Category: Cover Stories

8 ideas for what to do with all the zucchini

For 11 months of the year, zucchini stays in the background. Then, suddenly in August, it’s everywhere. Whether it’s you or a neighbor or a coworker who has planted way too much, you may find yourself struggling to find something to do with five or six zucchini. Per week! Per bush!

Addie Leader-Zavos is a pastry chef and the co-owner of Eden’s Table Farm and Farm Store (240 Stark Highway North, Dunbarton, 774-1811, facebook.com/EdensTableFarm). She is all too familiar with the dangers of going into the growing season with a cavalier zucchini attitude.

“I think a single plant just produces a lot of zucchini in a short period of time,” she said. “So you end up with just too much. And then the worst part is, if you fall behind, the zucchinis just get bigger, so you just end up with more. You have to stay on top of it, but even staying on top of it, you’re getting too much. So you get lazy about picking it, but then you have even more.”

As opposed to the many, many varieties of heirloom tomatoes Leader-Zavos and her husband, Michael Williams, planted this season, they only planted three varieties of zucchini.

“We grow Haifa zucchini,” she said, “which is a Lebanese type. And we are growing Dark Star zucchini, which is like a more traditional dark green zucchini that we’re harvesting a little bit smaller. This year we’re trying a new one called Reinau Gold, which is a gold zucchini. They are a little bit smaller and they have a little bit more of a delicate flavor.”

Her advice for cooking with zucchini is to think about its specific qualities and what it would bring to a dish.

“I would definitely say zucchini adds moisture to baked goods,” she said. “It can be a little vegetal, if you’re cooking a savory thing; it can be a little sweet if you’re baking it into something sweet. But a lot of what it’s doing is adding moisture and a little bit of texture. By the time you finish baking like a muffin, there really isn’t a lot of texture for your zucchini left. But if you’re doing something like a fritter, then you do get some nice texture from it.”

So what to do with zucchini?

1. Something sweet

Brown Butter Zucchini Muffins with Crystalized Ginger

These muffins are inspired by one of Chef Leader-Zavos’ favorite uses for zucchini.

Dry ingredients

• 1½ cups (188 g) all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon kosher or coarse sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• ½ cup (55 g) candied or crystalized ginger, finely chopped

Wet ingredients

• ½ cup (1 cube) butter
• ½ cup (100 g) brown sugar (I know; it’s weird, but sugar is often considered a wet ingredient in baking. When you see how easily it dissolves into solution, this will make more sense.)
• ½ cup (100 g) white sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1½ cups partially peeled, shredded zucchini (about 1 medium zucchini, maybe 8 inches long) – leaving a little zucchini skin gives the finished muffins a few flecks of green

Preheat your oven to 425°F, and line nine muffin cups with paper liners. Grease the top of the muffin tin, so when the muffin blooms over the top, it won’t get trapped in a dead-end relationship with the muffin tin.

Brown your butter, which is a lot simpler than it sounds. Unwrap a cube of butter, and put it in a small saucepan, then cook it over low or medium-low heat. First it will melt, then it will spit a little as the last of the water cooks out. Swirl the saucepan a little to stir the butter. If it ever seems like things are moving too quickly, just lift the pan off the heat for a few seconds. When the butter starts to foam, you are getting close. Swirl and lift, swirl and lift, until the butter has darkened to a golden brown color. Remove the pan from the heat, and let it cool. It will darken a little more, even after you’ve taken it off the stove. That’s normal. Don’t worry; you didn’t make a mistake.

Combine all the dry ingredients in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Stir everything to combine, making sure that all the ginger pieces get coated with flour; this will keep them from clumping together or sinking to the bottom of each muffin.

Combine all the wet ingredients in a separate bowl and stir to combine. Make sure the brown butter has cooled enough that it won’t cook the egg.

Pour the contents of one bowl into the other, then stir to combine. Spoon the batter into the lined muffin cups, filling them to the top. Unlike cupcakes, you want these to expand into a bigger-on-top mushroom shape. Bake at 425°F for five minutes, then drop the heat to 350°F, and bake for another 13 to 15 minutes. When the muffins look like muffins and a toothpick comes out clean, remove them from the oven and let them cool for a few minutes, before gently twisting them and removing them from the muffin tin.

These are outstanding muffins. They taste a little butterscotchy from the brown butter and brown sugar, and the coarse salt and candied ginger give little pops of flavor. The zucchini keeps everything beautifully moist. These may be the ultimate book club muffins.

2. Something smoky

Sarasin-Grilled Zucchini

I grew up not liking zucchini very much and have retained a certain amount of zucchini dread into my adulthood.

Keith Sarasin, Chef and operator of Farmer’s Table, Aatma, and Aatma Curry House (keithsarasin.com), thinks exposure therapy is a good way to get over that.

“Zucchini is one of those wonderful, super versatile and abundant things that we get in the Northeast,” he said. “And honestly, it actually has a lot more purpose than just kind of that dish that maybe a family member made that you kind of just went ‘Meh’ with.”

He advised really embracing the zucchini’s essential zucchininess, by cooking it on the grill.

“It’s one of the simplest ways that people can use zucchini, and I guarantee everyone’s going to like it,” he said confidently.

• Several small to medium-sized zucchini, 6 to 8 inches long
• Approximately ½ cup olive oil
• 4 to 5 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
• Coarse salt and freshly shaved or ground Parmesan cheese for garnish

In a small saucepan, heat the olive oil and the garlic over low heat for half an hour or more, to let the garlic thoroughly infuse the oil.

Chef Sarasin said to cut the zucchini in half lengthwise, then cut shallow cross-hatching across the flesh of each zucchini.

“Cross-hatching sounds fancy, but all you’re doing is you’re making shallow diagonal cuts on one side, and then you’re going on the other side to make a diamond pattern,” he said. “You don’t want to cut all the way through the zucchini; you really want to cut about a quarter inch tops down, really more like an eighth of an inch.” A good way to do this is with a utility knife with the blade extended to the first, shallowest setting.

Brush the face of the zucchini liberally with garlic oil, then cook face-down on the grill. (If you have a gas grill, you’re shooting for somewhere around 350°F.) Grill the zucchini for four minutes or so, then flip them over to see how seared and caramelized they are. If they need a little more time, brush them with more garlic oil, then flip them back over.

With your tongs or a fork, squeeze or poke the backs of each zucchini. If the cut faces are cooked enough but the back side still feels a little too firm, flip them on their backs and cook for another two to three minutes.

Take the zucchini back inside, and scoop them out of their skins before serving. Chef Sarasin suggested topping them with coarse salt and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. “It’s just a wonderful smoky addition [to your plate],” he said. “You’re getting smoky and sweet and savory all at the same time. It’s just a wonderful way to use zucchini.”

He’s right.

3. Something sippable

Zucchini-tini

You will need to make zucchini water for this recipe:

Wash and then cut two or three unpeeled medium-sized zucchini into chunks, then blitz them in your blender until they look like slightly wet hot dog relish. Drape a tea towel over a mixing bowl or a large measuring cup, then pour the contents of the blender onto the towel. Twist and squeeze the towel-wrapped zucchini, until you have enough zucchini water (which just sounds better than “zucchini juice”) to use for a round of cocktails.

Using zucchini in a cocktail seems like a bit of a stretch, but it’s not unprecedented. Search the internet for “zucchini cocktail” and you will find a surprising number of recipes, some from reputable sources. This particular drink uses zucchini water for a jade green color and a subtle vegetal background flavor. Vodka allows that to assert itself without covering it with botanical flavors.

• 2 ounces skull-shrinkingly cold vodka from the freezer
• 2 ounces zucchini water (see above)
• ½ ounces fresh squeezed lemon juice
• ½ ounces orgeat (almond syrup)

Pour all ingredients over ice in a cocktail shaker, and shake ruthlessly for a minute or so, until you hear the ice breaking up inside. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Sip while listening to Oscar Peterson. His music, some of the best piano jazz ever recorded, doesn’t have any immediate connection to zucchini, but more people should listen to Oscar Peterson.

The first thing you’ll notice about this cocktail is its vibrant green color. The next thing will be the interplay between the ingredients.The lemon tries to take over as the dominant flavor, but the zucchini makes itself known. It gives a green, slightly bitter quality, which is balanced out by the almond syrup. This is a good answer to that friend who is always bragging about their juice fast.

4. Something spicy

Zucchini Salsa

A good salsa is a surprisingly delicate dance. Acidic tomatoes play off chiles of varying intensity. Even more acidic lime juice keeps chopped onion from being too assertive. Throw a salsa together thoughtlessly, and it will be out of balance. Overthink it, and you’ll end up with a muddled flavor profile that doesn’t really taste of anything in particular. And that’s before we even get into the controversial topic of cilantro.

Where even good, thoughtful salsas fall down a lot of the time is on the texture front; they are missing a crunchy element. Zucchini brings a crunchiness, color and a green flavor to this salsa, which is inspired by a recipe from food-blogger Nikki Dinki.

• 2 ripe tomatoes, cored and peeled
• Half of a medium zucchini (about 130 g), peeled and diced
• ¼ of a red onion (about 60 g), finely chopped
• A large handful of cilantro leaves and tender stems, finely chopped (see below)
• ¼ cup (about 5 g) fresh mint leaves, minced
• The juice of one lime (about 40 g)
• ¾ teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ½ cup (about 75 g) pickled jalapeño slices, chopped

Mix all ingredients together in a nonreactive bowl, and stir to combine. Cover and let the salsa ingredients get to know each other.

This is a solid, dependable salsa. The ingredients all complement each other, and the zucchini provides just enough crunch. If the crunchiness is a little too pronounced, next time, chop it finer.

If you are making this salsa for someone who hates cilantro, try subbing it out with a quarter cup of minced basil. Basil goes well with mint and has a passionate romance with tomatoes. It’s not traditional, but it’s just as good on a taco.

5. Something savory

Zucchini and Feta Pancakes

These are a sort of a cross between vegetable fritters and egg foo yung. With a salad, they make a good lunch, or a pre-workout meal that won’t weigh you down.

Pancakes:

• 2½ cups partially peeled and shredded zucchini (1 to 1½ medium zucchini) – I like to leave a few stripes of peel, to add a little color and texture to the finished pancakes
• ½ (about 75 g) red bell pepper, finely chopped
• ½ cup (25 g) fresh dill, chopped
• 8 ounces (225 g) feta cheese, crumbled
• 1 bunch (4 or 5) scallions, chopped
• 3 eggs, beaten
• ½ cup (60 g) all-purpose or rice flour
• 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
• ½ cup vegetable oil for frying

Mix everything together in a large bowl.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat, until it shimmers slightly. Spoon ¼ to ⅓ cup of the batter into the hot oil for each pancake, and pat it flat with the back of a spoon. Don’t overcrowd the skillet. Cook for two or three minutes on each side, and drain on paper towels. Serve with dipping sauce on the side.

Dipping Sauce:

• Tangy mayonnaise – Cains or Duke’s
• Vietnamese chili-garlic paste – I like the Huy Fong brand. You can find it at an Asian grocery store or online, but surprisingly more and more mainstream supermarkets carry it.

Mix the mayo and chili paste together in a roughly 2-to-1 ratio. Adjust for personal taste.

These pancakes are tender and herby, with just a little bit of crunch from the vegetables. The hint of sesame oil gives them a savory background flavor, which goes really well with the dipping sauce. The moisture from the zucchini keeps the pancakes from ever getting crisp, but they are excellent the next day, heated in an air fryer.

6. Something CHOCOLATY

Chocolate Zucchini Bundt Cake

As Addie Leader-Zavos pointed out, baked goods generally use zucchini to slowly release water during the baking process to keep the finished product moist. This extremely fudgy cake, which I adapted to a bundt cake from a King Arthur Baking recipe, is very moist. In addition, the traditional espresso powder normally used to brighten dark chocolate cakes has been replaced with cayenne pepper — just enough to remind everyone who eats the cake who they are dealing with.

• 8 ounces (1 stick) butter, softened
• ½ cup (99 g) vegetable oil
• 1¾ cup (347 g) brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla paste, or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon coarse salt
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup (113 g) sour cream
• ¾ cup (64 g) unsweetened cocoa powder, plus more for dusting the Bundt pan
• 2½ cups (300 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 3 cups (about 2 medium) peeled and shredded zucchini
• ½ cup (85 g) chopped dark chocolate

Preheat your oven to 325°F.

Prepare your Bundt pan by buttering it thoroughly, then sifting cocoa powder into it. Make sure the entire surface of the inside of the pan is coated. If there are any spots where the cocoa didn’t stick, rub a little more butter on them, and coat with more cocoa powder.

