Maine Books

This is a classic young childs book. Told through the eyes of a young boy the book takes on a real young child feel. The rhyming words that make it easy to read and the bright expressive pictures have captivated my young childrens imagination.
I would recommend this book and also the first book by these two creative individuals; The Boston Ballonies.

We found this book while vacationing in Maine and it's beautifully illustrated, rhymes, funny, ironic, a good book to enjoy. It's probably perfect for a 3-5 year old but a 2 year old and older kids would probably enjoy it too.

Loved this book. It is for children and will be enjoyed by the adults reading it to them. The illustrating is great. Highly recommend.

I got this book because my son loved the "Boston Balloonies" so much and this had the same illustrator and author. This book tells the story through the eyes of the little boy, so the illustrations are even more expressive. The bright colors and expressive facial expressions on the characters helped captivate my 1 and a half year old. I'll admit that he doesn't have the attention span to get through the whole book yet, but I imagine that it would be perfect for kids starting at 2 and going all the way through grade school.

Just like Boston Balloonies, the text rhymes in a "Suess-ish" fashion, so that also is great for little ears.

It's a nice hard-cover binding with full-color pages. It's not a board book, but the pages are thick enough to not tear easily. Great price!

I have given this book to many people who are going through a health crisis. It speaks universally to the families of loved ones who are going through any sort of chronic illness. If you happen to be a family afflicted by Long QT syndrome, it makes the scientific knowledge of this genetic heart condition easily understood. I have also given this book to my children's teachers and the parents of their friends so that the diagnosis and treatment and day-to-day problems will be more readily understood and not seem as frightening to the adults who are in daily contact with my children.

I have given this book to many people who are going through a health crisis. It speaks universally to the families of loved ones who are going through any sort of chronic illness. If you happen to be a family afflicted by Long QT syndrome, it makes the scientific knowledge of this genetic heart condition easily understood. I have also given this book to my children's teachers and the parents of their friends so that the diagnosis and treatment and day-to-day problems will be more readily understood and not seem as frightening to the adults who are in daily contact with my children.

I have given this book to many people who are going through a health crisis. It speaks universally to the families of loved ones who are going through any sort of chronic illness. If you happen to be a family afflicted by Long QT syndrome, it makes the scientific knowledge of this genetic heart condition easily understood. I have also given this book to my children's teachers and the parents of their friends so that the diagnosis and treatment and day-to-day problems will be more readily understood and not seem as frightening to the adults who are in daily contact with my children.

I have given this book to many people who are going through a health crisis. It speaks universally to the families of loved ones who are going through any sort of chronic illness. If you happen to be a family afflicted by Long QT syndrome, it makes the scientific knowledge of this genetic heart condition easily understood. I have also given this book to my children's teachers and the parents of their friends so that the diagnosis and treatment and day-to-day problems will be more readily understood and not seem as frightening to the adults who are in daily contact with my children.

This book is well written and moves along well for a history book.I read this as part of a family genealogy research project. I live in Maine and am familiar with the areas covered in the book.
It is interesting to me that things in general have not changed much in the corruption of government area. They had great proprietors,men of wealth and influence,we have lobbying and corporate agenda. It appears this country has never benefited the average citizen to any great extent.I read Alan Taylors book about William Cooper,a town founder and real estate speculator in upstate New YOrk. The same crooked dealings happened there.

Although I read this for Prof. Taylor's class at UCD (in other words I had to read it), it was FANTASTIC and I couldn't put it down. The same is true for his second effort - William Cooper's Town...

This is not only a fascinating book on a well-kept historical secret (even from those of us who hail from mid-Maine), it is well written and lively.

I will not go into detail about the book, but will let you know that it is awesome. I earned a BA in History at UC Davis and Dr. Taylor was my instructor. The book he has written will shed new light on your understanding of life in colonial America, and the struggles the settlers went through.

This book is a great summer read for anyone of any ago who wants to laugh and dream of Maine island life. It is a hysterical view of teenage and Maine island life that anyone will enjoy.

Charlotte quits. Wants out. Wants to leave everything behind. She doesn't want to have to be responsible for her brother and sister. She doesn't want to be around her mom, who finds comfort in her pills, or her dad, who surrounds himself with everything healthy and natural. She can't stand school or having to go back and forth on that stupid ferry.

Charlotte just needs time to think. To think about her longtime boyfriend, Noah, who is making her even more confused. To think about her friendship with Susannah; that is, if she is even her friend any more. To think about how she is leading her life and if her family is really there for support.

