TURTLE SPLASH! COUNTDOWN AT THE POND, by Cathryn Falwell, Greenwillow Books, 2001, $15.95. I never knew that a countdown book – from number 10 to number 1 – could be so complicated. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes =… Read More
BAR HARBOR – Think back to when you were small: Remember the grassy meadow or vacant lot where you spent boundless summer afternoons? Remember the thrill of discovering a cache of wild strawberries, a snakeskin or a nest filled with tiny specked eggs? Though a… Read More
MAIN STREETS & BACK ROADS OF NEW ENGLAND, The Globe Pequot Press, Guilford, Conn., 2001, hardcover, 168 pages, $29.95. When a colleague handed me this book to review, I glanced at the dust jacket and groaned, “Terrific, another coffee table title written by big-city authors… Read More
HISTORIC STORMS OF NEW ENGLAND, by Sidney Perley, Commonwealth Edition, Beverly, Mass. 2001, $14.95. This handsome edition of an 1891 classic is sure to find regiments of readers. After all, who among us New Englanders is not concerned with the weather. It’s a Yankee preoccupation… Read More
JACKIE’S NINE: JACKIE ROBINSON’S VALUES TO LIVE BY, by Sharon Robinson, Scholastic Inc., New York, 2001, 181 pages, $15.95. We all know of Jackie Robinson as a sports hero, a breaker of the color barrier in baseball. Playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers, he was the… Read More
FOLLOWING FAKE MAN, by Barbara Ware Holmes, Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 2001, 226 pages, $15.95. One suspects there must be many writers of young adult fiction losing sleep over the mammoth ongoing popularity of the Harry Potter books. Ms. Rowling cannot bring out a… Read More
STOPPING TO HOME, by Lea Wait, Margaret K. McElderry Books, Simon & Schuster, New York, 2001, 152 pages, $16 Wiscasset author Lea Wait combines a world she knows well – children looking for love and safety – with the history of her adopted community… Read More
THE JOY OF KNITTING, by Lisa R. Myers, Running Press, 2001, 167 pages, $18.95 I like to be seduced by needlework books. I want big pages with a glossy finish, artsy photos of gorgeous handmade sweaters, lengthy lists of fiber sources and plenty of easy… Read More
CANOE BOY, by Chip Chandler, America House Book Publishers, Frederick, MD.; 2000, 279 pages, $24.95. Like the author, this book’s 14-year-old protagonist, Jonas Montgomery, lives in Maine. Which should give him something of an edge as a likeable young hero. So much for the Maine… Read More
HIGH SEAS TO HIGH STAKES: OR AROUND THE HORN TO THE GOLD RUSH, by Ruth S. Nash, 1st Books Library (www.1stbooks.com), 2001. You’ve got to give this book’s author credit for gumption. In the best Down East tradition, she was 80 when she earned her… Read More
MAXIMUM DANGER: KENNEDY, THE MISSILES, AND THE CRISIS OF AMERICAN CONFIDENCE, by Robert Weisbrot, Ivan R. Dee, Publisher; Chicago, 2001, $27.50. Being the good academic that he is, Robert Weisbrot (American history professor at Colby College) begins his lively history of the 1962 Cuban missile… Read More
THE SECRET LIFE OF DUST: FROM THE COSMOS TO THE KITCHEN COUNTER, THE BIG CONSEQUENCES OF LITTLE THINGS, by Hannah Holmes, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, 2001, $22.95. Dust. Can’t live with it, can’t live without it. But ignore it and you’ll… Read More
EAGLE ISLAND, by Bernard E. Dethier and Merrily M. Dethier, Vantage Press, New York, 2000, 278 pages, $21.50. The scene painted in “Eagle Island,” a profoundly depressing, yet compelling novel by the late Bernard E. Dethier and wife Merrily M. Dethier, is frighteningly reminiscent of… Read More
THE SURGEON, by Tess Gerritsen, Ballantine Books, New York, 2001, 359 pages, hardcover, $24.95. In this new release, terror stalks the streets of Boston in the form of a serial killer of women. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes… Read More
