Maine Books

This book documents how one shipping family began a career in maritime entrepreneurship that ultimately spanned three centuries. Using primary source documents, particularly commerce records, account books and ship's logbooks, Erminie Reynolds and Ken Martin have woven a highly readable, energetic chronicle of shipbuilding that transcends previous histories on these topics.

Several revelations are striking and worthy of note. One is the influence of local entrepreneurs in the 18th and early 19th century on shaping issues and decisions at the national and international levels. Another is the pervading influence of maritime trade on 19th century life.

A fine publication from the Maine Maritime Museum in Bath. 246 pgs., including comprehensive Index, Bibliography, and Appendices that cover listings of Skolfield and Related Vessels, and Skolfield Mariners.

Olmstead is a master of the language, technical and common. The book itself may be one of the most mythic stories ever told, yet Olmstead never tries to make the story or its residents "large." He is content to place his characters in your path and smile when you are bowled over by the love that resonates in their lives.

This book gives wonderfully vivd descriptions of life in rural Maine during the Second World War. It conjures up memories of events during that time and takes one inside the lives of the Hodgkins family.

Anne Wilson's SOLEA is filled with passion and verve. Wilson is a master poet, and she leads us in an exciting and beautiful poetic dance in this fine collection.

What a surprise and pleasure to encounter an author with such sensitive and accurate insight into character of pre-Yuppy Maine Jews. The author's curiosity and aggressiveness are remarkable and commendable, since there are few printed resources for her to exploit; and since early Maine Jews deviated considerably from American Jewish stereotypes. Risen delves into personalities and localities previously ignored and captures the special character of these people, especially those in small towns, in a creditable, valuable, and artistic fashion. I doubt that much of this would have been saved without her wonderful effort. She stands with Judith Goldstein and Benjamin Band as the only reliable preservers of the spirit and dynamic Maine's pioneer Jews. She provides what cannot be intuited from censuses, directories, a few self-adulatory autobiographies and interviews, and organizational hype literature. Few of the Jews who were still strongly connected to their tradition, yet enamored of the wonder of Maine, are still alive and articulate. I hope that Risen goes on to snag and provide all their wonderful stories.

It amazes me that Elisabeth Ogilvie's books are not more popular from coast to coast. Surely I'm not the only person in this particular region of Florida who enjoys a good read which takes place in Maine. Strawberries in the Sea takes us into Jamie Sorensen's adult life as Rosa Fleming moves onto Bennett's Island after taking off with her ex-husband's lobster boat to set up traps of her own. For those of you who know Joanna Bennett Sorensen, you recognize a woman who Joanna would find admirable and brave. As Rosa runs away from the demons of her first marriage, she faces them at the same time, dealing with issues of her weight, her tendency to love too much, and her success at lobstering. I love Bennett's Island and re-visit it often by reading these books again and again even when I have a new release by a current author sitting prettily on my bookcase. Elisabeth Ogilvie brings us into the world of her characters and lets us know them as well as she does. If you've never heard of the Bennetts and the Sorensens; if you've missed the early years of their lives and never imagined meeting Owen and Mark and Stevie Bennett or having a mug-up with one of them on a stormy afternoon, then it's time to change all that.

I have read all of Elisabeth Ogilvie's books over and over. They are wonderful, believeable stories of the Bennett family and others living on Bennett's Island from the 1940's to the present day. I've enjoyed these books for many years and have just finished re-reading the entire series again (maybe for the 3rd time?). I feel like I have known these people for years and am planning a trip to Maine someday to go to Criehaven (the island that Bennett's was modeled after). It will be like going home! This second-to-last book of the series (the last is The Day Before Winter) is one of her less believeable, but still fun to read.

This is without a doubt the best book I have ever read. It was a wonderful blend of adventure and fantasy. It was the first book I ever read that I sincerely enjoyed.

Fourteen-year-old Kieran Ash lives with her mother, Melanie, and her ten-year-old brother Sean. And that's about the most stable that things have ever been. Their father, Luke, died when Sean was just a baby; Kieran barely remembers him. Melanie is a nurse, but with two kids she can only work days, so they keep moving around to whatever hospital can pay her the most at the time. Kieran's lost count of how many schools she's been to.

When Sean discovers some old books of their dad's, brother and sister come up with a plan to solve all of their problems.

Their plan succeeds. Far beyond Kieran's expectations. Not only does Melanie get a permanent job offer that's perfectly suited to her, it comes just in time, and includes a home and relatives that Kieran and Sean don't even know. Kieran isn't exactly thrilled about moving from Chicago to Rowan Tree Island off the coast of Maine, but she doesn't have much of a choice. Especially since she did the spell that started it all.

On the island, Kieran quickly learns that family can be a whole lot more than it's cracked up to be. Apparently her dad wasn't the only witch in the family. Kieran hasn't decided if it's even possible that he was. So, when it's suggested that she might have inherited the ability, Kieran's pretty much convinced that everyone on the island is nuts.

When strange information, or lack of it, surfaces about her dad's death, and even stranger things start to happen, Kieran's belief in herself and everyone else will be put to the test.

This is a great story! Kieran is a great heroine. I love how she's not always happy and not perfect. Her disbelief and justification are completely understandable and believable. In fact, all of the characters are very well fleshed out and believable. The plot itself is great! The eventual resolution might be a bit predictable, but the path there really isn't. The witchcraft in the story is closer to true Wicca than a lot of what's out there, which I appreciated.

At it's most base description, this is a book about finding your place in the world, but there's much more to it than that. I can't seem to completely define why, but I just loved this book! I hope there are more coming!

Reviewed by: Carrie Spellman

The Sun The Moon and Stars Above
Has a lot of short Love and Romance stories,
It's sexy, hopeful and Realistic!
Maine Bowens sometimes speaks of himself
Precisely Boy meets girl and hardship there after Destiny!
It's in my opinion one of The Most Brillant Poetic books of Our times!