Richards Free Library

Engage, Enrich, Entertain

Announcement

Upcoming Author Talk- Kenneth M. Sheldon

Join us Wednesday, March 22nd at 6pm as Author Kenneth M. Sheldon talks about his book Deep Water.

Kenneth M. Sheldon is the author of the true-crime book Deep Water—Murder, Scandal and Intrigue in a New England Town, as well as suspense novels written under the pen name Michael Manley. He formerly served as West Coast Bureau Chief for Byte Magazine, the first magazine about personal computers, and has been a regular columnist for Yankee Magazine and New Hampshire Magazine. He has appeared on New Hampshire Chronicle, and on stage, the radio, and television. He is also the author of Welcome to Frost Heaves, a collection of stories written as Yankee humorist Fred Marple.

Deep Water is based on extensive research into the Dean murder, including thousands of pages of FBI documents, Grand Jury testimonies, newspaper accounts, private correspondence, and the archives of the Jaffrey Historical Society.

In the waning days of World War I, William K. Dean was brutally murdered, his body hog-tied and dumped in a rainwater cistern on his farm in the quiet town of Jaffrey, New Hampshire. Suspicion quickly fell on Dean’s wife, an invalid in the early stages of dementia. Her friends, outraged at the accusations, pointed instead to a former tenant of Dean’s, whom many suspected of being a German spy. Others believed that Dean’s best friend, a politically powerful banker and judge, was involved.

Library Closed Monday, January 22nd

The library will be closed tomorrow, Monday January 23rd due to the snow storm. While we are physically closed, remember you can download a book, audio book, movie, tv show, music album, and more from one of our streaming services for free with your library card! Check out Libby, Hoopla, and Kanopy in the App Store.

Stay safe and cozy tomorrow!

Bookish Bakes

The Book Festival is fast approaching, August the 27th. We will have the Book Sale tent, Children’s tent, Friends of the Library tent, and the Cookie Walk!

The Cookie Walk is a win for everyone! For just $5, you can walk from tray to tray and fill a paper bag with cookies, bars, and other goodies. Your money goes to support Youth Programs at the library throughout the year.

The RFL needs your baked goods for our Cookie Walk! Consider donating your favorite bakes. Contact Janice Brehio at Outreach@newport.lib.nh.us to let us know you’re interested in bringing a bake!

Here are some of the baked goods that we librarians made for the Author Event this last Saturday:

Peanut Butter Fudge from Sally Bernier, Assistant Director

Coat a 9×13 pan with butter. Set aside 1 cup each of marshmallow fluff, peanut butter, flour. Boil 4 cups sugar, 1 cup whole milk, 6 tbsp butter for 20 minutes. Take off stove and quickly stir in marshmallow fluff, peanut butter, and flour. Pour into 9×13 pan and place pan on rack to cool. When cooled, cut into squares using a hot knife. (I boil water, pour it over the knife and wipe the knife dry.)

Rock Cakes from Justine Fafara, Library Director

Ingredients

  • 8 oz (1 1/2 cups) all purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 3 oz (3/4 of a stick) butter
  • 3 oz (1/3 cup) sugar
  • 2 oz (1/2 cup) currants or golden raisins
  • 1 egg
  • 2 1/2 oz milk
  • (optional: pinch of mixed spice)

Preheat oven to 425°F (215°C)

Line cookie sheets with silicone baking sheets or parchment paper. Sift the flour, baking powder (and mixed spice, if using) and set aside. Cream the butter and sugar until creamy and smooth. Add the egg. Next, mix in the sifted flour and milk. As it comes together, add the dried fruit. Mix just until combined. Do not over mix. With two forks, make “rock-like” cookies on the tray about 2″ apart. They should not be smooth. Sprinkle with a little sugar and bake in the upper part of the oven for about 12 minutes. (It could range from 10 to 15 minutes, depending on your oven.)

original recipe from christina’s cucina

No Bake Bars from Ali Wood, Library Assistant

  • 1 cup SUGAR
  • 2 tablespoons COCOA, DRY POWDER, UNSWEETENED
  • 1/4 cup MILK
  • 1/4 cup MARGARINE
  • 1/4 cup PEANUT BUTTER
  • 1/2 teaspoon VANILLA EXTRACT
  • 1 1/2 cups OATS
  • 1 pinch SALT

Put sugar, cocoa, milk and margarine on medium heat and cook until mixture comes to a rolling boil Boil for one minute. Remove from heat and cool for one minute. Add the peanut butter, vanilla, oats or oatmeal and salt, stir well. Spread the mix onto a baking sheet, greased and lined. let mixture cool and set. Cut into bars and enjoy!

Colin Calloway receives 2022 Hale Award

We are pleased to announce the recipient of the 2022 Sarah Josepha Hale Award is Colin Calloway. Calloway has been a professor at Dartmouth College since 1995 and has served 5 terms as chair of the Native American Studies Program. He has published 14 titles in the field of Native American and Indigenous and has edited 10 collections of essays and documents. He has received awards from the Missiquoi Nation of Abenakis and the Native American Students at Dartmouth. He was also selected for the American Indian History Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011. His book, The Indian World of George Washington, was a National Book Award finalist in 2018, received the Daughters of the American Revolution Excellence in American History Book Award, the Journal of the American Revolution Book of the Year Award, the American Revolution Round Table of Philadelphia Book Award, and the George Washington Prize in 2019.

The Richards Free Library Board of Trustees and Sarah Josepha Hale Award Board of Judges are pleased to host Mr. Calloway on Saturday September 24th. Tickets for a dinner at the Old Courthouse Restaurant will be available for sale at the library beginning August 22, 2022. Following the dinner will be a free event, open to the public at the Newport Opera House at 7pm which will include the award presentation and speech by Calloway. Seating is limited and available on a first come, first serve basis.