I started this the other night and was hard-pressed to put it down! The good climbing writers are able to put you right on the mountain, right in the middle of the mess. As I read in my hot, humid room, I felt like I was at Base Camp IV on the shoulder of K2. Wow! A resident of Madison, Freddie is a professional climber, mountain guide and outdoor writer. He has made numerous first ascents on difficult peaks in Alaska, Patagonia, and the Himalaya. In 2007, the American Alpine Club awarded him the Robert Hicks Bates Award for outstanding accomplishment by a young climber. We are very excited to have Freddie here to kick off his book tour with a local appearance. Definitely mark your calendars for this one!

An insider's account of one of the deadliest and most controversial tragedies in mountaineering history-the 2008 K2 disaster. When eleven men perished on the slopes of K2 in August 2008, it was one of the deadliest single events in Himalayan climbing and made headlines around the world. Yet non of the surviving western climbers could explain precisely what happened. Their memories were self-admittedly fogged by exhaustion, hypoxia, and hallucinations. The truth of what happened lies with four Sherpa guides who were largely ignored by the mainstream media in the aftermath of the tragedy, who lost two of their own during the incident, and whose heroic efforts saved the lives of at least four climbers.

Based on his numerous trips to Nepal and in-depth interviews he conducted with these unacknowledged heroes, the other survivors, and the families of the lost climbers, alpinist and veteran climbing writer Freddie Wilkinson presents the true story of what actually occurred on the "savage" mountain. This work combines a criticism of the mainstream press's less-than-complete coverage of the tragedy and an insightful portrait of the lives of 21st-century Sherpas into an intelligent, white-knuckled adventure narrative.

Tuesday, May 4, 7-9 p.m. at the Wildcat Tavern in Jackson, N.H.
JAY ATKINSON, author of Paradise Road: Jack Kerouac’s Lost Highway and My Search for America

Jay has been to visit us a couple times in the past and what’s interesting about him as a writer is that his books are always very different. During his first visit, he signed and discussed Ice Time, his book about being a hockey coach. He next came back with Legends of Winter Hill, about legendary cop Joe McCain. Both times he was funny and engaging and we’re looking forward to seeing him again at the Wildcat Tavern!

Jack Kerouac's iconic 1950s novel On the Road is a Beat Generation classic, chronicling the adventures and misadventures of Kerouac's travels crisscrossing North America with Neal Cassady, William Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg, and other colorful companions. Now gifted writer Jay Atkinson hits the road to retrace Kerouac's legendary journey today. The author's experiences offer fascinating insights on American culture and society then and now and illuminate his own quest for self-understanding and discovery.

Saturday, May 15, 1 p.m. at the Tin Mountain Conservation Center in Albany, N.H.
DEAN BENNETT, author of Nature and Renewal: Wild River Valley & Beyond

We are pleased to be part of Tin Mountain’s Annual Meeting and also pleased to be bringing back Dean Bennett. Dean was at the store in December and he was wonderful to talk to, but because of the space and it being the holiday season and all, we were not able to present his slide show. So, he’s back with slide show and stories. This should be a great event during a great day of celebrating Tin Mountain!

This is the story of a magnificent wilderness in a relatively unknown valley, circumscribed by high, steep mountains. It is also the story of the valley's rogue river, Wild River; of a raging wildfire and the disappearance of an entire village community; of both land abuse and land stewardship; of ecological disaster and renewal; of nature's vulnerability and resiliency; and of people who experienced tragedy and good fortune. Amazingly, through the centuries a single mighty hemlock tree survived to be a living witness to it all.
Dean Bennett, who has spent a lifetime exploring the natural world and its human connections, brings to life this surprising story of the power of nature to renew. Illustrated with photographs and maps and Bennett's beautiful illustrations, Nature and Renewal has a message for everyone.

Thursday, May 20, 6:30 p.m. at the Theater in the Wood in Intervale, N.H.
MINI-GALA featuring HOWARD FRANK MOSHER, author Walking to Gatlinburg
Tickets: $15 or $35 with a copy of Walking to Gatlinburg

How to describe Howard Frank Mosher… funny, clever, quirky, creative – I could go on! Howard is back in our neck of the woods and he is our guest at our first ever MINI-GALA. What is a mini-gala? Well, it can be anything you want, but it is basically everything our regular gala was, just without dinner! In all seriousness, we needed a bigger venue to host Howard and we decided on the Theater in the Wood. Your $15 ticket gets you entry into a wonderful event, lovely hors d’ouevres, cash bar and conversation with fellow booklovers! Proceeds from the tickets benefit the Believe in Books Literacy Foundation. Howard will make the evening complete with a slide show presentation that he has titled, “Turning History into Fiction.” Plus, he’s been touring all over the country – by car – and I am sure will have some wonderful stories to tell. This is going to be a great night and for the meager ticket price you get:

• Access to a fantastic author
• To support the Believe in Books Literacy Foundation and all they do to encourage children to read
• To check out their theater facility – it will surprise you!
• A great night out!!!

