Maine Books

I have visited Gorham, Maine and seen the 200+ year old farm that has been in a cousin's family for all of that time. I've visited the cemetery and seen the graves of my great-great-great grandparents. And towards the back of the book is a school photo of classmates from the 1920s - including some of my cousins! Very fun find.

The Grand Masters Of Main Gardening: And Some Of Their Disciples by horticultural and gardening expert Jane Lamb reveals and showcases "tips, tricks and techniques" applied by Maine's premier gardeners. Additionally, Lamb includes a veritable compendium of advice drawn from more than twenty years of interviews with Maine's most outstanding gardeners, horticultural pioneers, and landscape architects. Here is a compendium based upon decades of experience in making things grow in Maine soil and with Maine climates. Also included is a fascinating tour through exquisite private gardens, specialized nurseries and popular public gardens. Enhanced with almost seventy impressive full-color photographs, The Grand Masters Of Maine Gardening is a "must" for regional gardeners in the North East, but will also prove to be of immense interest to dedicated horticulturists and gardening enthusiasts anywhere else in the country.

While some in the Civil War community complain of "Chamberlain fatigue," it is difficult to gripe about this marvelous new collection of postwar correspondence from one of the most articulate officers on either side of the conflict.

Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain survived the Civil War - including a horrible wound at Petersburg - to become one of Maine's most prominent citizens. His postwar career included four terms as governor of Maine, a stint as president of Bowdoin College, numerous business enterprises, and perhaps most importantly, many years as a writer and lecturer on his Civil War experiences.

The correspondence included by editor Jeremiah Goulka covers nearly every aspect of Chamberlain's personal and professional life. Chamberlain's heartfelt letters to his family, especially those to his wife Fannie, reveal him to be a loving, thoughtful husband and father. His relationship with Fannie, stormy and difficult though it was for many years, survived numerous crises until Fannie's death in 1905.

Chamberlain's Civil War experiences transformed him, and his separation from the army often left him feeling restless. In 1870, Chamberlain wrote to the King of Prussia and offered his services in Prussia's war with France. In 1898, Chamberlain contacted the Secretary of War to volunteer for the Spanish-American War. Even with all his postwar positions and projects, Chamberlain never quite filled the space in his soul left empty by the end of the Civil War.

Critics of Chamberlain, in his lifetime and in our own time, claim that he inflated his role at Little Round Top in an attempt to horde the glory of that important engagement. At least one letter included in this volume refutes this criticism. In a January 1910 letter to Union veteran and author Oliver W. Norton, Chamberlain says of his brigade commander, Strong Vincent, "He was a noble man, and I have not known an abler commander in his grade. Nothing could exceed his skill and energy in taking the position on Little Round Top and the confidence he inspired in his subordinates. To this the result of the fight on the left at Round Top is very largely due [emphasis added]."

The correspondence also clarifies an often incorrectly reported fact concerning the July 1913 fiftieth anniversary reunion at Gettysburg. Chamberlain, while he visited Gettysburg in May as a member of the planning commission, did not attend the July reunion. Chamberlain's doctor strongly urged him not to go due to his declining health, and he stayed behind in Maine.

Rather than being castigated for his prolific eloquence, Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain deserves the timeless thanks of everyone who studies the Civil War. Jeremiah Goulka deserves thanks as well, for his skillful editing, and for giving us a deeper understanding of a genuine American hero.

If you look back to 1983, Granta selected the likes of Ian McEwan, Salman Rushdie, Martin Amis, and Kazuo Ishiguro as the outstanding young British writers. They next had the issue in 1993, where they were less successful in projecting the new award winners and critically praised novelists.

There are good stories throughout this volume, though I liked the Ben Rice and Sarah Waters stories the best. The really nice part of a short fiction collection like this one is that you're bound to find a new writer that you'll follow for the next 10 years. As weak as I thought the 1993 collection of writers, I still found Iain Banks, perhaps the best genre-busting writer of the recent past, and Jeanette Winterson.

If you enjoy finding a fresh voice or you just like reading a good story, I think you'll find this edition of Granta well worth your time. I don't always pick up this sort of magazine because they are often loaded with less than stellar short fiction by otherwise good writers, but this particular issue has many excellent short pieces that will lead you to find the upcoming novels from these artists.

Film is glamorous and fun and this issue of Granta captures that feeling. There are great articles about film makers from Satyajit Ray, Kurosawa, Hitchcock and more. I really enjoyed it.

Different than the mass produced puzzle books - this was delightfully written and illustrated by a mother and it is entertaining and unique. Lots of interesting little tidbits about the state woven into the puzzles. Lots of fun.

This is possibly the best (definitely one of the best) existing books on the history of Old Orchard Beach. The book's format makes a fascinating subject also an easy read. It is extemely unfortunate that the book is out of print--if you have any interest in Old Orchard Beach's history, this book is a must read.

This book in all gave a great look at guiding young children and the best straigies for discpline. I would recommend this book to anyone who is persuing a Child Development career.

This is the first of this author's novels that I've read but I logged on to go read more about her. This novel set before the American Revolution draws on the perspectives of many characters tied together by the murder of one family in Maine by the British. It's beautifully written.

If you're traveling our northeastern border (or even want to), you need this book. Populations are sparse in this region but artisans abound. You won't want to miss the opportunity to find the best. Easy to use and quite well illustrated.