Maine Books

easy to recommend such a great writer!!! She's really good!

It's so refreshing to read a book that doesn't have violence, sex, and bad guys in it. I truly enjoyed the light reading and it even choked me up a few times. That rarely happens in those romance novels!

Grace in Autumn is aptly titled, because the tale of the townsfolk of Heavenly Dazy dips into grace under fire. While I have read the first three books in this series, this is the one that really made me think. When the island is inundated with mail sent to the Angels of Heavenly Daze the town is split in how to handle the requests. Most of the people want to ignore the mail, to not worry about the problems of others, as they all have their own...Babette is worried about finances and replacing a leaky roof, Olympia is worried about losing her beloved Edmund, Georgie is worried his parents are heading towards divorce, and Birdie is worried about Capt. Salt....and so finding a way to respond to the pleas of help are met with vairous responses. Birdie wants to send money to a family in need while others are so opposed to her plan in fear others will follow requesting handouts that can not be supplied. Meanwhile, the true angels of the island are working behind the scenes trying to aid their charges reach conclusions that meet everyones needs. This book removed my blinders regarding some of my own thoughts and choices. The simple but powerful statement "We are the Father's hands on earth" made me think. I too have budget issues, I struggle to make ends meet, but I can do things for others who may have lost or never had faith that God will provide for us. I may smile at someone who hasn't had someone acknowledge them in a long time, or somehow encourage someone who felt alone. And I can trust that God will provide for my needs. I needed this reminder and am glad in the gentle stories of Heavenly Daze, I'm assured that having faith is where my future lies...

Absolutely brillant! These books are some of the best. Right along the Mitford series I think! I have grown to love all the Heavenly Daze inhabitants and although I am reading them backwards in order it seems, I can't seem to get enough of them and finish them much too quickly! These are going to be timeless classics and a sure add to the library!

Awesome! I fell in love with Heavenly Daze. It is truly inspiring to know that the Spirit of the Lord comes through even a fictitious story, which means that the Spirit of the Lord dwells within the authors. I look forward to reading many more or the Heavenly Daze novels. Thank you and God bless you.

I was intrigued, yet wary when I saw the title and cover of this book. Would the era and subject matter be more suited to a man? I prefer historical fiction that examines characters' lives rather than posing them solely in their adventures.

I was wonderfully surprised how the author, Steven Maines, managed to so skillfully accomplish each without sacrificing the other.

The story line is unexpected, revealing a unique spiritual point of view. Whether you agree or not with the author's vision, you will be captivated by his ability take a minor character in history and weave a remarkable and fascinating tale.

A great read!

Longinus: Book I of the Merlin Factor is an exciting and intriguing page-turner about the life of Longinus, the Roman Centurion who pierced the side of Christ while he was on the cross. This novel has something in it for everyone as it's an action-packed, spiritual, thought-provoking novel of historical fiction which also has a love-story entwined in its pages. It can be read on several levels but as others have mentioned, once you start it, you cannot put it down. I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading book 2.

Longinus: Book I Of The Merlin Factor by Steven Maines was an adventure I thoroughly enjoyed going on! I came upon Steven's book and was not sure I would enjoy it based on the content. Roman Centurion's and the death of Jesus are not topics I normally choose to read. With that being said, WOW, what a wonderfully delightful, compelling journey of a Roman Centurion and many other deeply moving characters. I love when a book captures my attention and does not let me go until I get to the last page...I would highly recommend the book Longinus to anyone who desires to go on a true adventure of finding the mystic within! Bravo Steven!!!!

Golden Hawk
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Author Steven Maines, follows the tale of Gauis Cassius Longinus, the Roman Centurion who pierced the side Jesus with his spear while the condemned one hung from the cross. [..]

After that fateful day, Longinus escapes Rome and the priests who want to take the spear and its supposed power for themselves. LONGINUS follows the Centurion's life from his love for the prostitute Irena to his mystical studies with the Druids of Gaul. But it also reveals Longinus' profound spiritual awakening through his Druidic studies and the spear that speaks to him with the voice of Christ.