It's 1864, and seventeen-year-old Morgan Kinneson is helping a runaway slave named Jesse to freedom in Canada. But the chance to kill a moose that would feed his family for months lures Morgan away, and on his return he finds that Jesse has been murdered.

Desperate and guilt-ridden, Morgan decides to travel south from northern Vermont through war-torn America to the Great Smoky Mountains, searching for his older brother Pilgrim, who is now missing from the Union Army. Mrogan's determination to locate the brother he idolizes and reclaim what little family and honor he feels he has left is a dangerous gambit, at best.

When Morgan learns that Jesse's killers are on his tail, and that he unknowingly possesses something of dear value, his trek to Gatlinburg becomes a journey of intense survival.

Saturday, December 12, 2-4 p.m.
Brian Irwin, author of Recompense: Streams, Summits and Reflections

Brian Irwin is one of our own local authors. A columnist in the local paper, magazine writer and photographer, he has put together this compilation of essays from his various travels. We are very pleased to host his first North Conway book signing as part of our Local December Author Series. Come see Brian’s new book and get some shopping in while you’re at it.

Recompense is a compilation of essays, some of which have been previously published. Divided into personal, experiential pieces, regional, historical selections and fishing tales, this book is a collection of expositions that exemplify the humbling effect nature and culture can have on the human soul. A story of the loss of one of the world’s great alpinists is contrasted by a recollection of a high-profile rescue high on Maine’s Mount Katahdin and a two-year old boy’s first rock climb. Cultural lessons learned during expeditions to Bolivia and Patagonia parallel interpretations of climbing and skiing’s development in New England and the societal uniqueness of rural Washington State’s trout fishing community. Recounts of intimidation in the intensive care unit and memories of fishing the open waters of Montana highlight the impact of the natural world on interpersonal relationships and their effect on the mind of a doctor in training. Recompense and Other Works is a balanced selection of essays that will delight readers.

Come one, come all for a wonderful holiday storytelling treat. After honing her skills with years of practice at the Conway Library, Olga Morrill is one of the best storytellers around. With guitar in hand, she’ll have you singing along to holiday tunes and getting the warm holiday fuzzies. This is a Mountain Top event and there is a fee - $3 per person and no more than $12 per family. With one trip to the bookstore, you can support a great local nonprofit, get into the holiday spirit AND get some shopping done. Does is get any easier?

The first event in our Local December Author Series is a double! We’ve got one book featuring the Wild River Wilderness and how it came to be, and another about the logging industry. I think we’re going to do a lot of talking about wood. We’re going to have discussions on conservation and logging at the same time. This is going to be a great afternoon!

This is the story of a magnificent wilderness in a relatively unknown valley, circumscribed by high, steep mountains. It is also the story of the valley's rogue river, Wild River; of a raging wildfire and the disappearance of an entire village community; of both land abuse and land stewardship; of ecological disaster and renewal; of nature's vulnerability and resiliency; and of people who experienced tragedy and good fortune. Amazingly, through the centuries a single mighty hemlock tree survived to be a living witness to it all.
Dean Bennett, who has spent a lifetime exploring the natural world and its human connections, brings to life this surprising story of the power of nature to renew. Illustrated with photographs and maps and Bennett's beautiful illustrations, Nature and Renewal has a message for everyone.

Jack McEnany author of Brush Cat: On Trees, the Wood Economy, and the Most Dangerous Job in America

Brush Cat recounts a year in the life of men who perform one of the most dangerous jobs in America—logging New England’s vast forests for timber used in hundreds more ways than most of us realize, from houses to furniture to paper to electricity. In the spirit of John McPhee and Tracy Kidder, we meet an unforgettable cast of characters; feel their pain and exultation, and come to realize the centrality of wood in all of our lives.

While they are first and foremost loggers cutting down trees, they are also ardent and effective conservationists who depend on healthy, intact forests for their long-term survival. True, some loggers are wood pirates, but most are pragmatic environmentalists, always asking the question: How do we keep this crop alive and thriving forever?