Using a hand mixer, or in a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together. When they have completely joined together, add the oil, vanilla, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Beat the eggs in, one at a time.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder and cayenne pepper. Spoon the flour blend into the mixer, alternating with the sour cream.

Stir the zucchini and chocolate chunks into the mixture by hand. Spoon the batter evenly into your prepared Bundt pan, then bonk it against the counter a couple of times to eliminate any air bubbles.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes. You can test the cake’s doneness with a toothpick, but the depth of the Bundt pan and the moisture from the zucchini might make the toothpick test unreliable. If you have a probe thermometer, bake it until it has an internal temperature of 200°F. When it does, remove it from the oven and cool on a wire rack for about 20 minutes, before flipping it onto a plate. I find that when I do this I stand on my toes and bring the pan and plate down as sharply as possible. I like to cry out like I am completing a devastating martial arts move. Leave the cake to cool completely.

This is not a pretty-good-for-a-zucchini-cake cake. It is a really good cake — deeply chocolatey, with a subtle kick of cayenne. As per its brief, the zucchini has released its moisture during the baking process, then all but disappeared, leaving a moist, slightly decadent cake in its wake. This is excellent served warm, with vanilla ice cream, or cold, with slightly sweetened sour cream.

7. Something fried & baked

Zucchini Parmesan

• Several medium-sized zucchini (8 inches or so), peeled
• 1 5.5-ounce (158 g) can of Pizza Flavored Pringles
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup (60 g or so) all-purpose or rice flour for dredging
• 5-6 slices provolone cheese
• Jarred marinara sauce – I like Bove’s
• Another ¼ cup of grated Parmesan
• 1 8-ounce bag (about 2 cups) of shredded mozzarella cheese
• ½ cup vegetable oil for frying

Cut the zucchini lengthwise into thin slices — no more than ¼ inch thick. Salt the slices, and leave them to drain on paper towels for half an hour or so. Rinse the salt off, and pat them dry.

Pulverize the Pringles in your blender or food processor, mix with ¼ cup of Parmesan, and pour into a shallow dish. Beat the eggs thoroughly and pour into another shallow dish. Pour the flour into yet another shallow dish. Leftover frozen dinner containers work really well for this.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat, until it shimmers.

Flour and coat four or five slices of zucchini. Dredge each slice in flour, so it has two completely dry surfaces. Eggs don’t stick well to anything damp, so the flour will prepare the zucchini slices for the next step, which is to coat each side with beaten egg. The egg is feeling very good about itself at this point and would like to stick to something else dry and powdery — in this case, the Pringles-Parmesan mixture.

Fry four or five coated zucchini slices in the hot oil, turning after a minute or two. Do not be alarmed if they start looking like trout filets. As each zucchini slice finishes cooking, remove it to drain on paper towels. Keep dredging, frying and draining, until all the zucchini has been cooked.

Spoon enough marinara into a 9”-by-9” baking dish to coat the bottom. Place a layer of fried zucchini on top of it. Spoon enough marinara to cover each slice, but don’t drown them. Cover the sauced zucchini with slices of provolone. Place the rest of the zucchini in a second layer and cover with more sauce. Sprinkle the other ¼ cup of Parmesan cheese over the top, followed by the entire bag of shredded mozzarella.

Bake at 325°F for half an hour, or until the mozzarella layer has completely melted and is just starting to look a little toasty. Remove from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Like all good Parmesans, this is very cheesy, with just a bit of crispness mixed through it from the coating on the fried zucchini slices. While fairly neutral in flavor, the zucchini stays firmer than eggplant, which can sometimes dissolve into mush. The flavor from the fried Pringles lies in the background but deepens the overall taste of the dish. The zestiness of the tomato sauce plays off the three types of cheese. It is just saucy enough, without being soupy. This would be a good second-date dish.

8. Something like pasta

Zucchini Noodles with Chickpeas and Pistachio Pesto

Many of us have a spiralizer in the back of a kitchen drawer or cabinet that we bought in a fit of optimism a few years ago when we heard that you can make noodles out of vegetables that taste like the real thing. Like many promises in our youth, this one turned out to be an empty one; a carrot still tastes like a carrot, no matter what its shape. The same is true for zucchini. That doesn’t mean that zucchini noodles don’t taste good; it just means that they will never taste like linguini. Cooked just until slightly tender, and sauced thoughtfully, they can be very nice, indeed.

• 1 medium zucchini, half peeled – again, I like to have a few specks of green in the final dish
• ½ can (140 g) chickpeas, rinsed and drained.
• 3 Tablespoons pistachio pesto (see below)
• 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil for frying
• Shredded Parmesan cheese and more pistachios for garnish
• Olive oil for drizzle

Pesto:

• 2 packed cups (45 g) pesto leaves
• ½ teaspoon coarse salt
• ¼ cup (35 g) roasted, salted pistachios
• ½ cup (106 g) extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup (60 g) grated or shredded Parmesan cheese

In your blender or food processor, blitz the above ingredients into a mostly smooth paste. If you have a Magic Bullet or another small blender for making smoothies, it will be just the right size for this.

Use your spiralizer to turn the zucchini into noodles. If you only make vegetable noodles once in a while, an inexpensive, hand-held model will be fine.

Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat until it shimmers.

Fry the chickpeas until they brown slightly. Do not be alarmed when they start popping like popcorn. If it freaks you out, cover the pan with its lid. Just don’t forget to check up on the chickpeas every 20 seconds or so. Add the 3 tablespoons of pesto, stir everything together, and let it cook for another two minutes or so.

Add the “zoodles” to the pan and cook them for another two minutes or so, stirring constantly. Do not overcook them or they will turn mushy. They should be tender but with a little bit of crunch left in them.

Serve immediately, topped with more pistachios and Parmesan cheese, and drizzled with a little more olive oil. Chopsticks work well with this dish.

The pesto and the noodles play equal roles in this dish. The pesto has a more dynamic flavor, but the noodles provide just a little crunch and a subtle vegetable taste. Depending on your personal preference, you might want to cut the noodles to a shorter length before cooking them. It turns out that a spiralizer can turn a zucchini into shockingly long noodles, but that can be useful for recreating the spaghetti scene from Lady and the Tramp.

Where to go for fun with your pup

Dogs need summer fun too!

In this week’s cover story, we take a look at some of the places you and your doggos can head for some out-of-the-house fun — don’t forget to pack the water.

Dogs in nature

Outdoor places where pups can have fun too

By Zachary Lewis
[email protected]

Our fuzzy canine companions who treat us better than we treat ourselves are always ready for an adventure. There are tons of locales in the Granite State for dogs and their owners to explore, whether it’s a dog park, a trail or even a sidewalk.

Samantha McKeon, the Vice President of Development of the Manchester Dog Park Association, a nonprofit organization, has two dogs, Fable and Zoey.

“It’s the bonding time,” McKeon said of taking dogs on outdoor adventures. “That’s the fun stuff. When you get a pet, you share activities together, you do things together and that builds your bond with your companion. Play time, walking, travel, adventures, those are experiences that you’re building with your best friend. It’s part of the relationship that you have with your pet. You do stuff together. It would be kind of messed up if you got a dog and you’re like, ‘You’re never leaving the house.’”

Dog parks

Most dog parks have some combination of “chairs, dog toys, and probably some agility platforms, poo poo bags, and just a space to run around in, off leash.”

The Manchester Dog Park (344 Second St., Manchester) has “chuck-it sticks, water holes, we have picnic tables, we have a dog house, an A frame, a cat walk…. Pretty soon there’ll be a water catchment system with a filter so we’ll have a water resource as well,” she said.

The Manchester Dog Park does require membership, so if you live outside Manchester or aren’t ready to make that kind of leap, there are other dog park options as well, like the dog park in Derry (Fordway, off Route 102).

“They have trails there as well as a boat launch and a lot of the people let their dog swim at the boat launch, which is a lot of fun,” McKeon said. “There is no water source for drinking so I do suggest you bring your own water.”

Bigger dog parks have their perks that wind up helping the littlest of puppers.

“They usually have two separate sections. For example, the Derry [dog] park, they have a small dog section and a big dog section. So they have a separate fenced area for smaller dogs although usually Zoey’s fine with big dogs but there’s a lot of small dogs that do need that separate area,” McKeon said.

Another fun park is Hudson Dog Park (19 Kimball Hill Road in Hudson) with a huge draw because it is located right by Benson park.

“They share a parking lot…. If I’m going to a dog park with my family I will tend to go to the Hudson Dog Park because Benson park is right there so we can have family fun as well as our pups…. They have a pond you can walk around and they have a bunch of swans and ducks there.”

A dog park McKeon is interested in exploring is the Terril Dog Park (7 Manchester St. in Concord).

“This month we’re going to be planning a trip to drive to Concord so we can visit the new dog park there,” she said.

So why bother to take your furry companion to a dog park?

“Socializing is huge. It’s a game-changer and parks are a great place for that. Also, it’s off leash. When you’re on trails or when you’re taking them out you have to have them on leash, but at a dog park … they can run really far, they can go fast … it’s more focused play and exercise so it just goes further,” McKeon said. And dogs can learn “proper dog play, how they communicate with each other.”

People parks

Gabrielle Tayag, a dog owner from Manchester, had recommendations for dog adventures at on-leash city parks.

“I own a Great Pyrenees; her name is Callie,” said Tayag, who was walking Callie around White Park in Concord. “She’s a rescue dog, so we always look for new places to take her, get her exposed to things. White Park in Concord is great and we actually do some training around here.”

That’s not all. “Livingston Park in Manchester is great too to do some training at, walking around, there’s a beautiful trail there. Lots to see, lots of distractions…. Another good place is Heads Pond up in Hooksett. It’s a really nice trail that opens up to a beautiful lake … a good place to take the pups,” Tayag said.

Sam and Joe Newman from Granite State Glizzys, who were grilling up some hot dogs at Arms Park, mentioned a few of their favorite places for cool dog adventures.

“We have a mini-Australian Shepherd, who is 4 years old, his name is Yawkey, ideally we love to take him on hikes. In Hooksett there’s a path right near the dog park on the water, so we go there,” Sam Newman said.

“It’s the Hooksett Riverwalk Trail. It’s a great spot to bring dogs,” Joe added.

“Livingston Park, we’ll go for hikes there,” Sam Newman said. That’s one more vote for Livingston Park.

“If we’re going to take him out to run we go to Derryfield Park in Manchester, like to bring him on the fields just so it’s fenced in but sometimes we’ll just go right up on the hill because there are a lot of other dogs… really the main places we take him out and about,” Sam Newman said.

David Mack from Bedford and his wife, Rachel, take their dog Charlie, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, to fun spots in their area: “He is full of energy, we take him, in Bedford, to Pulpit Rock Hiking Trail, which is a beautiful little couple-mile hiking trail, very nice. It’s got lots of different flat sections, hills. Other than that, going around the Goffstown rail trail is I think just the perfect spot… lots of other dogs for him to sniff and just a really nice area to go on… .”

Katie Barker, from Bow, knew of some cool trails too.“We have a dog named Cleo and she is a little rescue puppy who’s about two years old and we usually take her to the Winant Park {Trails] area, it’s near St. Paul and it’s really pretty, you go up a little hill, there’s a really nice lookout at the top, so that’s one nice walking trail to take your dog on.”

Bow has its share of dog friendly spaces too. “I would say another one that we do is in Bow, it’s called Nottingcook Forest off of South Bow Road, that’s a really great one. There’s a couple of good outlooks there as well, so they’re just really fun little walks in the woods near some rivers so your dog can swim in the river. Cleo loves it, so I’m sure a bunch of other dogs will love it too,” Barker said.

Adventure supplies

What’s the No. 1 thing to bring on the adventure besides your puppy and sense of wonder? “Definitely water,” McKeon said. “Super important to bring water. We have a pop-up water bowl. Also, for trips where I am bringing a lot of stuff already, I also have a Kong brand water bottle and the top turns into a bowl itself. You take off the cap and it’s like open and you can pour the water in.”

First aid is a good idea too.

“If we’re going on a camping trip … I also have a sling that I bring with me so if she gets hurt or whatever I can carry her back if needed. Especially with bigger dogs like that, you’ve got to be prepared for any emergencies,” McKeon said.

Once you find a good leash and collar combo (see sidebar), some added flair can help you keep track of any dogs that get so sucked into their adventure they disappear.

“What I do for both of my dogs, and I always talk highly of it, Apple Trackers, they actually have cases that can slide on collars, and I have an Apple Tracker on both of my dogs’ collars so if they ever get loose I can track them on my phone,” McKeon said.

Tips on adventuring

Be aware of any rules before heading out: “Technically in New Hampshire for any State Parks, dogs aren’t supposed to be at beaches. Not everyone follows those rules….”