CELEBRATING RAMADAN by Diane Hoyt-Goldsmith, Holiday House Inc. 2001, hard cover, 32 pages, $16.95 In the aftermath of the tragic events of Sept. 11, libraries and bookstores report that interest in the Islamic faith has grown rapidly. Most Americans don’t know much about this ancient… Read More
SEA GLASS CHRONICLES: WHISPERS FROM THE PAST by C. S. Lambert, photographs by Pat Hanbery, Down East Books, Camden, 2001, 96 pages, hardcover, $30. When you comb the beach for sea glass, do you ever wonder where it came from? googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
A DORYMAN’S DAY, by Capt. R. Barry Fisher, Tilbury House Publishers, Gardiner, 2001, $15. This trio of tales told by a true Yankee fisherman earns its keep because these are fine stories, splendidly written. But there is also a subtext in each of these sea… Read More
BLACK HOUSE, by Stephen King and Peter Straub, Random House, New York, 2001, 625 pages, $28.95. Given the wham-bam success that accompanied the publication of “The Talisman,” the 1984 collaboration between horror writers Stephen King and Peter Straub, a sequel not only was awaited but… Read More
ANTIQUEMAN’S DIARY: THE MEMOIRS OF FRED BISHOP TUCK, edited by Dean A. Fales Jr., Tilbury House, Gardiner, 2001, paperback, 150 pages, $15. Given the sheer volume of antique shops and their popularity in Maine, it’s no wonder Maine often is referred to as New England’s… Read More
SADIE’S SONG, by Linda Hall, Multnomah Publishers, Sisters, Ore., 2001, 301 pages, paperback, $10.99. Sadie Thornton hears music – chilling, haunting music – that no one else hears. It comes to her on the beach one afternoon and it wakes her up at night a… Read More
THE LAST BOOK IN THE UNIVERSE by Rodman Philbrick, The Blue Sky Press, New York, 2000, hardcover, 223 pages, $16.95. In today’s world, books written with “reluctant readers” in mind usually go no further. It is a rare gem that can combine the fast-packed action… Read More
JOY IN THE MOURNING, by Beth Rogers, AmErica House, Baltimore, 2000, 217 pages, softcover, $17.95. Many have experienced the death of a family member and can remember the feeling of little or no closure, with the wound sometimes taking years to heal. In “Joy in… Read More
VACATIONLAND: A HALF CENTURY SUMMERING IN MAINE, by David E. Morine, Down East Books, 233 pages, paperback, $15.95. David E. Morine’s love affair with Maine started in 1946 when he was 3. That was the first year his parents rented a cabin at Jordan’s Camps… Read More
STAR SPLIT by Kathryn Lasky, Hyperion Books for Children, New York, 1999, 204 pages, hardcover, $15.99. If one’s life has been mapped out before the moment of conception – if there is no unpredictability, no chance or risk to it – what is the value… Read More
TABERNACLE: POEMS OF AN ISLAND, by Susan Deborah King, Island Institute, Rockland, 2001, 75 pages, $14.50. The islands of Maine have been known to capture the hearts of poets. Whole collections have been devoted to these offshore places. Harold Vinal’s “Hurricane Island,” Hortense Flexner’s “Poems… Read More
FAULT LINES: STORIES OF DIVORCE, collected and edited by Caitlin Shetterly, The Berkley Publishing Group, New York, 2001, 357 pages, $21.95. When something really terrible happens, many of us turn to literature for comfort. This is what Caitlin Shetterly did when her parents got divorced,… Read More
WEST SULLIVAN DAYS, by Jack Havey, Down East Books, Camden, 2001, 143 pages, $9.95. “I remember it like it was yesterday,” writes Jack Havey about his early life, not only in Sullivan and environs, but also in Bangor, in “West Sullivan Days: Recollections of Growing… Read More
A VOYAGE FOR MADMEN. By Peter Nichols, HarperCollins, N.Y., 2001, 290 pages, $26. You’ve probably heard the rather derisory phrase, “About as exciting as a sailboat race,” meaning dull with a capital D. It’s not true, not true at all. You’ll know why when you… Read More
DARK HOLLOW by John Connolly, Simon & Schuster, 2000, 443 pages, $25. Now here’s a murky mystery about a serial killer, laid in Scarborough. The protagonist is a former cop, Charlie “Bird” Parker, whose wife and daughter have been killed. He has some weird friends… Read More