The narrative moves deftly from useful tips on how not to lose body parts to a chain saw, through the terror of huge trees that fall the wrong way, to inconsistent and wrong-headed government forest management. It explores the worldwide demand for wood and wood chips, as well as the effect of climate change on the forest, and traces the money that keeps it all moving. Brush Cat clears the branches to reveal a hidden and fascinating world.

Saturday, October 24, 4-6 p.m.
Mary Mitchell, author of Americans in Space

“Mary showed up in the store a few years ago and told us she had written a novel and did we want to read it and maybe do an event. Dubious at first, I took a look at the book – and immediately fell in love. We did the event, had a great time, and then waited not so patiently to do it all again. Well, the time is finally here! Mary’s second book, Americans in Space, comes out in mid October and we’re delighted to have her again. Mary’s writing is sharp, funny and poignant. I am very excited to be able to promote a relatively new author – especially when they are this good!”

Life is a challenge for 36-year-old Kate Cavanaugh, high school guidance counselor to a motley group of at-risk students. Two years after finding her young husband dead in bed beside her, Kate’s storybook life has vanished, and she and her two children are still reeling. Her daughter Charlotte, once a sweet girl, has morphed into an angry, tattooed, tongue-studded teen; and Hunter, Kate’s four-year-old, keeps his feelings sealed tight inside and an empty ketchup bottle clasped to his heart. When a tragedy occurs at the Alan B. Shepard High School, it’s Kate who finds herself in need of counsel and guidance. What she does next catapults her and her family down an unfamiliar road, on a trajectory into space—toward understanding, forgiveness and healing.

Information: Hardcover, $24.99

Tuesday, September 29, 7 p.m..
David Morine, author of Two Coots in a Canoe: An Unusual Story of Friendship

“Personally, I think we should all just buy this book for the title alone. But if you need more convincing, come to the event. David is a humorous man and the evening will be a pleasure. This is the type of book that will be fun to give as a gift or to pass on to a friend.”

A journey of whim, humor, and self-discovery along the Connecticut River When retired CEO Ramsay Peard, 61, called his old friend David Morine, 59, and asked the longtime conservationist if he wanted to canoe the Connecticut River, Morine said he'd do it under one condition: no camping. "We'll rely on the kindness of strangers." And that's what they did. Mooching their way down the river and staying with strangers every night, Morine and Peard got an inside look at such issues as the demise of farming, the loss of manufacturing, gay rights, and Wal-Mart versus Main Street, and they were able to delve deep into the lives of complete strangers. But Morine soon realized the one life he never dug into was Peard's. After spending a month with him in a canoe, he had no idea that his friend's innermost thoughts had taken a fateful course. Written in the tradition of Bill Bryson's "A Walk in the Woods" this book will be treasured by conservationists, canoeists, and old friends still seeking a thrill. Everyone else will be delightfully entertained.

Information: Hardcover, $22.95

Tuesday evening, August 25, from 6 to 8 p.m
White Birch Books is having their first Teacher Appreciation Night.
All teachers are invited, whether you teach in the local school system or further afield. Please read on for all we have planned! Also, I have to ask you to pass this email on to any and all teachers that you can. The more the merrier!

Also, if you're not a teacher - don't worry. We will be planning other "appreciation" nights in the future. In fact, if you have an idea about an appreciation night that you would like, just let me know and we'll see what we can do.

Goodies & Giveaways
We gave a shout out to our various publishers and several have sent us some nice goodies that we will happily pass on to you! We've got posters, some new items for you to check out and also several books to give away over the course of the evening. We'll have several tables set up for you to peruse and hopefully you'll find something that will work perfectly in your classroom!

Special Guests
What's a special night without special guests! John Muse, my book representative from Simon & Schuster, will be on hand to talk about... books. John will happily introduce you to some of the great new books coming out from Simon. He will also do his best to answer any questions you might have about some of your favorites and he will generally be a font of book knowledge representing the publishing industry. Because John will be traveling in from another appointment, I don't think he'll be at the store until 7 p.m., but he'll arrive ready to go!

And then, because we know you all deserve a little pampering, Tessa Narducci will be on hand with free exfoliating and moisturizing hand scrubs from Arbonne's aromatherapy line. You can also sample from an array of other pure, safe and beneficial products and maybe win a free spa night with your friends!

Both our guests are there for your benefit - this isn't a hard sell. It's informative and fun and we hope you enjoy it!