What the trail is made up of is important too, especially in a hot summer, Mckeon said.

“Be mindful of pavement. Try to avoid places with a lot of pavement because that heats up. If you wouldn’t walk barefoot on it, don’t make them do it, because their paws can get really burned on the hot pavement in the summer,” she said.

The most important thing is that everyone, human and canine, is having fun.

“Be mindful before you take your dog on an adventure, like how much they’re capable. Dogs have personalities too. So if you take a dog, or you have a puppy, and you love going for a hike, camping, it doesn’t mean your dog’s going to like it. If you are going to adventure with your dog you have to make sure they’re comfortable too…. Don’t force your dog to go on an adventure they don’t want to go on,” she said.

If everyone is on board and all the supplies are accounted for, adventuring with dogs is one of the best things to do, she said.

“It’s just fun, it’s fun to take your dogs out. … You want to create those memories. You want to make sure they have a good experience and it’s healthy for them, it’s important for them, and that’s the fun thing for you as a human, getting that time with your dog,” she said.

Adventure spots

Find a list of the rail trails across the state at nhrtc.org or visit nhstatepark.org for a myriad of state parks to adventure with your dog. Here are some other spots worth a visit.

Dog Parks

• Manchester Dog Park 344 Second St. in Manchester manchesternh.gov/Departments/Parks-and-Recreation/Parks-Trails-and-Facilities/Recreation-Facilities/Manchester-Dog-Park

• Hudson Dog Park 19 Kimball Hill Road in Hudson hudsonnh.gov/bensonpark/page/dog-park

• Derry Dog Park Fordway, off Route 102 in Derry derrynh.org/animal-control/pages/derry-dog-park)

• Terril Dog Park 7 Manchester St. in Concord
bringfido.com/attraction/902

Other Parks

• White Park 1 White St., Concord, 225-8690, concordnh.gov

• Livingston Park 244 Hooksett Road, Manchester, 624-6444, manchesternh.gov/parks

• Benson’s Park 19 Kimball Hall Road, Hudson, 886-6000, hudsonnh.gov/bensonpark

• Greeley Park Concord Street, Nashua, 589-3370, nashuanh.gov

• Mine Falls Park Whipple Street, Nashua, 589-3370, nashuanh.gov

State parks

Day use fees for most state parks: adults, or those 12 or older, $4 to $5 depending on the park; ages 6 to 11 $2; free for those age 5 and younger and New Hampshire residents 65 or older with a valid NH license. Visit nhstateparks.org for rules about pets in specific parks (pets are prohibited seasonally at some parks and year-round at four state parks) and a list of parks and spots in the parks where pets are permitted. At all parks, animals must be leashed, owners must clean up any animal waste and animals can not be left unattened, the website said. Pets are prohibited at beaches and designated swim areas and picnic areas, pavilions and group use areas from May 1 to Sept. 30, the website said.

• Pawtuckaway State Park 128 Mountain Road, Nottingham, 895-3031. This park is always open for recreation unless closed or restricted by posting, according to their website.Dogs are prohibited at beaches, swim and picnic areas and the campground from May 1 to Sept. 30. Dogs are permitted on hiking trails through Reservation Road and Round Pond Road only, the website said.

• Bear Brook State Park 61 Deerfield Road, Allenstown, 485-9869. A majority of Bear Brook’s trails are impassable by bicycle or horse due to downed trees but cleanup is underway, according to their website. The fee for ages 12 to 17 is $2, according to their website.

• Wellington State Park 614 W. Shore Road, Bristol, 744-2197. When the park is unstaffed during the season, deposit payment in Iron Ranger (self-serve pay station), according to their website.

• Clough State Park 455 Clough Park Road, Weare, 529-7112. This park is always open for recreation unless closed or restricted by posting, according to their website.

Kibble and Cracker Jack

Taking your dog out to the ballgame

By John Fladd
[email protected]

If you were a dog, what would a great night out look like for you? Maybe watching a bunch of humans running around chasing a ball?

The Fisher Cats have that covered.

The New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Delta Dental Stadium, 1 Line Drive, Manchester) have expanded one of their most popular programs from last season, Waggin’ Wednesdays. Fans can bring their dogs to any home games that are played on Wednesday nights. Last year the club held three dog-friendly games during the season; this year it has opened the promotion up for the entire season.

“We have a doggy ticket on our website that people can purchase,” front-office representative Andrew Marais said. “They just fill out a simple waiver saying, ‘I know I’m responsible for my dog.’ Marais said the dog-friendly games have been “1,000 percent successful.”

Marais said the Fisher Cats are following a growing trend in baseball.

“This has been done throughout not only minor league baseball but major league baseball too,” he said. “We definitely wanted to incorporate more of those too.” With the recent hot weather, fewer dogs have been showing up to Wednesday night games. “But we still see dogs,” Marais said. “But definitely in the early months, [and] in the latter months of the calendar season that we play, we see a good amount. I remember about a month ago, it seemed like we had like over 70 dogs.”

In addition to their tickets, dogs can expect other swag and amenities.

“We give a nice little treat bag,” Marais said, “…and obviously some relief bags too. We put some doggy bowls out across the concourse, [and] keep them filled. We sell pup cups in the ballpark too; just like the humans like a little ice cream, our dogs do, too. We always try to put those little nuances in there to make people and dogs feel great when they come to the ballpark.”

Waggin’ Wednesdays
Dog tickets to Fisher Cats home games start at $10 and can be purchased on the Fisher Cats’ website. Waivers can be signed at the ballpark on the night of a game. The next Waggin’ Wednesday will be Wednesday, Aug. 21, at 6:35 p.m., when the Fisher Cats will play the Hartford Yard Goats.

Dining with doggos

The rules of taking your dog out to eat

By John Fladd
[email protected]

Can you take your dog to a restaurant?

According to New Hampshire Health Statute Title XLV: Animals, Chapter 466: Dogs and Cats, “No person shall bring any animal into any restaurant or any store that sells food; and no person shall allow any animal to enter in any store that sells food, except for service animals…. A restaurant owner may allow dogs in any outdoor dining area at his or her place of business.”

The statute goes on at some length defining terms like “service dog” and “patio,” but most of it discusses the legal dog requirements on the part of a restaurant. For a customer with a dog, it breaks down to this: You and your dog are allowed to dine at any restaurant with outside tables, provided the restaurant agrees, and you, your dog and the servers all behave yourselves.(For more information about service dogs and restaurants, consult the Governor’s Commission on Disability, 271-2773, disability.nh.gov, [email protected].)

The Rockingham Brewing Co. in Derry is about as dog-friendly as it can legally be. Ali Lelleszi is the owner.

“We often partner with Darbster Doggy,” she said, “for monthly dog adoption events where the dogs are outside on the patio. They usually bring four to six dogs that are all available for adoption. And we’ve had great success finding them homes with events like that.”

Lelleszi likes the idea of relaxing outside a restaurant with a dog but knows her dog Rennie well enough that she wouldn’t bring him to a restaurant patio.

“I’m definitely pro-dog at a brewery,” she said. “Outside, you know, well-behaved, on a leash. I think those are two very, very important things. Not every dog can handle it. It’s unfortunate, but we would never put our dog in a situation where you set him up for failure. You have to know your dog’s limitations, and lots of dogs can be very, very well-behaved and respectful of other parties and other animals and children. And other dogs, you know, just don’t have those boundaries. So you just have to know your own dog’s strengths and play toward those. They can never ever be off leash; that’s probably a recipe for disaster.”

Ice cream stands that sell ice cream to customers through a window, generally to be eaten at outside tables or in customers’ cars, also generally welcome dogs. Many soft-serve places even sell a dog-sized mini-portion called a “pup cup.” (See the July 4 issue of the Hippo for a list of soft-serve spots.)

King Kone in Merrimack has a reputation for serving enormous portions of soft-serve ice cream. There are Small, Medium, and Large sizes there — a Large cone is topped with over a foot of ice cream — but there are smaller portions, too. At the bottom end there is a Baby size, followed by a Pup Cup.

Mikayla Plante is a shift leader at King Kone.

“The Pup Cup,” she said, “is usually vanilla ice cream with a dog bone, but you can also substitute the vanilla ice cream for whipped cream. It’s about the size of half a Baby [a Baby-sized portion — not half the size of an actual baby] so most people do order it for their dogs, but occasionally we will have someone order it for themselves and just remove the dog bone from it.” Because the weather has been so hot recently, she said, fewer customers have been bringing their dogs out for ice cream, but in an average week King Kone probably sells 30 Pup Cups.

“Usually people with smaller dogs request less ice cream,” she said, “because we do overfill them a little bit because we just love dogs so much. And all of our servings are kind of crazy.”

Leashes
If the adventure takes place outside of a dog park, a leash and collar will most likely be necessary. Not all leashes are made the same.

“I’m sure every leash company thinks their leash can do everything, but unfortunately that’s not the case. It really depends on the level of experience your dog has walking,” said Samantha McKeon. And the needs of the dog may change over time.

“When I first started walk training with Fable we had a gentle lead. She doesn’t use that anymore because she’s much better with just your standard collar,” she said. “A gentle lead is basically a collar that goes over their snout. So if they pull it pushes their head down so if they’re pulling their head actually goes down so they learn not to pull. Gentle leads are really good for when you’re first starting to train your dog.”

Dog size is a factor in leash and collar selection. For Zoey, the Yorkiepoo, “I would never use just a standard collar with her. I only use a harness with her because she’s so tiny…. Well, the harness, it’s more evenly proportioned on her body. It’s more comfortable for her when she walks. It’s more secure,” McKeon said.

For her larger dog, it’s a different story: “With Fable I tend not to use harnesses because they’re really heavy, they’re really clunky and Fable backs out and she can come out of harnesses. As you’re walking your dog, their leash and collar leads may change. You have to see what are things they are doing well, what are things they can improve on, are they ready to take off the training wheels and go to a regular collar or do they still need that gentle lead?”

You have e-bike questions. We have e-answers.

What is an e-bike?

It’s pretty much what it sounds like — a bicycle with a small electric motor to help a rider power through the tough parts of a bike ride in which they otherwise pedal, and wave to friends, and do other bike-ridey things. The website for Trek Bicycle Hooksett says, “Electric bikes (also known as e-bikes and electric assist bikes) amplify your pedaling power thanks to an electric drive system. There are many different kinds of e-bikes, but all of them use an electric motor and battery to help you power your bike.”

“An e-bike is born as a bike,” said Mark Dimenico, owner of Rail Trail eBikes in Derry. “You can pedal it like a regular bike; it lets you do most of the pedaling, but there’s a sensor, and every time you make a momentum of the pedal, a revolution, the sensor kicks the motor on and it holds it on at a steady pace.”

Who rides an e-bike?

E-bikers seem to come in all shapes, sizes and ages. Some have injuries that make it difficult for them to ride a conventional bicycle.

“They come in and they’re looking for a bike,” said Dimenico of Rail Trail eBikes. “They have their bikes, but they can’t ride them anymore or they get a knee operation or a hip operation. Maybe they don’t have the strength [to ride a conventional bicycle].

Amy Faust of Raymond is this type of rider. She had a long-standing back injury that kept her from riding bikes with her friends.

“I used my friend’s e-bike and we went on a great bike ride,” she said. “My husband was like, ‘I can’t even believe you’re doing this; you look so happy.’ So then we ended up just going and looking, and he’s like, ‘Nope, we’re going to buy you one that fits you perfect, because you just, you liked it so much.’”

Others want help easing into riding. David Fritz of Trek Bicycle described some of his customers:

“They come in and just are getting back into [bike riding] or just getting into it,” he said, “and they just, they want to go further. They want a helping hand. You have commuters that may not have access to a shower at work. On a hot summer’s day, you’re getting that helping hand; you don’t show up to work all sweaty.”

E-bikes aren’t just used recreationally. Some municipalities use them for times when it would be awkward to use conventional vehicles. The Derry Fire Department confirmed in a telephone interview that it has deployed e-bikes for the past two marathons in Derry and plans to do so in the future. E-bikes allow medical personnel to weave through a crowd of runners to get to people who need medical care.

The Derry Public Library recently acquired two e-bikes with an eye toward using them to tow a small trailer to book events.

“Our plan is that once we get [our bike program] rolling,” said Jessica Delangie, Head of Technical Services for the Library, “we’ll be able to take the bike out to different events. Obviously we’re right next door to the park, but we could take it to the park for any event there, but then also the splash pad, farmers market, that kind of thing.” Library staff will be able to take books to book clubs, Delangie said, or to off-site story times. Eventually, the Library hopes to use the e-bikes to make home deliveries.

Isn’t riding an e-bike cheating?

