Maine Books

The cover of Brenda Kay Ledford's poetry book causes you to open the book and begin reading about the people of Shew Bird Mountain. Her poems recall the past with imaginative quality and universal appeal for anyone who has experienced rural life. Her poems come from the culture of southwestern North Carolina, a vivid description of quiltings, churning butter, preparing foods, blue grass music and the scenic beauty around Shew Bird Mountain. Her childhood memories give her a magnificent treasure chest that she uses most effectively. I will read "Shew Bird Mountain" often to recall a time that is quickly passing away.

A Shower of Stars is a fascinating book about the Civil War. This is a true study of our American History, Mr. Pullen has reseached and interviewed the historians of the Civil War era. The anthropological skills of this author is amazing! In each of our attics (storage places), holds the future of the truth. I wholeheartedly endorse this book. A Shower of Stars is brilliantly written!

Howard Stein greets us where "prairie grasslands sprawl," "Cottonwood line a creek bed," and "a thunderstorm approaches / the way a mouth engulfs its prey." Stein's vivid poems welcome the reader to join in on the poet's journey of finding beauty in simple things, all the while provoking us to a deeper level of thought and self reflection. Excellent!

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.

Thea Kozak is back, and as feisty as ever! In this newest installment of Kate Flora's Thea Kozak Mystery series, Thea is still working on the healing process. With her gentle giant, Andre, close by, she takes aim, literally, at her insecurities and puts the past where it belongs. Great symbolism. Thea might be down, but she's far from out. She's not invincible, so while she falters at times and loses her edge, she is pugnacious to a fault and never concedes defeat. Much like an old Timex timepiece, Thea "takes a licking and keeps on ticking." I absolutely love that about her!

Thea is hoping to enjoy the rest of her weekend with her new hubby, Main State Police Detective Andre Lemieux, when she receives a call from Suzanne, her partner at EDGE Consulting. It seems there is a sticky situation at St. Matthew's, a private New Hampshire boarding school. A female student athlete has accused another student (who just happens to be the grandson of one of the school's most generous benefactors) of stalking - and the school is in dire need of help to defuse the situation. What Thea discovers is that the school really just wants her to rubber stamp her approval of a letter they hope to send out to the parents, basically accusing the female student of fabricating the entire story and thereby holding the school blameless.

A very cursory investigation reveals that the school neglected to follow its own procedures for dealing with accusations, and those who could corroborate the accuser's story were no longer at the school and hadn't even been questioned. Thea smells a coverup and steals herself to sticking around for awhile to sort things out. The school, however, isn't interested in real answers and sends Thea packing. The rejection gnaws a bit on her self-confidence. Has she read the situation correctly or is she completely off base?

When the accused is discovered on campus with the female athlete's older brother standing over his dead body, things at St. Matthew's really heat up, and the school once again calls EDGE Consulting to help avert a crisis. This creates a quandary for Thea. Should she ignore the role those in authority at the school appear to have played in this tragedy, or should she just do her best to cover their behinds no matter what? She is conflicted about just how much useful information she can impart to the police without serving up her clients on a silver platter. She decides that the most ethical course of action is for her to investigate on her own so that she won't be offering up little more than gossip and innuendo.

Thea quickly learns that searching for the truth at St. Matthew's is an unhealthy proposition, and she becomes even more worried about the welfare of Shondra Jones, the 16-year-old accuser. She has no idea that the things she has uncovered thus far are only the tip of the iceberg, and that something far more sinister is festering just below the surface, putting her life, and the lives of those around her, in jeopardy.

Ms. Flora has created palpable suspense and a heart-pounding denouement! The issue of stalking is timely and is handled quite well. I beseech the publisher to bring us the next Thea Kozak Mystery as quickly as possible - her adoring public awaits!

Carol Ann Hopkins 5/24/2008

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.