Trade paperback publisher Picador chose a big personality to anchor “Violence,” the first entry in its “Big Ideas, Small Books” series. Slavoj Žižek is referred to as the “Elvis of Cultural Theory,” and like any good rock star, has a model for a wife. A self-described Marxist Communist, Žižek has run for president in his native Slovenia, written several books that marry sociological theory with pop culture, and continues to teach and lecture all over the world. 

With the publishing industry reporting a decline in overall book sales last year, many were surprised to hear that 28-year-old Reif Larson secured nearly $1 million from Penguin Press for the rights to his debut novel.

How good could it be? The book was released this summer and it’s that good. Larsen will read from “The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet” at RiverRun Bookstore in Portsmouth on Friday, June 26 at 7 p.m.

Twelve-year-old genius cartographer T. S. Spivet feels like he doesn’t fit in with his family on a ranch in Montana. One afternoon, he receives a phone call from the Smithsonian announcing that he has won the prestigious Baird Award. Sneaking out before dawn the next morning, T.S. hops a freight train with his sights set on Washington, D.C. His adventures and observations come faster than he can map them all.

Perhaps the most important discovery is one that brings him closer to home. While heading eastward, T.S. reads a secret family history that follows an ancestor’s trip west. He finds places more difficult to map than the physical world—states of loss, love and loneliness.      

The book combines a coming-of-age story with an on-the-road adventure through the eyes of a smart and sensitive child who adults can relate to and even learn about themselves from.

‘Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned’ by Wells Tower
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
256 pages

Wells Tower’s short story “Leopard,” which originally appeared in The New Yorker and is included in his debut collection “Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned,” is the kind of story that easily, graciously, commands attention. Written in the second person, it places the reader squarely in the awkward body and consciousness of an 11-year-old boy suffering two major indignities: an upper-lip fungal infection and a sarcastic stepfather. The former draws the unkind attention of an alpha-male classmate at school, who sets the whole cafeteria to name-calling with one incisive insult (“Even you had to admire the succinct poetry of the line”).

American Independence Museum hosts authors

The American Independence Museum is hosting three writers with different perspectives on the Revolutionary era through a new lecture series at Exeter’s historic Folsom Tavern.

The series begins on Wednesday, June 17, with author Alan R. Hoffman discussing “Lafayette in America, 1824 and 1825.” He is the translator of a journal by Lafayette’s private secretary, which documented the general’s farewell tour.

On June 24, Nancy Rubin Stuart will introduce a little known figure who witnessed some of the most important events of the American Revolution. Stuart’s latest book, “The Muse of the Revolution: The Secret Pen of Mercy Otis Warren and the Founding of the Nation,” features one of the “founding mothers” of American independence who was a playwright, poet and historian.

Portsmouth’s RiverRun Bookstore will show off some of New Hampshire’s literary talents on Monday, June 8, when four Granite State authors share their work. Lucinda Marcoux, Michael Bisceglia Jr., Michele Wehrwein Albion and Laurie A. Couture will be on hand to discuss their latest books at 7 p.m.

Lucinda Marcoux, of East Kingston, is the author of “King of the Forest,” a creative nonfiction story about her relationship with her older brother and her willing effort to donate stem cells to save him. Marcoux is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire and a long-time health care worker.

Denis Johnson’s latest novel is characterized mainly by its abruptness. It begins abruptly, with a compulsive gambler named Jimmy Luntz getting forced into a copper-colored Cadillac by a large, lumbering man named Gambol. Luntz owes some debts that he’s in no position to pay, and Gambol’s intentions appear less than friendly. Where they’re going or what, exactly, Gambol has planned, is left to the imagination.

“On this kind of trip, you don’t want to ask where it ends,” Gambol explains.

There may be only one thing punk rock icon Henry Rollins enjoys more than screaming into a microphone, and that’s simply talking into a microphone. Although he is primarily known as front man of groups like Black Flag and the Rollins Band, he has also been conducting spoken word performances since the 1980s. His energetic rants encompass everything from his own touring experiences to politics and literature, all infused with an edgy dose of sardonic humor. 