Charlotte thinks she has the answer: boarding school. But is it the right answer? Charlotte isn't leaving right away, so she has time to think some more. Will this time help her decide who is really there for her and who isn't? Or will it make the decision to leave even harder? Can she muster up the strength and courage to actually see what a new life would be like? At least she has those stupid ferry rides to use to think about it, especially with a little company from a certain someone that she never thought would be more than a friend.

A girl, a ferry, and a very important decision.

Three cheers for Charlotte, the perfect heroine for anyone who needs to make a big decision that will change their life and hopefully make it better. LOBSTERLAND was adorable, captivating, and completely real. The perfect read for those who need a character that kicks butt.

Reviewed by: Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen

Engaging, satisfying and fun, this book is a winner all around! Charlotte has an edgy, smart, hilarious sense of humor that is strong from start to finish. Her way of looking at the world is fresh and unique, yet the basic issues her struggles reveal are ones we can all relate to. The understandable desire to escape the place where this teenager has been born and raised is skillfully juxtaposed with the pull that those same familiar people and surroundings have on her. The ensuing conflict--emotional and interpersonal, with eye-opening revelations along the way--is realistically and artfully portrayed. Charlotte is a memorable character in a memorable story, and once you read this novel, you'll never look at island life the same way. I highly recommend this wonderful book!

This book is a very enjoyabe read which tells the tale of a teenage girl who is living in an island off the coast of Maine. As Charlotte embarks on her secret journey to apply to boarding school, many bumps along the road occur which make this process far from easy. In light of her disfunctional family environment and boyfriend issues, Charlotte experiences a hillarious and relatable journey of the life of a teenager girl. I strongly recommend this novel to anyone who is looking for a few laughs and a plot line which transports you into the mind of a girl experiencing a not-so-typical New England winter.

Philip Harris' A Maine Christmas Carol, a modern retelling of the Dickensian fable of Christmas' past, present, and future in a middle class New England setting is a holiday treat for readers of all ages. The spirit of the original story is cleverly unraveled in a more up to date but equally grim narration of the experiences of a blighted contemporary Scrooge named Thomas as he "sees" Christmas with his spirit guides.
The classic unfolding of the life of a beleaguered and very ill-spirited young man faced with the consequences of his own self-serving actions is cleverly layered with messages aimed at the socially irresponsible of our own life and times. A Maine Christmas Carol is a powerful parable of the ills of progressive society left to exist unchecked and held unaccountable. Through the eyes of the spirit guides, Thomas sees that while he is not responsible for the happiness of others, his actions do deeply impact all those who come in contact with him. From the local shop owners to his eight-year-old sister, his exploits leave a deep and lasting impression. Even more critical to note is the tsunami-like wave affect his acts, deeds, and lack of achievement has on those he will never meet. What he does not do with his life is just as significant as what he has done so far in his 16 years.
In Harris' A Maine Christmas Carol, a new family tradition is born. The easy conversational writing style, the logical flow of the story, and the twist to the original story makes this book a new classic that will go on the shelves right next to Dickens' original morality tale. Harris does a marvelous job of weaving Thomas' profound experience of redemption with the underlying themes of social justice and poverty. A Maine Christmas Carol is explicit in demonstrating the relationship of the privileged class in our country who has failed to address the social issues facing our society. Philip Harris has clearly and unequivocally produced a rich allegory that redefines the importance of Christmas to a new generation of readers.

A Maine Christmas Carol is the modern retelling of Dickens's classic. Set in the small picturesque town of Hallowell, it is the story of TJ, a lost teenage boy. Left fatherless by the war in Iraq he withdraws from his family and the world into the land of drugs and surliness. His younger brother and sister adore him but he is not willing to let their caring affect him. His mother has retreated into her job as a social worker, tying up her feelings of loss by helping others who have it even worse.

The story takes place on Christmas Eve. In the face of a raging Maine snowstorm TJ's family decides to spend the night at their uncle's house. He refuses to go with them instead choosing to spend it home alone, stoned as usual. It is then that his father comes to him, apologizing for leaving him so often as a child. He tells TJ that during the night three spirits will visit him. And so arrive the three ghosts of Christmas- past, present and future. Each shows TJ the effects of his behavior on others. He is shown that he too has a role in the world, in his family and his community. Each person can make a difference, even when they chose not to be involved. TJ begins as the poster child for youth at its most callow and ends as youth at its most caring.

A Maine Christmas Carol is a moving replay of the Christmas classic. It comes to life in its portrayal of the character of TJ, a realistic portrait of a disenfranchised youth. He struggles to deal with the loss of his father and fears loving his family in case he loses them also. By becoming totally self absorbed he only has to think about himself, by putting down others he maintains his wall of uncaring. The author, Phillip Harris, has managed to create a sympathetic, understandable character even as TJ scares the elderly and young children alike.

