The Hidden History of the New Hampshire Seacoast

Join us Tuesday, August 6 at 6:30 as we welcome local author Terry Nelson, author of "The Hidden History of the New Hampshire Seacoast". The New Hampshire Seacoast has a wealth of overlooked history. Some remnants are hidden in plain sight, and others are just plain hidden. Meet the minister and early religious founder who was involved in an armed confrontation in Dover with another preacher in 1640. Find out how a onetime high school assistant principal in Rochester became a world-famous business leader and ended up meeting President Grover Cleveland. Discover the story of “ghost” racetracks in Somersworth before they disappear, as well as the “pile of rocks” that stopped a multimillion-dollar building project in Windham. Author Terry Nelson reveals some of New England’s most fascinating history, from Durham and Madbury to North Hampton and Portsmouth. 

Terry Nelson was an educator for forty years. His last position before retiring was as an assistant principal for Southside Middle School in Manchester—the home of the Spartans. He is a member of the Manchester Historical Association; Woodman Museum, Dover, New Hampshire; New Hampshire Archeological Society; and the Council for British Archaeology. He and his wife, Barbara, live in Dover with their little dog, Ellie.

Piper Bartlett-Browne Talk About Her Forthcoming Trip to the Arctic

Join us Tuesday, July 23 at 6:30 to hear St. Thomas Aquinas teacher Piper Bartlett-Browne talk about a study program which will take her into the Arctic to study climate and global warming issues this summer. Piper’s teaching philosophy is to encourage students to engage in hands-on activities that generate data to investigate the application of academic concepts to real-world scenarios. She seeks to connect her students directly with the scientific community in order to foster enthusiasm and awareness, thus encouraging them to see themselves as genuine contributors to science.

Join her before she sets out and find out what she will be doing and what she hopes to learn. She will return in the fall for another program talking about her trip and her findings.

2019 Reading Challenge: A Novella

Sometimes life gets busy and it's hard to sit down and read a book. We get it. That happens to the best of us. Our suggestion when you're having trouble finding time to do your favorite past time? Try a novella! No one said you always have to be reading a 500-page book. It's like the books you normally read, but in a bite-sized format (under 200 pages!).

Here are some novellas that may be small in size, but big in story:

The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka 
Gregor Samsa wakes up one morning  to discover that he has turned into a gigantic insect and must deal with the depression over his new physical alteration, as well as the rejection of his family.

The Fifth Child by Doris Lessing

Amid the turbulent atmosphere of the late 1960s, Harriet and David Lovatt manage to keep their family safe--until the birth of their fifth child, who is abnormally strong, demanding, even violent

The Time Machine by H.G. Wells

A scientist invents a time machine and uses it to travel to the year 802,701 A.D., where he discovers the childlike Eloi and the hideous underground Morlocks.

The Strange Library by Haruki Murakami

In a fantastical illustrated short novel, three people imprisoned in a nightmarish library plot their escape.

Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson

August reunites with a beloved old friend who challenges her to reconcile past inconsistencies and come to terms with the difficulties that forced her to grow up too quickly.

Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto

Kitchen juxtaposes two tales about mothers, love, tragedy, and the power of the kitchen and home in the lives of a pair of free-spirited young women in contemporary Japan. 

My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout

After an appendix operation puts her in the hospital, New York writer Lucy Barton reconnects with her estranged mother as the pair reminisce about the past.

Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf

A senior-aged widow and widower forge a loving bond over shared loneliness and respective histories, provoking local gossip and the disapproval of their grown children.

Shopgirl by Steven Martin

Working as as salesgirl, Mirabelle embarks on a love affair with a wealthy, lonely businessman she meets at the store, and together they struggle to understand the meaning of love.

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

Arsenic has killed of members of the Blackwood family, and there may be more deaths to come.

Want to participate in Dover Public Library's 2019 Reading Challenge? Download the form here!

Baseball Music and Trivia by Hoowie Newman, July 16, 7pm

   The Friends of the Library are pleased to present singer-guitarist Howie Newman at 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 16 at Dover Public Library. Newman is a full-time musician and full-time baseball fan who has been to 91 major and minor league parks. He was a sportswriter for 18 years, working for the Boston Globe, Associated Press, Patriot Ledger, Lowell Sun and other suburban Massachusetts newspapers.

     He has combined his love of baseball with music, having recorded two CDs of baseball music, “Baseball’s Greatest Hits, Volumes 1 & 2”. Both albums have been accepted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. His musical compositions include songs about Johnny Damon, Mario Mendoza, Doug Mientkiewicz, Tug McGraw, and Bob Heise.

      During the show, Howie will sing baseball songs, offer up baseball trivia, and talk about his days on the Bosox beat. “Baseball is the one sport that really lends itself to music,” said Newman, whose experience also includes three years of radio color commentary for the Lowell Spinners, a Red Sox farm team. “If people have questions about the Red Sox and what it’s like to cover the team, I’ll be happy to answer them. It’s going to be a very unique show and I’m sure folks will enjoy it. I’ll also be playing some old songs from the 1920s through 1970, so there will be something for everyone.”

     This Friends of the Library free program is open to the public and will be held in the Library’s newly air-conditioned Lecture Hall. Attendees are encouraged to wear their Red Sox gear! For more information, call the Dover Public Library at 603-516-6050 or visit howienewman.com.