THE MAINE MULCH MURDER, A. Carman Clark, The Larcom Press, 2001, 228 pages, $22. “The Maine Mulch Murder” opens with a mundane errand done by a seemingly ordinary woman. Sixty-year-old Amy Creighton goes to the local mill to help herself to the free sawdust she… Read More
RACING THE PAST by Sis Deans, Henry Holt and Company, New York, 2001, 151 pages, $15.95. Many spend their lives running from the past, but Maine writer Sis Deans has created a character that is able to put a more competitive spin on things –… Read More
AFRICA IS NOT A COUNTRY. Written by Margy Burns Knight and Mark Melnicove, illustrated by Anne Sibley O’Brien, The Millbrook Press, Brookfield, Conn., 2000, 40 pages, $24.90. Thomas and his father travel over snow covered paths by pony to go to market and visit friends… Read More
RACING THE PAST, by Sis Deans, Henry Holt and Co., New York, 2001, 151 pages, $15.95. Sis Deans’s most recent book, “Racing the Past,” fits comfortably within a category that librarians see more and more of – the “problem novel.” In this case, it’s Ricky… Read More
THE COLOR OF ABSENCE: 12 STORIES ABOUT LOSS AND HOPE, edited by James Howe, Atheneum Books for Young Readers, New York, 2001, 237 pages, $16. I WILL REMEMBER YOU: A GUIDEBOOK THROUGH GRIEF FOR TEENS, by Laura Dower, Scholastic Inc., New York, 2001, 211 pages,… Read More
FACE DOWN BEFORE THE REBEL HOOVES, by Kathy Lynn Emerson, St. Martin’s Minotaur, 256 pages, hardcover, $23.95. Until the northern countesses began plotting rebellion, Susanna Appleton had left the political intrigue to her late husband Robert and his friends. Yet, when Robert’s former mistress is… Read More
NIGHT CROSSING by Don J. Snyder, Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 2001, 277 pages, $24. Don Snyder is adept at picturing scenes for us in his novels and equally deft in characterization. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes =… Read More
L IS FOR LOBSTER, A MAINE ALPHABET, written by Cynthia Furlong Reynolds and illustrated by Jeannie Brett, Sleeping Bear Press, Chelsea, Mich., 2001, 36 pages, hardcover, $16.95. Twenty years ago a librarian friend recommended that journalist Cynthia Reynolds create a book about Maine for young… Read More
OFFICERS OF THE COURT, by Donald V. Organ, 1st Books Library, 329 pages, $4.95 electronic, $12.95 paperback, $17.95 hardback. A vanity press was where writers used to go when the rejection slips piled up and the manuscripts started gathering dust. Looked on as houses of… Read More
DOGWALKER, stories by Arthur Bradford, Alfred A. Knopf, New York, August 2001, 144 pages, $20. Arthur Bradford, originally from Maine but now living in Vermont, is an O. Henry Award-winning short story writer. He is a stylist in writing, possessed of hilarious wit and a… Read More
THE LOBSTER WAR, by Ethan Howland, Front Street/Cricket Books, Chicago, 2001, 146 pages, $15.95. It can be very hard to come of age right now in Maine. Many of our teens and young adults must grapple with the realization that the traditional industries – manufacturing… Read More
PROSPECT, by Bill Littlefield, Mariner Books, New York, 2001, softcover. $12. This is a surprising book. Yes, it’s about baseball, full of the game’s details, aspects most of us never see or would never notice if we did. But it’s also a story full of… Read More
TIKI DRINKS by Adam Rocke, illustrations by Shag, Surrey Books, 2001, 64 pages, $12.95. You won’t find a thatched bamboo hut with a menu of tall, frosty cocktails on any beach in Maine, but who cares? In “Tiki Drinks,” author Adam Rocke and his retro… Read More
PITCHER’S STORY: INNINGS WITH DAVID CONE, by Roger Angell. Warner Books, New York, 2001, hardcover, $24.95. “At batting practice one weekend afternoon, a boy with an autograph book called from behind the dugout. ‘Mr. Jeter! Mr. Jeter! I’m looking for someone.’ googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
