The Night Hawks: A Ruth Galloway Mystery
The Night Hawks: A Ruth Galloway Mystery By Elly Griffiths (350 pages, mystery, 2021) The Night Hawks are a group of amateur archaeologists who scour the coastal land and beaches of Norfolk with metal detectors, looking for treasure. They like to go out at night because there are fewer people around. But Ruth Galloway, now head of the Archaeology Department at North Norfolk University, dislikes them because they don’t know how to...
This week in history
Sept. 9, 1847: With Mexican War fever at its peak, the Ancient and Honorable Artillery of Boston celebrates its 211th anniversary with a march down Concord’s Main Street. Sept. 9, 1898: Styles Bridges is born. He will be a New Hampshire governor and U.S. senator. Sept. 9, 1919: The Legislature gives women the right to vote. Sept. 10, 1861: Fire destroys the railroad storage barns and many cars of the Concord and...
Bulletin board: Author events
Virtual author event Jeannine Jannot, Ph.D. draws on 20 years of experience in this empowering must-read for every parent of a struggling child, complete with effective strategies and tools to help students reach their full potential in school and life. She will present The Disintegrating Student: Struggling but Smart, Falling Apart, and How to Turn it Around on Sept. 8 at 7 p.m. online via Zoom. You know your child is bright. Until...
Entertainment for the week of Sept. 2
Live music Sept. 2 DJ Lance Drops the Bass at Area 23 at 8 p.m. Craig Fahey at Hermanos at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 3 EXP Band at Area 23 at 8 p.m. Zak Trojano at SHARA Vineyards at 6 p.m. Sept. 4 Masceo & Special Guests at Area 23 at 8 p.m. Dan Weiner at Hermanos at 6:30 p.m. Mary Fagan at the Contoocook Farmers Market at 9 a.m. Amanda Adams at Gould Hill Farm at 1 p.m. Alex Cohen at Concord Craft Brewing at 4 p.m. Malcolm Salls at Chen...
Book: How to Love the World: Poems of Gratitude and Hope
How to Love the World: Poems of Gratitude and Hope By James Crews (195 pages, poetry, 2021) How to Love the World is like a warm hug for the soul. This new collection of poetry from the indie imprint Storey Publishing features a few dozen authors, from the well-admired (including U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo and National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman) to some writers that may be new introductions. The book’s format invites us as...
City recognized as Vet-Friendly business
The city manager’s office sent out the City Manager’s Newsletter last Friday. The full newsletter can be found by going to concordnh.gov and clicking the “Newsletter” button. Here are some highlights: N.H. Veteran-Friendly business Concord is proud to announce that the City has been recognized as a Bronze NH Veteran-Friendly Business and is the first municipality in the state to receive this designation. The NH Veteran-Friendly...
Rattlesnake Hill
It was 1854 and the abundance of granite was being quarried by New Hampshire State Prison labor. There were only 30 men employed in the granite industry on Rattlesnake Hill in 1854. Twenty years later the granite industry had grown to over 500 employees working on Rattlesnake Hill in the quarries. Payroll for the granite men exceeded $364,000 annually and large contracts were being written as the superior quality granite was...
Book: The Alice Network
The Alice Network By Kate Quinn (503 pages, historical fiction, 2017) In 1915, Eve Gardiner longs to do her part for England during World War I. Her ability to speak several languages — German in particular — catches the attention of Captain Cecil Cameron who recruits her to work as a spy. Eve completes her training with Louise de Bettignies, whose code name is “Lili.” (Lili is based on the actual person who led the spy organization...
This week in Concord history
Sept. 2, 1856: The Coos Republican reports a freak accident in Whitefield: “Mr. Webster Parker, while at work with a log on the dam at Morris Clark’s Sawmill in Whitefield Village, was carried over and down the apron of the dam with great velocity some 20 feet and then dropping partly through a hole in the apron was there confined about 30 minutes, the water constantly pouring over him. A large crowd collected, and much interest was...
Market Days reemerges
The festival – consistently ranked one of the best community events – has returned. Market Days, which was abbreviated last summer due to the pandemic, is planned for Aug. 19 to 21, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. It will once again bring shopping, food, fun and lots of music to the downtown Concord area. Find the schedule of events and acts for the three-day affair, plus a map of where to find the major attractions at...