I really enjoyed this book. Steven Maines as he shares the story of the Roman Centurion, Gauis Cassius Longinus, who pierced the side of Christ while Jesus hung from the cross, as in the tale of one man's journey to awakening


Purple Haze Press [...] author Steven Maines has studied religion and spirituality most of his life. LONGINUS is the first novel in a trilogy.

Wild Rose is a delightful love story. It is a tale about two unlikely misfits, Geneva Patterson and Captain Caleb Phelps.
Geneva grew up in a small coastal town, Haven's End, Maine. Her mother died when she was young and her harsh father raised her. Upon his death, Geneva was left alone. She lives a solitary life selling fish and produce to the local villagers. Her large retriever, Jake, is her only companion.
Caleb Phelps, raised in Boston in his father's shipping business has had every advantage offered him. Yet, he is forced into solitary life by his stubborn refusal to turn his cousin in for crimes that Caleb is suspected of. He moves to Haven's End to start again.
When the two meet, a slow friendship develops. They help each other's loneliness and over time love grows. Like a wild rose growing in the field, their loves bears the pain of many thorns and must weather difficult storms, but when it blooms it carries the sweetest fragrance of all.
Ruth Axtell Morren wrote for the heart of all who have found themselves on the outside of the group at some point in life. Pick up this book for a wonderful excursion into the lives of Caleb and Geneva.

Wild Rose is basically a re-telling of My Fair Lady. Geneva Patterson is a social outcast- no one pays her much attention and she likes it that way. She dresses like a man, hoping to avoid any unwanted and inappropriate advances. She lives alone with her feisty dog, Jake, gardening, fishing, and selling her wares. She lives a lonely existence but it suits her. That is until a fateful meeting with Captain Caleb Phelps. He becomes her knight in shining armor. She helps him grow and tend a garden. And in turn, he helps her learn to read. Like Pygmalion/My Fair Lady, teacher and student come to rely on each other and the potential is laid for the sweet romance to come. Caleb too is somewhat of a social outcast being accused of crimes that everyone else is quick to believe as legitimate. Only Geneva is able to see his true character and know that he is innocent.

There were some points with too much exposition, that slowed down the pace but otherwise it's a pretty fast-paced, charming historical romance. There are some great, well-rounded characters that were fun to `watch'- it's only a sign of good things to come when you genuinely care about what happens to each character. The romance between Geneva and Caleb is so sweetly simple; my favorite part was watching their affections evolve and each not seeing the depth of emotion reflected in the obvious stutters, blushes, etc. I had hoped that there would be a bit of a pirate romance since he is the captain of a ship... but alas there was none. Just my wishful thinking... I am curious to read more of Ms. Morren's works. Because this is definitely a good enough story to want to find more just as good or better.

Ruth Axtell Morren has written a tender Cinderella story - Wild Rose. In this historical, Geneva Patterson is scorned by the members of her small fishing village, Haven's End, rather than the members of her family. What family? She has none.

After the death of her father, Geneva is left alone to fend for herself. Her mother had passed away years before, and there are no siblings. Geneva lives her life as she sees fit, doing the best she can and ignoring the loneliness.

Only one bright light appears on Geneva's horizon, Captain Caleb Phelps. He comes to her rescue when a group of village boys pick on her as she is tying to sell her fruits and vegetables. His kindness touches her and is branded in her memory.

Almost a year later, Captain Phelps returns to Haven's End to live. He has fled from Boston where his name is running through the gossip mill. Even his father has succumbed to the rumors.

In a rough sort of way, Geneva and Caleb form a friendship. She offers advice and assistance in growing his garden, and he returns her help by loaning his muscles for her heavy work and treating her as an equal.

As you read, Wild Rose, you will be drawn into the story and the characters. You'll cheer Geneva and Caleb along their journeys to freedom, joy, spiritual enlightenment, and love.

Morren is an excellent storyteller. Wild Rose will keep you turning pages until the satisfying end.