A strong, thorough and meaningful plot is enveloped within of these pages. At around 100 pages it is a poignant and timely reminder of the meaning of caring in today's world. Its well chosen words enable a full length novel to inhabit the pages of a novella. In the guise of the well loved tale it reminds us of the effects of modern life, its drugs, wars and poverty, on its people. It gives us the hope and optimism that is much needed in our contemporary world.

This will be a holiday treat for Maine and the country. Put up the holiday lights of all nations, light the fireplace and curl up with this dose of hope.

Now, this book is really cool. I wasn't sure initially how another make-over of the old Scrooge tale would work out, but author Phil Harris has really spun a relevent-for-today twist to the traditional fable. A troubled misfit teenage druggie is the new Scrooge, and the spirits of Christmas past, present and future are ... well, read for yourself, I don't want to spoil your fun. It's a reading experience that will have you riveted and thoroughly enjoying your time on the couch.

You really could re-name this charming little book "The Main Christmas Carol," because it is what quintessential Christmas Spirit is all about, and re-delivers in today's context the message of compassion and love that we should all strive to display with our lives every day of every year.

A Maine Christmas Carol had me mesmerized from the first page. While loosely based on the traditional Christmas Carol, Philip Harris has brought the story into today's world and given it some unique twists that make it a brand new story.

Anyone with kids, gramdkids or even anyone who knows someone with kids needs to pick up a copy of this book. It is one that you will find yourself reading over and over again.
Joyce A. Anthony
author of Storm

I just received this book from Amazon, and read voraciously for several chapters until it became too frightening, and I had to put it down.

You see, I, too was an outsider and victim of a conspiracy in Bangor,Maine, and as I was reading, would have seen what was coming, even if I didn't already know.

(I won't belittle Amazon with a link, but you may Google Bangor, Maine scam to find the Outsiderr222 blog.)

Don't think that things are getting better. Bangor has generations to go before the people see the light and put a stop to their manipulation by power brokers.

Even 25 years later, Maine still has the highest tax burden and one of the lowest per capita incomes in the country. Things seem to be upside down in northern Maine. (Southern Maine is farther ahead, but Augusta is not in southern Maine).

Drugs, booze, and xenophobia are rampant, and some areas are still controlled by kingpins who can best be likened to Jabba the Hut. Maine's Attorney General is selected by secret ballot by the legislature. (The only state in the USA that does this. He cannot be voted out).

In places like Bangor, Maine, an outsider will never win.

If you think that these small town scams are only limited to places like the Ozarks and could never happen in New England, just read Dr Greenwald's book. (And my blog)

Maine's a beautiful place. But be VERY careful there.

This book is a must read for any doctor, or American. The Government is not always on our side. The things Dr. Greenwald went through are a real eyeopener to sham peer review, and how real conspiracies occur right under our noses.

I couldn't put this book down once I started to discover the facts. It is truly amazing reading. You won't be sorry...

Mark K.
Philadelphia

this book is a real eye opener as to how people can abuse their power to burry the little guy. it is simply amazing!!!!

In this book, Rose Bird Waterman sheds light not just on her father's life, but the life and times of southeastern Maine, from the late nineteenth to early twentieth century. The incredible richness of historical detail makes the reader feel transported in time. Maynard Bird's desire to carry on the family name and make something of himself through his innate gifts and self-motivation is indeed admirable. Rose has sprinkled the story with a charming use of language and touches of wit, that make it a very enjoyable, informative and inspiring read. I hope the people of southeastern Maine are aware of this fine addition to their recorded history.

Rose Bird Waterman has written a biography that is far more than an inspiring saga of "a Maine son". This book may inspire many family genealogists to start working on their own family biographies. Just as the author's father, Maynard S. Bird, felt that each new business venture was an "adventure", the lives of many men and women are filled with adventures - as long as a biographer is fascinated with the subject and is determined to devote time and effort in research. And Rose Bird Waterman has done just that. Her father, in the last years of his life, had his business and personal papers destroyed. He wanted to be remembered as a plain man who built up his fortune and his standing in society by his own hard work and self-taught business and financial acumen. Thus, his daughter had to turn to public records, personal accounts, interviews and other "outside" sources to get full details for this exciting, poignant and, at times, heartbreaking biography. She describes historic events - from the Civil War through World War 2 - as background for her father's adventures, which ranged from founding a Maine telephone company at the age of 24 to being established as a respected New York venture capitalist, making deals with famous Wall St. financiers. But the biography is far deeper than just that of a shrewd Downeast business genius. It's the story of a family, a family like many others, with strengths and weaknesses, joys and sorrows, warmth and coldness. Besides being a book that every lover of Maine history and Maine folk will enjoy, it's a book many could learn from when writing a history of their own families and ancestors.
+++

(Robert Skole is a reporter, foreign correspondent and author of "Jumpin' Jimminy -- A World War II Baseball Saga: American Flyboys and Japanese Submariners Battle It Out in a Swedish World Series.")

