Working Waterfront

The fate of frogs on Oxbow Island

Oxbow Island Gang: Leap Frog By Rae Chalmers, Maine Author Publishing (2023) It’s April break from school and Berend Houtman—known to his family and friends as Bear—can’t wait to visit his grandmother, Sally Parker, on Peaks Island. He has to jump onto the ferry at the last minute—the first of… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Tragedy and hope in debut novel

The Road to Dalton By Shannon Bowring (Europa Editions, 2023) Shannon Bowring’s debut novel, The Road to Dalton, has earned high praise from some Maine all-star authors. Richard Russo has a rave on the front, as does Morgan Talty; Susan Conley’s is on the book’s back cover. But apart from… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

A fresh look at Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain

Having just been informed that a crowd of angry men was gathering, threatening to kill him, 52-year-old Gen. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain buttoned his coat and strode to the rotunda of the capitol building in Augusta and dared those assembled to kill him. He was there to keep the peace and… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

An island’s hold on family

High Time TidePool Press (2023) As the state ferry approaches North Haven in the Fox Island Thorofare, my eye goes to the large, sprawling cottage-style mansions that line neighboring Vinalhaven’s cliffs to the south. The buildings, which in the offseason are shuttered, or at least without signs of life, date… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Weeded needed in gardening book

A Maine Garden Almanac: Seasonal Wisdom for Making the Most of Your Garden Space By Martha Fenn King, Down East Books (2023) There are a lot of books I end up reading because they have “Maine” in the title. Even if not for review purposes, I’d probably grab them anyway,… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Island Reader’s offerings reflect passion for place

Every year since 2006 the Maine Seacoast Mission has published The Island Reader, a wide-ranging anthology of poetry, prose, and artwork by residents of Maine’s unbridged islands. And every year the literary/artistic smorgasbord reminds us that islands are special places that people call home. The 2023 edition, no. 17, gets… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Home to Downeast for compass reset

Just East of Nowhere By Scot Lehigh (Islandport Press, 2023) Anyone passingly familiar with Eastport will recognize it immediately in Scot Lehigh’s new novel, Just East of Nowhere. We get a tour of the place in the first pages when young Dan Winters gets off a bus at Perry Corner… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Inventorying a Downeast home

More Than Meets the Eye: Exploring Nature and Loss on the Coast of Maine By Margie Patlak, Down East Books (2021) Wild and Wondrous: Nature’s Artistry on the Coast of Maine By Margie Patlak, Down East Books (2023) Dust off your copy of Margie Patlak’s book, More Than Meets the… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

Island landscapes, island stories

Vinalhaven—Portrait of a Maine Island Photos by Joel Greenberg, Narratives by Phil Crossman Vinalhaven—Portrait of an Island is a wonderful, wonderful book. The beautifully composed, nuanced images of Joel Greenberg together with Phil Crossman’s stories are the threads that weave these lovely images together into a fully realized rare experience.… SEE MORE

Working Waterfront

A kinder, gentler visit to Maine

Vacationland: A Novel By Meg Mitchell Moore (2022) Dear readers, a true confession: I’m late to this party, reading what are known as “beach books,” “escapist novels,” or “summer fiction.” These books have romance in them, but the focus seems as much on managing complex relationships with friends and family… SEE MORE