Geneva Patterson--"Salt Fish Ginny" to the townspeople of Haven's End--has only herself and her faithful dog Jake to rely on. Ever since her father's death, she has taken care of herself by selling vegetables from her garden and fishing. Dressed like a man in overalls and hat, she hopes to avoid those who would compromise her.

A careless prank by some youngsters while on the pier, throws Geneva in the path of Captain Caleb Phelps, heir to the Phelps shipping empire headquartered in Boston. Caleb is enamored by his fiance, Arabella Harding, and barely notices Geneva, though he offers her kindness by helping her when no one else would.

After Caleb is suspected of a crime against his father's company, Arabella leaves him for another. He returns to Haven's End, hoping to hide out until the scandal blows over and he's more sure of his future. Little does he know that there is just as much gossip in Haven's End as he left behind in Boston--or that his nearest neighbor is the girl he rescued on the pier so long ago.

A friendship is born when Geneva helps Caleb with his garden. It grows into something more when Caleb discovers the delicate wild rose hiding beneath men's overalls. But will his past overshadow the tentative hope for a future with Geneva? Will Geneva's social standing and rough upbringing keep her from a relationship with Caleb? Can she learn to trust the God that Caleb and his friend Mrs. Bradford have told her about?

Morren's excellent use of internal monologue, dialogue and setting draws the reader straight into Haven's End and doesn't let go until the very end. The conflict between hero and heroine is poignant and well handled. Both characters struggle to overcome their past, and Morren uses these struggles to paint a picture of the God who wants to draw them near.

Armchair Interviews says: If you love historical romance, you won't be able to put this novel down. Highly recommended.

Social outcast Geneva Patterson lives a solitary existence...and she likes that just fine. Until, that is, a disgraced Captain Caleb Phelps moves into her small village and turns everything she's ever know inside out. The classic premise of a woman transformed from diamond-in-the-rough to belle of the ball through an unlikely match is made completely new in Morren's novel. You'll fall in love with the book and want to read it a second and third time. I had a hard time letting the characters go at the novel's conclusion. Morren has quickly shot up to the top of my favorite authors list--something that has not happened in a very long time. A must-read!

I love this book . It is awsome . In the begining it is just a little bit slow but stick with it it is very very worth it !!!!
I would recomed this book for ages 11 and up . It is the best book ever . If you are considering buying it , Please do .

Nothing really bad happened to the kids in this book. Widow Chase was almost too nice to them, and she let them live in her house. And the girl's little brother hardly got into any trouble, and was hardly ever a problem. Better for younger readers.

On the surface, Stopping to Home seems simple. Two children who have lost their family find a new one. But they do so within the confines of an 1806 Maine seacoast community, and ten months in which they, and the reader, experience life in early 19th century Maine. The heroine, Abbie, is strong and resourceful, and her brother Seth is a delight. Highly recommended.

I'm a lot older than 12, but I loved this book, and shared it with several friends who grew up in Maine, as well as with my grandchildren. The story is moving and credible and has more complexity than meets the eye ... but the beauty is in the background details about early nineteenth century Maine. Layering pine boughs around houses in fall to protect against snows ... high church pews that keep out drafts ... cooking fiddleheads and dandelions in the spring .... I loved this book, and so did my three grandchildren. Although they were amazed at what children of 4 and 11 were expected to do in those days! It inspired some interesting talks about the past. Definitely recommend this book.

Abbie & Seth Chambers are memorable characters who I really enjoyed reading about. They live in a world far from today's, but cope with problems (like figuring out their own futures,) that kids today also struggle with. I've recommended Stopping to Home to lots of my friends!

Used alongside a more comprehensive trail guide, this book kept my wife and me busy for the entire two weeks we were there. It offers an excellent insider's perspective, with a fresh view of the major tourist attractions and a lot of tip-offs to hidden gems.

Get a trail map and a hiking guide, though. Acadia Revealed contains some great ideas for cool hikes, but it's not so hot for showing you the actual trails. Thomas A. St. Germain's "A Walk in the Park" (incorrectly listed here as out of print) is an excellent guide to the trails. It's available on Mt. Desert Island at the Port in a Storm bookstore, Somesville.

