The Andover Library Book Club has met six times since June. Having chosen the books beforehand and made them available in the libraries, we are debating our next step. Participation was low; loyal, but low.

What would you like to do? Please contact Priscilla Poulin, Andover librarian; Michelle Bengivengo, East Andover librarian; or Janet Moore (at JMPCilley@nulltds.net) and let us know the following:

• Are you interested in attending a book discussion group that meets at the library?
• What time do you prefer?
• What kinds of books interest you?
• If you already belong to a book group, what appeals to you about that group and its readings?

In the meantime, the libraries are gearing up for the holidays with displays and books set out for you to peruse. If you’d like to see what’s new, check out the New Acquisitions lists in the upcoming Beacon or at AndoverBeacon.com. Here’s a little teaser for one of the year’s most popular stories set in New Hampshire, and you can check it out at our libraries!

Following Atticus, by Tom Ryan, is the author’s account of hiking all 48 4,000-footers in New Hampshire, first in summer, then in winter. The Atticus mentioned here is none other than miniature schnauzer Atticus Maxwell Finch, intrepid explorer, survivor of hikes and diseases, and best friend to Tom Ryan.

Tom owned and ran The Undertoad, an independent newspaper in Newburyport, Massachusetts. But when a close friend died of cancer, Tom and Atticus chose to pay tribute to her by climbing the 48 peaks in New Hampshire to raise money for the Jimmy Fund.

With grit, determination, and stubbornness, they tackled the Whites and lived to tell their inspirational and sometimes hair-raising story.