Location: Litchfield, NH 03052, United States

Area authors of all genres meet each Friday evening here at the store to share, critique, and explore their craft of writing.

The groups' host is Tammy McCracken. Please give her a call for more details as space is limited, or email her: tammyattoadstool@aol.com

Meetings in MAY: 24, 31 (yes, that's right - an extra Friday!) JUNE: 7, 14, 21, 28.

*A note: The book(s) displayed here will not necessarily be discussed nor used, they're simply examples of newer titles in our writing section. Please browse!

Location: Street: The Toadstool Bookshop Additional: 614 Nashua St, Lorden Plaza 603-673-1734 City: Milford, Province: New Hampshire Postal Code: 03055 Country: United States (added from IndieBound)… (more)

Alaska looms as a mythical, savage place, part nature preserve, part theme park, too vast to understand fully. Which is why C.B. Bernard lashed his canoe to his truck and traded the comforts of the Lower 48 for a remote island and a career as a reporter. It turned out that a distant relation had made the same trek northwest a century earlier. Captain Joe Bernard spent decades in Alaska, amassing the largest single collection of Native artifacts ever gathered, giving his name to landmarks and even a now-extinct species of wolf. C.B. chased the legacy of this explorer and hunter up the family tree, tracking his correspondence, locating artifacts donated to museums, and finding his journals at the University of Alaska at Fairbanks. Using these journals as guides, C.B. threw himself into the state once known as Seward’s Folly, boating to remote islands, hiking distant forests, hunting and fishing the pristine landscape. He began to form a landscape view of the place that had lured him and "Uncle Joe," both men anchored beneath the Northern Lights in freezing, far-flung waters, separated only by time. Here, in crisp, crystalline prose, is his moving portrait of the Last Frontier, then and now.

C. B. Bernard has worked as a newspaper editor, magazine journalist, and advertising copywriter. Winner of several Alaska Press Club awards, he has written extensively for Alaskan Southeaster, Pacific Fishing, Professional Mariner, and Gray's Sporting Journal magazines. Newsweek columnist Eleanor Clift judged his column about life in Alaska as best in the state. He lives in Portland, Oregon.

Location: Andover Bookstore Street: 89 R Main Street City: Andover, Country: United States (added from IndieBound)… (more)

Gibson's Book Club reads The unlikely pilgrimage of Harold Fry, by Rachel Joyce

Monday, June 3, 7 PM

Meet Harold Fry, recently retired. He lives in a small English village with his wife, Maureen, who seems irritated by almost everything he does, even down to how he butters his toast. Little differentiates one day from the next. Then one morning the mail arrives, and within the stack of quotidian minutiae is a letter addressed to Harold in a shaky scrawl from a woman he hasn't seen or heard from in twenty years. Queenie Hennessy is in hospice and is writing to say goodbye.

Harold pens a quick reply and, leaving Maureen to her chores, heads to the corner mailbox. But then, as happens in the very best works of fiction, Harold has a chance encounter, one that convinces him that he absolutely must deliver his message to Queenie in person. And thus begins the unlikely pilgrimage at the heart of Rachel Joyce's remarkable debut...

Just out now in hardcover--we hope for paperback by the time we meet.

Location: Street: 27 S Main St Additional: City: Concord , Province: New Hampshire Postal Code: 03301 Country: United States (added from IndieBound)… (more)

Meet Harold Fry, recently retired. He lives in a small English village
with his wife, Maureen, who seems irritated by almost everything he
does, even down to how he butters his toast. Little differentiates one
day from the next. Then one morning the mail arrives, and within the
stack of quotidian minutiae is a letter addressed to Harold in a shaky
scrawl from a woman he hasn't seen or heard from in twenty years.
Queenie Hennessy is in hospice and is writing to say goodbye.

Harold pens a quick reply and, leaving Maureen to her chores, heads to
the corner mailbox. But then, as happens in the very best works of
fiction, Harold has a chance encounter, one that convinces him that he
absolutely must deliver his message to Queenie in person. And thus
begins the unlikely pilgrimage at the heart of Rachel Joyce's remarkable
debut...

Just out now in hardcover--we hope for paperback by the time we meet. (GibsonsB)… (more)

We are pleased to have Edgar-nominated local author STEVE ULFELDER return to our store and chat about his latest mystery featuring Conway Sax (Purgatory Chasm, The Whole Lie), SHOTGUN LULLABY.

