2019 Reading Challenge: Written by a local author or about Dover

If you're like me, then you love being part of the Dover community! ...But if you're also like me then maybe you don't know as much about the history of this fair city as you'd like or the wonderful talent coming out of New Hampshire. Lucky for you, we've compiled a list of books about Dover or written by local authors. Whether you're reading this to learn more about the city you live or to knock off another category on our 2019 Reading Challenge, this list is here to help! 

About Dover

Factory on Fire: Cocheco Mill Blaze of 1907 by Mark A. Leno, Jr.

The true story of the Cocheco Mill No. 1 blaze of 1907 that resulted in the deaths of seven and injured many more in a 58 hour fire which began on an extremely cold, twenty below zero morning on January 26.

Port of Dover: Two Centuries of Shipping on the Cochecho by Cathleen Beaudoin and Robert Whitehouse

One hundred years ago Dover was an important port of call rivaling the success of Portsmouth. This major historical study covers Dover's settlement in the early 1600's through the late 1700's when the Cocheco River was the focus of Dover's economic livelihood, as well as throughout the 19th century when Dover became the trading center for inland communities. Co-written by Dover's Library Director, Cathy Beaudoin!

Dover: A Family Portrait by Adam Bates, Peggy Brown, Nicholas Jaime, Elene Lampros, and Tracy Saucier

A photo-collection history of Dover collected and put together by 5 Dover Junior High School students with their advisors in 1995 as part of ACE Program.

 

The Best of Intentions: Unforeseen Circumstances by Laurence P. Keenan

The story of a Dover family from humble beginnings to success and heartbreak.It is a tale of bittersweet family differences and a newfound admiration for the remarkable oil paintings that have been handed down generations.

Rambles About the Dover Area 1623-1973 by Daniel J. Smith

A collection of stories told by Daniel J. Smith, a life-long Dover resident and local expert on Dover and Dover Point. Rambles is a collection of short stories he wrote about the people and places of Dover that were published in Chimes, the First Parish Church, Congregational's Newsletter. 

Written by a Local Author

Stitches by Samantha Simard

When a string of grisly murders centering on college students grab the city of Boston by the throat, Jim Wolfe finds himself entangled in more than one mystery. While Wolfe and his partner attempt to unravel the threads connecting the killings to their missing rock n’ roll heiress, Sebastian Codreanu discovers how deeply his father is tied to the recent crime spree, and the Mass Art Murderer plots his masterpiece.

Loonies by Gregory Bastianelli

Smokey Hollow is a quiet town, but all that changes when Brian Keays moves in and discovers a locked steamer trunk in the attic of his home. A suspicious fire destroys a mental asylum.Victims are found dead with a pillowcase over their heads, the same method used in an unsolved series of murders, committed over fifty years ago. Brian tries to piece together the connection to the trunk and its grisly contents.

Jana Bibi's Excellent Fortunes by Betsy Woodman

Scottish expatriate Jana Bibi helps to save the small town in India she has grown to call home and the oddball characters she considers family.

Lake People by Abi Maxwell

Abandoned as an infant and raised by a young couple, Alice Thornton grows up aching for acceptance and wholly unaware of the women who came before her, a situation that compels her pursuit of a man who cannot love her.

Ginny Moon by Benjamin Ludwig

Everyone wants Ginny Moon to feel like she belong, but she has no intention of belonging. She's found her birth-mother on Facebook, and is determined to get back to her—even if it means going back to a place that was extremely dangerous. Because Ginny left something behind and she's desperate to get it back, to make things right.


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

Try our new FUN database: Creativebug!

     The Dover Public Library has added a wonderful new database called Creativebug to its online offerings.  Creativebug is a collection of more than 1000 video classes, free to library patrons with their borrower card number, covering a wide variety of creative topics.  Classes range from 3 minutes to more than 6 hours long. Topics include: drawing, painting, doodling and journaling, lettering, printmaking and textiles, sewing, quilting, ceramics, paper crafts, book binding, cards and gift wrap, collage and decoupage, flowers, knitting, crochet, baking, cake decorating, canning and preserving, upholstering, furniture restoration, home décor, jewelry, holiday and parties, and kids’ crafts. 

     Creativebug's renowned instructors are top designers, artists, and leaders in their fields.  Beginner to advanced classes are included.  Each class specifies a list of materials needed, and shows the process step by step.  There are also free downloadable patterns, templates, and recipes, and new classes are released every day!

     Is there a technique you have always wanted to learn?  Or are you just curious about how something is made?  Creativebug will help you unlock your creativity.  The Creativebug link can be found on the Learning and Research page of the library's website: library.dover.nh.gov/research, and DPL cardholders get unlimited access to all videos! Library cards are free to all Dover residents, to all students at any school in Dover, and to anyone who works in Dover (proper residency or work ID required).   

