Thursday, Sept. 10 at 6:30 p.m.
Robert L. Fried presents “Passionate Teaching in Troubled Times“
Local author and retired teacher, Robert L. Fried, visits Gibson’s Bookstore to share his book, “Passionate Teaching in Troubled Times”.
Every teacher can be a passionate teacher — one who engages young people in the excitement of learning and ideas — if teaching is not undermined by the ways we “do business” in schools. In this book, a professor draws on the voices and firsthand accounts of teachers in urban, rural, and suburban classrooms to provide educators everywhere with useful advice and ‘things to try’. Their successes will inspire you to grow and maintain your own passion for teaching in the face of day-to-day obstacles.
Rob Fried, Concord resident since 1976, is an author of several books on effective teaching and education reform. He was a professor of education at Northeastern University and headed the Upper Valley Educators Institute in Lebanon. His books include: “The Passionate Teacher” (now revised and expanded as “Passionate Teaching in Troubled Times”; “The Passionate Learner,” and “The Game of School.”
Fried has interviewed several local educators for his books, as well as nationally known leaders of education reform. He served on the Concord School Board and wrote columns for the Concord Monitor. He is married to Patricia Wilczynski.
Friday Sept. 11 at 6:30 p.m.
Pajama Party Storytime with Tabatha Jean D’Agata
Put on your favorite PJs, grab your favorite stuffy, and join us for a Pajama Party Storytime with local children’s author, Tabatha Jean D’Agata! She’ll be reading her picture book, “The Old Scarecrow.”
Tabatha Jean D’Agata is a writer who has authored several books for children. As a dedicated literacy columnist for the Parent Express Newspaper, she advocates for the importance of reading and writing in children’s lives. D’Agata shares her love for writing by conducting workshops for children in schools and libraries, inspiring the next generation of storytellers. D’Agata resides in Hooksett, NH where she enjoys making memories with her family, tucking a penny in her shoe for good luck, sending wishes with dandelion fluff, and indulging in chocolate — because she believes chocolate fixes everything!
Mon, 9/14/2026 at 5:30pm
Gibson’s Book Club reads “Pandora’s Jar“
In September, Gibson’s Book Club is reading “Pandora’s Jar” by Natalie Hayes.
Bookseller Kat is our Book Club Leader. Our book club is free and open to the public. We welcome newcomers and one-timers with open arms! Our eclectic and ambitious book club selections are chosen democratically by the members each year. Join us for our next meeting!
Wednesday, Sept. 16, 4:30 p.m.
Poetry Society of NH: Shanta Lee Honeycutt
Join the Poetry Society of New Hampshire on Wednesday, September 16th, 2026, from 4:30-6 p.m. for an afternoon of poetry! Their headliner this month is Shanta Lee Honeycutt. An open mic follows her reading.
Shanta Lee Honeycutt is an award-winning visual artist, writer across genres, author, and scholar who often says she is a “…practitioner of entanglement” for all of the ways she brings things together in her work.
Winner of the New England Poetry Club’s Grant for Poetic Achievement, Abel Meeropol Social Justice Writing Award, and a 2024-25 National Arts Strategies Creative Community Fellow (the outcome of her fellowship can be seen on the website she created,Foodmemorystories.com ). Her work has been widely featured in the Edinburgh University Press journal, CounterText: A Journal for the Study of the Post-Literary, The Poetry Foundation, Harper’s Magazine, The Massachusetts Review, ITERANT Literary Magazine, Palette Poetry, and elsewhere, alongside several published books. Her latest book, “Do Words Dream Themselves Into Silence Told In Riddles?” (Harbor Editions), a hybrid collection of prose, poetry, and visual elements that explores themes of the uncanny, psychological unrest, and the blurring of reality with dreams, and other things unseen with the help of a trickster entity. To see more of her work, visit: Shantalee.com.
Monday, Sept. 21, 6:30 p.m.
Michael Koryta presents “Die Famous“
Michael Koryta visits Gibson’s Bookstore for a pre-launch event of his new gangster novel, “Die Famous”.
The Four Winds meets Bonnie and Clyde in this exhilarating historical thriller in which an unforgettable mother races to find the gangster she once loved—before the law gets to him first.
On the day Savannah Cody spots her first gray hair, she decides it’s time to murder the father of her only child. Edward “Nickel” Terhune is the getaway driver for the Brady Gang, one of the FBI’s most wanted criminals — with an enticing bounty set on his head. Dragging her son, Alford, and her father, Wendell, a retired railroad detective, along for the quest, Savannah embarks to find the man she once loved and the nation now fears, journeying across an America transformed by the Great Depression. But Alford — and soon, the FBI — notice that the closer the family gets to Nickel, the less clear Savannah’s motivations seem to be.
