We are pleased to announce the August selections for the MVSB Book of the Month Program at seven local libraries.
The MVSB Book of the Month program seeks to foster the joy of reading and lifelong learning for people of all ages. MVSB donates funds to allow local libraries to purchase and promote books for adults and children.
For August 2012, the Book of the Month selections are:
Ashland Town Library
New Hampshire and the Civil War: Voices From the Granite State by Bruce D. Heald. The Granite State has a remarkable record of service during the Civil War. It supplied a total of 10,657 recruits for the infantry, cavalry and field artillery divisions in 1861. An adjunct professor of American military history at Plymouth State University, Heald lets the soldiers and sailors tell their stories in their own words by weaving together more than 100 personal letters from those left behind.
A 1993 recipient of the Gold Medal of Honor for literary achievement from the American Biographical Institute, Dr. Heald has written several books on the history of New Hampshire. From 2005 to 2008, he was a state representative to the General Court of New Hampshire. He resides in Meredith with his family.
Hidden History of New Hampshire by Quincy Whitney. Hidden in the cracks and crevices of the Granite State are the stories of pioneers who pursued their passions, creating legacies along the way. There is the tale of the mountain man who became an innkeeper; the Bird Man who took his passion to the White House; the story of one skier's dramatic win at the 1939 American Inferno Mount Washington race; the Shaker Meetinghouse built in just one day in complete silence; and the gallant efforts to save the Old Man of the Mountain. Whitney's compilation of stories makes for a colorful narrative of some of New Hampshire's most notable newsmakers and remarkable historic events.
To check out these great books and others, visit the Ashland Town Library at 41 Main Street in Ashland, N.H. For more information, call (603) 968-7928 or visit the library online at Ashland Town Library.
Gilford Public Library
The Long Walk: a story of war and the life that follows by Brian Castner. Castner served three tours of duty in the Middle East, two of them as the commander of an Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit in Iraq. Under his command, his team would venture forth in heavily armed convoys to engage in the nerve-racking yet strangely exhilarating work of either disarming the deadly improvised explosive devices that had been discovered, or picking up the pieces when the alert came too late. They relied on an army of remote-controlled cameras and robots, but if that technology failed, a human technician would have to don an 80 lb. Kevlar suit and take the Long Walk up to the bomb to disarm it by hand.
The Long Walk is not just about battle itself. It is also an unflinching look at the toll war exacts on the men and women who are fighting it. Returning home to his wife and family, Castner began a struggle with an unshakable feeling of fear and confusion and survivor’s guilt that he terms "The Crazy." His heartbreaking, stunningly honest book immerses the reader in two harrowing and simultaneous realities: the terror, excitement and camaraderie of combat, and the lonely battle against the haunting memories that will not fade, the survival instincts that will not switch off.
To check out this great book and others, visit the Gilford Public Library at 31 Potter Hill Road in Gilford, N.H. For more information, call (603) 524-6042 or visit the library online at www.gilfordlibrary.org.
Gilman Library
Adult Selection: Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult & Samantha Van Leer. New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult and her teenage daughter present their first-ever novel for teens that explores what happens when happily ever after... isn't.
Delilah is a loner who prefers spending her time in the school library with her head in a book... one book in particular. Between the Lines may be a fairy tale, but it feels real. Prince Oliver is brave, adventurous, and loving. He really speaks to Delilah. And then one day Oliver actually speaks to her. Turns out, Oliver is more than a one-dimensional storybook prince. He’s a restless teen who feels trapped by his literary existence and hates that his entire life is predetermined. He’s sure there’s more for him out there in the real world, and Delilah might just be his key to freedom.
Children's Selection: The Yippy Yappy Yorkie in the Green Doggy Sweater by Debbie Macomber & Mary Lou Carney. What happens when you combine a girl named Ellen who has just moved to a new neighborhood, a yippy, yappy Yorkie named Baxter who disappears from Ellen’s new yard, and a new neighborhood that doesn’t look anything like their old one on Blossom Street? For Ellen and Baxter, it’s a moving day that turns into something very special, with many happy discoveries.
To check out these great books and others, visit Gilman Library at 100 Main Street in Alton, N.H. For more information, call (603) 875-2550 or visit the library online at www.alton.nh.gov/library.asp.
