4 New Books Inspired by the Pine Tree State
Kickoff your summer reading with these picks that center around life in Maine
Discipline
by Debra Spark
Four Way Books
Debra Spark’s latest novel weaves together three storylines that illustrate how art connects and transforms those who encounter it. “This novel was inspired, in no small part, by writing for Maine Home+Design for about a decade, which gave me access to some of the most beautiful homes and art collections in the state—places I surely never would have seen if not lucky enough for the assignment,” says Spark. During this period Spark was actively writing for shelter magazines; she was also volunteering at Portland’s Preble Street soup kitchen, finding herself at the juxtaposition of the haves and have-nots of Maine. An intricate mystery, Discipline draws from these experiences along with stories from Maine’s scandal-ridden Elan boarding school and life on the rocky Atlantic coast.
Inn Mates: An Innkeeper’s Memoir
by Teri Anderholm
Maine Authors Publishing
“After our career balloons burst somewhere over Boston Common, my husband and I traveled northbound to Mount Desert Island, and, like many, we were awestruck by the rugged, pristine beauty of Acadia National Park,” explains author Teri Anderholm. After falling in love with a distressed Bar Harbor inn, Anderholm and her husband decided to transform the spot into an award-winning locale. Inn Mates: An Innkeeper’s Memoir is a lively chronicle of Anderhelm’s experience as an innkeeper, featuring amazing guests, wacky tourists, a vibrant community of staff—plus a few bad actors who were inducted into the DNB Club (DNB = Do Not Book!).
How to Read a Book
by Monica Wood
Mariner Books
Inspired by author Monica Wood’s own experience leading a 12-week literary program for women in prison, How to Read a Book brings together a trio of characters whose lives begin to intersect as they discover the transformative power of books while uncovering opportunities for redemption and second chances. “This book felt so good to write because it takes place in Portland, my second hometown,” explains Wood. “I did very little to disguise my favorite places, and, in some cases, named them outright.” Keep an eye out for local brands like Oakhurst, Giffords, and Reny’s, which also appear throughout the story.
Fire Exit
by Morgan Talty
Tin House
A citizen of the Penobscot Indian Nation and an assistant professor at the University of Maine in Orono, Morgan Talty rose to fame following the release of his short story collection, Night of the Living Rez. In his debut novel, Fire Exit, Talty explores the dangers of keeping secrets and the cost of knowing where we came from. “Living in Maine, I’ve had to look past the fact that the land of my ancestors was stolen from us, and then again stolen from us in 1980 from the Settlement Act, to see what we in Maine see: the green woods that once a year change to orange and gold and yellow and brown until the skeleton of a woods is left; the rivers always flowing, even under the ice; and the hills and mountains as resilient as the Wabanaki but also Mainers,” says Talty. “And so, living in Maine and on the Penobscot Nation—even though geographically they are one—the land and waters always seemed to sing a story that is all of ours.” With spellbinding storytelling and a touch of humor, Talty’s entry into the world of Indigenous fiction is this season’s can’t-miss read.