According to David Topham, the founder and treasurer of the Bike-Walk Alliance of New Hampshire (2 Whitney Road, Suite 11, Concord, 410-5848, bwanh.org), not unless you’re racing. Otherwise, it’s not like there’s a bike-riding purity test, even when riding in a group.

“You know, you’ve got this little motor helping you out on the hills,” Topham said. “We’ve got to work our tails off going up the hills. Are we cheating? The bottom line — the feeling I got from the bicycling community — is that no, the idea of a club is our camaraderie, people out having some fun, enjoying the fresh air, go out for the ride, go out for … probably a beer and a coffee or a pizza or something after the ride — this person’s got the little probably half-horsepower motor assisting them on a hill but they’re out there enjoying the company of others.”

Are e-bikes all the same?

There are many, many different types of e-bikes, from different manufacturers, at different price points. According to ReallyGoodeBikes.com, an online e-bike retailer, there are currently 250 brands of e-bikes in the U.S. and 500 in Europe.

“There’s road bikes with skinny tires,” Mark Dimenico from Rail Trail eBikes said, “for people who want to just drive on the road and go to work. And then there’s off-road bikes with fatter tires, for going up hills and through streams and over little jumps. They’re pretty much built to encompass all the different kinds of riding. You can ride them on gravel, sand, snow, the street, paved areas and non-paved areas. The bikes are set up so they can pretty much handle all conditions.”

For riders who want extra stability, he said, there are e-tricycles.

David Fritz from Trek Bicycle described something called a comfort hybrid.

“A comfort hybrid puts you in a more upright, more comfortable position,” Fritz said. “You can get it with a regular frame or a step-through frame. There’s a suspension seat post that helps take the sting out of the bumps. They come fully equipped with fenders and racks, with a rack on it. All of them come with a light that comes on. Most of them come with a little bell.”

In addition to all this, however, there is still another distinction to consider when looking at e-bikes: class. There are three classes of e-bikes:

• Class 1 provides an electric assist only while pedaling.

• Class 2 provides electric assist while pedaling and also by throttle control, a button or a twist grip. It can go up to 20 miles an hour.

• Class 3 has motor power. Using motor power only, it still cuts out at 20 mph, but as a pedal assist it can go 28 mph.

David Topham was instrumental in pushing through legislation in New Hampshire to codify these classes into law in 2018. The goal was to legally classify e-bikes as bicycles rather than motor vehicles.

“The way the law is written is that Class 1 and 2 are allowed on rail trails. Class 3, because it has the option of getting assistance for 28 [mph], is technically not allowed on rail trails,” Topham said.

Where can I ride an e-bike?

Because e-bikes are officially classified as bicycles in New Hampshire, they can mostly be ridden anywhere a non-powered bicycle can.

“I travel a lot with friends,” Mark Dimenico said. “We go out for rides in the evening and we go to places and do things and we take the bike paths or we take the back roads. [My friends are] just like, ‘I didn’t know this was out here. I didn’t know this trail was there. I didn’t know this lake was here. I didn’t know this stream was here or this view was there.’ They were so amazed by this little trail and all of a sudden we’re on the side of Lake Massabesic on a beach.”

Owning an e-bike has opened up many new places for Amy Faust.

“I had a group of friends,” Faust said. “Some had e-bikes, some didn’t, and we just started doing some group bike-riding, and I was able to do a 30-mile bike ride because I had my e-bike. And so it’s just been really fun. Most of the time I go on the rail trail and trails like that, but once in a while I’ll do a group ride on the road with friends. We just got a camper and we’re going to bring our bikes to different places all around and travel and part of that will be riding our bikes.”

David Topham sees e-bikes as a force for social change. He said that riding e-bikes “draws people together through a common interest, and collectively we call e-bikes … a great equalizer. I’m highly involved — the co-founder — of the Granite State Wheelers Bicycling Club in Nashua. We’ve been doing road rides primarily now for 53 years. A lot of times, one person in the family might have better strength or skills than the other. But if they still want to go out and have some fun together, one person could be on the conventional pedal variety bike, and the other one might get a little assistance out of an e-bike, and they have a wonderful time because they’re now still together doing a fun thing outdoors.”

Mark Dimenico has been impressed by the way e-bikes allow older riders to stay connected to a community.

“There’s a group in Derry,” Dimenico said, “and they call themselves the Golden Eagles. And they’re all octogenarians — they’re 80 years old plus, and they all ride e-bikes.”

How much does an e-bike cost?

As with most consumer goods, there is a wide range of prices among e-bikes.

“We’ve got bikes that adults or teens can ride that start out at $550,” said Mark Dimenico. “We’ve got one for $699. We’ve got a few of them for $1,200. The average price is $1,600. Our most expensive Class 3 bike is $1,900.”

But, he said, as with everything, there’s always a more expensive version.

“We get bikes from manufacturers and some of these bikes can run $12,000 to $13,000,” Dimenico said.

As an example of the price range of e-bikes, ReallyGoodEbikes.com has a category on its website for “eBikes Under $1,000 with 16 models, mostly starting at $800. At the high end, there are Class 3 mountain bike e-bikes for 10 times that price. As of July 10, one — the Bakcou Storm Jäger — carried a list price of $8,199.

E-bike retailers say a new rider should buy an e-bike from an actual bike shop, rather than from a big-box store or online. It’s likely that an e-bike will eventually need repairs, and there is a much better chance of a shop being able to repair a model that it sells.

“Most places only work on their own bikes that they sell,” said Mark Dimenico. “There are probably 10,000 bikes now that are on the market. New companies are coming out every day. They’re selling bikes and then they’re going out of business. They’re just leaving a trail of bikes behind that are all broken down and with no support, no parts.”

Buying according to the cheapest price tag can be a very short-term bargain, he said: “They [customers] usually end up buying them online and bringing them to us because they need a lot of repairs. [The bikes] come in a box and there’s really nobody to fix it for them. Things break on them and they’re cheaply made and they’re inexpensive and you get what you pay for in this business. We do a lot of repair work for all sorts of different brands that people buy and sometimes they’re brand new and they’re broken down the next day and what do you do?”

What is the future like for e-bikes?

When asked about the future of e-bikes, David Fritz stuck two thumbs up, and gestured to the ceiling.

“It’s going up and up and up,” he said. “I’d say 25 percent of our sales are e-bikes. I don’t know the exact numbers. But yeah, it’s booming.”

David Topham agreed.

“The use and sale of regular road bikes — not talking e-bikes, just the style of skinny-tire road bikes — sales have dropped off approximately 40 percent since Covid,” Topham said. Meanwhile sales of e-bikes are surging. According to the U.S. Department of Energy (energy.gov), sales of ebikes have risen significantly each year since 2019. “In 2018,” it reported on its website, “there were 325,000 e-bike sales.” But “[in] 2022, there were 1.1 million e-bikes sold in the United States.”

E-BIKE DEALERSHIPS
The Bike Barn 720 Union St., Manchester, 668-6555, bikebarnusa.com
Cycles Etc. 450 Second St., Manchester, 669-7993; 288 N. Broadway, Salem, 890-3212; cyclesetc.com
DG Cycle Sports 44 Nashua Road, Londonderry, 216-2022; 75 Railroad Ave, Epping, 734-5788; dgcycles.com
Electric Bikes of New England 27 Buttrick Road, Londonderry, 319-4909, ebikesofne.com
Exeter Cycles 4 Portsmouth Ave., Exeter, 778-2331, exetercycles.com
EZ Electric Bikes & Scooters 61 Epping Road, Exeter, 778-1402, ezbikesandscooters.com
Goodale’s Bike Shop 14B Broad St., Nashua, 882-2111, trekbikes.com
Pedego Electric Bikes 236 N. Broadway, Suite F, Salem, 458-2094, pedegoelectricbikes.com
Rail Trail eBikes 22 E. Broadway, Suite 2, Derry, 216-5034, railtrailebikes.com
S&W Sports 296 S. Main St., Concord, 228-1441, swsports.net
Trek Bicycle 19 Triangle Park Drive, Concord, 225-5111; 1197 Hooksett Road, Hooksett, 644-2111; trekbikes.com

E-bike the trails

Charge up those e-bikes and zip down a trail today.

These are rail trail segments in southern New Hampshire. E-bikes that are Class 1 (“pedal-assist” only, max assisted speed 20 mph) or Class 2 (throttle-assisted, max assisted speed 20 mph) are allowed on the trails, according to the New Hampshire Rail Trail Coalition. Rail trail information was compiled from nhrtc.org.

Ashuelot Rail Trail, Keene to Winchester, 21 miles (primarily gravel trail, but paved road in and near Keene)

Brookline Rail Trail, Brookline to Milford, 4.4 miles

Cheshire Rail Trail North, Keene to Walpole, 17.8 miles (primarily gravel trail, but paved road in and near Keene)

Cheshire Rail Trail South. Fitzwilliam to Keene, 18.5 miles

Concord-Lake Sunapee Rail Trail, Concord to Newbury, 35 miles — still in its planning phase but there are completed segments: Stevens Rail Trail, Warner to Hopkinton, 1.3 miles; Tilly-Wheeler Rail Trail and Lower Lake Todd segment, Bradford, 1 mile; Warner Rail Trail, Warner, 1 mile; Fisherville Road to Carter Hill Road, Concord, 2.5 miles

Derry Rail Trail, Derry to Windham, 4 miles (paved road)

Dover Rail Trail, Dover, 3.8 miles (paved road)

Farmington Rail Trail, Farmington, 6 miles

Fort Hill Recreational Rail Trail, Hinsdale, 8 miles

Goffstown Rail Trail, Goffstown to Manchester, 5.5 miles

Granite Town Rail Trail, Milford to Brookline, 3 miles

Harrisville Rail Trail, Harrisville, includes Chesham Depot Rail Trail section, 0.5 mile; Skatutakee Lake Road & trail section, 1.4 miles; East View Trail section, 1.4 miles; Jaquith Rail Trail section, Hancock to Harrisville, 1.5 miles

Heads Pond Rail Trail, Hooksett, 1.7 miles

Hillsborough Rail Trail, Hillsborough, 8 miles

Lilac City Greenway, Rochester, 1.2 miles

Londonderry Rail Trail, Londonderry, 4.5 miles (paved road)

Mascoma River Greenway, Lebanon, 3 miles (paved road)

Mason–Greenville Rail Trail, Mason to Greenville, 9.1 miles

Nashua River Rail Trail, Nashua to Ayer, Mass., 12 miles (paved road)

Nashua Heritage Rail Trail, Nashua, 1.3 miles (paved road)

New Boston Rail Trail, New Boston, 4 miles

Monadnock Rail Trail, Jaffrey to Rindge, 7.5 miles

Peterborough Rail Trail, Peterborough to Hancock, 6 miles

Piscataquog Rail Trail, Manchester to Goffstown, 2 miles (paved road)

Potanipo Rail Trail, Brookline to Hollis, 6.5 miles

Rockingham Rail Trail, Fremont Branch, Windham to Epping, 18 miles

Rockingham Rail Trail, Portsmouth Branch, Manchester to Newfields, 25.3 miles

Salem Bike-Ped Corridor, Salem to Windham, 5.2 miles (2 miles paved road, the rest gravel)

South Manchester Rail Trail, Manchester, 2.4 miles (paved road)

Windham Rail Trail, Windham to Derry, 4.1 miles (paved road)

Featured image: Rail 8 from Trek Bicycle Hooksett. photo by John Fladd.

Where to spot treasures such as antiques, handcrafted creations, nerf guns, t-shirts, lime trees and a bear trap

By John Fladd
[email protected]

Flea markets generally fall into three categories:

Antiques. This doesn’t necessarily mean snooty people arguing over the fine points of Chippendale armoires, although it can. It means that most items on offer are old: boxes of old books, turn-of-the-last-century bottles, antique car parts, used CDs, piles of vintage Barbie dolls, or a stuffed owl or two — cool old stuff waiting for someone with a particular enthusiasm.

Sweat socks. Not just sweat socks, of course, but inexpensive consumer goods like burner phones, cell phone covers, neon-colored tracksuits and lots of shampoo. If you are looking for a velour blanket with a picture of a matador or a howling wolf on it, this is the place to find it. Please don’t think that I am mocking this type of market. It whispers sweet nothings to my heart.

Overgrown garage sale. You’re never sure what you’ll find at this kind of flea market. Yes, there are a few professional dealers specializing in Pokémon cards, or military surplus, but just as many of the vendors are people who have found themselves with too much of something on their hands — some old, some new — that they want to get rid of. For many of them it’s the getting-rid-of that’s the important thing. A sports family might realize they have 20 years’ worth of hockey gear, skis, football helmets and lacrosse sticks, and decide to flea market it.