SPORTS: THE COMPLETE VISUAL REFERENCE, edited by Francois Fortin, Firefly Books Ltd., Buffalo, N.Y., 384 pages, $39.95 Do you need to choose a gift for the sports enthusiast who seems to have everything? Would you like a way to show appreciation to the coach who… Read More
TARTABULL’S THROW, by Henry Garfield, Simon & Schuster, New York, 2001, 262 pages, $16. Every good major league baseball player learns how to stay loose, take the game as it comes. The same advice applies to readers of this book. It’s not a story for… Read More
ANTLERS FOREVER, written by Frances Bloxam and illustrated by Jim Sollers, Down East Books, 2001, 32 pages, $15.95. MOOSE ON THE LOOSE, by John and Ann Hassett, Down East Books, 1987, 46 pages, $11.95. It’s here – Moosemania – the time of year when black… Read More
MAINE: THE SEASONS, photographs by Terrell S. Lester, Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 2001, 146 pages, $35. Terrell S. Lester’s coffee-table book “Maine: The Seasons” is a must-have for Maine natives and those from away who love the state. Lester’s artful photos take the reader… Read More
THE SECRET INGREDIENT MURDERS: A EUGENIA POTTER MYSTERY by Nancy Pickard, based on the character created by Virginia Rich, Delacorte Press, 2001, 288 pages, hardcover, $22.95. Culinary sleuth Eugenia Potter has returned to take a bite out of crime. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot… Read More
In a few days our kids will be happily starting the year’s longest vacation. Many youngsters see this time as a respite from books. But Anne Mundy, head of children’s services at the Bangor Public Library, and Laurie Rose, youth services librarian at the Orono… Read More
EMPIRE FALLS by Richard Russo, Knopf, 483 pages, $25.95. The death and partial recovery of Maine’s old mill towns form the backdrop for this mainstream novel that is very topical in its plot. It’s a simple one, it seems, as it depicts life through the… Read More
SPIN CASTING BRILLIANTLY, by Michael Rutter and J. Alan Baumgarten, Mountain Press Publishing Co., Missoula, MONT, 2001, 174 pages, $18. Reading this comprehensive book as a guy who made his first spin cast more than 60 years ago, I’m wondering if this is quite fair… Read More
About fifth grade, many children, even good readers, begin to lose interest in books. Literature that holds their attention can be hard to find. Fortunately, American Girl’s History Mysteries are real page turners with heroines young women can identify with easily. A good balance between… Read More
BETTY DOLL by Patricia Polacco, Philomel Books, New York, 2001, 40 pages, $16.99. These days we tend to think of inheritance in terms of taxable property: real estate and stocks and bonds. The implication is that if you don’t manage to pass on those earthly… Read More
SUNFLOWER HOUSES by Sharon Lovejoy, Workman Publishing, New York, 1991 and 2001, $13.95. Does life get any better than spring in Maine? The snow mountains and slush puddles vanish. Trees are newly clothed in pale green baby leaves and blossoms. The streets ring with the… Read More
COLD PARADISE by Stuart Woods, Putnam, 2001, 336 pages, $24.95. Stone Barrington fans will be delighted with Stuart Woods’ newest novel about the debonair New York lawyer. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false;… Read More
LYDIA BAILEY by Kenneth Roberts, Down East Books, 2001 (reprint), 488 pages, $17.95. In the foreword to “Lydia Bailey,” author Kenneth Roberts wastes no time letting the reader know his narrator, Albion Hamlin, is a man of principle much puzzled by the “hell and ruin… Read More
PEOPLE IN THE NEWS: STEPHEN KING by John F. Wukovits, Lucent Books, San Diego, 1999, 96 pages, $23.70; STEPHEN KING, KING OF THRILLERS AND HORRORS by Suzan Wilson, Enslow Publishers, Berkeley Heights, N.J., 128 pages, $20.95. Last year, as I envied parents of children who… Read More