Jay Kaiser has done a wonderful job writting a comprehensive, interesting and helpful travel guide to Acadia. The book has information for any sort of trip: Whether you're interested in adventure (camping and rugged hikes) or relaxation (staying at an inn and finding great restaurants), this book will take you where you want to go. Lots of lovely pictures, helpful maps and lively comentary. I'm so glad to have had this book with me throughout my recent trip to Acadia to make it clear what sights I couldn't miss. I can't wait to return because there is so much left to discover!

For the type of person who needs to know the intimate details surrounding your destination, this book is a must. It touches on history, geography, geology of the region in a concise, logical manner, while offering an encompassing view of the activities, layout, and surrounding area. Pictures and detailed maps are scattered throughout the book providing a sense of place and are a trip planner's dream. PLUS, Mr. Kaiser includes an overview of the Maine lobster including eating instructions. Talk about covering all your bases! All in all, a very informative, detailed covering of Acadia and its surrounding area with an insider's take to avoiding crowds and hitting little known spots.

This guide is beautifully prepared & informative. Color photographs decorate nearly every glossy page; maps are large and easy to read. Whether you are looking for a B&B, a place to eat, historical information, a driving tour, or challenging hikes, the author takes care of you. My only caveat is that the book is rather expensive if all you want is to hike or drive the island for an afternoon. The park provides helpful maps for this purpose. Still, if you can find an inexpensive used guide , I'd recommend it even for a one-day trip.

This book is a must have for those who have experienced the beauty or have the desire to experience the beauty and offerings of Acadia National Park. Mr. Kaiser has finally produced the guide to do Acadia justice. You'll learn all the side trips, cool lunch spots, etc. to enjoy on a Saturday afternoon hike with a buddy, and you'll also have the memory of your journey when you get home through Jay's pictures!

I really enjoyed this travel book. We're heading to Acadia National Park this summer and I feel like I'm well equipped to make good use of our time. I particularly liked James' style ... young, smart, no BS. I'm taking him up on some of his off-the-beaten-path recommendations. I feel like I've gotten the inside scoop from a local down at the corner diner. Keep up the good work Jim. I'll look for your book when we get around to heading out west.

Only used the Bar Harbor and Acadia stuff, but overall it's a great guide to Mt. Desert Island. Hike the Beehive!

I highly recommend this guide book. The author takes you on a very personal look at this incredible state park in Maine. The photography is amazing, as well.

Terrific book! We visited Acadia for the first time this year. The author's descriptions are excellent, but most important his recommendations (on restaurants, things to do, which hikes to make, etc) are excellent. He gives clues on where to go for those seeking to avoid the crowds, and he also describes the 'must-do' tourist things on Acadia. Of the various guides we brought with us on our Maine trip, this was hands down the most useful.

I have many travel guides to beautiful places around the United States, but this book is the best I have seen. The photos are stunning, and there is just the right amount of information for a first time traveler to the area. I am really happy that I chose this as my guide to Acadia.

I first read Come Spring around the age of 12, on my father's recommendation. He had read it when he was 12, when the book was new. Now I've read it many times, and am still enchanted with this work of historical fiction. Oddly, I am not a fan of historical fiction, but Ben Ames Williams' depiction of the Robbins family founding a town in Maine, against the backdrop of the Revolutionary War, blends warmth, tragedy, and romance. As a pre-teen reader, I loved the story of Joel Adams and Mima Robbins and their courtship. As an adult, I love the strength of the family bonds, though hard times and good. I would love to see this book as a recommended book for history students. It brings to life the real pioneer spirit of early Americans.

This is a wonderful historical novel, well worth reading and re-reading. It's full of romance and adventure, and readers will enjoy knowing that many descendants of the characters still live in the lovely town of Union. In fact, they can visit the Union Historical Society's website for more information about the town....