The Golem and the Jinni
By Helene Wecker (486 pages, fantasy, 2013) The Golem and the Jinni, Helene Wecker’s masterful debut novel, blends elements of folklore, fantasy, and historical fiction to create a unique tale that you won’t want to put down. Wecker draws from Jewish and Arab mythology to create her story’s main characters, building an immersive world for them based on both historical research and cultural and family lore. (Wecker is Jewish,...
This week in Concord history
Aug. 19, 1863: With the Union armies in need of more soldiers, Concord takes part in the draft. Of 924 names placed in a turning wheel, the city’s quota of 277 is drawn. The city will pay each man a bonus of $300. Aug. 19, 1855: A visitor to the Canterbury Shaker Village counts six water-powered mills “for weaving, coloring, fulling, and for knitting shirts and drawers.” The first knitting machine was installed at the village...
The Second Sleep
The Second Sleep By Robert Harris (297 pages, thriller/historical fiction, 2019) Editor’s note: This review contains spoilers. The Second Sleep opens in the year 1468. A young English priest, Christopher Fairfax, hastens to reach a remote village in the kingdom of Wessex before curfew. Fairfax has been sent to officiate a funeral for the local priest, Father Lacey, who recently died and left behind no other clergy to look after his...
Spotted at National Night Out on Aug. 3
The City of Concord was among many that celebrated National Night Out on Aug. 3. The Concord Police Department was joined by several other city departments, law enforcement agencies, NH National Guard, and community organizations. This event is for all ages and is held across the country to heighten crime and drug prevention awareness, strengthen neighborhood and community police relationships and to send a message to criminals that...
Vanessa Yu’sMagical Paris Tea Shop
Vanessa Yu’sMagical Paris Tea Shop By Roselle Lim (305 pages, fiction, 2020) Vanessa is cursed with being able to tell people’s fortunes. You might think that it would be a wonderful thing, but Vanessa can’t control it. If she drinks tea, or is even near a cup of tea, the fortunes explode from her mouth, good or bad, for family or strangers. It caused a disaster at her cousin’s wedding. This fortune-telling ability runs in Vanessa’s...
The Anthropocene Reviewed
The Anthropocene Reviewed By John Green (290 pages, nonfiction/essay, 2021) Right from the outset, I’d like to make two points regarding this beautiful collection of essays by John Green. First: consider giving this book a try, even if you’re not usually a fan of nonfiction. I know that some people are averse to nonfiction because it feels more like learning than entertainment – but I think you may be pleasantly surprised by this...
This week in Concord history
Aug. 12, 1861: Their three-month enlistment up, the 1st New Hampshire Volunteers are mustered out of the army. They have returned home without seeing battle. Aug. 12, 1952: State officials announce that Concord will be the northern terminus for the new Central New Hampshire Turnpike, a four-lane, $26 million expressway. The road will extend 40 miles from the Massachusetts state line at Tyngsboro to Concord. It will end in a huge...
City news: New art installed on Main Street
The city manager’s office sent out the City Manager’s Newsletter last Friday. The full newsletter can be found by going to concordnh.gov and clicking the “Newsletter” button. Here are some highlights: City meetings City meetings will be held in person in Council Chambers at 37 Green Street (unless otherwise specified on the City’s calendar). Upcoming meetings include: Planning Board, Aug. 18, 7 p.m. Visit...
Kindness Column: Rethinking the definition of family
When my younger sister was in kindergarten she was obsessed with the Disney movie Lilo and Stitch. She dressed up as Stitch for Halloween, she had a Stitch themed birthday party at Red River Theatres where we all watched Lilo & Stitch and the DVD of the movie was permanently in our home DVD player. I remember this quote from the movie because we watched it so often that it was hard to forget it: “Ohana means family, family means...
Live music in the capital area Aug. 5 to 15
August 5Bad Medicine at Eagle Square at 7 p.m.Craig Fahey at Hermanos from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.August 6Paul Driscoll at SHARA Vineyards, 82 Currier Road, Concord, from 6 to 8 p.m.Blind Owl Band at Bank of NH Stage at 8 p.m. (doors 7 p.m.) $18 plus processingAugust 7Eric Lindberg Duo at Contoocook Farmers Market from 9 a.m. to noonJoel Begin at Concord Craft Brewing from 4 to 6 p.m.Josh Foster at Contoocook Cider Co. from 5 to 7...
