Retired academics – devoted spouses and lovers of poetry – reveal a sinister...
The shy but tough Holly Gibney finally takes the lead, and the title, in 'Holly.'
View ArticleNovel based on Malaga Island’s history is a finalist for National Book Award
'This Other Eden' by Paul Harding tells a fictional story based on the real-life atrocity of the state forcibly removing a mixed-race community from the island off the coast of Phippsburg.
View ArticleOFF RADAR: ‘Trigger Warning: A Novel’
This portrayal of life in academia stretches reality, but not as much as you might think.
View ArticleBUSHNELL ON BOOKS: ‘Coastal Kitchen’ and ‘The Road to Dalton’
Recipes designed to take the guesswork out of seafood, and a grimly convincing tale of a small town's small minds, resigned to despair and self-pity
View ArticleIn many murder mysteries, gardens provide the plot twist
Marta McDowell's 'Gardening Can Be Murder' looks at examples of where the hobby appears within this genre.
View ArticleBUSHNELL ON BOOKS: ‘Hunger Hill’ and ‘Hector Fox and the Daring Flight’
A fast-paced crime drama debut from Philip Baker, and Astrid Sheckels's third children's book about Hector and all his quirky woodland pals
View Article‘Making Maine’ gives a decidedly unsentimental picture of the nascent state
Scoundrels, smugglers and their ilk helped to make Maine, according to a new history of the War of 1812.
View ArticleChildren’s author/illustrator Peter Brown brings his robot to the wilds of Maine
After years of living in big cities and creating stories set in wilderness, the best-selling author of the 'Wild Robot' series moved to the Midcoast last year.
View ArticleOFF RADAR: ‘Grackledom: Poetry/Prints/Penpets Drawings’
Leslie Moore, of Belfast, seems to be building up something of a following for her poetry and printmaking work, and her new book, “Grackledom,” is likely to further expand her community of readers.
View ArticleA poet offers an intimate, meandering picture of rural life in Maine
Baron Wormser's memoir, 'The Road Washes Out in Spring,' was reissued in March. Its sharply observed, compassionate vignettes of his own off-the-grid life and the lives of those around him endure.
View ArticleBUSHNELL ON BOOKS: ‘Hidden Beneath’ and ‘Body of Water’
The eleventh book in the Maine Clambake Mystery series by Barbara Ross, and a debut mystery novel by Daniel Boyne
View ArticleMalaga Island-inspired ‘This Other Eden’ is fiction; critics say it revives...
Paul Harding says his latest novel, up for major awards, is not meant to be historically accurate. But archivists and descendants believe it badly invites inaccurate depictions of the Maine island's...
View ArticleBritish writer A.S. Byatt, author of the novel ‘Possession,’ dies at 87
'Possession,' published in 1990, follows two modern-day academics investigating the lives of a pair of Victorian poets. It won the prestigious Booker Prize that year and was adapted as a 2002 film.
View ArticleBUSHNELL ON BOOKS: ‘The Narrow Seas’ and ‘When the Island Had Fish’
The 11th volume in Harpswell author James Nelson's magnificent "Norsemen Saga," and author and essayist Janna Malamud Smith's fascinating study of Vinalhaven
View ArticleBook about Maine’s Malaga Island falls short in Booker Prize contest
Paul Harding's 'This Other Eden' was also nominated for a National Book Award.
View ArticleOFF RADAR: ‘With Little Light and Sometimes None at All: poems’
Richard Foerster’s collection of his highly personal poems is a book of moments, in keeping with much of his previous work.
View ArticleAUTHOR EVENT: Betty Nadine Thomas
Hallowell artist and poet releases "Unleashed: Poems & Drawings"
View ArticleBUSHNELL ON BOOKS: ‘Christmas Mittens Murder’ and ‘The Garden Maker’s Book of...
A trio of short murder mystery novellas just in time for Christmas, and how to have fun and find peace in your garden no matter how big or small
View ArticleReview: Teenage twins go missing in a coastal Maine town, putting its police...
Writer Albert Waitt's murder mystery, 'The Ruins of Woodman’s Village,' paints a picture of a small town, biases and all.
View ArticleA history of books in wartime – and of unexpected book-burners
Accounts from Andrew Pettegree's 'The Book at War' will make you wonder what role books are playing in current conflicts.
View ArticleBUSHNELL ON BOOKS: ‘Twas the Bite Before Christmas’ and ‘The Maine Roadshow’
A new Andy Carpenter mystery, and a roadside tour of the Maine's 'history, culture, food, funk and oddities'
View ArticleWhat Mainers read in 2023
Maine authors and subjects were big sellers at the state's indie bookstores this year, including recent releases 'Big Heart, Little Stove' by Lost Kitchen owner Erin French and 'Maine: A Love Story" by...
View ArticleOFF RADAR: ‘Battle of Ink and Ice’
An engaging, illuminating history of the origins of the news media we know and feel ambivalent about today.
View Article‘When the Island Had Fish’ is a portrait of Vinalhaven through its most...
Writer Janna Malamud Smith draws from historical records and interviews with contemporary fishermen to depict the fishing community of Vinalhaven, from bounteous ocean to 'fished out.'