About three years ago I found my flea market: the late, lamented Hollis Flea Market. It was an antiques market, full of vintage — stuff. There were some stunning antique clocks for customers with much richer blood than mine, but also any number of commemorative plates, piles of old postcards and, once, a giant pile of 3,600 C-clamps.

Unfortunately, this winter, the owners of the Hollis Flea Market announced that they were closing. This has left me searching for a new flea market.

Not counting yard sales and antiques shows, there are four major flea markets in the area:

Londonderry Flea Market

295 Nashua Road, Londonderry
londonderryfleamarket.com
Open Saturdays and Sundays 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. April through October
Admission $1.50 per person; 60+ and kids under 12 get in free.
The basics: The Londonderry Flea Market is an outdoor market on 30 acres, with up to 300 vendors on a given day. Many vendors do not accept credit cards; it’s a good idea to bring cash. There is an ATM on site. According to the Market’s website, there is a “huge assortment of items to find & buy for home, garden, work, pleasure, personal wants & needs. Make a list of things you’d like to buy before you visit the market. Bring the list with you to shop as the sellers here just may have what you’re looking for! f you don’t see it, ask them as it may just be out of sight.”
Food: There is a concession tent in the center of the market selling burgers, hot dogs, snacks and drinks.

The Londonderry Flea Market is very, very large. There are two halves, one on each side of a fire pond. Many of the vendors work under cover, but at the very back of the flea market there are a number of people selling things from tables. I asked one man in the back who was selling old vinyl records and a seriously intriguing pile of 78s how business was. He said he hadn’t made any sales yet, “but it’s about to rain, and I’m located back here in Siberia.”

One of his neighbors in the back section of the flea market was Stephanie St. Pierre, an enthusiastic world traveler and a maker. She was selling a number of trinkets and antiques from Thailand and Myanmar, but her most fascinating items were four handmade cigar-box banjos. They are a reminder of a brief but intense enthusiasm from a few years ago. Some of the banjos have three strings; some have one.

“I like it,” St. Pierre said. “It’s just fun to play with one string. A diddly-bow, I guess is what they call the ones with one string.” At one point, she made electric cigar-box banjos. “The better ones had pick-ups,” she said. “You could plug them into an amp. I’m not musical, but I had fun going to the flea markets to find all the hardware.”

A 3-foot-tall Barbie doll in a crocheted sweater and miniskirt, concrete garden ornaments — I was distracted from these things by a table full of beads. I was struck by a 2-inch bead — a white porcelain cube with a hole through the center, and what appeared to be blue Chinese characters on the sides.

“What’s the story with this?” I asked the lady selling the beads. She examined it closely for several seconds. “I have no idea what that is,” she confessed. I bought it for a dollar, reasoning that I could tie it to my sword scabbard like a samurai, if I ever got really good at using a sword. It pays to be prepared.

Vincent is the Vinnie of Vinnie’s Uniques and Antiques. Unlike most of the vendors’ stalls, his has a sign. He is a regular; he sells at Londonderry every weekend.

“I look for stuff that nobody else has,” he said. “I want something that they [customers] cannot find anywhere else. If it’s something they’re going to have a hard time finding, I want to have that.” On this particular day, his favorite item was a model ship. “I’m going to tell you, I love this boat. This is a beautiful, beautiful boat,” he said. He pulled aside a tarp to reveal a glass case with a model of a four-masted ship inside. “This guy told me that this ship here burned down and they rebuilt it, but it was never the same ship. There isn’t a kit for this ship, so this ship was made by somebody [who knew it well]. I love my ship.”

Coolest item at the flea market that day: It’s a toss-up between a concrete garden statue of a sad dog and a gold-plated reproduction of a crocodile skull.

What I actually bought: The big Chinese bead and a $5 hockey goalie mask to use in my sword class.

Salem Flea Market (Outside)

20 Hampshire Road, Salem
salemfleamarket.com
Open Saturdays and Sundays 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Year-round
Admission $1; a ticket will allow customers to return during the day
The basics: The number of vendors at the outside market can vary on any given day, depending on the weather, but there are usually 50 to 60. Public restrooms are located inside the building. Almost none of the vendors accept credit cards. An ATM is located on the premises.
According to the Salem Flea Market website, “The Salem Flea Market has been open for business for more than 40 years. We have new and used items, including antiques arriving every week.”
Food: There are two or three concession stands at the entrance to the Indoors Market, as well as vendors selling fresh fruit in the Market itself. One review on the Market’s Facebook page reads, “Corn dogs. Corn dogs. Corn dogs. Corn dogs. Corn dogs.”

There are two parts to the Salem Flea Market: an outdoor market and an indoor one. It might be tempting to consider them as a single unit, but they are so vastly different that it makes sense to consider each on its own merits.

The Outside Market butts right up against the parking lot, and there is a lot going on. It is constantly in motion. It comes closest to being another garage sale-type market, but here the focus is on utility. Some of the vendors sell new items, most sell old ones, but virtually everything is practical. If you are looking for a hand-operated winch with 20 feet of chain, or a used large-screen television, this is the place for you.

Lucas sells kitchen appliances. His tables are covered with blenders, food processors, microwave ovens and smaller kitchen tools. He has a small generator on hand, if any customers want to test out one of the appliances. Lucas doesn’t mind telling where he gets his merchandise. He buys the items from thrift stores, most of which he has a relationship with and will sell them to him by the pound. He cleans them up, if necessary, and resells them. I asked him how much he paid for a random blender. It was clean, new-looking, and looked like it would work well in most kitchens.

“I paid maybe 10 dollars,” he said with a shrug. “I can probably sell it here for 20.” What really jumped out at me was a variable-speed, hand-held immersion blender. I asked Lucas how much he wanted for it, and he said he was willing to let it go for $10.

On any given day, the outside market has anywhere up to a dozen cargo trucks. Most are from clean-out businesses or junk removal companies.

On this day, one vendor’s stock was mostly old, hard-worked lawn mowers and piles of air conditioners. His neighbor had three or four tables of used shoes. Another specialized in bicycles and stereo speakers. Because almost everything at the Outside Market is practical, and given the time of the year, several vendors at the front end of the market were selling garden plants. The people who sell at both Salem markets are from all over the world, so many of the vegetable plants for sale weren’t ones you might find at a local garden center — bitter melons, makrut lime trees and some with labels written in Asian characters.

A vendor named Melissa was beginning to think she might have come to the wrong flea market. She was located at the very back of the lot.

“I’ve got some bathrobes, some nightgowns, some [porcelain] figurines, some luggage,” she said, “a little bit of everything. It’s actually all mine. I’ve been a shopper my whole life and collecting things over the years. I usually sell on Facebook Marketplace, but that’s exhausting!” I asked what she thought her hidden gem was. She said that for the right person, the bisque porcelain figurines would be a satisfying find. “What is it they say? ‘One man’s junk is another man’s treasure?’”

Coolest item at the flea market that day: Two KitchenAid stand mixers. The vendor was looking for $80 for the small one, and even missing its bowl he was confident he could get $140 for the six-quart model.

What I actually bought: Plants — two brightly colored lilies and a large pot of Thai chile pepper plants for a total of $12.

Salem Flea Market (Inside)

20 Hampshire Road, Salem
salemfleamarket.com
Open Saturdays and Sundays 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. year-round
Admission: The same $1 ticket.
The basics: Public restrooms are located inside the building. Almost none of the vendors accepts credit cards. An ATM is located on the premises.
Food: There is a small snack bar inside.

The Inside Market in Salem definitely falls into the sweat socks category. As soon as you walk through the door you’re greeted by enthusiastic salsa and mariachi music. Neon-colored T-shirts compete for space with affordably-priced perfumes and colognes. One vendor sells apparently new-looking mattresses still in their plastic.

One stall was filled to the brim with brightly colored Catholic statuary — figures of saints and religious figures of all sizes, religious paintings, and ceramic bowls and flower pots.

The Inside Market has several twisting aisles that branch off unexpectedly. Just when you think you’ve seen most of it, you turn a corner and find a completely new group of stalls. Like almost all the shops, my vote for the coolest one doesn’t have a name above the door. It is about twice the size of other shops, and there are dozens — probably hundreds — of used bicycles hanging from the ceiling. It would be a mistake to think of it as a bike shop, however. The main focus of the business seems to be knives of all kinds and replica swords. Tucked away in a corner are two reproduction helmets, one Spartan and one medieval. Plus the truly impressive number of ceiling bikes.

The chain-link wall of a nearby stall is covered with hundreds of wrestling action figures. A man named Tony runs it with his wife. “I mostly sell Pokémon, wrestling, and action figure toys,” he told me. “That’s all I sell. Well, that and some baseball cards. And football cards — things that people collect.”

Another stall is about half the size of Tony’s and looks for all the world like a storage closet. It is packed full of packages of disposable cups and takeout containers. The owner had stepped out when I visited, so I made small talk with a lady who had come in looking for cups. “This is for a church event tonight,” she told me. “I always come here, and I’ve been coming here since before Covid. I always find what I’m looking for.”

A hand-written sign at another stall nearby read, “Good Quality According to the Price You Pay.”

Coolest item at the flea market that day: A trademark-skirting box of brightly colored toy ponies called Horse Lovely. “THAT BEAUTIFUL HORSE SPREAD YOUR WINGS AND FLY,” the box announced cheerfully.

What I actually bought: Three small resin figurines of babies doing kung fu, for $2 each.

Davisville Flea Market

805 Route 103, Warner
davisvillefleamarket.com
Open Sundays 4 a.m. to 1 p.m. (The website advises visiting between 6 and 11 a.m.) Open May 5 until the last Sunday in October rain or shine.
Admission and parking are free.
The basics: An outdoor market with anywhere from 50 to 150+ vendors. Live music, outdoor toilets.
Food: There is a concession stand that sells cold drinks, coffee, foods and snacks. Frequently there will be food trucks or vendors selling food.

The Davisville Flea Market is an antiques-centered one. A few artists and craftspeople sell their work, but the majority of the vendors sell old items. There are vintage tools, piles of old photographs, and beer steins on offer.

Aiden and Myles are 9 years old. I met them as they stood, spellbound, in front of the Holy Grail for 9-year-old boys: a giant pile of dozens of Nerf guns. Aiden was willing to give me some flea market advice, though he was incredibly distracted. His friend Myles stood next to him, his mouth agape. Aiden picked up a bright orange Nerf machine gun and examined it as he said, “I’m looking for one that has an attachment that can hold a lot of bullets.”

Aiden said that he likes the look of the guns. “If they made these look like camo [camouflage pattern] that would be good, if you’re into that,” he said, “but I like the bright colors. I think they make them this bright, so you buy them more.”

As I walked around to different tables, I was reminded of some lessons about flea market etiquette I’ve learned the hard way. I approached a table under the shade of some trees that was covered with antique tools. The vendor was having a conversation with another man, but in a slow, laconic way, with many pauses. When I was new to flea marketing, I would have used a lull in the conversation as an opportunity to ask a question, but that has rarely worked out well for me. The polite thing to do is wait until the conversation is completely done.

In this case, I waited four or five minutes for the two men to finish their conversation before talking with the vendor.

“How ya doin’ this morning?” he asked. This is a time-tested traditional greeting that indicated that he was willing to talk. I made a friendly but non-committal answer, because being too enthusiastic about anything sets the wrong tone in negotiations like this. I asked him about a hatchet on his ax table. “What’s the story with this?” I asked. (I could have asked him how much he wanted for it, but that could be interpreted as enthusiasm.)

Clearly this was the right thing to ask. He gleefully told me the brand name of the hatchet. Apparently, at least according to him, it was generally used for splitting shakes. At this point a couple of other customers had wandered over, but I was pleased to find that he had made me one half of the old-guy conversation, so he could make the other people wait.

He tried to sell me a bear trap.

I made my way to a tent run by artists Courtney Norton and Matt West. Their business, 7 Glass Studio, specializes in glass work and pyrography — using heat to burn designs into wood or leather. Matt works in low-heat, non-blown glass. Today he was selling extremely life-like glass caterpillars. “The black, yellow and white ones are your traditional monarch colors,” he explained. “The other ones are just fantasy. People like to stick them in their potted plants.”

John Zapollo sells a lot of different things. Today it was mostly books. He was questioning the wisdom of bringing them to the market. “Books have gone way down,” he said with a rueful shake of his head. “Books here at the flea market don’t seem to sell. It seems like more people are looking for tools and stuff to take care of their houses. The antique stuff that I sell doesn’t seem to get a lot of traction.”

The coolest item at the flea market that day: The bear trap.

What I actually bought: Three antique cookbooks from John. The most interesting one was published by the Heinz Corporation in 1939. I paid $1 apiece.