Conway is a man with a deeply checkered past seeking redemption. As a member of the AA group The Barnburners, he pays for his sins by aiding those in trouble. Enter wise-ass Gus Biletnikov, son of a wealthy investment banker, who drives him nuts. Keeping him straight and sober will take all his resolve, but the kid reminds him of his own estranged son. And so Conway finds himself deeply invested.

When a triple murder takes place in Gus's halfway house, Conway suspects Gus was the intended victim, and wades in to find the killer in his usual full-tilt, no-holds-barred fashion.

A great new series for fans of Robert B. Parker and Dennis Lehane. All three are Brian picks -please check Steve out!

STEVE is an amateur race car driver and co-owner of Flatout Motorsports, a company that builds race cars in Bellingham, MA. He was a business and technology journalist for twenty years. Visit him to learn more at
Location">www.ulfelder.com.

Location: Street: 614 Nashua Street, Lorden Plaza Additional: 603-673-1734 City: Milford, Province: New Hampshire Postal Code: 03055 Country: United States (added from IndieBound)… (more)

Our Socrates Cafe, hosted by Cliff Anderson & Jim Serna, meets on the first THURSDAY each month for philosophic discussion.

Next meeting inJUNE: 6 and JULY: TBA

New members and curious thinkers are welcome to join the forum!

A note: the book(s) displayed will not necessarily be discussed. Rather, they represent new titles in our Philosophy section. Please browse our stores!

Location: Street: The Toadstool Bookshop Additional: 614 Nashua St, Lorden Plaza 603-673-1734 City: Milford, Province: New Hampshire Postal Code: 03055 Country: United States (added from IndieBound)… (more)

Cows saving the planet? Why not? An idea that sounds preposterous begins to make sense when you take a soil’s-eye view of our current ecological predicament.

In Cows Save the Planet, journalist Judith D. Schwartz looks at soil as a crucible for our many overlapping environmental, economic, and social crises. Schwartz reveals that for many of these problems—climate change, desertification, biodiversity loss, droughts, floods, wildfires, rural poverty, malnutrition, and obesity—our ability to turn these crises into opportunities depends on how we treat the soil. Where do cows fit in?

Cattle, like all grazing creatures, can, if appropriately managed, restore land and help build soil. Rebuilding soil is only one aspect of this important, paradigm-shifting book. Drawing on the work of thinkers and doers, renegade scientists and institutional whistleblowers from around the world, Schwartz challenges much of the conventional thinking about global warming and other problems. For example, land can suffer from undergrazing as well as overgrazing, since certain landscapes, such as grasslands, require the disturbance from livestock to thrive. Regarding climate, when we focus on carbon dioxide, we neglect the central role of water in soil—“green water”—in temperature regulation. And much of the carbon dioxide that burdens the atmosphere is not the result of fuel emissions, but from agriculture; returning carbon to the soil not only reduces carbon dioxide levels but also enhances soil fertility.

Cows Save the Planet is at once a primer on soil’s pivotal role in our ecology and economy and an antidote to those awash in despairing environmental news. It is also an important call to action on behalf of the soil—and, by extension, those of us who benefit from it.

Judith D. Schwartz is a longtime freelance writer whose work has appeared in venues from Glamour and Redbook to The Christian Science Monitor and The New York Times. She is the author of several books, including Tell Me No Lies: How to Face the Truth and Build a Loving Marriage (coauthored) and The Therapist’s New Clothes. She has an MA in counseling psychology and an MS from the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism. She lives with her family in Southern Vermont.

Location: Andover Bookstore Street: 89 R Main Street City: Andover, Country: United States (added from IndieBound)… (more)

David's Inferno combines intensely personal reminiscences of a two-year nervous breakdown with contemporary insights on how manic-depression manifests and how it is diagnosed and treated. Author David Blistein shares his experiences to shed light on the darkness of depression for fellow travelers as well as those who care about them.

Millions of people suffer from major depressive episodes. All of them want relief but, more importantly, most simply want to know that they are not alone. With gentle wry humor and a compassionate tone, David's Inferno offers a tale of realization, acceptance, and hope. It is neither prescriptive nor opinionated, seeing all forms of therapy as potentially beneficial in the continuum of care.