Rose Bird Waterman has done more than create a loving picture of her remarkable father. She has contained in his story some of the amazing sweep of a 91 year life - from only 4 years after the American Civil War to the dawn of the 1960s - but more importantly helped to rescue, for the reader, a golden age in the history of the State of Maine. If social and political change forms the backdrop to Maynard S. Bird's story, the ways and manners of generations past are brought to colorful life. For those who long for simpler times, Ms. Waterman's narrative is filled with the details of home life, small town ways, tragedy, and good humor straight out of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Whether one is drawn to tales from Maine, stories of small town or 19th century life, or simply would like to spend time in good and honorable company, readers will find Ms. Waterman's fine narrative entertaining and uplifting.
Van Reid
Author of the Moosepath Saga

Rose Bird Waterman has written a poignant and gently humorous biography of her father, Maynard S. Bird, a man who dreamed of possibilities beyond the small Maine town of his childhood. His journey took him from a solid Baptist home to wealth and to poverty in his old age. Along the way he married and was widowed three times, tragically losing his heart and his most beloved bride after less than two years of marriage. This is a story that embodies the American spirit and a book that evokes the mood of optimism that characterized the early 20th century. Highly recommended!

I picked this book up at a local bookstore. It was on the bum rack, so I assumed I'd purchase it because it was cheap, and hoped that it would turn out to be a good book.
After finishing this book, I am glad to say that i bought it. The writing style is fresh, and the overall content of the book was excellent. I would highly recommend this book to anyone.

This book is well-written, tells an interesting story and ultimately reads very quickly. It seems that Lewis set out to write the great American novel, and he comes close to succeeding. Lewis falters only slightly when it comes to the character development. He attempts to paint vividly 6 characters in a mere 163 pages, and I couldn't help but feel that each was just a little incomplete. The back of the book indicates that this is the first volume of a quartet. Perhaps those novels can fill in the missing pieces.

Let me warn you first, I'm going to tell you what happens in this book. And, I'm going to tell you why, so that you have plenty of time to skip this review, and go read the book and be surprised by the story. But don't worry, I'm not going to tell you how the book ends because, as it turns out, it ends in a kind of special and unusual way that depends on you having read the whole book to begin with.

Okay is that enough to warn you? And still enable you to skip this review without "ruining" the book? Meritocracy carries the root idea that the person who should have been president of the United States today was killed in Vietnam, and more generally the reason our leadership is so mediocre is because so many of our potential leaders were killed there too. It is so well written and with the life breathed into it, with such a voice and a such a view, that it cannot possibly be ruined by your knowing what happens; If this were true about any book, then no book would be worth reading more than once, and Meritocracy is eminently re-readable. I'd read it again tomorrow if I had time, just to enjoy the way it is written, but there has to be balance in life.

Harry Nolan's story is told by his friend and college roommate. It is also the story of the friend, what he saw and thought and felt and heard and smelled and remembered too. Most of Meritocracy's characters were at yale together, at the same time as George W Bush, and so the question of whether George knew Harry or had heard of him at yale comes up naturally in the course of the story. The author handles this juxtaposition of time effortlessly, and limns a Bush who might have been an okay guy. He captures Bush in just a few sentences, and saying he never knew the man, lets him off easy. In a way. After all, he has Harry Nolan enlist in the army, report for duty, and never return from Vietnam and the central moral debate in Harry's life as it emerges during the story is this: did he enlist because it was the right thing to do, or did he enlist for the reason that in order to run for office he would have to have served? It's a doubt, a self-doubt. A lack of certainty. He's the son of a U.S. senator, so the question is a real one. The question is real, and for Harry the answer has to be true.

Lewis has them all do everything, the six friends. These kids in the sixties, just after college, they do everything right; they do it the way I did it, or heard it, or saw it being done. Their back and forth, their banter, the coarse and happy language talking and messing around. Their fears. The time when boys were sent away to school and in college girls were forbidden to stay the night at a men's college and how they got around it. How they reacted to Timothy Leary and his mad ideas before anyone knew who he was or what he was doing. The importance of authenticity, how you would experience someone or something before anyone knew who they were or what it was. Lewis captures an age, a time of life, the way kids think the way they act the way they are adults and the way they are with each other. How they love, how they see incredible beauty, treasure it and how they act when it is destroyed. How they handle grief. And how they see what does NOT happen. The many scenes that did not take place, the things that were not said, what no one ever said, on the way to not living happily ever after.