THE BLACKBIRDER by James L. Nelson, William Morrow, 336 pages, $24. Mainer James L. Nelson is carving out a strong niche for himself as a first-rate author of American sea stories. Where C.S. Forester, Dudley Pope, Alexander Kent and Patrick O’Brian have built solid readership… Read More
THREE BLACK SKIRTS: ALL YOU NEED TO SURVIVE, by Anna Johnson, 2001, Workman Publishing, New York, 204 pages, $13.95 softcover. I was about 12 years old when my mother gave me a book called “Girltalk” by Carol Weston. It was one of those how-to guides… Read More
Maybe it’s because she moved away and then came back that Patricia Ranzoni so deftly mines memories of Maine – digging dandelion greens, baking beans for Saturday night, watering the cows, brushing against “touch me not” jewelweed until its buds pop. In her latest collection… Read More
STEAMBOAT LORE OF THE PENOBSCOT by John M. Richardson, privately republished by Sally Richardson Rice, Stonington, 2001, 208 pages, $20. For a couple of real treats, turn to the dramatic tales of the wreck of the Portland and the loss of the Pentagoet. Both steamers… Read More
DESIGNS TO INSPIRE: FROM THE RUDDER 1897-1942, by Anne and Maynard Bray, WoodenBoat Books, Brooklin, 2001, $24.95. This is a book for dreamers. A peg to hang your dreams on when you plan your escape from the hum-drum and see yourself sailing into the small… Read More
BIBLIOTHERAPY: THE GIRL’S GUIDE TO BOOKS FOR EVERY PHASE OF OUR LIVES by Nancy Peske and Beverly West, Dell Publishing, New York, 257 pages, 2001, $13.95. As we grope our way from adolescence to midlife and beyond, books can be a girl’s best friend. So… Read More
A YEAR DOWN YONDER by Richard Peck, Dial Books for Young Readers, New York, 130 pages, 2000, $16.99. My son James and I were driving home from basketball practice a while back when this year’s John Newbery Medal winner for young adult fiction was announced… Read More
END OVER END by Kate Kennedy, Soho Press, New York, 2001, 320 pages, $24. It’s not the typical mystery that Cape Elizabeth author Kate Kennedy will see published this month. “End Over End” is not a blow-by-blow account of a murder, nor is it a… Read More
DARK HARBOR HOUSE by Tom DeMarco, Down East Books, 2001, 280 pages, paperback, $14.95 I have to admit it. I wanted to hate this book. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var… Read More
SEA SOUP: PHYTOPLANKTON and SEA SOUP: ZOOPLANKTON by Mary M. Cerullo, photographs by Bill Curtsinger, Tilbury House Publishers, Gardiner, Maine, 1999 and 2001, both 40 pages, $16.95. “Imagine that you are setting out on an undersea voyage to meet the most important creatures on earth. Read More
OF TIME AND MEMORY – MY PARENTS’ LOVE STORY by Don J. Snyder, Ballantine, 1999, 304 pages, $14. This is a remarkable memoir by a Maine writer – it’s the story of the mother he never knew, a mother who died 16 days after he… Read More
THE GHOST OF LIZARD LIGHT by Elvira Woodruff, Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1999, 176 pages, $14.95. Not surprisingly, lighthouses epitomize romance and adventure for many Maine people. These storm-embattled structures, warning ships of treacherous and deadly rock formations, are an integral part of our… Read More
If you want information, and you want it quickly, don’t visit a Stephen King novel. King is the unparalleled master of carrot-and-stick fiction – the kind of writing that gives you just a little bit of what you crave (the answer, the secret, the McGuffin)… Read More
THE BEST OF BESTON: THE NATURAL WORLD OF HENRY BESTON FROM CAPE COD TO THE ST. LAWRENCE, edited and introduced by Elizabeth Coatsworth, David R. Godine Publisher, softcover, $16.95. In the summer of 1944, an American Red Cross Bookmobile stopped by the airfield near Attleboro,… Read More
SHE TOOK TO THE WOODS by Alice Arlen, DownEast Books, 2000, 310 pages, $16.95. Louise Dickinson Rich fans are in for a treat. In a first-ever biography, Alice Arlen brings a belated encore of Rich’s works to readers hungry for more of the likes of… Read More
