Reviews & Recs of books about Maine, set in Maine, and by Maine authors.
Love Letters to Maine
If you’re looking to read a love letter to Maine or three, Chelsea Diehl’s Just Up the Road and Amy Calder’s Comfort is an Old Barn both fit the bill. They strike two distinct tones, with Calder having grown up in Somerset County and working as a reporter based out of Waterville. Diehl is a relative newcomer to the state on a personal journey of exploring spots on and off the beaten path throughout the state. Having read both in quick succession, I pulled out some of these writings’ striking quotes about what Maine means.
Sleigh Magic
Sleigh Magic is a children’s book that is a fun imagining of how the elves came to be at the North Pole as Santa’s assistants. It’s a clever story with a good mix of animal cuteness and the magic of Christmas that kids will love. As an added bonus to the fun story, the illustrations are absolutely beautiful!
Inn Mates: An Innkeeper’s Memoir
I love puns, so Inn Mates’ title immediately had a hold on me. If you’re looking for a book that will make you chuckle, grimace, and shake your head in wonder and worry, Inn Mates is the memoir for you. Easy to read, but not short on eventful moments, the book shares Teri and Jeff Anderholm’s story, centered around their experience buying, owning, and selling a luxury inn in Bar Harbor.
Four Psychological Thrillers Set in Maine for Your Beach Read List
Maine is a classic setting for scary, spooky, and suspenseful books. The woods, the ocean, the sheer lack of population density in many parts, plus Stephen King’s influence, make for a place where creepy things can happen and it’s not easy to escape (or get cell service for a modern plot device). If you’re looking for a psychological thriller or psychological suspense novel to bring to the beach or lake with you this summer, there’s quite a few set in Maine to choose from. These four books are ones I’ve read recently in the genre.
Francena Hallett’s Heart
Before reading Francena Hallett’s Heart, I did a quick perusal of the book’s Goodreads page. There, a reviewer described the book as “sweet” which is a description I cannot improve upon for the bulk of the novel. No direct spoilers, but the action ratchets up at the end - in a way that readers of the entire trilogy will probably most be able to appreciate.
The Miraculous Flight of Owen Leach
Rose and Hank are headed out for an anniversary dinner in their small Maine town when their evening is interrupted. Rose sees a baby - Owen - falling from a window and likely saves its life when she catches it. This split second heroic action sets into motion events for Rose, Hank, and the baby’s mother Sophia, tying their lives together and forcing them into decisions and situations they likely never foresaw being part of their lives.
Maine Books Round-up (Part One of Probably Many)
The best laid plans of mice and men, etc., etc…as much as I’d like to fully review every Maine-related book I read, it doesn’t always happen.
Sometimes I just finish the book and the thoughts about it fly out of my head before I get the chance to sit down at the keyboard.
The Toll Road North
In The Toll Road North, a gunman’s actions in a Lewiston sandwich shop result in a series of events that pull main character Dee into the past, or, as the book’s opening so artfully states, “the place in her memory that she has kept locked.”
In The Vanishing Hour
Did you grow up romping through the woods and along the streams and rivers of New England? The setting of this book will seem familiar to you, though hopefully your experience had less tragedy than that encountered by the characters of Sarah Beth Martin’s In The Vanishing Hour.
Hunger Hill
Russian mobsters. A hitwoman. The local cops. A strong-willed and capable teenager. An antagonistic newspaper reporter. If this cast of characters doesn’t grab your interest, Hunger Hill might not be for you.
The Spy Coast
Having read most of the Rizzoli & Isles books, I was excited to crack open The Spy Coast, Tess Gerritsen’s newest book. However, after reading the summary, I was a little worried it might be trying too much to take on the general idea behind Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club series. I was pleasantly surprised that it did not feel dependent on Osman. Instead, The Spy Coast has its own distinctive tone, plot, and characters, even though it does use the retired senior citizen spy as a main character.
The Only One Left
There’s no better place to set a gothic thriller than in a crumbling old mansion. That’s where we find ourselves in The Only One Left, following the experiences of protagonist Kit McDeere. The mansion is situated on the outskirts of a Maine coastal town, perched atop a cliff overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.
Home Body
Jack McMorrow comes across a street fight in Portland, breaks it up, and becomes connected with the target of the fight, a runaway named Rocky. Rocky later ends up following Jack to his home in the fictional Waldo County town of Prosperity, but then disappearing and hiding from his abusive stepfather and Jack alike.
The World of Jennie G.
As Jennie and Alick settle into the coastal town of Maddox, Maine, they’re pretending to be a married couple with the last name Gilchrist. What brought them to this point is explained in book one of the Jennie Trilogy by Elisabeth Ogilvie, but The World of Jennie G. is understandable and enjoyable even if you haven’t read the first in the series.
The Unquiet
At once gritty and sentimental, The Unquiet is a thriller with paranormal elements. Its subject matter quickly gets harsh and upsetting as a child sexual abuse ring becomes known with private detective Charlie Parker uncovering bits and pieces until the whole awful truth of who’s involved in their horrific activities is revealed.
Becoming Teddy Roosevelt
Before Teddy Roosevelt became a robust national figure, he was a sickly young man from New York City. His experience in the Maine woods and his friendship with a Maine woodsman helped set Roosevelt on the path that led him to where he now stands in the American imagination.
How Many Books on The Maine Mag’s ‘Essential Maine Reading List’ Have You Read?
In 2020, The Maine Mag published a list of essential Maine reads. Looking through it, I was surprised - and a bit embarrassed - to find I’d only read seven of them. Two of the seven were assigned reading in school that I only vaguely remember. Below are the seven books from the list that I’ve read. To find the entire list of what The Maine Mag deems to be essential Maine books, visit their website here.
The Gathering Room: A Tale of Nelly Butler
The Gathering Room by Michelle Shores is based on the Nelly Butler ghost story, Maine folklore that has lived on through the centuries. As Shores points out in her Author’s Note, many of the characters in the book were real people, including the main characters of Captain George Butler, Nelly Butler, and Lydia Blaisdell. As the lives - and deaths - of these three intertwine, the worldly and otherworldly consequences of their relationships draw in the entire community.
Five Books Set in Maine for Younger Readers
Whether you’re buying a gift for a teen or tween, or looking for a lighter read for yourself, there are plenty of Maine-related options for you. From the spooky side of the state to sunny days on the ocean, these books take a look at the Pine Tree State through the adventures of younger protagonists.