While booklovers protest at having to pick a favorite book (“only one?!”), local readers have suggested these great reads for getting a sense of “the real Maine”:
Andrew Vietze’s Becoming Teddy Roosevelt: How a Maine Guide Inspired America’s 26th President demonstrates how Maine values—appreciation of nature and rugged individuality—haven’t changed much over the last century, while Stephen King’s latest, 11/22/63 depicts Maine at mid-20th century...and is an incredibly good story! –Gary Guida and Kim Cashman, BellaBooks, Belfast
Focused on the Coast: The Photographic Work of Neal Parent is a collection of awe-inspiring photos from Belfast’s very own black and white photographic master: nothing conveys Maine’s people and places quite like Neal’s images. --Jennifer J. Albee, ReVision Energy, Liberty
Written in 1963, Burt Dow, Deep-Water Man by Robert McCloskey is best read aloud and with gusto, whether to yourself or a young audience. Harkens to the old days, with beautiful art. Meant to be rediscovered. --Jill Lang, Allen Insurance and Financial, Camden
Historic Maine Homes: 200 years by Christopher Glass and photographed by Brian VanderBrink captures the multi-dimensional, ever-unfolding quality of Maine’s history, beauty, culture, and people through the architecture of our historic homes. --Leslie Umans, Belfast Historical Society & Museum
For grandmothers (like me) who live in Maine, Counting Our Way to Maine by Maggie Smith shows our grandchildren, in detailed illustrations, what they can enjoy while visiting: everything from picking blueberries, catching fireflies, and rowing in the fog to getting mosquito bites. --Martha Laitin, Prudential Northeast Properties, Searsport
Architect John Silverio of Lincolnville’s Hearthspire - Designing Wood-Heated Houses provides history and hands-on instruction for the time-honored Maine practice of heating your home with wood. –Ellie Daniels, The Green Store, Belfast
Rigors of climate, remoteness of geography, reliance on neighbors, and yearning for an authentic life—all true Maine themes—are embodied in the wonderful memoir This Life is In Your Hands by Melissa Coleman. – Lindsay McGuire, Barbara Klausmeyer & Marsha Kaplan, Left Bank Books, Searsport
Editor of Down East Magazine Paul Doiron’s thriller The Poacher's Son conveys the true flavor of life in the Maine woods—and will keep you up late! --Kristen Lindquist, Coastal Mountains Land Trust, Camden