Treat yourself to some soft serve ice cream

By Zachary Lewis
[email protected]

Soft serve is more than just ice cream. It’s a memory maker. What exactly is soft serve in a literal, non-metaphorical sense? Well, to start, it’s all down to butterfat and machines.

Kaitlyn Witts started working at Arnie’s Place in Concord around 20 years ago. She was basically hired on the spot when she was 16 and now owns the place.

“I bought it from my old boss and now I’m running it,” Witts said.

Anrie’s has a great soft serve setup.

“We have two soft serve machines and we make over 50 flavors of ice cream right in house here,” Witts said.

So what is the difference between soft serve and other ice cream?

“It’s butterfat. Different places will use different butterfats…. The soft serve can be a 5 percent or a 10 percent butterfat whereas a hard ice cream has a 14 or 16 percent butterfat. … It’s a lower-fat option if you will. Lower — not non-fat, but lower-fat.”

Traditionally, soft serve comes in standard flavors.

“One [machine] has vanilla, chocolate, and vanilla chocolate twist, at all times,” Witts said. “[On] the other machine, we switch between flavors like … black raspberry, coffee, maple … Every week and a half or so we try to put in a new flavor.”

Witts has her own favorites. “I would probably go with just a regular vanilla chocolate twist. The maple is really good, though, if you use a maple syrup in it and that’s really, really good, especially if you put some blueberry on top of it — it kind of reminds you of a blueberry pancake.”

Arnie’s is the last stop for local third-graders from Broken Ground School when they do a little field trip around Concord. “They make three lines…. They get a little kiddie cone of vanilla, chocolate, or vanilla chocolate twist. That’s always a really fun field trip that I look forward to coming here every year,” Witts said.

Arnie’s has stayed pretty much the same since the beginning, she feels: “I wouldn’t say it’s changed too, too much.”

But they also serve flavors that are harder to come by nowadays. “People come for flavors they can’t really get a lot of other places. We get requests for frozen pudding, rum raisin, and butter pecan. Flavors that you just don’t see a lot of times at other restaurants,” Witts said.

The soft serves are very customizable, especially with the flurry option.

“We definitely do a lot of soft serve because people really like it,” Witts said. “We definitely go through a lot of soft serve.”

The largest size, she said, is around seven to nine swirls — “We’re not going for the whole gigantic cone thing here.”

This does not mean that soft serve here is any less fun. In fact it’s the opposite. “We have the ability to play around. We tell everyone all the time what we have on the board are just like suggestions as far as flurries go,” Witts said.

So what type of device makes the soft serve? “There are different kinds of soft serve machines. Some you load the soft serve on the top. That’s a gravity soft serve machine. Some you put the mix on the bottom and that’s a pump system because you have to pump it up and into the machine,” Witts said.

The soft serve machines at Arnie’s have seen a lot of swirls. “They’ve been here as long as I’ve worked here, so they’re over 25 years old,” Witts said. The ice cream machine at Arnie’s has been there over 45 years. “That’s pretty cool, that’s my baby.”

On top of daily maintenance and cleaning, these machines go through a deep clean.

“Regularly, once a week, I clean each machine. It takes about two hours to flush the whole thing, pull the entire, all the pieces and o-rings and stuff apart. Like, an hour and a half I’d say for each machine to clean those each week,” she said.

At Arnie’s they have one of the pump machines. Once the machine is sparkly clean, the fun begins. “Pretty much, you put the mix in on the bottom, right, and when you hit the pump button, it pumps it up. It pumps it up through a tube, into the machine, into the barrels of the machine, and once it’s up in there, that’s where it freezes,” Witts said.

After the freezing comes the churning.

“There are blades in there. There’s a big giant metal piece that has these plastic, they’re now plastic blades. They used to be metal blades but they realized they were way too expensive to make, so now they’ve gone to more plastic blades. That thing spins, and as that thing’s spinning, the blades are scraping the barrel of the machine and pushing out the soft serve into the cone or dish,” Witts said.

This machine of tasty delights is complex, she noted. “If you put one tube in the wrong spot and you go to turn the machine on, all of the sudden you’ll have an explosion of soft serve everywhere. … There’s a lot of moving parts in there.”

The human element of making the twists itself is an art.

“Being able to drop the hand that has the cone or dish in it and swirl it at the same time as putting the right amount of pressure on the handle to get it to come out at the right speed — it definitely takes some practice for sure,” Witts said. “Different people have different ways…. There definitely is a learning curve.”

Witts has fond memories of ice cream and as a kid would head to Tee Off at Mel’s to grab some scoops.

“I used to rollerblade down there on the way to my friend’s house,” she recalls. “I’d get a scoop of chocolate and a scoop of Oreo with rainbow sprinkles on it. That was always my go-to. I actually had somebody order that exact thing the other day and it brought all the memories back.”

Since soft serve ice cream is the darling of summer, there are many locations across the Granite State where you can catch that memorable taste.

Soft serve is definitely a star at Golick’s Dairy Bar in Barrington and Rochester. “That is our speciality,” said Alan Golick, who owns the two shops.

“I loved soft serve as a kid,” Golick said. “When I moved up to Dover in the ’70s I used to go to the Princess Dairy Bar.”

In 1986 Alan bought the Princess Dairy Bar and that shop had three or four soft serve machines. “I’ve always considered soft serve to be my specialty because to do it right is not particularly easy. You have to do a good job of maintaining the machines or what you get isn’t always going to be so good.”

Shops do have a choice when it comes to soft serve machine brands.

“Taylor is a very common machine. I run six soft serve machines between my two shops; most of them are Taylors,” Golick said. He also has an Electro Freeze model at the Barrington location.

On a macro level, a standard soft serve machine has a particular build.

“All my machines are what they call a triple head machine…. Each machine is basically two machines in one. The vanilla and chocolate is made side by side so there are three dispensing heads on the machine. One is just straight vanilla, one is straight chocolate, and the middle one does the twist,” Golick said.

That standard chocolate vanilla swirl is joined by other refreshing swirls at Golick’s.

“I have a product called Princess Twist … which was a twist of black raspberry and vanilla, and I continue that to this day and continue to call it a Princess Twist because that was kind of the original,” Golick said.

An almost endless amount of flavors can be found at Golick’s.

“I have a system that allows me to flavor the vanilla soft serve with one of, I think I carry 50 extracts, so just about every flavor under the sun I can create with this system. There’s a pretty good variety there.”

No matter how it’s scooped or swirled, soft serve and hard ice cream are not enemies. In fact, they’re good buddies. “I sell soft serve and hard ice cream side by side in my shop and I honestly can’t say that one sells better than the other on any kind of particular weather day; I think it’s just dependent on what somebody’s in the mood for, you know.”

If soft serve is your treat of choice, getting a proper cone takes experience.

“It’s an acquired skill. It’s not rocket science, but to make a cone look good it takes some technique that we have to teach. The idea is to stack it up nice and tall. The ice cream has to come out from the machine firm enough for that to happen. That involves making sure the machine is adjusted correctly. The product has to come out at a proper temperature, which is usually 17, 18 degrees … when it comes out of the machine.”

A particular favorite is a dip cone, which involves a coating, like chocolate.

“I remember getting those as a kid,” Golick said, “and that involves tipping the cone upside down, which if you didn’t put the ice cream on the cone right it will fall off, but if you do it right, you dip it and turn it right side up and the coating hardens with the temperature of the ice cream cooling it down and you end up with the ice cream coated with chocolate. That’s kind of a classic thing that people like with soft serve.”

Soft serve

Here are some of the local ice cream spots offering soft serve, with information according to their websites and social media. Call ahead to check out current offerings and flavors. Know of one not mentioned here? Let us know at [email protected] and we’ll publish ice cream scene updates in upcoming Weekly Dish columns.

• Arnie’s Place (164 Loudon Road, Concord, 228-3225, arniesplace.com) offers vanilla, chocolate and twist soft serve, as well as a rotation of other flavors such maple, black raspberry and coffee.

• Axel’s Food and Ice Cream (608 DW Highway, Merrimack, 429-2229, axelsfoodandicecream.com) offers soft serve in cones as well as soft serve sundaes and “The Dirt Dessert,” which features chocolate soft serve mixed with crushed Oreo cookie pieces and gummy worms.

• The Beach Plum (3 Brickyard Square, Epping, 679-3200; 16 Ocean Blvd., North Hampton, 964-7451; 2800 Lafayette Road, Portsmouth, 433-3339; thebeachplum.net) offers soft serve in various sizes.

• The Big 1 (185 Concord St., Nashua, thebig1icecream.com) offers vanilla, chocolate and twist soft serve, as well as “Nor’easters,” which feature your choice of any of the three flavors mixed with toppings like M&Ms, Oreo cookie pieces, peanut butter cups, gummy bears, chocolate chips and more.

• The Brick House Drive-In Restaurant (1391 Hooksett Road, Hooksett, 622-8091, bhrestaurant.net) features soft serve as well as hard serve ice cream, sundaes and more.

• Cremeland Drive-In (250 Valley St., Manchester, 669-4430, find them on Facebook) offers soft and hard serve in cones and in sundaes.

• Devriendt Farm Stand and Ice Cream Shoppe, cash only (178 S. Mast St., Goffstown, 497-2793, devriendtfarm.com), offers soft serve — vanilla, chocolate and twist, and as Razzles, blended with your choice of toppings including, when in season, their own strawberries.

• Dudley’s Ice Cream (846 Route 106 N, Loudon, 783-4800, find them on Facebook) offers vanilla and chocolate soft serve, plus a variety of flavor swirls, like “blue goo” (cotton candy) bubble gum, tropical orange, banana and pistachio.

• Findeisen’s Ice Cream (297 Derry Road, Hudson, 886-9422; 125 S. Broadway, Salem, 898-5411; find them on Facebook) has the traditional soft serve offerings of vanilla, chocolate and the twist as well as more than 40 flavors of ice cream, slush and yogurts

• Frekey’s Dairy Freeze (97 Suncook Valley Road, Chichester, 798-5443; 74 Fisherville Road, Concord, 228-5443; frekeysdairyfreeze.com) offers chocolate, vanilla and twist soft serve as well as sundaes and flurries with a variety of mix-ins.

• Frosty Soft Serve Ice Cream Truck (Londonderry, 892-2888, find them on Facebook) offers soft serve ice cream, sundaes, root beer floats and frappes.

• Funway Park Country Ice Cream (454 Charles Bancroft Highway, Litchfield, 424-2292, melsfunwaypark.com) has lots of ice cream options, and patrons can now add flavors to their vanilla soft serve such as mango, bubblegum, black raspberry, strawberry, blue goo (cotton candy), butterscotch, cheesecake and pistachio.

• Goldenrod Restaurant Drive-In (1681 Candia Road, Manchester, 623-9469, goldenrodrestaurant.com) offers chocolate, vanilla and twist soft serve as well as otherhard serve, frappes and desserts.

• Golick’s Dairy Bar (683 Calef Highway, Barrington, 664-9633; 17 Sawyer Ave., Rochester, 330-3244; golicksdairybar.com) offers dozens of unique flavors of soft serve ice cream at both locations, including black raspberry, banana, strawberry, grape, pina colada, pomegranate, red velvet, espresso and more.

• Greaney’s Farm Stand (417 John Stark Highway, Weare, 529-1111, find them on Facebook) offers soft serve ice cream.

• Hawksie’s Ice Cream Fac-Torri (144 Main St., Salem, 890-0471, find them on Facebook) has vanilla, chocolate and twist, as well as 24 flavors of syrups to mix with the vanilla soft serve.

• Hayward’s Ice Cream (7 DW Highway, Nashua, 888-4663; Merrimack 360 Shopping Plaza, DW Highway, Merrimack; haywardsicecream.com) has the traditional vanilla, chocolate or twist, and many other hard ice cream flavors.

• High Tide Takeout (239 Henniker St., Hillsborough, 464-4202, hightidetakeout.com) has soft serve on the menu along with Gifford’s Hard Ice Cream, soft serve, frozen yogurt, sundaes, frappes, banana splits, flavor bursts, fruit smoothies and tidal waves.

• The Inside Scoop (260 Wallace Road, Bedford, 471-7009, theinsidescoopnh.com) serves soft serve options featuring two frequently changing flavors creating twists such as the recent orange and vanilla, and black raspberry and pineapple, according to their Facebook posts, as well as Richardson’s Ice Cream.

• Jay Gee’s Ice Cream (327 S. Broadway, Salem, 458-1167, jaygees.com) has soft serve available in vanilla, chocolate and the twist as well as hard ice cream flavors.