Seacoast fans can get a taste of Rollins’ ravings on Sunday, May 17, when he takes The Music Hall’s stage in Portsmouth. It’s part of a swing through the northeast before Rollins takes off for a European tour in June.

As science fiction author Philip K. Dick once said, “Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn’t go away.” A feeling of unreality was Dick’s stock in trade, and his novels and stories—including “The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch,” “A Scanner Darkly,” “VALIS” and “The Man in the High Castle”—are full of trips into parallel realities, mind-bending hallucinations and mysterious transmissions from ultra-dimensional entities. As if Dick’s fictional worlds weren’t complex enough, his personal life was also mentally taxing. Plagued by mental illness and addictions to various drugs, Dick had no choice but to ask some serious questions about the true nature of reality.

New Englanders read crime stories in Exeter

One reason crime stories are often written in New England, according to publisher Kate Flora, is that people here get trapped together in close quarters during long winters. That can lead to dark, mischievous thoughts.
Exeter’s Water Street Bookstore is hosting a reading by writers of “Deadfall: Crime Stories by New England Writers,” on Saturday, May 9 at 6 p.m.

The writers include Flora, Norma Burrows, J.E. Seymour, Vaughn C. Hardacker and Pat Remick. This is the sixth annual crime anthology published by Level Best.

Every year on the first Saturday of May, comic book shops across the world celebrate Free Comic Book Day, to reach out to loyal fans and new prospects alike. Publishers send special-edition Free Comic Book Day editions of their books to give away at stores, who can also offer giveaways, guest appearances, and contests—all to remind future readers of what makes comics and their vendors important. 

Writers’ Day 2009

The New Hampshire Writers’ Project presented a day of writing workshops, classes and panel discussions during the 16th annual Writers’ Day conference at The Derryfield School in Manchester on April 18. Meredith Hall, author of the best-selling memoir “Without a Map,” offered the keynote address, highlighting a full day of events with professional writers, editors and publishers. 

Dan Brown to release new book in September

Local literary hero Dan Brown recently announced that his eagerly awaited follow-up to “The Da Vinci Code” will hit stores late this summer. Doubleday will publish “The Lost Symbol” in the United States and Canada on Sept. 15. 
According to Brown’s Web site, the new book will have a first printing of five million copies, which marks the largest first print run in the history of Random House, Inc.

The New Hampshire Writers’ Project presents its 16th annual writing conference at The Derryfield School in Manchester on Saturday, April 18. Writers’ Day offers workshops, classes and panel discussions with leading writers and publishing professionals for writers at all levels.

Meredith Hall, author of the New York Times best-seller “Without a Map,” will give the keynote address. Other participants include NHWP’s president Richard Carey; former New York Times Book Review editor Rebecca Sinkler; president of the American Literary Translators Association Jim Kates; current Pushcart Prize fiction editor Joseph Hurka; and literary agent David Godine, who represents J.M.G. Le Clézio, winner of the 2008 Nobel Prize in Literature.

by Mark Dunn
208 pgs, 2001, Anchor Books

When Mark Dunn’s fresh and fabulous little novel “Ella Minnow Pea” was first released, the title was “Ella Minnow Pea: a progressively lipogrammatic epistolary fable.” That’s quite a mouthful. So, for the paperback version, the title was changed to “Ella Minnow Pea: A Novel in Letters.” Succinct, and also clever, for in choosing the word “letters” it describes both the books format and conditions. Confused? You’ll see.

It all starts with the letter “Z.” On the fictitious island of Nollop there stands a monument to the island’s namesake, resident Nevin Nollop, who created the pangram “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.” (A pangram is a sentence that contains all 26 letters of the alphabet, and is usually kept to 35 letters in length.) When the letter “Z” falls from the cenotaph, an emergency meeting is called by the townspeople. Should they replace the letter? Is it a sign from a higher power that the letter “Z” is no longer needed?

New Hampshire is recognized as home to many of the nation’s best poets, such as former U.S. laureates Donald Hall, Charles Simic and Maxine Kumin. And Portsmouth is purported to have the most poets per capita.