They all go to the Maine woods, to a family's camp, for a farewell weekend to Harry who is reporting for duty at Ft Ord in California. He, his roommates, his beautiful wife Sascha, a unique and beautiful intellect who inhabits her world in the secure and natural way only a goddess can do; without effort. They take a skiff to a rocky island, they get lost in the fog on the way back, they run aground, they find their way, they cavort on the massive harbor bell itself a beacon in the fog. All true, so true it must have truly happened just that way. They go, they drink, they stay out late, they argue about enlisting in the army, Harry talks about not going. On the drive back, the sober one among them drives them off the road and Sascha's injured in the head, a head injury. A better future First Lady you could not possibly have imagined. Could you imagine loving her? You could. You would.

Harry doesn't talk anymore about not going into the army. He writes letters back from Ft Ord, saying what he, and we, somehow know all along. Don't go into the army, and she loved you, too, I'm promoted to sergeant, photos of some of his 60 men, well written letters, the thoughts of a moral self-doubting man, a man who could recover from a numbing personal tragedy and lead, if not survive.

What's lasting about a story is sometimes not just the story itself, but also the way it is told. This story is well told, moving, and true. To find out how it ends, though, you'll have to read the whole book.

In the tradition of Fitzgerald's This Side of Paradise, and The Great Gatsby, this beautifully crafted novel stays in the imagination long after you've turned the last page. The novel has the quality and vitality of memoir -- you feel what it was like to be young back in the 60's, with the Vietnam war just beginning to stir in the country's collective conscience (a subject even more topical now, what with John Kerry and the Swift Boat controversy in all the headlines.) The characters are so vivid you feel you know them.

But there is also something more important at work here. Lewis is not the first writer to contrast the idealism and best hopes of youth with the nightmare of the years to come, although he may be one of the most skillful. But he is the first to do so so effectively with our generation, which has produced Bush and Kerry (and so many of us now pushing middle age).

Every generation produces its own Fitzgerald. Mr. Lewis is ours.

MOON HANDBOOKS COASTAL MAINE is yet another great book about the Maine Coast, with plenty of information about great shopping, dining, and recreational activities to help you look great for your significant other and/or your favorite celebrity. However, there is a flaw- the failure in the section on the Portland area to mention either any independent music stores (Bull Moose Music) or the Maine Mall. Overall, however, this is a wonderful book that anyone with geographical interests will love.

Don't even think about planning a trip to Maine without first reading the Moon's Handbook Coastal Maine. It is the best travel guide. The author offers lots of great information.

The Monn Handbook Coastal Maine was invaluable in planning and during our Sept. trip to ME. We used the info to make reservations at motels and restaurants and we were never dissapointed. It also included excellent craft shop recommendations and places to see that were really off the beaten path. I would recommend this guide book for anyone planning a trip to ME.

After spending last summer in southern Maine, I was delighted to see this book. It provides information such as travel strategies and touring itineraries. The author lives on the mid-coast, but grew up around Portland.
You know the format for these handbooks means you get solid information on an area. I'm looking forward to another summer in Maine where I'll see so much more with this handbook to guide me.

Excellent! Great selection of trails with a variety of terrain. This guide book provides more pertinent trail information than any other I've read. Particularly helpful is the trail contour plots as well as overlaying trail lines onto accurate topo-maps. The authors writing style is unique causing me to actually read the book cover to cover.

This book has a lot of great info for both seasoned riders and the beginner. The maps, trail directions and descriptions of the rides are just the start. I have rolled over the MT. Agamenticus (Mount A) Pg. 236 trails for years and the author really hits the mark. I can't wait to hit the rest of the trails.

The book is very informative and great for anyone who wants to mountain bike or is already into mountain biking. It also has great pictures, especially page 202.

This is the finest mountain biking guide I've ever read. It gives great information about trails of all abilities, plus tips on local attractions. This type of information is good to all types of mountain bikers, from rabid racers to families on day trips. Along with some of the premier trails in Maine and New Hampshire, such as in Acadia National Park, it gives descriptions of trails off the beaten path, such as that through Jefferson Notch in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Mr. Fitzhenry also provides local histories of the areas visited (which could be a book in itself) as well as great directions and trail descriptions. This book is good for local New Englanders and those from "away", because Bob did such a good job of finding trails throughout the two states. I highly recommend it.