      For more information on how to apply for a Dover Public Library borrowers card or to access Creativebug, call the Dover Public Library 603-516-6050.

New Dover Historical Society Convenes February 11

Dover’s original historical society disbanded in 2008 after 108 years in existence. Recently, a group of Dover citizens have determined that it should be revived. There will be a meeting of the new Dover Historical Society at the Dover Public Library on Monday, February 11 at 7pm. Anyone interested in local history is urged to attend this organizational gathering to share ideas and concepts for reconstituting this essential group.

In just four years, Dover will be celebrating its 400^th anniversary. Dover was the first permanent settlement in New Hampshire, in 1623, and is the seventh oldest community in the United States. Meeting organizers believe that a city with as much history as Dover needs to have an active and vital historical society to preserve and promote our four centuries of existence.  Please join us in reconstituting this significant organization! For more information, call the Dover Public Library at 603-516-6050.

Download Magazines Free!

Download magazines free using Library's online magazine database, Flipster! It is so easy to use! You can read magazines on your computer or download the app onto Apple or android devices, phones and tablets, and Kindle Fires! Once the app is on your device, click on get started, choose Dover Public Library, enter your barcode, and start downloading!

The following magazines are available for downloading: 
Bon Apetit,Cosmopolitan,Country Living, Digital Photo, Discover, Family Handyman,Food Network Magazine, Glamour, Gluten-Free Living, Good Housekeeping, GQ, HGTV, Interweave knits, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, Mac Life, Martha Stewart Living, Newsweek, Old House Journal, Outside,PC World, Popular Science, Real Simple, Shape, Us Weekly, Vanity Fair, The Week, and Yoga Journal.

NH's Roadside Historical Markers with Michael Bruno, Sunday, Jan. 27 @ 2pm

     Join us on Sunday, January 27 at 2pm to hear NH author Michael Bruno speak about his book, “Cruising New Hampshire History: A Guide to New Hampshire’s Roadside Historical Markers”.

     New Hampshire history is uniquely on display along the highways of the Granite State. NH roadside historical markers commemorate significant events and individuals--- from the first settlers in 1623 to notable individuals who helped define what New Hampshire is today.   

     New Hampshire also played a major role in the birth of our nation. From Revolutionary battlefields to individuals of political influence, the Granite State has made an indelible mark on history.

     Michael Bruno’s book explores the 255 New Hampshire historical markers that dot the state’s highways and roads. Each marker is described with its location and GPS coordinates, date of installation, marker inscription, and expanded historical references to this event/individual. The text also includes other points of interest in the vicinity of the historical marker.

     Michael was born and raised in the Lakes Region. After serving in the U.S. Army for more than 23 years, he returned to New Hampshire in 2009. He has been a JROTC Army Instructor at White Mountains Regional High School in Whitefield since his military retirement. Michael attained an Educational Specialist (Ed. S) degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA. He resides in the historic mountain community of Bethlehem where he is actively involved in town government.

      In 2017, Michael wrote and sponsored an historical marker commemorating Frances Glessner Lee, who made significant contributions to the study of forensics. He is also a certified Granite State Ambassador. In his spare time, Michael enjoys hiking in the White Mountains and riding his motorcycle with his wife Kristin along the country roads of New Hampshire.

     This program is free and open to the public. It was postponed from an earlier snowed-out date. Michael Bruno will also sell and sign copies of his book after his talk. For more information, call the Dover Public Library at 603-516-6050. 

The Library Will Be Closed Sunday and Monday

Breaking news! Due to the snow storm, January 20th, the Library will be closed on Sunday. Please stay home and stay safe. You can download books from Hoopla (and movies too!) and NH Downloadable books, and download magazines from Flipster. We have your bases covered.

The Library will be closed on Monday in observance of Martin Luther King day.

Make sure to come in on Saturday to stock up!

 

 

2019 Reading Challenge: About Siblings

Siblings: Can't live with them, can't live without them. If you're participating in our reading challenge for 2019 or just itching to get your hands on a book with funnier or more dramatic sibling relationships than your own, look no further! Here are ten books for you:

Fiction

Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese

The twin sons of a secret love affair between an Indian nun and a British surgeon in Addis Ababa, Marion and Shiva Stone are orphaned by their mother's death in childbirth and father's disappearance, coming of age in an Ethiopia on the brink of revolution, bound together by a shared interest in medicine and forever divided by their love for the same woman.
 

The Family Fang by Kevin Wilson

For as long as Buster and Annie Fang can remember, they starred (unwillingly) in their artist parents' madcap pieces. But now that they are grown up, the chaos of their childhood has made it difficult to cope with life outside the fishbowl of their parents' strange world. When the lives they've built come crashing down, brother and sister have nowhere to go but home, where they discover that their parents are planning one last performance-- their magnum opus-- whether the kids agree to participate or not.
 

