG JOINS THE BAND.

We'll be hosting Michaela, here with her new book entitled HEARTFELT MEDITATIONS: A Collection of Poetry Inspired by Cherished Scriptures.

The poetry collection is drawn from both the Old and New Testaments, covering a wide range of biblical and spiritual subjects related to the Christian faith. Michaela hopes to express her gratitude through the book, and offer insight and guidance to anyone who may need it.

(IUniverse, $21.97 pap.)

APRIL is Poetry Month! Every year we celebrate with our contest for children in grades 1-12, including homeschoolers.

HOW to enter: Write your poem and its title on one page. DO NOT put your name on the same page as the poem. On a second page, include your name, grade, address, phone, and category.

CATEGORIES are: Grades 1-3, Grades 4-6, Teens, Haiku.

ONE entry per person. Mail or bring your poem to The Toadstool Bookshop, 586 Nashua St., Milford, NH 03055. Entries are due by the end of business (5pm) Sunday, April 17, 2011. Winners will be called by May 1st and invited to a party on Sunday, May 15th to share their poems and receive prizes. Good luck!

It's truly a thrill when Julia comes to visit. Her award-winning series featuring Clare Fergusson and Russ Van Alstyne of Millers Kill, NY are highly sought-out staff recommendations here.

ONE WAS A SOLDIER is the eagerly awaited new installment.

Coming home is harder than it looks. On a warm September evening, a group of Iraq veterans gather in the towns' community center to make sense of their war experience. One will struggle. One will lose. One will die.

Since their first meeting, Russ and Clare's bond has been tried, torn, and forged by adversity. They will uncover a trail of deceit that runs from their tiny town to the upper ranks of the U.S. Army.

Please join us for wonderful afternoon.

Local author and illustrator of books for children MARYANN COCCA-LEFFLER will be here to sign and talk about her two brand new titles, PRINCESS KIM AND TOO MUCH TRUTH, and RAIN BRINGS FROGS: A LITTLE BOOK OF HOPE.

After the events of PRINCESS KIM AND THE LIE THAT GREW, our heroine Kim realizes that lying leads to trouble. This time Kim decides, "From now on I'm only going to tell the truth!" At home she tells dad his pancakes are rubbery, and that Grandma's necklace looks like slimy rocks at the bottom of the fish tank. At school she's just as honest - until she learns what too much truth can do. A funny and wise story aboout honesty and kindness.

In RAIN BRINGS FROGS, Nate always sees the bright side of life. While others complain about the rain, Nate is happy about the frogs that it brings. Instead of wanting more, Nate is grateful for what he's got. The perfect little book for difficult times.

During the first half of 2008, Gallagher enlightened, amused, and horrified a large following of dedicated readers via his blog "Kaboom," relaying his experiences supporting the counterinsurgency efforts in Iraq. His musings ranged from the constancy of danger, to his daily missions and duties, to his thoughts about immortality, to stories about Bon Jovi cassettes being mistaken for IEDs. But what began as a soldier's lifeline to family and friends soon became a focal point of controversy. When the Army forced him to shut down his blog - and though some high-ranking Pentagon officials were rumored to have been disappointed that it would no longer be updated - there were reportedly several congressional inquiries regarding the matter.

Now in Kaboom: Embracing the Suck in a Savage Little War, Gallagher is able to freely share his journey through the Iraq war with his scouting platoon, the "Gravediggers," and later as an infantry officer in the "Wolfhounds." Whether coping with the ever-present threat of snipers and roadside bombs, debating the effectiveness of the overall military strategy, or struggling to discern candy-seeking local children from martyrs sent to kill, Gallagher's insights, anecdotes, and imagery offer a window into a war that we're only beginning to understand.

Matt Gallagher joined the Army in 2005 and received a commission in the armored cavalry. After a fifteen-month deployment, he left the Army in 2009. He now lives in New York City.

Ms. Manning will be with us to sign and talk about her new book, ARCTIC CIRCLES. Her doctoral thesis of the Inupiat gives her insight into these remarkable people of the high arctic.

Nik wants to become a great hunter like his father and older brother. After an attack from a polar bear, Nik struggles to find food for a group of people. This historical adventure novel for middle schoolers delves into the lives of a people carrying on 5000 year old traditions.

(Electric Forest, $15.99, pap)

John DiBernardo will sing Irish folksongs. Stop by, enjoy some lovely music, and your Irish eyes will be smiling!

Vacation Week Fun!!!

Make cool, colorful papertoy monsters based on the hit book (and staff favorite) and enjoy monsterific refreshments.

Best for ages 9+, call or drop in to sign your child up for the event.

You can see more when you visit the author's website: www.nicepapertoys.com