Variety highlights new regional books

All of the books described below are of regional interest to Maine readers.

First, two quite different novels. CALL AFTER MIDNIGHT, by Camden author and physician Tess Gerritsen (Harlequin Books, 251 pages, $2.79), is being reprinted because Harlequin Intrigue thinks it’s a classic of romantic suspense, involving a woman who loses her husband in Europe. RODGERS CHILD (Libra Publishers., 3098C Clairemont Drive, Suite 383, San Diego, Calif. 92117, 227 pages, $10.50), a first novel by South Hamilton, Mass., writer J.R. Churgin, is the story of one young woman’s discrimination and triumph at a prestigious university.

Three new children’s book are noteworthy. THE WEATHER SKY, by Maine writer and photographer Bruce McMillan (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 40 pages, $16.95), shows in colorful photographs the beauty and drama of an ever-changing sky. SOMETHING MAGIC, by Blue Hill author Maggie S. Davis (Simon and Schuster, 27 pages, $13.95), has vibrant watercolors by Mary O’Keefe Young that depict a young girl’s bond with her grandmother. THE PRESIDENT’S FAVORITE PLACE, by Virginia Langley (Branden Publishing Co., 17 Station St., Box 843 Brookline Village, Boston, Mass. 02147, 15 pages, $3.95), introduces young visitors to Kennebunkport attractions. A companion audio tape sells for $4.95.

A couple of books for the kitchen take diverse approaches to cooking. Robert P. Tristram Coffin’s MAINE COOKING: Old-Time Secrets (Northern Lights, 493 College Ave., Orono 04473, 160 pages, $8.95), is a reissue of “Mainstays of Maine,” long out of print. CHURCH FAIR CENTENNIAL COOKBOOK (P.O. Box 1115, Camden, 04843, $7.50 plus $1.50 postage and handling), published to benefit the First Congregational Church of Camden, is a more conventional cookbook.

Finally, books about the land. LANGUAGE OF THE FOREST, by C. Ross McKenney, with David L. Kendall (Peter E. Randall Publisher; order from Dartmouth Outing Club, P.O. Box 9, Hanover, N.H. 03755, 160 pages, $15 plus $2.50 shipping and handling), is the life story of a registered Maine guide who taught at Dartmouth and advised the college’s Outing Club. WRITTEN IN STONE: A Geological History of the Northeastern United States, by Chet Raymond Maureen E. Raymo (Globe Pequot, 192 pages, $12.95), explains geologic and natural features of the Northeast.