This is a good read, and significant as it documents an early settlement in Maine, and typifies life in the those early times, and what our Maine ancesters went through to settle those remote regions, of which Maine has many. Enjoy!

Just finished reading a borrowed copy of 'Come Spring'. Ordered a copy for myself (something I've never done before). When it arrives, will read it again (again, something I have never done before). Full of good story, history, and earthy philosophies. Ben Ames Williams has a way of putting it all together. It takes a few chapters to get into the mood of the book, but once there, watch out!

Come Spring is one of my all time favorite books. When I read this book (about every other year) it's as engrossing as the first time I read it. I can close my eyes and picture the wildllfe Williams decribes, I find myself trying to copy the accents of the characters and never fail, I end up reading late into the night "just one more chapter". For more information on this wonderful book, contact the Union Historical Society at 207-785-5444.

This is a magnificent, beautiful book. We left it open on the kitchen table, and everyone who passed by turned to a new, exquisite image. I've now snatched it back to my office and expect to browse repeatedly when I have a chance for a cup of coffee and a brief get-away moment. It is truly a gift.

Maine The Home Place by Murad Sayen is an especially appealing photography book. Not only is this book visually pleasing as you view beautiful scenes in Maine, but it also is very emotive as you also "feel" Maine. The quality of the photos is superior and most of them look as much like paintings as photos. If you are ever fortunate enough to look through this book, go directly to page 28 ( one of my favorites)and enjoy the compostion of hands. There have been numerous artists who have highlighted hands in their composition but never with the unique approach that this one does. I have only had this book on my coffee table for one month, and have already "sold" 5 copies. People's responses were so positive that 5 lucky people will be getting this book for Christmas. Maybe you could be lucky also. If Maine was ever your home, I think you will enjoy having this book around as much as I have, and Maine was never my home.

The thing that strikes you as you turn the lush pages--the land and seascapes, the faces--is the surface sense of calm. And yet, below those surfaces there is always a suggestion of great energy, of processes being carried out. In the cover photo, for instance: a country church, maple trees in their October regalia, a cemetery, the cornstubble foreground--lies the hint that things are in motion, even there below the ground. The world is moving toward a new incarnation.

This dualism--or energy and calm--kept me turning pages, forward and back, over a period of many days, looking closely at colors, faces, cloud formations, ice crystals on a pond, dawn sunlight on a lighthouse.

At first I quibbled that Sayen has confined his camera to so few regions of the state; and yet, in truth, this only reminds us that art, in order to be universal, must be local. To develop the kind of intimacy that Sayen (a confessed "outsider") obviously has with his subject, it is necessary to keep it focused.

With "Maine: The Home Place", Murad Sayen has created a masterful book, far more than another of the garishly colored "coffee table" books that publishers seem to crank out each year. This is a book that bears repeated readings, and which, for me, continues to offer fresh discoveries. In addition to the photographs, there is a series of elegantly written essays and photographer's notes. For anyone looking to be delighted and deeply moved by the complexity within simplicity, "Maine: The Home Place" is a volume that will do that.

When I opened Maine: The Home Place, I didn't know how much I was opening up. I looked through it, then I realized I needed to look into it: I did so at two pages a day until I went through the book. I especially love two of the pictures (although each page and picture looked more like a composition in a painting than a camera capturing a scene): The Androscoggin at Bethel, November and North Pond, Greenwood, October. There is a disarming directness in the simple presentation that drew me into the pictures, and into myself. The captions reminded me these places are here, in this world. What I found myself doing since I opened Maine: The Home Place is seeing myself and the world around me differently. Cezanne says that "Art is a harmony parallel to nature." I am wonderfully confused by Murad's presentation of nature and art that has gotten into my heart through my eyes. What more can you ask from a book than to make the world and yourself more alive? Maine: The Home Place is a book that will do that year after year, picture after picture. Great job, Murad Sayen.

Murad Sayen shows us in his amazing pictoral that Maine is more than a magnificent coastline dotted with harbors and lighthouses. His photographs and essays capture the essence and beauty of Maine that those of us who are fortunate to live here can now share with the rest of the world.