David's Inferno is also an ideal book for friends and family of those suffering from depression, helping them to better understand what their loved ones are experiencing. (GibsonsB)… (more)

Bring your knitting and join hostess Patty Poisson for an informal evening of knitting, chatting and tea on the 2nd Monday evening each month.

Next meeting in JUNE: 10, and JULY: 8.

Please note that this group is for experienced knitters.

Exquisite tea is generously provided by Danielle Beaudette of The Cozy Tea Cart. Look for her new series "Second Tuesdays with the Author" featuring an evening at the CTC sampling delicious teas and chatting with a local writer. Please visit their brand new location on Route 13 in Brookline, NH. All this and more at
The">www.thecozyteacart.com

The book(s) displayed here are new & interesting in our CRAfts section. Please browse while you're here! There's a bonus for participation.*

Location: Street: The Toadstool Bookshop Additional: 614 Nashua St, Lorden Plaza 603-673-1734 City: Milford, Province: New Hampshire Postal Code: 03055 Country: United States (added from IndieBound)… (more)

Our SF&F group meets on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays each month to talk about the speculative fiction they have recently read.

Open to all teens and adults. Sometimes snacks, always a 'bonus'! Ask the moderator.

Meetings in JUNE: 12, 26 and JULY: 10, 24.

The book(s) displayed here will not necessarily be discussed. Rather, they are examples of what's new and exciting on our shelves. Please browse!

Location: Street: 614 Nashua Street, Lorden Plaza Additional: 603-673-1734 City: Milford, Province: New Hampshire Postal Code: 03055 Country: United States (added from IndieBound)… (more)

Part trail guide, part memoir, The Adventures of Buffalo and Tough Cookie is a journey through some of the state’s most remote wilderness, but is also a meditation on the transformative power of friendship, commitment and the many meanings of family.

The Adventures of Buffalo and Tough Cookie is a book about some special mountains, a peak-by-peak trail guide to help hikers learn about and explore one of New Hampshire’s least-known mountain summit lists, the 52 With a View. But the book is also a personal memoir and travelogue of two friends, a seasoned middle-aged climber and an energetic fourth-grader, as they set off on a bonding journey that will change both their lives.

The book is a moving personal account of what happened when the author and his wife unexpectedly became part-time caretakers of 10-year-old twins. Bondcliff Books is proud to present a hiking book unlike any other. (GibsonsB)… (more)

Just for kids! Join fellow readers and take home free (yes, free!) books to review for the following month's meeting. Many of these titles are compliments of the publishers, in advance of the official 'on sale' date.

Sign up is required. Please ask for Sue or Sarah. Meetings are usually on the second Thursday each month. Did we mention snacks?

Next monthly meeting: JUNE 13 and JULY 11

Location: Street: The Toadstool Bookshop Additional: 614 Nashua St, Lorden Plaza 603-673-1734 City: Milford, Province: New Hampshire Postal Code: 03055 Country: United States (added from IndieBound)… (more)

J. Courtney Sullivan (Commencement, Maine, The Engagements)

J. Courtney Sullivan is the author of the New York Times best-selling novel Commencement. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times Book Review, The Chicago Tribune, New York, Elle, Glamour, Allure, and Men’s Vogue, among others. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.J. Courney Sullivan is represented by Random House Speakers Bureau (www.rhspeakers.com) (added from Random House)… (more)

J. Courtney Sullivan (Commencement, Maine, The Engagements)

J. Courtney Sullivan is the author of the New York Times best-selling novel Commencement. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times Book Review, The Chicago Tribune, New York, Elle, Glamour, Allure, and Men’s Vogue, among others. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.J. Courney Sullivan is represented by Random House Speakers Bureau (www.rhspeakers.com) (added from Random House)… (more)

Michael Paterniti (Driving Mr. Albert, The Telling Room)

Michael Paterniti won the 1998 National Magazine Award for his article "Driving Mr. Albert," which was first published in Harper's Magazine. A former executive editor of Outside, his work has appeared in Rolling Stone, The New York Times Magazine, Details, and Esquire, where he is writer-at-large. He lives in Portland, Maine, with his wife and son. (added from Random House)… (more)