"Who doesn’t need a little refresher course in manners, especially in this day and age where things change so quickly and there are new social mediums arising every day. Robin Abrahams already dispenses manners advice in the Boston Globe and now she will be at White Birch Books to do the same. Bring your questions and your best behavior!"

• Does knitting at a meeting display a lack of attention or superior multitasking?
• Can a restaurant these days still be so fancy that you cannot request a doggie bag with dignity?
• What’s a nice vegetarian to do if Gypsies give her bread smeared with lard?
  

Bringing to bear the insights of psychology, Abrahams outlines eight steps to more graceful living that can be applied to uncertain situations—and for handling the inevitable mistakes—involving food, religion, children, pets, health, sex, money, and more.
With humor, compassion, and gusto, Miss Conduct’s Mind over Manners delivers thoughtful and thought-provoking advice for everyone navigating the complex world of modern human interaction.

Ten years ago, Peter delighted residents and visitors alike with his mystery, The Hidden Mountain, set right here in the Mt. Washington Valley. Also, for ten years, we have been fielding requests for the sequel. At long last, it is here! Peter will be at the store from 4 – 6 and will be happy to sign books and chat with anyone about the two mysteries. We never knew it would take 10 years, but Killer Mountain certainly makes it worth the wait!

Killer Mountain begins with Preston Sturgis, a Boston developer and lower echelon drug dealer, who mistakenly learns a deadly secret and flees for his life to his lawyer, Wally Carver, in Bartlett, N.H. Former Carver son-in-law, Hudson Rogers, and his new wife, Cilla, are innocently pulled into the murderous pursuit when the gang attempts to kidnap Cilla, more skilled at self-defense than they know. Failing to capture her, the relentless hunters destroy the Rogers home. Hudson decides he must go on the offensive and a clue to the source of the assaults leads him to Washington’s Mt. Rainier.

Meanwhile, six envelopes are delivered simultaneously, one to each New England governor. The letter enclosed reads: by March 17 at noon, six billion dollars must be placed in a Swiss bank account or thousands of New Englanders will die. A hoax? For proof, the writer claims responsibility for an unsolved case, revealing information only the perpetrator would know. Panicked, New Englanders clog the roads and airports in an effort to escape.

When Cilla realizes where Hudson has gone, she recognizes the danger he may be in and follows his trail. Her search leads to the discovery that their personal attacks are directly tied to the New England extortionists. Eventually, she reaches an astounding conclusion: a climb into the bitter winter winds and cold at the top of the Northeast’s highest peak may solve the threat to New England. But can this perilous expedition also save her husband, who might be dying thousands of miles away in the Southwestern desert?

"Locals and visitors alike have commented for years that there should be a book about the cats on Mt. Washington – well, we finally have one and I think it is worth the wait. Eric Pinder, once a weather observer himself, has penned the delightful tale of Nin, one of the cats who lived atop the rockpile. His story is enhanced by the illustrations of Ted Walsh. This is a great read aloud and we hope you join us for Eric’s telling of the story."

NIN NEEDS A HOME. Stray cat Nin drifts from house to house until he meets a meteorologist named Mark. Then Nin begins his greatest journey yet—to the top of Mount Washington. Follow Nin to a land where the wind howls, snow swirls and wild bears roam. At the famous Mount Washington Observatory, Nin learns that the best friends—and a wonderful home—can be found anywhere, even high above the clouds.
Richly illustrated with watercolors by T.B.R. Walsh, Cat in the Clouds will delight children and adults with a peek inside the famous weather observatory atop Mount Washington, where a handful of hardy meteorologists and clever cats have watched the weather since 1932. An appendix introduces children to other cats on Mount Washington, from Oompha and her kittens on the day of the record-breaking Big Wind in 1934 to the newest observatory cat, Marty.

Saturday, July 18, 4 p.m.
Casey Sherman, co-author of
The Finest Hours, The True Story of the Coast Guard's Most Daring Sea Rescue

I don’t know what it is about these books, but they are entirely fascinating. Something about ordinary people being called upon to do extraordinary things never grows old. In the case of the Finest Hours, we can relive – from the comforts of our chairs – the brutal nor’easter of 1952. Casey Sherman will be here to bring this storm to life for us and it will be a thrilling night.