• King Kone (336 DW Highway, Merrimack, 420-8312; kingkonenh.com) boasts “the best soft serve you’ve ever had” on its website and features a chocolate, vanilla and chocolate vanilla twist option as well as a changing line-up of other soft serve flavors including, recently, peanut butter and black raspberry, which could be swirled together as PB& J; orange and vanilla, which could be swirled to create a Creamsicle, and pineapple and coconut, which could be swirled into a piña colada. The menu also features sundaes, Razzles and more.

• Lang’s Ice Cream (510 Pembroke St., Pembroke, 225-7483, langsicecream.com) offers traditional soft serve and many other ice cream flavors and desserts.

• Lix Ice Cream Parlor (55 Charles Bancroft Highway, Litchfield, 438-4797; find them on Facebook) offers Dole Whip soft serve in flavors such as pineapple, strawberry and watermelon.

• Memories Ice Cream (95 Exeter Road, Kingston, 642-3737, memoriesicecream.com) offers chocolate and vanilla as well as rotating vegan flavors, such as raspberry and lemon, which can be swirled.

• Moo’s Place Ice Cream (27 Crystal Ave., Derry, 425-0100; 15 Ermer Road, Salem, 898-0199; moosplace.com) offers a variety of soft serve flavors, like orange, black raspberry, cheesecake, pina colada, peanut butter, root beer and more.

• Pete’s Scoop (187 Rockingham Road, Derry, 434-6366, petesscoop.net) offers chocolate, vanilla and the twist along with soft serve selections from Dole with flavors like watermelon, cherry, lime, pineapple and more.

• Sissy’s Sweets & Ice Cream (1 Suncook Valley Road, Barnstead, find them on Facebook) offers vanilla, chocolate and swirl soft serve and flavor burst options as well as soft serve-based treats such as Sissy’s Flurry, Jumbo Cookie Sandwiches and more.

• Sundae Drive (346 Route 13, Brookline, 721-5209, find them on Facebook) offers a variety of soft serve ice cream flavors in addition to vanilla and chocolate, like strawberry, coconut, cheesecake, bubble gum, pistachio, salted caramel, orange and black raspberry.

• Twin Lanterns Dairy Bar (239 Amesbury Road, Kensington, 394-7021, find them on Facebook) offers coffee, black raspberry and coffee and black raspberry twist soft serve, in addition to vanilla, chocolate and vanilla and chocolate twist.

Recommendations for summer reads

Whether you’re headed for a beach vacation or just a porch with a cool breeze, summer is the perfect time to lose yourself in a good book.

What to read? Here are recommendations from local libraries, book sellers and others for books to keep you entertained through Labor Day.

GENERAL FICTION

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store, by James McBride
From the author of the modern classic memoir The Color of Water.
Recommended by: MainStreet BookEnds in Warner. “This is storytelling at its very best. A wonderful mix of Jewish immigrants and African Americans in the 1920s, forming bonds of loyalty in the poorest part of an emerging Pennsylvania city.”

Margo’s Got Money Troubles, by Rufi Thorpe
The publisher’s description starts, “As the child of a Hooters waitress and an ex-pro wrestler, Margo Millet’s always known she’d have to make it on her own.”
Recommended by: Erin Pastore, operations coordinator at Water Street Bookstore in Exeter. “Just absolutely hilarious. … Very heartwarming story of a young mom.”

By Any Other Name, by Jodi Picoult
A novel about two women, centuries apart, one of whom is the real author of Shakespeare’s plays.
Recommended by: Tanya Ricker, library director at Whipple Free Library in New Boston.
“Jodi has been my favorite author since I was in high school and saw her speak at a journalism conference. … This book, she has said, is the book of her heart, the book she feels she was meant to write. You can tell how deeply she feels about it when you read it. I loved the details, the research, the way it made me think and question things I thought that I knew.”

Remarkably Bright Creatures, by Shelby Van Pelt
A charming novel about a woman who works the night shift at an aquarium.
Recommended by: Jo Flynn at Bookery in Manchester. “It’s a restore-your-faith-in-humanity type of read.” Also recommended by Susan S., Library Director at Seabrook Library.

All Our Yesterdays: A Novel of Lady Macbeth, by Joel H. Morris
A debut novel set 10 years before the events of Shakespeare’s play.
Recommended by: Jan Locke at Balin Books in Nashua. “Definitely for fans of Hamnet! There is still a love story intertwined, but the times are much more visceral. Lady Macbeth’s character development from young girl to queen is quite powerful. Of course, there are witches!”

The Women, by Kristin Hannah
Young nursing student goes to Vietnam to follow her brother and joins the Army Nurse Corps.
Recommended by: Andy Richmond, director of Rye Public Library. “[Because Vietnam] from a female perspective is not really addressed anywhere else in novel form … [this book] opened a lot of people’s eyes I think.”

Night Watch, by Jayne Anne Phillips
Pulitzer-winning novel about a mother and daughter surviving war and its aftermath.
Recommended by: Ken Kozick, proprietor of Sheafe Street Books in Portsmouth. “Like One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest but 100 years before Cuckoo’s Nest, just after the Civil War.”

Recommended by Zachary Lewis, Hippo features writer:
Welcome to the Monkeyhouse by Kurt Vonnegut “is a collection of really cool, absurd stories. Each one is great. Breakfast of Champions is my favorite of his novels but The Sirens of Titan is a close second. Vonnegut is one of the most sincere and authentic writers.”

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon “is an awesome tale about the creation of comic books, escape artists from pre-war Europe, and the connection of family in all its iterations.”

1666, by Lora Chilton
A story about Patawomeck women living through the decimation of their tribe in Virginia.
Recommended by: MainStreet BookEnds. “Historical fiction at its best. … Told through the eyes of two women, it is a piece of our history that is finally being discovered and told.”

Long Island, by Colm Tóibín
An Irish woman living on Long Island in the 1970s faces an unexpected situation.
Recommended by: Andy Richmond, director of Rye Public Library.

American Spirits, by Russell Banks
The final collection of stories by the author before his death in 2023.
Recommended by: Liz Ryan, adult programming coordinator at Derry Public Library. “[Banks] was an incredible creative voice in fiction.”

North Woods: A Novel, by Daniel Mason
A story about a house in New England, told through the lives of its inhabitants over the centuries.
Recommended by: Emerson Sistare, owner of Toadstool Books in Peterborough. “Flat out, one of the best books I have read in the last number of years. Mason’s prose and ability to weave and bounce between genres elevate this book to lofty heights. A triumphant anthem to the beauty of New England and its people.”

The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell, by Robert Dugoni
A coming-of-age story about a boy born with red pupils, called “Devil Boy” by his classmates.
Recommended by: Diane C., circulation assistant at Seabrook Library. “This book is very inspiring!”

Fire Exit, by Morgan Talty
The story of a young man who grew up with his mother and stepfather on a reservation in Maine but must move away when he turns 18 because he is not native.
Recommended by: Erin Pastore, operations coordinator at Water Street Bookstore in Exeter. “It’s a really deep family story. Wickedly funny at times while also being very serious about issues of native reservations.”

All the Light We Cannot See, by Anthony Doerr
Pulitzer-winning novel about a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in France during World War II.
Recommended by: Mary Kennedy, interlibrary loans and circulation, Whipple Free Library in New Boston. “I always enjoy historical fiction books in general and this book was captivating . You are reading the viewpoints of two main characters and then you see how their worlds collide. It took a little bit to get into but then I was hooked at one point. The descriptives and the author’s writing style have you imagining the characters and scenes easily.”

How to Read a Book, by Monica Wood
A novel about unlikely friendships and second chances.
Recommended by: Jo Flynn at Bookery. “Another restore-your-faith-in-humanity book.”

The Lincoln Highway, by Amor Towles
A story of two brothers in 1950s America.
Recommended by: Marcia de Steuben, circulation assistant at Whipple Free Library in New Boston. “It’s 1954 and Emmett Watson has just been dropped off at his home in Nebraska by the warden of the work farm where Emmett served a year for involuntary manslaughter. Out of the trunk of the warden’s car pop two friends from the work farm. So begins a 10-day adventure for the teenagers and Emmett’s 8-year-old brother Billy. On their journey they meet lots of interesting characters and have humorous and memorable experiences. This is an entertaining read.”

Table for Two, by Amor Towles
Six stories and a novella.
Recommended by: Ben Brown, director of Harvey-Mitchell Library in Epping. “He’s very popular, he only writes a book every four to five years…. He does… historical fiction.”

Recommended by Hippo Features writer Micheal Witthaus:
Beautiful & Terrible Things, by S.M. Stevens (July 18)
“This novel explores the personal and political lives of six city-dwelling twentysomethings, using romantic entanglements and professional challenges to explore issues like environmentalism, social justice, mental health and identity. It’s written by a New Hampshire author and the fictional group’s favorite gathering spot is inspired by Gibson’s Bookstore in Concord.”

Mayluna, by Kelley McNeil
“A great read for fans of Daisy Jones and the Six. Its story revolves around a fictional chart-topping rock group but is more focused on the emotional lives of its two main characters: the band’s lead singer and creative force, and the music journalist who becomes their lover and muse. For music industry geeks, Mayluna provides an informative look at its pre-Napster days; the author was once a tour manager.”

MYSTERY

How to Solve Your Own Murder, by Kristen Perrin
A cozy mystery in which a woman tries to prevent her foretold murder.
Recommended by: Jan Locke at Balin Books. “This is a lovely chick-lit cozy about the bonds of female friendship. Read it in a single bite!”

The Kamogawa Food Detectives, by Hisashi Kashiwai (translated by Jesse Kirkwood)
A bestseller in Japan with a sequel due in October.
Recommended by: Tracy Kittredge, customer services, Nashua Public Library. “It was the cover that made me pick up this book; I cannot resist cats or noodles. And then I discovered that it’s a cozy mystery, only the ‘detectives’ aren’t investigating crimes. Instead, they bring food memories to life by recreating a dish from their clients’ past. At 208 pages, it’s a delicious, lighthearted read, and the personal stories resonate.”

Lightning Strikes the Silence: A Lane Winslow Mystery, by Iona Whishaw
No. 11 in a series.
Recommended by: MainStreet BookEnds in Warner. “Wonderful writing and pure escapism. Lane Winslow is back as the former English WWII spy, needing to escape to the quiet of a pastoral little town in British Columbia. But murders happen, and her keen sensibilities are needed at every turn. Caution: you must read them in order, so get started.”

The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels, by Janice Hallett
Stylistically innovative mystery in which a true crime journalist who revives an old case.
Recommended by: Jaclyn at Nashua Public Library. “I really loved all the different ways we were fed information. Emails, texts, voice recordings that were transcribed made me feel like I was there with the main character putting all the pieces together. If you like a good mystery and want to help figure out what happened to the fictional cult of the Alperton Angels this is the book for you!”

The Frozen River, by Ariel Lawhon
Recommended by: Andy Richmond, director of Rye Public Library. “It’s a novelization of Martha Ballard’s diaries as a midwife in Maine” with the addition of a murder mystery.

Recommended by Corinne Robinson, Hippo production designer:
The City of Brass, by S. A. Chakraborty (the first in a trilogy). “It’s a fantastic read! It has absolutely fantastic worldbuilding and the author does a great job of gradually building political and emotional tension. Also the characters have such dynamic relationships with one another and each character you meet plays a significant role in the overall storyline. I love all three books!”

ROMANCE AND ROM-COM

Pride, Pancakes, and Paris, by Emmie J. Holland
Boy needs plus-one for a wedding, girl reluctantly agrees to pose as his girlfriend because trip to Paris!
Recommended by: Emily St. Louis at Bookery. “Trope of best friend’s brother and enemies to lovers, perfect beach read.”

Happy Medium, by Sarah Adler
A rom-com involving a fake spirit medium and an actual havoc-wreaking ghost.
Recommended by: Tammy McCracken at Balin Books. “A reluctant con-woman, a sexy farmer … and a ghost feeding the con-woman…. Plus, baby goats! It’s a fun romp.”

The Idea of You, by Robinne Lee
The book that spawned the Prime video starring Anne Hathaway.
Recommended by: Amy Hanmer at Manchester City Library. “You’re a 39-year-old mom dating the lead singer of a boy band, whom your daughter loves. Lee’s book is much better than the movie.”

HORROR

The Angel of Indian Lake, by Stephen Graham Jones
Book 3 in a trilogy of horror novels centered on generational trauma in Idaho.
Recommended by: Ben Brown, director of Harvey-Mitchell Library in Epping. “Really gory but it’s really good if you like Stephen King or something like that. It has a more unique flavor because of the Native American perspective.”

Horror Movie, by Paul Tremblay
A chilling twist on the “cursed film” genre.
Recommended by: Tammy McCracken at Balin Books. “The only remaining cast member of a never released 1993 horror film is approached 30 years later to be part of a big-budget Hollywood reboot. What are people willing to do to get this made?”