He is masterful in his use of lighting. The effect is mystical and invokes a strong emotional response to his work. For all those who want an unlimited opportunity to escape to Maine, whenever the spirit moves you, I highly recommend Maine: The Home Place.....the way life is!

Cris Mazza has for many years now been on the radar of readers who admire technical skill and innovation. Her latest, Waterbaby, demonstrates the same technical mastery of her earlier writings, but adds an imaginative dimension to result in her most satisfying effort to date. She begins, not unusually, with a character flawed in body as well as spirit. Tam suffers from epilepsy and has been tormented since childhood by the memory and consequences of a seizure during a swim-meet. She would have drowned had her athletic brother Gary not saved her--or possibly he selfishly used her to appear the hero, in the process dahsing Tam's own girlhood dreams of athletic excellence. Tam has been haunted by this early memory and its consequences for the long forty-something years before the novel begins. Through another series of mishaps (also perhaps resulting from personal failings) she ends up in the rich setting of a Maine lighthouse, haunted by her memories, by a hard-luck single mom and kid she chooses to harbor, by a distant ancestor she researches, and, finally, by an actual ghost. Mazza pieces the various stories together in a pastiche of different verbal media (including letters, emails, websites, and traditional past tense narrative). So much for the technical mastery, which is accomplished and assured as usual. The great achievement of Waterbaby is the investment the reader comes to feel in Tam, in wanting her to accept/transcend her past and become a more whole person. The magnetism of this main character keeps the many different quirky minor characters, asides, episodes, from eroding reader interest.

"Waterbaby" is somewhat of a departure for Cris Mazza. While she generally sets her stories in Southern California, or at least populates them with people from that region, this novel takes place in a Maine coastal town. The other side of the country though has some similarities to the hardscrabble desert; the landscape becomes a character as much as any person in this novel. The continuity of the rocky shore and lobster industry across generations makes up a large part of the main character Tam's dilemma. As she tries to find her place in her own family, the various family dynamics of past generations intrudes on her psyche as well. The story then incorporates several lost baby stories as Tam investigates her ancestors and her relationships with her family, especially her brother. As in several of Mazza's works, the theme of regret and the conflict that arises from trying to negotiate being a woman play a large role in the novel. Additionally, like other American writers (i.e. Cormac McCarthy, Annie Proulx, Faulkner), Mazza merges style and place in a masterful way. Family relationships, sex, and self-reliance might be as dangerous as the rocky shore of Maine. Mazza does a wonderful job of portraying these dangers with honesty and engaging storytelling.

What a deliciously conceived novel about personal redemption! The protagonist, Tam, suffers her first epileptic seizure at 12. Her condition will steal her swimming career and estrange her from her brother, Gary. But it will not impede her journey into her troubled family's complicated past, a journey that takes her to the Maine coastline, going back to the early nineteeth century. Here tales of thwarted love and shipwrecked babies haunt the landscape. Tam will unlock more than one story, connecting newspaper acounts, oral history and her own search for understanding until she unfolds a broad historical panorama, a fascinating past. Particularly terrific is Mazza's interweaving of contemporary tools of communication, from websites, to blogs, to email mixed with archival accounts. Reading Waterbaby is a thrilling intertextual adventure that feels immediately ours, but simultaneously layered with a fresh understanding of nineteenth century economic and legal conditions for women and their children. As always, Mazza, is a wise voice, deeply concerned. This novel is a thrilling non stop read.

Filmmaker Werner Herzog has written, "There are deeper strata of truth in cinema, and there is such a thing as poetic, ecstatic truth. It is mysterious and elusive, and can be reached only through fabrication and imagination and stylization."