In the winter of 1952, New England was battered by the most brutal nor'easter in years. As the weather wreaked havoc on land, the freezing Atlantic became a wind-whipped zone of peril. In the early hours of Monday, February 18, while the storm raged, two oil tankers, the Pendleton and the Fort Mercer, found themselves in the same horrifying predicament. Built with "dirty steel," and not prepared to withstand such ferocious seas, both tankers split in two, leaving the dozens of men on board utterly at the Atlantic's mercy.
The Finest Hours is the gripping, true story of the valiant attempt to rescue the souls huddling inside the broken halves of the two ships. Coast Guard cutters raced to the aid of those on the Fort Mercer, and when it became apparent that the halves of the Pendleton were in danger of capsizing, the Guard sent out two thirty-six-foot lifeboats as well. These wooden boats, manned by only four seamen, were dwarfed by the enormous seventy-foot seas. As the tiny rescue vessels set out from the coast of Cape Cod, the men aboard were all fully aware that they were embarking on what could easily become a suicide mission.
The spellbinding tale is overflowing with breathtaking scenes that sear themselves into the mind's eye, as boats capsize, bows and sterns crash into one another, and men hurl themselves into the raging sea in their terrifying battle for survival. Not all of the eighty-four men caught at sea in the midst of that brutal storm survived, but considering the odds, it's a miracle -- and a testament to their bravery -- that any came home to tell their tales at all.
Michael J. Tougias and Casey Sherman have seamlessly woven together their extensive research and firsthand interviews to create an unforgettable tale of heroism, triumph, and tragedy, one that truly tells of the Coast Guard's finest hours.

Brad Washburn is a name that is know to many around here which is why we are so delighted to have David Roberts come to talk to us about his new book. An avid climber and the author of more than 20 books, David Roberts is well-versed on his subject – and it shows. Please join us for this special evening.

American Brad Washburn had an impact on his protégés and imitators as profound as that of any other adventurer in the twentieth century. Unquestionably regarded as the greatest mountaineer in Alaskan history and as one of the finest mountain photographers of all time, Washburn transformed American attitudes toward wilderness and revolutionized the art of mountaineering and exploration in the great ranges. In The Last of His Kind, National Geographic Adventure contributing editor David Roberts goes beyond conventional biography to reveal the essence of this man through the prism of his extraordinary exploits from New England to Chamonix, the Himalaya to the Yukon.
Washburn's remarkable achievements—including nine first ascents of North American peaks—would stamp him not only as one of a kind, but as one of a kind they don't make anymore. Born June 7, 1910, to a Boston Brahmin family whose roots trace back to the Mayflower, this highly intelligent, impatient, and stubborn iconoclast published books, made a monumental first ascent in the French Alps that would become a touchstone in mountaineering history, and lectured on his adventures—including an address to the National Geographic Society—while still in his teens. In 1935, at the age of twenty-four, while others were turning their attention to the Himalaya, the Harvard-educated Washburn led a three-month journey across what was then the largest remaining unexplored territory in North America—the 6,400 square miles of glaciers and mountains in the frozen heart of Alaska's Saint Elias Range.
In addition to his prowess as a mountaineer and photographer, Washburn was also a renowned surveyor and cartographer, producing maps of little-known terrain—the Grand Canyon, Mt. McKinley, and Mt. Everest—that surpassed those that came before, and several of which remain the standard. He was also a scientist who would take a regional natural-history museum and transform it into one of the outstanding teaching institutions of its kind in the world.

One early September night in Florida, a stripper brings her daughter to work. April’s usual babysitter is in the hospital, so she decides it’s best to have her three-year-old daughter close by, watching children’s videos in the office, while she works.

Except that April works at the Puma Club for Men. And tonight she has an unusual client, a foreigner both remote and too personal, and free with his money. Lots of it, all cash. His name is Bassam. Meanwhile, another man, AJ, has been thrown out of the club for holding hands with his favorite stripper, and he’s drunk and angry and lonely.

From these explosive elements comes a relentless, raw, searing, passionate, page-turning narrative, a big-hearted and painful novel about sex and parenthood and honor and masculinity. Set in the seamy underside of American life at the moment before the world changed, it juxtaposes lust for domination with hunger for connection, sexual violence with family love. It seizes the reader by the throat with the same psychological tension, depth, and realism that characterized Andre Dubus’s #1 bestseller, House of Sand and Fog—and an even greater sense of the dark and anguished places in the human heart

When a young wife and mother disappears from her suburban home, it's not long before the cops have their first suspect: the missing woman's husband, whose behavior is distinctly suspicious.
With the clock ticking on the life of a missing woman and the media firestorm building, Jason Jones seems more intent on destroying evidence and isolating his daughter than on searching for his "beloved" wife. Is the perfect husband trying to hide his guilt - or just trying to hide? And will the only witness to the crime be the killer's next victim?