Book of the Week (3/23/2026) and more...

In the fall 1974, Larry Bird—one of the greatest players to ever pick up a basketball—was lost, and in danger of slipping away.

He had dropped out of Indiana University, spurning legendary Hoosiers head coach Bobby Knight. He returned home to French Lick, a tiny town in the second poorest county in Indiana, and he got a job hauling trash.

It could have ended right there for Bird, were it not for two men: Bob King, an old coach with bad knees, and Bill Hodges, a man who knew what it was like to be poor and overlooked. In the spring of 1975, during one of the darkest chapters of Bird’s life, King and Hodges convinced Bird to leave French Lick and play basketball at Indiana State University, a college that couldn’t even fill its arena, much less compete with Bobby Knight. Then, while no one was watching, King and Hodges built a team of players around Bird who were just like him: they were castoffs and leftovers, ready to work.

Four years later, in March 1979, this unheralded team would put together one of the greatest seasons in American sports history. By the time it was over, more than 50 million people would tune in to watch the Indiana State Sycamores play in the NCAA finals against Magic Johnson and Michigan State.

What happened that night would change college basketball and the NBA. Perhaps more importantly, it would change the members of this hardscrabble team, binding them together forever. In some ways, their one shining moment would never end.

Drawing on exclusive, in-depth interviews with players, coaches, and staffers, New York Times bestselling author and PEN American award–winning biographer Keith O’Brien offers a stirring account of the mighty Indiana State Sycamores. With its unforgettable ensemble cast, Heartland is more than just a sports book. It’s the story of a group of young men who achieved the greatest feat of all: immortality. --Publisher's blurb

About the author:

Keith has written five books, won the PEN America award for best biography, and has contributed to multiple publications over the years.

​Keith's work has appeared in the New York Times Magazine, the Atlantic, Rolling Stone, the Wall Street Journal, and on National Public Radio. His radio stories have aired on All Things Considered, Morning Edition, and Weekend Edition, as well as Marketplace and This American Life.

A midwesterner by birth, O'Brien grew up in Cincinnati and graduated from Northwestern University. He now lives in New Hampshire with his wife, two children, two dogs, and two cats.

Join Keith at Gibson's Bookstore on Thu., March 26, 2026 at 6:30 pm where he will present his latest book!

   

Irish step dance takes a deadly turn in this Celtic cozy series debut, perfect for fans of Carlene O’Connor and Paige Shelton.

Single-mom and police chief’s daughter Kate Buckley is all about family. After she receives an urgent text from her younger sister Colleen, she puts her life on hold and rushes to her Irish-themed hometown of Shamrock, Massachusetts, where her family owns and operates a bed and breakfast. With her two daughters in tow, she’s ready to fight if it means she can help her charming but hapless sibling. 

When they arrive, Colleen claims it was all a misunderstanding. But everything changes in an Irish minute when Colleen’s best friend, Deirdre, a dance show star, is found dead in the parish hall. With the discovery of a possible witness, a chilling motive, and a wee bit of incriminating evidence, Colleen quickly becomes a person of interest in Deirdre’s murder. Convinced her sister isn't a killer, Kate is determined to clear Colleen’s name. 

As Kate investigates, Colleen takes charge of Shamrock’s popular Irish dance show in honor of her late friend—with disastrous results. With the St. Patrick’s Week festivities in full swing, Kate must catch the killer before the celebrations are ruined and her sister’s Irish luck runs out. --Publisher's blurb

About the author:

Lisa Q. Mathews began her publishing career as a Nancy Drew book editor. She wrote for other popular kids’ series, including Mary-Kate and Ashley, Sweet Dreams, and the Lizzie McGuire Mysteries. After many years in New York, she returned home to New England, where she now writes cozy mysteries for adults, including the Irish Bed & Breakfast series and the Ladies Smythe & Westin series. Her short story “Fly Me to the Morgue” was an Agatha Award finalist. A member of the mighty Quinn clan (also Nolan, Stinson, and Keady), Lisa lives in New Hampshire with her family, including a crazy golden retriever and a lucky black cat from her old Brooklyn neighborhood.