Cris Mazza takes this one step further with her seductive book Waterbaby, giving us a protagonist who seeks to create a present by recreating her past -and the possible pasts of her ancestors as well. Tam not only attempts to piece together her ancestor's lives through research and genealogy, she delves into lore so thoroughly she finds herself literally recreating the sea-legends that are intertwined with her own familial history. Mazza is able to juggle the various stories and mix them with imagined pasts and historical pasts, even using the occasional cutaway page of a blog or an electronic archive. Links between legend and historical fact--as well as Tam's personal past and her family's history--begin to accumulate pretty quickly, leaving the reader dazzled by Mazza's ability to keep all the plates spinning without wobble.

All this plus Waterbaby is a funny and compelling page-turner to boot.

The greatest pleasure of "Waterbaby" is the sense of being in the hands of a master storyteller. The voice alone, deceptively simple and straightforward, intrigued this reader to relax and let it take me. This is a rare quality, quite independent of compelling character or driving plot. Yet "Waterbaby" provides characters and plot aplenty. It has been called a ghost story, which it is, even an erotic ghost story; but of a surprising post-9/11 kind. (One character, a search-and-rescue professional, is more than haunted by what he and his search-dog find in the still-burning ruins of the World Trade Center.) In Shakespeare, ghosts are the past penetrating the present. In Mazza the present invades, recreates the past, in every sense. One ghost, Tam, the main character herself, a relatively young (late 40's) retired stockbroker, takes imaginative and spiritual possession of an unremembered, long-dead ancestor who once helped keep a light-house on the dark and stormy coast of Maine. Family is the mysterious presence disturbing Tam - not only the hostile "hero" brother who disappears to pursue her, but all the alien great-great aunts and uncles, grandfathers and grandmothers who never knew her but now will not leave her in peace. Central to her exploration of who they were and how they persist in her are a shipwrecked baby, a newborn found in a toilet, and a drowned woman whom the locals continue to see walking at twilight the light-house rocks. Not the least ghostly of the people leading Tam into her terra incognita is the graveyard lover who insists she play the drowned woman - for prospective renters of the modernized light-house. No one writes with more comic poignance about the guerilla warfare of intimacy between women and men than the author of "Your Name Here_____" and "Is It Sexual Harassment Yet?" But I have long hoped she would enlarge her canvas and here she does: reaching out to the loves and wars of siblings, children, and parents - Maine to California - and 21st century back to 20th and 19th, with assurance, depth, compassion, and inexhaustible, penetrating wonder.

This cookbook is a classic in Maine. This is the fourth edition that I have owned. I keep giving my copies away because this is a must have cookbook. I have cooked almost every recipe in the book and love them all. These are good basics cooked everywhere in Maine and New England. The ingredients are simple and easy to find. I learned to cook as a teenager from this book.

When my grandmother died, I was the lucky recipient of "her "secret recipes."(Cooking Down East : Favorite Maine Recipes and Keep Cooking the Maine Way).

Everytime I make the Melt in Your Mouth Blueberry Cake, the Fish Chowder or the Lobster Newburg (the fancy one--of course!), I am momentarily returned to my childhood.

The Red Flannel Hash is pretty terrific, too.

At last count, I had 273 cookbooks in my private collection, but these two are the ones I most often return to when I wish a taste of home. Unlike many others, they seem to spend a majority of the time on my kitchen counter, permanently dusted with flour, stained forever with tiny Maine blueberries.

If you are looking for nothing fancy-schmancy, only exemplary "home-style cooking," then these are the best you will ever find.

Thanks Nanny (and thanks Ms. Standish)

I'm a native Mainer, and these recipes result in the delicious dinner standards I grew up with. Every time I want to serve a great meal, I turn to this book first. The recipes are well-explained, the ingredients are easy to find, and the anecdotes are great- be sure to read the funny forward to the excellent Anadama Bread.

Though Ms. Standish's emphasis is on the great state of Maine, cooks from all over New England will recognize the regional recipes in this book as their own. To me, "Cooking Down East" is more than just a cookbook; it is, in written form, how I learned to cook from my mother and grandmother.

My first edition of this book was given to me by my husband 26 years ago. I have many fond memories of family dinners, deserts and favourite recipes from this book. To me it is a touch of home. Gloria Legere Mainiac in Exile in Washington State.