Girl Waits with Gun by Amy Stewart

Living in virtual isolation years after the revelation of a painful family secret, Constance Kopp is terrorized by a belligerent silk factory owner and fights back in ways outside the norm for early twentieth-century women.
 

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

Two half sisters, Effia and Esi, unknown to each other, are born into two different tribal villages in 18th century Ghana. Effia will be married off to an English colonial, and will live in comfort. Her sister, Esi, will be shipped off on a boat bound for America, where she will be sold into slavery. 

The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin

Sneaking out to get readings from a traveling psychic reputed to be able to tell customers when they will die, four adolescent siblings from New York City's Lower East Side embark on five decades of experiences shaped by their determination to control fate.

The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides

The narrator and his friends piece together the events that led up to suicides of the Lisbon girls, brainy Therese, fastidious Mary, ascetic Bonnie, libertine Lux, and saintly Cecilia.

 

Nonfiction 

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers

A respected magazine editor and founder, a onetime spokesman for Generation X, offers a satiric, eloquent, and thoroughly tradition shattering memoir that discusses deaths of his parents from cancer, his raising of his younger brother, and more.

Riding the Bus with My Sister by Rachel Simon

Chronicles the author's year-long series of bus journeys through a Pennsylvania city alongside her mentally disabled sister, during which she learned lessons in slowing down, living in the moment, reassessing life priorities, and family ties.

Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years by Sarah L. Delany, A. Elizabeth Delany, and Amy Hill Hearth

A dual memoir reflecting a century of life together traces the lives of sisters Sadie and Bessie Delany, the oldest surviving members of one of America's preeminent Black families.

Becoming Nicole by Amy Ellis Nutt

When Wayne and Kelly Maines adopted identical twin boys, they thought their lives were complete. But by the time Jonas and Wyatt were toddlers, confusion over Wyatt’s insistence that he was female began to tear the family apart. In the years that followed, the Maineses came to question their long-held views on gender and identity, to accept Wyatt’s transition to Nicole, and to undergo a wrenching transformation of their own, the effects of which would reverberate through their entire community. 


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

Library Hours for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

The Library will be closed on Monday, January 21 in observance of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.

Dan Szczesny talks about "The White Mountain", January 15, 7pm

On Tuesday, January 15 at 7pm, the Friends of the Dover Public Library will present a talk by author, lecturer, and journalist Dan Szczesny about his newest book, “The White Mountain”. Over the course of one calendar year, Szczesny explored the history and mystique of New England’s tallest mountain. But Mount Washington is more than just a 6,288-foot rock pile: the mountain is the cultural soul of climbers, hikers, and tourists from around the world looking to test their mettle against its extreme conditions in return for a chance to experience its most intense natural beauty.

      Szczesny's research took him outside of the archives; he was on the team of a 97-year-old ultra-runner, he dressed as Walt Whitman and read poetry while hiking up the mountain, and he spent a week in winter cooking for the scientists at the Observatory. In “The White Mountain”, Szczesny turned a veteran journalist's eye toward exploring Mount Washington's place in the collective consciousness of the country and our state. He explores how this rugged NH landscape reflects our timeless obsession and passion for exploration and discovery.

  

       Dan Szczesny is a long-time resident of New Hampshire. His other books include travelogues on Nepal and Alaska. He is a Hemingway Foundation finalist for short fiction and has also written collections of short stories and poetry. Dan has traveled widely throughout the country speaking about adventure travel and the importance of getting kids into the outdoors. He currently calls Manchester, New Hampshire his Base Camp where he lives with his wife and daughter. Learn more about Dan’s work at www.danszczesny.com. This program is free and open to all. For more information, call the Dover Public Library at 603-516-6050.

Learn how to handle the stress in your life

Monday, January 14, 7pm in the lecture hall.
 
It is through the Nervous System that we experience the world around us. We coordinate the function of every cell, tissue and organ in the body through the Nervous System. It is also the part of us which reasons with emotion and adapts to stress. With the fast paced world we live in today, our Nervous System's become overloaded with information. We often can't process all that is coming at us and we respond with a fight or flight reaction- fear, anxiety, depression, exhaustion, headaches, pain, getting sick. What if instead of just trying to get by, you could take in all of the information coming your way and have strategies to optimize stress? Instead of problems, you now see opportunities. 

Dr. Chris Girdis, chiropractor at Wellspring Center for Wellbeing, utilizes Network Spinal Analysis to upgrade the Nervous System. Gentle and precise touches to the spine encourage stretching and breathing movements that unwind the fight or flight tension bound in the spinal cord. Through the body's response to these touches, it is able to access the higher part of the brain; the cerebral cortex. This is the region of the brain through which we make choices regarding our behavior and the area through which we can reach a higher level of humanity. Dr. Girdis is looking forward to sharing his expertise and strategies to overcome stress and gain more energy in your everyday life.