City News: Beware of road work across the city
The city manager’s office sent out the City Manager’s Newsletter last Friday. The full newsletter can be found by going to concordnh.gov and clicking the “Newsletter” button. Here are some highlights: Road work Birchdale Road bridge replacement: E.D. Swett has completed half of the bridge abutments and decking. Over the next two weeks, private utilities will be working to transfer the overhead lines to the opposite side of the road so...
The Hiding Place
By Paula Munier (323 pages, mystery, 2021) Mercy and Elvis return with another exciting mystery. Many years ago, Mercy’s grandfather, Grandpa Red, a sheriff, was shot in the line of duty. Mercy’s grandmother Patience never forgave his deputy, August Pitts, for coming to work late that day. Now Pitts calls Mercy to his deathbed. He asks Mercy to find Beth Kilgore, an abused woman who has been missing for 20 years. Mercy also hears that...
This week in Concord history
Aug. 5, 2003: The Rev. Canon Gene Robinson, 56, of Weare, makes history when the country’s Episcopal bishops vote 63-42 to make him the country’s first openly gay bishop. Aug. 5, 1855: On a visit home in Chester, N.H., Benjamin Brown French worries that the nation is headed toward civil war because of the Southern movement to add new slave territory. “To this movement I am sorry to see a Northern President lending his aid!” he writes...
Bulletin board: Aug. 5, 2021
Meeting Maynard Joyce Maynard joins Gibson’s Booksore on Aug. 5 at the Phenix Theatre (38 N. Main St.) in a rare New Hampshire event, to present her new novel, Count the Ways. This is a ticketed event. Phenix Hall doors will open at 6 p.m., with a performance by the Cold River Ranters. It’s a party, so BYOB! Joyce Maynard will read from Count the Ways, take questions from the audience, and sign books. Tickets with the new book...
The Postscript Murders
By Elly Griffiths (315 pages, mystery, 2020) An unlikely trio set out on the trail of a murderer, following clues that lead them to a literary festival in Scotland. Peggy Smith is an older woman who lives in assisted living housing, Seaview Court, in England. Her “carer,” Natalka, finds her sitting by the window one morning. Peggy has passed away. She is pronounced dead from natural causes. But Natalka thinks that it was murder. Peggy...
Poem: Days of summer
Days of summer, thoughts from the past, sometimes bittersweet, but we still want them to last. A picnic near the lake, ice cooler sandwiches made, the very best memories, will never ever fade. I ride to the mountains, wading in the ice-cold brook, the old photographs, ones your parents took. There was a time, when the clock ran slow, with the innocence of youth, we now only know. Each year in the past, now passing perhaps a little too...
New albums from Concord residents
Old Rail Car New Hampshire musician Tim Kierstead has just released his first album of all-original music, Old Rail Car. A singer/songwriter and well known guitarist across New England, Kierstead has opened for huge acts like Willie Nelson and Keith Urban, and has recorded at the legendary Sound Stage Studios in Nashville. Now he takes the next step in his musical journey by sharing an album of nine original songs, completely...
City News: North Pembroke Road Bridge closed for repairs
The city manager’s office sent out the City Manager’s Newsletter last Friday. The full newsletter can be found by going to concordnh.gov and clicking the “Newsletter” button. Here are some highlights: Upcoming meetings City meetings will be held in person in Council Chambers at 37 Green Street (unless otherwise specified on the City’s calendar). Upcoming meetings include: Zoning Board of Adjustment: Aug. 4, 7 p.m. City Council: Aug....
This week in Concord history
July 29, 1927: Police Chief A.S. Kimball orders the Lapp carnival on the Bridge Street fairgrounds to close “forthwith.” The shutdown follows the arrest of two men who work for the carnival on gambling charges. Both are convicted and fined $50. The chief investigated after receiving reports of gambling and indecent shows at the fair, including one show to which only men were admitted. The sponsoring Elks Club will argue in vain for a...
Transient Desires: A Commissario Guido Brunetti Mystery
Transient Desires: A Commissario Guido Brunetti Mystery By Donna Leon (272 pages, mystery, 2021) Two young American women are badly injured and left on the loading dock of a hospital in Venice. Luckily, a hospital worker finds them fairly quickly. But one of them is seriously injured and in a coma. The women had been joyriding on a fast boat with two young Italian fellows, men that they met that night. What happened to the girls, and...