View ArticleBonnie Jo Campbell’s ‘The Waters’ is pure magic
The author's first novel in a dozen years (her last was "Once Upon a River") sprinkles pixie dust on a world of resilient women and hardscrabble farmers.
View ArticleBUSHNELL ON BOOKS: ‘The Stones of Riverton’ and ‘To Swoon and to Spar’
An original and clever collection of short stories, and a charming romance with a delightful conclusion
View ArticleScholar discovers stories, poems possibly written by Louisa May Alcott
During the time of the 'Little Women' author, it was common for female writes to use pseudonyms.
View ArticleAmanda Peters picks up library medal for ‘The Berry Pickers,’ set in Maine
Her novel wins an Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence, presented by the American Library Association.
View ArticleBUSHNELL ON BOOKS: ‘The Fifth Student’ and ‘Our Maine’
A medical thriller from Geoffrey Cooper and a collection of 39 entertaining and educational essays about our home state
View ArticleIn Maine libraries, stores and cafes, silent book clubs quietly catch on
In what might be described as post-pandemic plot development, social events are popping up that appeal to people who love to read, creating community and helping to make their worlds 'a bit bigger.'
View ArticleMaine author weaves stories from 36 big-name writers into ‘Fourteen Days’
Douglas Preston took work contributed by Tess Gerritsen, John Grisham, Scott Turow, Margaret Atwood and many others to create a single story, set on the rooftop of a Manhattan tenement during the...
View ArticleOFF RADAR: ‘Maine Mediums, Mystics and Healers’
A resource of wisdom for your life’s journey by Cathy Cook
View ArticleA collection of essays set in the Blue Hill peninsula captures Maine in every...
In 'Cold Spell," writer Todd R. Nelson writes with humor and imagination about his experiences in his adopted state.
View ArticlePortland author launches Disney-published debut novel with a dance
Emily Zack, a former French teacher and a founder of Vivid Motion, wrote 'The Moorings of Mackerel Sky' under the pen name MZ.
View ArticleBUSHNELL ON BOOKS: ‘Leap Frog’ and ‘Death of a Clam Digger’
A new adventure with the Oxbow Island Gang, and another delightfully entertaining "cozy" mystery from Lee Hollis
View ArticleNonfiction book publishing is dominated by men. A new prize hopes to help...
Six finalists for the Women’s Prize for Nonfiction will be announced in March, and the winner will be unveiled at a ceremony in June.
View ArticleA Black author takes new look at Georgia’s white founder and his failed...
Could Georgia's white founding father possibly have been an ally to Black people in an era when the British Empire was forcing thousands into bondage?
View ArticleBUSHNELL ON BOOKS: ‘Death in Venison’ and ‘Forgotten Industries and...
A debut collection of three mystery novellas set in Maine, discoveries of an "urban explorer."
View ArticleOFF RADAR: ‘Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America’
If we ever needed clarification from an authority on how we got from the founding of the United States to the politics of today, it’s now. This book provides it.
View ArticleBUSHNELL ON BOOKS: ‘We’re Going Home’ and ‘Princess of the Wild Sea’
A loving tribute to the author Cynthia Thayer's husband Bill Thayer and their 40-year marriage, and a novel for young readers by Megan Frazer Blakemore.
View ArticleIn a world recovering from climate collapse, a family grapples with daily...
'The Great Transition' tells a fast-paced, suspenseful tale, but spare us the preachiness.
View ArticleIn the bleachers, in a tub or in the woods, here’s where Mainers read
The new book 'Where Maine Reads' features photos of 50 Mainers in their favorite reading spots, along with essays on what reading means to them.
View ArticleBUSHNELL ON BOOKS: ‘Easter Basket Murder’ and ‘Just Up The Road’
Three exciting murder-mystery novellas, and one year of 100 adventures experienced in Maine.
View ArticleMaine places inspired new novels by 2 Colby professors
'Discipline' by Debra Spark and 'Bad Animals' by Sarah Braunstein both came out this month. The teaching colleagues are holding a joint book launch event Thursday in Portland.
View ArticleWashington County libraries are preparing for the future
In Maine’s poorest county, libraries offer not only books but internet access and community workforce support.
View ArticleOFF RADAR: ‘We Are Here and It Is Now: Poems’
In Camden poet Dave Morrison’s world, everything has potential.
View ArticleStephen King’s 50-year career has inspired a generation of writers and teachers
Once thought of as a pop culture phenomenon, the Maine author is now studied by academics and aspiring writers.
View ArticleFrom our archives: On the 25th anniversary of ‘Carrie,’ a look at Stephen...
By 1999, the prolific Maine author had made a significant impact on the publishing and film industries, not to mention his readers.
View ArticleBUSHNELL ON BOOKS: ‘A Symmetry of Husbands’ and ‘Simmering, Savory and Deadly’
Patricia O'Donnell explores modern marriage in the Trump political era, and a debut mystery novel by Jody Rich
View ArticleNew novel set in rural Maine explores the dark corners of a treatment center...
In Martha Tod Dudman's 'Sunrise and the Real World,' the line between resident and professional is often razor-thin.
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