THE FARNUM BROTHERS OF BUCKSPORT by Ralph Pettie, Peninsula Press, Blue Hill, 2000, 64 pages, $10.95. Lillian Hoffman named both of her sons after her favorite movie stars, Ronald Coleman and Dustin Farnum. The success of Academy Award-winning actor Dustin Hoffman has eclipsed that of… Read More
CHARLEY WATERS GOES TO GETTYSBURG, written by Susan Sinnott, photographs by Dorothy Handelman, The Millbrook Press, Brookfield, Conn., 2000, 48 pages, $22.90. Teachers tell us that hands-on, meaningful activities are the best way to engage our sons and daughters in learning. We can study fractions… Read More
THE OFFICIAL RENT-A-HUSBAND GUIDE TO A SAFE, PROBLEM-FREE HOME, by Kaile R. Warren Jr. and Jane MacLean Craig, Broadway Books, 237 pages, $17.95. At first glance, this looks like any other “how-to-do-it” guide that you can find in your local bookstore or hardware store. Sure,… Read More
THE SUN NEVER SETS ON HANCOCK POINT: VOLUME I-II AN INFORMAL HISTORY, by Sanford Phippen, the Historical Society of the Town of Hancock, 2000, 378 pages, $35. No matter how many books you have, the old yearbooks hold an honored place on our shelves –… Read More
Do you have a son or daughter who relishes a good sports story? Three lively biographies of African-American athletes are sure to hold his/her attention. As a boon to parents they carry important messages about triumphing over adversity, maintaining one’s dignity and self control when confronted with hatred… Read More
CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC: A NOVEL by Sophie Kinsella, Delta Trade Paperback, New York, 320 pages, 2001, $10.95 Seeing the press release for Sophie Kinsella’s “Confessions of a Shopaholic” was like seeing a Ralph Lauren cashmere sweater at Marden’s for $9.95 – I had to… Read More
“I take a walk up Schoolhouse Ledge … At the top I do my prayer from the big rock: stand up on it and hold my arms out, looking out over the hillsides of the mountains. The water of the sound. The sky. The last late sun. I… Read More
AUGUSTA, GONE: A TRUE STORY by Martha Tod Dudman, Simon & Schuster, New York, 255 pages, 2001, $23 It’s “Little Red Riding Hood” for the 21st century; it’s Martha Tod Dudman’s terrifying, cautionary tale, “Augusta, Gone.” googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes =… Read More
THE BEST AMERICAN RECIPES 2000, by Fran McCullough and Suzanne Hamlin, Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston and New York, 2000, 343 pages, $26. If at first you succeed, try again. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner… Read More
THE HERMIT THRUSH SINGS by Susan Butler, DK Publishing Inc, New York, 282 pages, 1999, $16.95. Most fantasy novels understandably fall far short of their jacket promises. Sustaining a created world for a few hundred pages and making it credible for readers must be a… Read More
DOROTHY ELIZABETH, BUILDING A TRADITIONAL WOODEN SCHOONER, by Roger F. Duncan, W.W. Norton @ Company, New York, 2000, 240 pages, $27.95. Most people, when they enter their eighth decade of living, are ready to slow down and savor life. At this point, even the most… Read More
CHARLES OF THE WILD, by John and Ann Hassett, Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, 32 pages, $5.95. John and Ann Hassett, Waldoboro creators of the charming and clever “Cat Up a Tree,” have written another gem for young readers. “Charles of the Wild” should appeal to… Read More
FACE DOWN UNDER THE WYCH ELM, by Kathy Lynn Emerson, St. Martin’s, 250 pages, $22.95. Wilton, Maine, author Kathy Lynn Emerson has produced another intriguing Elizabethan England mystery, her fifth featuring Lady Susannah Appleton, herbalist and amateur sleuth. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var… Read More
SOMETHING IN THE WATER, by Peter Scott, Down East Books, Camden, 2000, 301 pages, $14.95. For history enthusiasts, Maine culture buffs, and those who just love an intriguing story, author Peter Scott has netted success. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]];… Read More