   

This enthralling book was the answer to a promise made many years ago, a commitment given to a group of spirits who caused accidents to get attention. They agreed to stop their activity and go into the light if we would publish their story. This spiritual mystery shares their heart-wrenching stories woven through the journey of the book itself. This is the fascinating story communicated by the Spirits of Amoskeag, The Wounded Heroes of the Manchester Mills.

This story is both compelling and important. In the mid-1800s, Manchester, New Hampshire boasted the longest continuous millyard in the world, producing incredible amounts of cloth daily. The information revealed in this book is part of the fabric that makes up local history. Many people suffered greatly in the name of big business, and their stories deserve to be told. This is the story of the children who worked in the mills and the crimes that were committed upon the children by those in charge. Everyone was affected by what was known as the “Great Unspeakable.” This intense story was guided by Guardian Spirits, told by the spirits of the children and others from the time of the great Amoskeag mills, and includes the story of those placed on our path to create this book. Having been safely guided into the light, many spirits have returned to express deep gratitude for our assistance. They want to be remembered for the hard-working, dedicated young people they were. May we be inspired to take care of our children, that we may better ensure a healthy society. This is not just a ghost story…this is a rescue mission! --Publisher's blurb

About the author:

Born in Yokohama, Japan, a military daughter who traveled the world, she settled in New Hampshire to raise her children. With a successful career as a multi-registered medical professional, corporate trainer, clinical director, and pioneer in the field of diagnostic imaging, Lois is now a success coach and clinical hypnotist. Lois helps children and adults to achieve their goals. Her extensive training in advanced hypnosis techniques includes the Spirit Releasement Therapy that is demonstrated in this book. Involved with integrative medicine since the early ’90s, Lois blends her traditional medical background with her corporate expertise into client sessions and presentations.

   

New England Shipbuilding: Vessels That Made History by Glenn A. Knoblock

Floor Burns: A Wild Journey Across the Forgotten Backroads of NAIA Basketball in New England by Mike Whaley 

New England Fairies: A History of the Little People of the Hills and Forests by Andrew Warburton

   

On a night in January, on the Garden Peninsula of Michigan, a farmhouse burns to the ground. A young child makes it out and flees into the woods with a book of matches in her hand.

Ten years later, Abby, a lover of birds and the natural world, returns to Garden, to the woods and lakes and farms and fisheries of her childhood, to assist her uncle on an environmental study of trees. Her best friend, Brew, invites her to a party where she meets a troubled girl named Seda, on the run from her abusive ex. Abby sets out to protect Seda and introduces her to an abandoned cabin that becomes a sanctuary for them both. Here, Abby begins to process her unrequited feelings for Brew while also discovering the person she is becoming. She wants more for her life, a hunger both spiritual and physical, and seeks to understand the trauma of her childhood that took her mother from her. Abby cares deeply for the people and flora and fauna around her and identifies with the wounds of the environment. She is desperate to remember what happened the night of the fire and as the summer of 1996 unfolds, Abby will be forced to reckon with the truth.

Perfect for fans of the lush and tender nature writing of Helen Macdonald and Richard Powers, Where the Water Meets the Sky is a coming-of-age novel that expertly delves into the connection between our perception of ourselves and our natural environs. It is a paean to the vast and beautiful wildscape around us and to the power of community and the wisdom of love. --Publisher's blurb

About the author:

Diane Les Becquets is most at home writing about strong characters whose lives are physically and emotionally connected to their natural environments. She has worked alongside archaeologists, wildlife biologists, conservation canine handlers, and foresters, and spends much of her free time exploring remote landscapes and wilderness areas. Ingrained in all of this is her love of story and her attention to the individual lives of those who inhabit those settings. She also enjoys snowshoeing, archery, swimming, kayaking still waters, and backpacking. She lives in the northern woods of New Hampshire and serves as a professor of English and program director at Southern New Hampshire University.