Mark DeCarteret says poets have historically filled pages during long winters away from big cities. But, he said, even on a summer afternoon, when people could be out “running through sprinklers and eating fruit,” a Portsmouth bookstore can host a packed poetry reading. He said that has a lot to do with the city’s poet laureate program.   

DeCarteret recently became the seventh poet laureate of Portsmouth. He was nominated by Walter Butts, New Hampshire’s new state poet laureate, who introduced him to the City Council last week. He was selected by a local committee among five nominees.

DeCarteret hasn’t announced the community project he’s expected to complete during the next two years, saying he may spend most of the first year developing his plans. But he will certainly continue to write while serving as a public figure in poetry.

new book chronicles history of the Portsmouth Fire Department

Three major fires scorched downtown Portsmouth in the early 19th century, permanently altering the city’s landscape. The first occurred on Christmas Day, 1802, when 132 buildings near Market Square burned to the ground. The second broke out almost exactly four years later, on Christmas Eve, 1806, when a blaze on Chapel Street leveled St. John’s Church and 13 other buildings. The third and most devastating conflagration took place on Dec. 22, 1813, when more than 270 buildings burned.

“The city was decimated, and there was not a lot of money to rebuild,” said assistant fire chief Steven E. Achilles, author of the new book “Portsmouth Firefighting.” “So, Portsmouth goes from one of the most critical and most prosperous ports in the United States to… not.”

In the introduction of his new book, Achilles writes that those three fires “would forever shape the city.” At the time, Portsmouth had emerged as a top harbor town in the United States and a bustling business community in New Hampshire. Had it not been for the fires, Achilles surmises, Portsmouth might have grown to the scale of Boston or Philadelphia. Instead, it became a small working class town and, eventually, a shipbuilding hub.

Walter Butts becomes N.H. Poet Laureate

Former Portsmouth resident Walter Butts will foster New Hampshire’s poetic endeavors as the state’s 11th poet laureate. Butts took over the post this month, replacing former laureate Patricia Fargnoli, of Walpole.

Now a resident of Manchester, Butts will serve a five-year term as poet laureate. The role does not include any specific duties, but Butts said he will work to advance the visibility of poets, collaborating with independent bookstores and arts organizations around the state to connect the public with poetry. He also plans to help poets network with independent publishers in the state.

local children’s author Michael Sullivan pens new fantasy 

Portsmouth resident Michael Sullivan is a man of many trades. In addition to authoring several children’s books, he is a poet, storyteller, juggler, chess instructor, origami artist and former librarian and teacher. But despite his various endeavors, Sullivan’s central mission is simple—he wants to get boys to read.

Sullivan’s latest book should help achieve this end. Released this year by Exeter’s Publishing Works, Inc., “The Sapphire Knight” unwinds a short fantasy tale designed to quickly engage young readers. At a lean 100 pages, including occasional illustrations by Douglas Sirois, the book features warrior knights, enchanted forests, mysterious sorcery and magical weapons.

“The Sapphire Knight” is Sullivan’s first venture into the literary realm of fantasy. The book tells the story of a young knight whose village is beset with an evil sorcery that steals all music from the air. As the affliction spreads, silencing the melodies of birds, rivers and humans alike, the knight must discover the source of this pestilence and restore music to his land. In order to do so, he must also overcome his own skepticism about the existence of magic in the world. 

author Samantha Hunt reads in Portsmouth

Brooklyn-based author Samantha Hunt will read from her imaginative 2008 novel “The Invention of Everything Else” and participate in a book group discussion at Portsmouth Public Library on Tuesday, March 17.

Set in New York in 1943, Hunt’s second novel follows a fictional chambermaid named Louisa who befriends real-life inventor Nikola Tesla in a hotel. Their mutual love of pigeons strengthens their bond, and Louisa learns about Tesla’s life as a brilliant scientist and struggling immigrant. The book explores the intersection of love and science while delving into a number of other themes, including the father-daughter relationship, romance, and New York history.