Recommended by Jennifer Gingras, Hippo production designer:
The Women of Weird Tales, stories by Everil Worrell, Eli Colter, Mary Elizabeth Counselman, and Graye La Spina, introduction by Melanie Anderson
“13 classic tales of fantasy and horror written by women who were influential in developing the modern genre. Including vampires, ghosts, curses, corpses and other horrors, the stories are fun, imaginative and — most importantly — weird!”

EDGE OF YOUR SEAT

The Exchange: After the Firm, by John Grisham
Another legal thriller from the prolific bestselling author.
Recommended by: Andy Richmond, director of Rye Public Library. “A follow-up on the big hit The Firm,” filled with international intrigue.

The Guest, by B.A. Paris
A psychological thriller about unpredictable friends and dangerous secrets.
Recommended by: Jess H., adult services librarian at Seabrook Library. “This book will keep you guessing right up until the last chapter. All of our patrons who read this book rate it as 4 out of 4 stars!” and “This is a book that you will not be able to put down. I read it in a day!”

SCIF-FI

Service Model, by Adrian Tchaikovsky
“A delightfully humorous tale of robotic murder,” says the publisher.
Recommended by: Sue Harmon, information and technology librarian at Manchester City Library “[Tchaikovsky’s] signature style is deep philosophical takes and meandering story-lines. … A refreshing take on AI-based stories.”

Children of Time, by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Humans battle on a terraformed planet. Winner of the Arthur C. Clarke Award.
Recommended by: Michael Joachim at Balin Books. “Epic sci-fi adventure spanning time and space. [Tchaikovsky] world-builds with great imagination and details. Big themes and great characters.”

FANTASY

Road to Ruin, by Hana Lee
Gritty fantasy with motorcycles, magic and monsters.
Recommended by: Lex Hetrick, library technician at Manchester City Library. “I felt like I was hanging onto the back of Jin’s magebike through this sandstorm ride! You can see the twists coming but that doesn’t make the road any less fun.”

The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England, by Brandon Sanderson
A fantasy adventure where a man wakes up in medieval England with no idea where he came from.
Recommended by: Jo Flynn at Bookery. “A fun, lighthearted immersive fantasy with lots of breaking the fourth wall.”

Recommended by John Fladd, Hippo features editor and food writer:
A Deadly Education: A Novel (The Scholomance, Book 1), by Naomi Novik
“This is a fantasy about a school of magic. Unlike the one you’re thinking of, it is deliciously dark, with an intricate plot. Imagine Hogwarts, if 60 percent of the students died before leaving. “

Ninth House, by Leigh Bardugo
A magical murder mystery set among secret societies at Yale University.
Recommended by: Natalie Lapointe, cataloging and technical Services, Whipple Free Library in New Boston. “This is a must-read, can’t-put down kind of book. If you love this, be sure to check out Hell Bent, the second installment of the Alex Stern series. Book 3 will be coming out within the next year (hopefully).”

Threads that Bind, by Kika Hatzopoulou
A descendant of the Greek Fates must solve a series of impossible murders.
Recommended by: Kirsten Rickershauser at Balin Books. “This one reminds me a lot of the paranormal fantasy I read in high school. Io is a private investigator and third sister of fate, able to see and cut the threads that bind people to their loves and lives. Here she is pushed in investigating how women with their life threads cut are murdering others instead of being dead themselves. With a lot of mirror mythology and world-building, this YA (Young Adult) book is fun for teens and adults alike.”

A Court of Thorns and Roses (the whole series), by Sara J. Maas
Wolves, beasts, immortal faeries — oh, and romance.
Recommended by: Emily St. Louis at Bookery. “A viral favorite, worth the hype for both fantasy and romance lovers.”

A Touch of Darkness (series), by Scarlett St. Clair
Persephone must create life in the Underworld or lose her freedom forever.
Recommended by: Emily St. Louis at Bookery. “(Surprisingly) a good spicy romance retelling of Hades x Persephone, as well as a modern aspect of Greek gods. It’s a restore-your- faith-in-humanity type of read.”

Child of a Hidden Sea (Hidden Sea Tales #1), by A.M. Dellamonica
A fantasy tale of adventure and adversity.
Recommended by: Sue Pellerin, adult services, Whipple Free Library in New Boston. “The book opens as biologist Sophie Hansa crashes into an unfamiliar ocean, suddenly and mysteriously transported there from present-day San Francisco. What follows is a novel full of adventure, political intrigue, magic, and family. The island-world of Stormwrack is fascinating — I loved learning about the various island nations and floating cities as the series progressed. And I adored all the characters, from the unfailingly curious Sophie to her genius brother Bram to the various inhabitants of Stormwrack we meet. The three books in this series are not enough for me — this is a world I could happily return to over and over again!”

Vassa in the Night, by Sarah Porter
A dark modern fairy tale.
Recommended by: Sue Pellerin, adult services, Whipple Free Library in New Boston. “A modern retelling of the Russian fairy tale ‘Vasilisa the Beautiful.’ Porter’s Brooklyn setting is at once familiar and fantastically alien, and her depiction of Baba Yaga (or Babs Yagg as she’s called here) as a sadistic convenience store owner is nothing short of inspired. Both hauntingly beautiful and deeply unsettling, this gorgeously written book had me hooked from the first page.”

A Broken Blade, by Melissa Blair
Fast-paced fantasy about power and resistance.
Recommended by: Jaclyn at Nashua Public Library. “If you want a fantasy book with a strong female lead character Keera is your girl. This book is mainly a fantasy but does have some romance. Book 3 just came out and Book 4 is set for next year and I can’t wait to see what the author does with the story!”

POETRY

Good Monster, by Diannely Antigua
A 2024 collection from the Poet Laureate of Portsmouth.
Recommended by: Ken Kozick, proprietor of Sheafe Street Books in Portsmouth. She “represents her role as Poet Laureate well.” Kosick said.

In the Hour of War: Poetry from Ukraine, edited by Carolyn Forché and Ilya Kaminsky
An anthology of current poetry of Ukraine.
Recommended by: Ken Kozick, proprietor of Sheafe Street Books in Portsmouth.

NONFICTION

Building: A Carpenter’s Notes on Life & the Art of Good Work, by Mark Ellison
Winner of the Inc. Non-Obvious Book Award.
Recommended by: MainStreet BookEnds. “This is a lovely meditation on finding the vocation that matters to you and learning its disciplines over time. It is now out in paperback, and makes a great read on finding and living a life that matters.”

Recommended by Hippo features writer Michael Witthaus:
Hot Dog Money: Inside the Biggest Scandal in the History of College Sports, by Guy Lawson
“Nonfiction that reads like a crime thriller, it begins with the fall from grace of a financial advisor to student athletes on their way to the big leagues. To stay out of prison, he cooperates with federal law enforcement to root out corruption in college basketball, with astonishing success. It turns out that the money involved with keeping amateurs playing for free is irresistible to many.”

The Demon of Unrest, by Erik Larson
592 pages on a slice of Civil War history.
Recommended by: Michael Joachim at Balin Books. “A riveting moment-by-moment account of the tense months between Abe Lincoln’s election and the attack on Fort Sumter by a renowned historian.” Also recommended by Ben Brown, Director of Harvey-Mitchell Library in Epping.

Crossings: How Road Ecology is Shaping the Future of Our Planet, by Ben Goldfarb
A Smithsonian Staff Favorite and a Science News Favorite of 2023, about the 40 million miles of roadway on Earth.
Recommended by: Prudence Wells at Balin Books. “Road ecology affects all of us: turtles, moose, butterflies, humans, etc. Habitat destruction, migration confusion and loss of life (man and beast) occur on account of roads. We can get to where we want to go without damaging our ecology. Here’s how….”

Recommended by John Fladd, Hippo features editor and food writer:
No Applause — Just Throw Money: The Book That Made Vaudeville Famous, by Trav S.D.
“I’ve always been fascinated by Vaudeville, the traveling variety shows of the late 1800s and early 1900s. I was hoping to learn more about some of the odd acts that toured the Vaudeville circuits, like Swain’s Rats and Cats, where cats dressed in racehorse livery would race around a track, mounted by rats dressed as jockeys. There was a little of that, but No Applause was more about the business model of Vaudeville, which I would have bet anything I wouldn’t care about. Instead, I was fascinated.”

The Flavor Bible: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America’s Most Imaginative Chefs, by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg
“This is the most useful book in my kitchen. And my office. And on my phone, so I can consult it while I’m shopping. It is nothing more or less than a comprehensive series of lists of which ingredients go well together. Creative typography lets the reader know if a pairing is a widely recognized one, or one passionate chef’s guilty pleasure. I use this book to develop new recipes for main dishes, desserts and cocktails. This could be a life-saver for those times when you find yourself shouting to your kitchen ceiling, ‘What am I going to do with all these kumquats!’”

The Boys: A Memoir of Hollywood and Family, by Ron and Clint Howard
Ron Howard and his brother, Clint, who were both child actors, recount their lives in alternating chapters.
Recommended by: Anne P., circulation assistant at Seabrook Library. “This is a memoir about growing up in Hollywood. It is very interesting and well-written.

The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness, by Jonathan Haidt
The latest offering from the social psychologist who wrote The Happiness Hypothesis.
Recommended by: MainStreet BookEnds. “An important book for our times as California’s governor calls for smartphones to be banned in schools and the U.S. Surgeon General urges a warning label on apps that their use can be addictive to children.”

Who’s Afraid of Gender, by Judith Butler
Recommended by: Liz Ryan, adult programming coordinator at Derry Public Library, who called the book “accessible” and said she’s impressed by how Butler puts discussions of gender in terms everyone can understand.

Recommended by Zachary Lewis, Hippo features writer:
Me Talk Pretty One Day and Santaland Diaries by David Sedaris “are the gold standards for humorous creative nonfiction. I recommend the audiobook for Me Talk Pretty One Day with Sedaris narrating.”

The Ancient Engineers by L. Sprague De Camp “goes through how civilizations from ancient Egypt, Babylon, etc. could have built their cities in a real, non alien-influenced way. He wrote a lot on debunking claims of the occult and pseudoscience despite also being a fantasy and sci-fi author.”

GRAPHIC NOVELS

Monstress, Volume 1: Awakening, by Marjorie M. Liu & Sana Takeda
“An original fantasy epic for mature readers,” according to the publisher at imagecomcis.com.
Recommended by: Sue Pellerin, adult services at Whipple Free Library in New Boston. “This is the first volume in an ongoing graphic novel series. It’s set in a matriarchal fantasy Asia, highly inspired by Art Deco and steampunk aesthetics. The world-building is lush and incredibly detailed, and Takeda’s artwork is a feast for the senses. The storytelling is complex, dark and fiercely feminist with political machinations, warring factions and banished old gods. Volume 9 comes out this fall, so there’s plenty of story to catch up on!”

My Favorite Thing is Monsters: Book Two, by Emil Ferris
The follow-up to the 2017 graphic novel My Favorite Thing is Monsters, full of mysteries and B-movie horror vibes and set in 1960s Chicago.
Recommended by: Liz Ryan, adult programming coordinator at Derry Public Library. “I’ve been waiting for this book for seven years, so I am extremely excited to finally continue the story. … it’s an amazing piece of art.”

Watership Down: The Graphic Novel, by Richard Adams, adapted and illustrated by James Sturm and Joe Sutphin
Beloved story of a group of rabbits on an epic journey in search of home.
Recommended by: MainStreet BookEnds. “[A] gorgeous interpretation, yet true to the original. After 50 years, something to engage and delight the younger readers.”

CHILDREN’S PICTURE BOOKS

Something About the Sky, by Rachel Carson, illustrated by Nikki McClure
What do you know about clouds?
Recommended by: MainStreet BookEnds.“What happens when you combine the beautiful writing of environmentalist Rachel Carson with the exquisite art of Nikki McClure and roll it into a picture book for children? You get this gem!”

Where is Little Stripe’s Daddy? by Deborah Bruss, illustrated by Cornelius Van Wright
Turns out zebras are not the only animals with black and white stripes.
Recommended by: MainStreet BookEnds. “Concord’s own Deborah Bruss has a new children’s book out and it is perfectly delightful. … Designed graphically so the child has a window to anticipate the next page’s surprise, there are so many things to see and learn throughout.”

Recommended by Zachary Lewis, Hippo features writer:
The Monk by Matthew Lewis “is a great traditional gothic horror, bodice-ripper, silly creepy spooky novel.”

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster, “got me to put down my Nintendo 64 controller when I was in third grade.”

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley “is wonderful, secretly funny, and absurd in all the right places.”

Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino “is truly a unique book. Anything by Calvino is what you want when you want magical realism.”