As the Brady Gang races to escape the law — or get rich trying — Nickel realizes he might not be able to outrun his mistakes. He dreams of a route that will lead him to peace, but no map shows one like that. Will Savannah find him before the police do? And if so, who will return home alive?
Cleverly layered and emotionally taut, perfect for readers of “The Lincoln Highway”, “The Frozen River”, and “The Alice Network”, “Die Famous” follows a remarkable family as they race toward an impossible reunion — and asks us to consider where our own loyalties lie when ambition, devotion, and truth mean something different to each person telling the story.
Michael Koryta is the New York Times bestselling author of 12 suspense novels, including “Rise the Dark”, “Last Words”, “Those Who Wish Me Dead”, “The Prophet”, “The Ridge”, and “So Cold The River”. His work has been praised by Stephen King, Michael Connelly, Lee Child, Dean Koontz, James Patterson, Dennis Lehane, Daniel Woodrell, Ron Rash, and Scott Smith among many others, and has been translated into more than 20 languages. His books have won or been nominated for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, Edgar® Award, Shamus Award, Barry Award, Quill Award, International Thriller Writers Award, and the Golden Dagger.
Before turning to writing full-time, Koryta worked as a private investigator, a newspaper reporter, and taught at the Indiana University School of Journalism. Koryta’s first novel, the Edgar-nominated Tonight I Said Goodbye, was accepted for publication when he was 20 years old. He wrote his first two published novels before graduating from college, and was published in nearly 10 languages before he fulfilled the “writing requirement ” classes required for his diploma.
Koryta was raised in Bloomington, Indiana, where he graduated from Indiana University with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice.
Koryta and his wife, Christine, divide their time between Bloomington and Camden, Maine, with a cranky cat named Marlowe, an emotionally disturbed cat named John Pryor (named after the gravestone on which he was found as an abandoned kitten), and a dog of unknown heritage named Lola.
Tuesday Sept. 22 at 6:30 p.m.
Chris Panatier presents “Worry Box”
Chris Panatier lets the intrusive thoughts win as he visits Gibson’s Bookstore for the launch of “Worry Box”.
Here’s our Queen of Scream’s work-friendly review:
An unsettling horror story with a mysterious twist from a celebrated voice in horror. Perfect for fans of Paul Tremblay’s “A Head Full of Ghosts”.
The Martins need a new home for their growing family. For Alison, Nathan, daughter Dru, and foster child Lailah, it’s love at first sight when they see the house in Tumbling Hills. It even has a cozy attic, which is great for Lailah: she needs a quiet place to be alone when her intrusive thoughts creep in.
(crack an egg into the coffee machine)
The family gets settled. The house is perfect, and so is the timing – Lailah’s adoption will soon be finalized. But as the date approaches, her intrusive thoughts become worse, and bad things start to happen. Lailah fears she’s losing control.
(push your sister down the stairs)
The family is on edge, pointing fingers and taking sides. And even though they love each other very much, the cracks begin to show. Something has got to give.
(burn them alive in their beds)
About the author:
Chris Panatier is the author of novels such as “The Phlebotomist”, “The Redemption of Morgan Bright”, and “DAYTIDE”, blending dark humor, speculative fiction, and horror. He also draws album and book cover art, and loves fighting his dogs for couch space.
Thursday Sept. 24 at 12:30 p.m.
Andy Beshear presents “Go and Do Likewise“
Join Governor Andy Beshear for a hopeful conversation about reclaiming faith as a force for good instead of harm and healing a divided nation through our shared values. Centered around his new book, “Go and Do Likewise: How We Heal a Broken Country”, Governor Beshear will share stories of healing, justice, forgiveness, welcoming, and moral clarity.
Governor Beshear will be in conversation with former New Hampshire Governor John Lynch.
Preorder a copy of “Go and Do Likewise” to be picked up at this event! Signed copies will also be available for purchase day of. Let us know you’re attending in the order comments at checkout, or fill out the RSVP form on this page.
In the book, Governor Beshear shares what his own faith has meant to him, how it has informed his family and his public life — and serves as a rebuke to how faith has been hijacked, profaned, misused, and corrupted by Donald Trump and other public figures. By regrounding faith in compassion and kindness, Beshear believes we can start to heal as a country.
Whether you support organized religion or simply believe in the golden rule, this evening is a powerful reminder of the values that can truly unite us.
Governor Andy Beshear is a born-and-raised Kentuckian. Before he was elected Governor in 2019, Andy served as the state’s Attorney General since 2015, working as a lawyer on behalf of the government for the people of Kentucky. Andy and his wife, Britainy, have two children, Will and Lila, and dog Winnie. His family attends Beargrass Christian Church, where both Andy and Britainy serve as deacons. He is a graduate of Vanderbilt with a bachelor’s in political science and anthropology and holds a Juris Doctorate from the University of Virginia Law School.