The Bookshelf

Ernest Hebert is best known for his novels. His first book, The Dogs of March , was published in 1979 and cited for excellence by the Hemingway Foundation. It was the first of seven novels in his Darby Chronicles series, which painted a vivid portrait of working class life in rural New Hampshire. (Scroll down to the end to read Ernest Hebert's top five reading recommendations.) Now the 76-year-old Hebert, who retired from teaching at Dartmouth College a few years ago, has published something new

In the late 1880s, rail was creeping across western America, connecting towns and changing lives. The west was still relatively wild in those days, and that Wild West is the setting of the new young adult novel by Erin Bowman. Retribution Rails is the story of a young man caught up with a band of cold-hearted killers and thieves and the young woman who aspires to write for a newspaper, any paper, and prove that she can write just as well, if not better, than any man out there. Erin Bowman spoke

This week on The Bookshelf, author Joe Hill of Exeter, N.H. joins Peter Biello in studio. Hill's new book, Strange Weather , is a collection of four short novels. In one, the sky rains needles that rip to pieces anyone unlucky enough to be outside. In another, a skydiver gets stuck on a cloud. And in a story without any supernatural connection, people with easy access to guns use them to devastating effect. Joe Hill is the author of many works, including the novels Horns , NOS4A2 , and The

Speculative fiction is a genre that takes us into a previously unimagined world - a world that, with a few plausible tweaks, becomes utopian, dystopian, or something else entirely. The Neukom Institute for Computational Science at Dartmouth Colllege is announcing the establishment of the Neukom Institute Literary Arts Awards, a global program to honor works of speculative fiction. Daniel Rockmore, director of the institute, joins Peter Biello to talk about the awards. Listen to the interview:

The Bookshelf from NHPR is New Hampshire Public Radio's series on authors and books with ties to the Granite State. All Things Considered host Peter Biello features authors, covers literary events and publishing trends, and gets recommendations from each guest on what books listeners might want to add to their own bookshelves. If you have an author or book you think we should profile on The Bookshelf, send us an email. The address is [email protected]. This week on The Bookshelf from NHPR is Ewa

The Bookshelf from NHPR is New Hampshire Public Radio's series on authors and books with ties to the Granite State. All Things Considered host Peter Biello features authors, covers literary events and publishing trends, and gets recommendations from each guest on what books listeners might want to add to their own bookshelves. If you have an author or book you think we should profile on The Bookshelf, send us an email. The address is [email protected]. This week on The Bookshelf from NHPR is New

Earlier this year, Keith Howard stepped down as executive director of Liberty House, a transitional living facility for formerly homeless veterans. And he started something new. Howard now lives at a converted hunting camp in northern New Hampshire, on the grounds of Warriors at 45 North , where he's going to run writing retreats for veterans. Howard himself lives in what he calls the Tiny White Box. I went to visit him there.

The Bookshelf from NHPR is New Hampshire Public Radio's series on authors and books with ties to the Granite State. All Things Considered host Peter Biello features authors, covers literary events and publishing trends, and gets recommendations from each guest on what books listeners might want to add to their own bookshelves. If you have an author or book you think we should profile on The Bookshelf, send us an email. The address is [email protected]. This week on The Bookshelf from NHPR is author

Since the advent of film in the early 20th century, movies have taken up the task of depicting poverty and homelessness. Scenes of the poor have been informed by the culture in which they were made, and in turn influenced public opinions about what it means to be poor or homeless. Stephen Pimpare is senior lecturer in American Politics and Public Policy at UNH, and his new book takes a look at how films depict people living in poverty. The book is called Ghettos, Tramps, and Welfare Queens: Down

Author Tim Weed has spent many years putting together his latest short story collection, which finds inspiration in a variety of settings: Rome, Nantucket, Cuba, Venezuela, and of course New Hampshire. The collection is called A Field Guide to Murder and Fly Fishing. Tim Weed joined NHPR’s Peter Biello to discuss the work. Scrool down to read a top five reading list from Tim Weed and a transcript of his conversation with NHPR’s Peter Biello. Tim Weed’s Top Five Reading Recommendations: 1. The