Co-sponsored by RiverRun Bookstore, the book group discussion begins at 6 p.m. and the reading begins at 7 p.m. in the Levenson Room at Portsmouth Public Library, 175 Parrott Ave., Portsmouth, 603-427-1540. To RSVP for the book group discussion, e-mail This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it  For more information, visit www.riverrunbookstore.com or call 603-431-2100.

by Cormac McCarthy
Alfred A. Knopf, 1992, 302 pages

Few modern American writers are able to encapsulate the continent’s rugged southwestern landscapes—and the human emotions imbued in those landscapes—like Cormac McCarthy. McCarthy’s writing seems to rise from the country’s pores like so much desert vegetation, stark and solitary against the horizon, its canted shadows stretching over vast surfaces, its network of roots groping for the core of things. His simple prose illustrates the divinity of earth, horse and man, how each is endowed with equal measures of beauty and pain, and how that beauty and pain is inextricably linked.

children’s author reads in Portsmouth

Local children’s author and illustrator Ryan Higgins will read from his popular debut book “Twaddleton’s Cheese” at RiverRun Bookstore in Portsmouth on Saturday, March 7.

A Kittery native and South Berwick resident, Higgins wrote and illustrated the book, releasing it last year under his own Cocklebury Books label. It tells the humorous tale of a town of mice that decides to start making cheese. The townspeople quickly find themselves producing more cheese than they know what to do with, and a few unlikely heroes must rescue the business.

Once upon a time, before radios, satellites or airplanes, there were parts of the world that had yet to be explored. Vast expanses of land were identified on maps as simply “uncharted.” Thrill seekers and adventurers, real-life Indiana Jones-type explorers, were sent on sponsored expeditions to travel these areas and report back with their findings. Some lost their way, some lost their minds and many lost their lives.

Every diabetic has different experiences, but Haidee Soule Merritt is especially familiar with the ups and downs of trying to balance sugars in an uncooperative body.

Her symptoms of the disease have been heightened because, she admits, she hasn’t always been a good diabetic. Hiding a bag of brown sugar from your parents to devour it later is probably not good for any child, but it was especially bad for Merritt, who was diagnosed as a diabetic at age 2.

“Some diabetics don’t even have a sweet tooth, but I have a whole mouth full of them,” she said.

author G. Xavier Robillard talks superhero satire at The Red Door

He may be endowed with an arsenal of superpowers that would make Spiderman jealous, but Captain Freedom has problems.

It’s not just that nefarious mutant supervillains are constantly trying to exterminate him. His crime-fighting career is going down the tubes, largely because of his failure to commit to a long-term archnemesis. His girlfriend isn’t speaking to him. His sidekick hasn’t been taking his calls. And, worst of all, the world he is duty-bound to protect doesn’t seem to appreciate him one bit. 

Captain Freedom is the central character in a new novel of the same name by humorist G. Xavier Robillard. Robillard uses the literary device of a washed-up superhero to create a social satire that skewers America’s consumerist proclivities and foreign policy, replete with zany pop culture references.

Harold Whitehouse Jr. has lived in the same city all his life, but in many ways, Portsmouth is far from the same city it was when he was born here 80 years ago.

His memoir, “Home By Nine: The Real South End,” tells a story of growing up in a different time, when Portsmouth was filled with sailors, factory and shipyard workers, and struggling young families.

Whitehouse was the eldest of six children born into the Great Depression. Like his father, Whitehouse worked for years at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, but also at the old printing press of the Portsmouth Herald. The only time he spent away from his hometown was when he joined the U.S. Navy at the end of World War II.

explorer to read from travel essays in York

Author Lawrence Millman will read from his work on Friday, Feb. 6 at 7 p.m. at York Public Library in York, Maine, as part of the library’s author series. He is expected to read from his newly released book of fiction, “Going Home: A Horror,” and from “Cold Comfort,” a forthcoming book of travel essays.

Millman is a fellow of the Explorers Club and has made more than 40 trips to the Arctic and Subarctic. He even has a mountain named after him in East Greenland. When not traveling, he lives in Cambridge, Mass.