Gordon-Nash Library
Adult selection: Empire of Shadows: The Epic Story of Yellowstone by George Black. At the end of the Civil War, Yellowstone was inaccessible, uninhabited, and shrouded in myth. Black examines three different points in American History and three people with mixed motives to show how exploration, the Indian Wars, and the civilization of the West influenced the origins of this majestic national park.
Children's selection: Roller Coasters by Valerie Bodden. This book for younger readers explains in simple terms what a roller coaster is and describes various coasters around the world, including "Kingda Ka" at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey. At 156 feet high, reaching speeds of up to 128 miles per hour, Kingda Ka is the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the world. The book includes a glossary and web sites for further information.
To check out these great books and others, visit Gordon-Nash Library at 69 Main Street in New Hampton, N.H. For more information, call (603) 744-8061 or visit the library online at www.gordon-nash.org.
Meredith Public Library
Line of Fire (Large Print) by Stephen White. Alan Gregory is finally beginning to feel settled, hopeful that a long period of upheaval in his private life is behind him. The interlude of calm doesn’t last, of course. His dear friend Diane is showing signs of an emotional collapse and Alan’s greatest fear, the exposure of his most dangerous secret, has become something he can’t ignore.
The Spymasters (Large Print) by W.E.B. Griffin. It is the Summer of 1943. Two of the Allies’ most important plans for winning World War II are at grave risk - Operation Overlord’s invasion of France, and the Manhattan Project’s race to build the atomic bomb. A furious FDR turns to OSS spy chief Wild Bill Donovan and his top agent, Dick Canidy. Their work is cut out for them.
All Summer Long (Large Print) by Susan Mallery. After making his fortune, the youngest Stryker brother returns to Fool’s Gold, California, to put down roots on a ranch of his own. But even in his hometown, people see Clay only for his world-famous assets.
To check out these great books and others, visit Meredith Public Library at 91 Main Street in Meredith, N.H. For more information, call (603) 279-4303 or visit the library online at www.meredithlibrary.org.
Moultonborough Public Library
The First Frontier: The Forgotten History of Struggle, Savagery, and Endurance in Early America by Scott Weidensaul. The First Frontier traces two and a half centuries of history through poignant, mostly unheralded personal stories, like that of a Harvard-educated Indian caught up in 17th-century civil warfare, a mixed-blood interpreter trying to straddle his white and Native heritage, and a Puritan woman wielding a scalping knife whose bloody deeds still resonate uneasily today. Weidensaul paints a sweeping picture of the Eastern frontier, combining vivid storytelling with the latest research to bring to life modern America’s tumultuous, uncertain beginnings.
Buried in the Sky: The extraordinary story of the Sherpa Climbers on K2's deadliest day by Peter Zuckerman and Amanda Padoan. This remarkable book tells the story of two Sherpa mountaineers who survived an August 2008 climb on the world's second highest peak that took the lives of 11 other climbers.
To check out these great books and others, visit Moultonborough Public Library at 4 Holland Street in Moultonborough, N.H. For more information, call (603) 476-8895 or visit the library online at www.moultonboroughlibrary.org.
Pease Public Library
The library's books of the month for August are selections for young adults.
Troubletwisters: Books 1 & 2 by Garth Nix. Twins Jaide and Jack Shield don’t know that they are troubletwisters. The time has come for them to discover the truth and the powers that come with that truth. They must defend the world against a dark, evil force.
Finding Somewhere by Joseph Monninger. A professor of English at Plymouth State University, Monninger tells the tale of two teenage girls and a noble, aged horse on a road trip together. Sixteen-year-old Hattie, in an expressive, quirky yet pitch-perfect first-person voice, provides the flowing narrative, as she steals Speed - an ancient horse scheduled to be put down the following autumn morning. She heads west with her best friend, Delores, an emotionally fragile 18-year-old who has been rejected by her boyfriend-focused mother. Their goal is to find free range for Speed and offer him the opportunity, for once in his life, to just be a horse running free, not plodding around a carnival ring.
Monninger has published 15 novels and three nonfiction books for adults and is the winner of several literary awards and fellowships. He resides with his family in a converted barn near the Baker River.
To check out these great books and others, visit Pease Public Library at 1 Russell Street in downtown Plymouth, N.H. For more information, call (603) 536-2616 or visit the library online at www.peasepubliclibrary.org.
