Book of the Week (11/11/2019) and more...

In This Issue... Book of the Week (11/11/2019) Book of the Week (11/4/2019) Book of the Week (10/28/2019) Book of the Week (10/21/2019) Historical Fiction Survey

Ball of String by Glenn K. Currie (Concord, N.H. : Snap Screen Press, 2019).

"Ball of String is Glenn Currie’s just released fourth collection of poems and color photographs.
His readable approach to his poetry and willingness to work in a variety of poetic styles has proven very popular and resulted in the sale of thousands of his books in New Hampshire.
His focus in many of his books is how our lives are connected to each other and to the world which we share. Whether they are the ties of flesh and blood or the ways we choose to live. Currie writes about his journey through life, and about the many strings that connect all of us through shared experiences, emotions, the need for humor, and the things we learn from our travels on this earth.
Ball of String contains many prize-winning poems and beautiful photographs that take us to places where we can reflect on life’s journey. We may arrive here and leave here alone, but the journey between is the precious gift that we have been given. Take some time to treasure it as you enter into the introspective fields of Currie’s poems and photographs." -- Publisher's blurb

Join Glenn on Monday, November 25th, 2019 at 6:00pm at Gibson's Bookstore in Concord where he will be discussing his newest book.

From the Midway: Unfolding Stories of Redemption and Belonging by Leaf Seligman (Bauhan, 2019).

This richly researched collection of linked short stories transports readers to the midway of a carnival traveling through the Jim Crow South where we meet the carnival owners, a carousel operator, the geek, dancing girls, several performers displayed as oddities and the African American laborers charged with tending them. The final story crosses the ocean, underscoring the the power and mystery of unexpected connections. Lyrical descriptions of the physical environs and the emotional landscape of each character function like a funhouse mirror, providing just enough distance and distortion to see ourselves more clearly. The sharply striated world of a century ago aptly reflects the tensions, divisions, and perennial shared yearning for redemption and belonging that mark us as human. -- Publisher's Blurb.

New Hampshire author Leaf Seligman will be presenting at The Toadstool Bookshop in Keene on Saturday, November 9th, 2019 at 11 am.

That Reminds Me of a Funny Story; A Memoir, How-To, and Compendium of Yankee Humor by Rebecca Rule (Concord, N.H. : Hobblebush Books, 2019).

"In her career as a yankee storyteller, Rebecca Rule has traveled throughout New England telling stories and gathering them. One story leads to another. At town halls, historical societies, churches, and senior centers, people have shared stories that connect them to this rocky old place we call home. They’ve shared stories of family, country living, adventures and misadventures, triumphs, and “what the heck just happened?”

This book is the capstone on a twenty-five year career; the best of the best of these stories are collected here. It is also a memoir of how she came to be a storyteller, why storytelling matters, and what she has learned about the craft in the hundreds of performances she has given.

It’s a book full of characters, insight, heart, and good humor. Careful where you read it because you will be laughing out loud!" --Publisher's blurb

For ten years, Rebecca Rule hosted the "NH Authors Series" on NHPTV. She currently hosts "Our Hometown", also on NHPTV. She is also the author of a dozen books.

Wading Right In: Discovering the Nature of Wetlands by Catherine Owen Koning and Sharon M. Ashworth (University of Chicago Press, 2019).

In Wading Right In, Catherine Owen Koning and Sharon M. Ashworth take us on a journey into wetlands through stories from the people who wade in the muck. Traveling alongside scientists, explorers, and kids with waders and nets, the authors uncover the inextricably entwined relationships between the water flows, natural chemistry, soils, flora, and fauna of our floodplain forests, fens, bogs, marshes, and mires. Tales of mighty efforts to protect rare orchids, restore salt marshes, and preserve sedge meadows become portals through which we visit major wetland types and discover their secrets, while also learning critical ecological lessons.
The United States still loses wetlands at a rate of 13,800 acres per year. Such loss diminishes the water quality of our rivers and lakes, depletes our capacity for flood control, reduces our ability to mitigate climate change, and further impoverishes our biodiversity. Koning and Ashworth’s stories captivate the imagination and inspire the emotional and intellectual connections we need to commit to protecting these magical and mysterious places. -- Publisher's blurb.

Catherine Owen Koning, PhD, is professor of environmental science and chair of the Division of Natural Sciences at Franklin Pierce University in Rindge, NH. She has conducted research in wetland ecology, hydrology, and plant ecology in Maine, New Hampshire, California, and Wisconsin.
Catherine will be presenting Wading Right In at The Toadstool Bookshop in Keene on Saturday, October 26th, 2019 at 11 am.

We are taking a survey to decide which work of historical fiction set in NH we should feature in next summer's Route One Reads project. To participate in the survey go to https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Route1NH2020 and let us know which of the 14 books we are considering (pictured above) you like best. You can only vote once, so consider your choice carefully! The survey will close at  11:45pm on Tuesday, October 29, 2019.