REFLECTIONS IN BULLOUGH’S POND by Diana Muir, University Press of New England, Hanover, N.H., 2000, 312 pages, $26. BANGOR – Mainers, like many New Englanders, have long made a living off the land and sea. It hasn’t been easy. For starters, there isn’t much here… Read More
“Unless a game as exciting as basketball is carefully guided by such rules as will eliminate roughness, the great desire to win and the excitement of the game will make our women do sad, unwomanly things. A certain amount of roughness is deemed necessary to bring out manliness… Read More
GIRL POWER SERIES, by Helen Cordes, Karen Lound and Andy Steiner; Learner Publications Co., Minneapolis, 2000, 4 volumes, 112 pages. Do you have a preteen or a teen-age daughter? If so, raising her to become a competent, confident, assertive, happy young woman, able to cultivate… Read More
ROBERT INDIANA: FIGURES OF SPEECH, by Susan Elizabeth Ryan, Yale University Press, New Haven and London, 2000, 303 pages, $45. The artist Robert Indiana, who lives on Vinalhaven, is most famous for his LOVE paintings of the mid-1960s, paintings as often ripped-off as reproduced. Nearly… Read More
THE MINIMALIST COOKS AT HOME, by Mark Bittman, Broadway Books, New York, 1999, 240 pages, $25. Readers of the Wednesday New York Times dining section will be familiar with Mark Bittman’s weekly column, “The Minimalist.” Those who haven’t been clipping his recipes since 1997, though,… Read More
PERENNIALS FOR TODAY’S GARDENS, Better Homes and Gardens, Des Moines, Iowa; 2000, 288 pages. $29.95. There are nearly as many colors in the typefaces as in the photographs of perennials. In fact, the opening page exclaims in bright cerise: “Get excited! You are about to… Read More
Lesson in Babar tale gentle, wise Books featuring beloved elephant earn designation ‘saga’ in spades
BABAR AND THE SUCCOTASH BIRD, by Laurent de Brunhoff, Harry N. Abrams Inc., New York, 2000, 32 pages, $16.95. There are 243 entries for Babar books on Amazon.com. Granted, some of them are foreign language editions (20 or so countries have translations) and a few… Read More
The golden age of Maine’s coastal steamers was already past by the time Sally Richardson Rice was born, but the Stonington native recently helped to bring readers a reminder of the those times and to preserve a chapter of the state’s history. Rice has reissued… Read More
CANOE RIG: THE ESSENCE AND THE ART – SAILPOWER FOR ANTIQUE AND TRADITIONAL CANOES, by Todd E. Bradshaw, WoodenBoat Books, Brooklin, 2000, 262 pages, $34.95. This is the book I wish I had 30 years ago when I rigged a prewar Old Town canoe for… Read More
200,000 MILES ABOARD THE DESTROYER COTTON by C. Snelling Robinson, Kent State University Press, 328 pages, hardcover, $35. When he set out from Penobscot Bay 57 years ago, C. Snelling Robinson had no idea that as a 20-year-old junior officer aboard the destroyer Cotton he… Read More
BASKET MOON, written by Mary Lyn Ray, illustrated by Barbara Cooney, Little, Brown and Co., Boston, 1999, 30 pages, $15.95. In the very young child’s world the sun rises and sets because Mom and Dad tell it to. Parental ideals and values have the authority… Read More
IN THE COUNTRY OF THE YOUNG by Lisa Carey, Morrow, 290 pages, $24. Lisa Carey has written a delightful fantasy in “In the Country of the Young” – and it’s also a romance with plenty of suspense. What distinguishes it though isn’t the romance, suspense… Read More
HENRY AND THE WHITE WOLF, written by Tim Karu, illustrated by Tyler Karu, Workman Publishing, New York, 2000, 32 pages, $12.95. Very few things can be more frightening to a child than being sick or hurt. Medical procedures often are painful and scary, especially since… Read More
PENTANGLE, by Susan Vaughan, Starlight Writer Publications, 2000, 81 pages, $3.75 (downloaded from the Internet) FORT KENT – No one ever said being a teen-ager is easy. Historically, the angst and insecurities experienced by adolescents and fueled by hormones have been fertile ground for legions… Read More