For anyone looking to curl up with a book — especially one with New England ties — here are a few recommendations compiled by our wonderful staff. Like you, we love getting lost in a good novel, learning more about the world through a work of nonfiction or finding beauty in poetry verses. We hope you enjoy our recommendations and pass them along to anyone looking for their next read.
“Let Evening Come” by Jane Kenyon
This marvelous book of poetry transports me instantly outdoors whenever I pick it up. New Hampshire Poet Laureate Jane Kenyon lived in Wilmot with her husband, Donald Hall, who later became Poet Laureate of the United States. The two renowned poets, now both deceased, lived and wrote at Eagle Pond Farmhouse together and spent as much time as they could in nature. I had the privilege of visiting their home last year and writing a story on preservation efforts surrounding the farmhouse. Reading Kenyon’s work brings her to life for me. I cannot recommend her poetry highly enough.
— Rachel Wachman
“Essays After Eighty” by Donald Hall
Wilmot, New Hampshire-based poet, writer and essayist Donald Hall’s “Essays After Eighty” is a well-paced, contemplative collection of writings in his old age. The collection spans reflections on his life, aging, nature and the world around him.
The 14 essays are a short read, but are best enjoyed individually. Hall’s powerful tone and voice shine through, leaving the reader with moments of hilarity and deep reflection. It was conversational and relatable with its New Hampshire-related themes. As a young writer and avid reader, this collection allowed me to reflect on my previous experiences and think about the future yet ahead of me.
— Alexander Rapp
“11/22/63” by Stephen King
History, mystery, time travel and romance — this book has it all. Jake Epping is a recently-divorced teacher living in a monotonous small town in Maine. Entrusted with a portal into the past, he is thrust into a mission to save President John F. Kennedy from assassination. The universe resists his attempts to change the arc of history, but he forges ahead, often at his own peril. This page-turner was a hefty addition to my bookshelf and a gripping read. I recommend it to anyone who will listen.
— Rebeca Pereira
“I Have Some Questions For You” by Rebecca Makkai
This book is an unreliable narrator, true-crime story based at a New Hampshire prep-school — the former is not usually my bread-and-butter but the latter part hooked me. The main character, a successful true-crime podcaster, returns to her high school to guest teach and is thrust into a re-examination of the murder of her high school roommate. I attended an NH boarding school as a day student: commuters kind of straddle the line between being embedded in boarding school communities and being outside of many of their circles. Makkai is a tight and witty writer who did her research, and so I recommend this book if for no other reason than it being a canny commentary on New England prep schools.
The true crime of it all was a bit heavy-handed for my taste but did prompt introspection about how we re-examine our own memories, how investigators and journalists (or whatever we consider this true-crime podcaster to be…) bring along their baggage or check it at the door. This isn’t my favorite work by Makkai (see “The Great Believers…”) but I recommend it nonetheless. This isn’t always a good thing, but I couldn’t put it down.
— Catherine McLaughlin
Any of the Darby series by Ernest Hebert, a Keene State grad who taught at Dartmouth. “Dogs of March” followed by “A Little More than Kin” were his breakthrough novels.
— David Brooks
