Her 5 Husbands: A Wicked Good Maine Novel

Cheryl Klein

Flying Solo Books

Her 5 Husbands jumps in, head first, into the question of plural relationships. It begins innocently enough. What would it be like to receive a gift of magnificent Maine land with enough money to make it something special? Sociology professor Rachel Gould learns she has impressed an anonymous benefactor, who has made her this gift. Located somewhere between Augusta and Rockland, it proves to be an old, ramshackle campground. Rachel has a vision of what it might become. Of course, she can’t do it alone. Five men step forward to share their time and talents. Rachel, long a fan of “reality” shows on polygamy, finds herself locked into a close bond with these five men. It is a long, hot summer, with romance, jealousy and more. Rachel learns, too, that she wasn’t the first woman to have that experience in that place,

The Harbormaster's Wife

Woody Hanstein

Littoral Books

When Matt Winslow sails into Prescott Harbor, new to Maine and down on his luck, the vacant post of harbormaster seems just the ticket – until he discovers the problems his predecessor left behind him, not least of which is his own unsolved murder. And then there is Amy, the former harbormaster’s young and beautiful wife. She’s about to become Matt’s problem, too.

The Treasure Road: A Journey of Love, Loss, and A Map That Started It All

Jeffrey M. Garnett

Self Published 

Stuck in the grueling routine of dairy farming in rural Maine, Jack longs for something different… something else… anything that isn’t dairy farming. Inheriting the farm at seventeen, he focused on keeping it going, and in the process, the dutiful chains of family legacy slowly bound him to the property. His wife, Lisa, pours herself into her family, sacrificing her own needs and leaving herself vulnerable to loneliness and self-doubt. As she watches Jack’s bitterness grow, she struggles to find the rope to pull him out of it. When a fortune cookie on Jack’s birthday reveals a cryptic map to nearby treasure, he’s pulled into an avalanche of decisions, consequences, secrets, and sacrifice. Now Jack and Lisa must navigate these muddy paths in search of something better… and the love they’ve lost. 

Keeping Ideals Intact

David Sloan

Waldorf Publications 

Keeping Ideals Intact is a retrospective of articles, addresses and presentations on a variety of topics over the past four decades: on outdoor education, the effects of technology, introverts, community-building, drama, athletics, distance learning, and character education, among others.

Maine's Still Reading 

Buddy Doyle

Islandport Press 

Discover even more of Maine's beloved reading culture in this joyful follow-up to Where Maine Reads—a celebration of the inclusive literary community that makes the Pine Tree State so special. Maine's Still Reading features 50 new portraits by photographer Buddy Doyle, capturing Mainers of all backgrounds curled up with their latest read in Adirondack chairs by the water, porch hammocks and armchairs in front of the fire. Each portrait includes original reflections from the readers themselves, sharing not just where they read, but why these moments and places matter to them. This volume goes beyond portraits to become your guide to Maine's literary landscape. Discover a complete library "bucket list" featuring over 200 libraries worth visiting across the state, from Kittery to Caribou. Proceeds support the Maine Library Association's statewide literacy initiatives, making every purchase a contribution to keeping Maine reading.

Slow Motion: A Memoir of Friendship, Disability, and Advocacy

Jennifer Dupree

Islandport Press 

At twenty-one, Jen Dupree meets Marcel in a nursing home where she works—a man with cerebral palsy whose endless curiosity and zest for life immediately captivate her. When a doctor tells Marcel to "get up and move around" despite knowing he's never walked, Jen asks if he brought his magic wand. It's the start of a three-decade friendship that will change both their lives. We live in a society obsessed with speed and efficiency, but what happens when your life is necessarily slow? Through hockey games, concerts, hospital battles, and countless adventures, Jennifer discovers the answer alongside Marcel as she becomes his advocate, co-conspirator, and chosen family. By turns hilarious and heartbreaking, Slow Motion is a tribute to an extraordinary friendship and an awakening to disability rights. With humor and honesty, Dupree shows how Marcel navigates an ableist world—and how their bond reveals our shared humanity.

Your Turn

Written by Tom Watson and illustrated by Rose Watson

Longfellow Communications

Your Turn is an incredibly intimate, achingly funny story about what it means to be alive, and to love and to be loved. The book reads like a magic trick. How else could a laugh-out-loud ode to renovating tired apartment buildings in Portland, Maine, really be a love story about how to radically change your life? Watson’s humor carries the memoir, along with his ninja understanding of what makes people tick. In a narrative that winds its way through the author’s past work life and rehabilitation from a life-changing medical event, Your Turn is an honest invitation to get real with ourselves. It reminds us not to take anything for granted, and that cities and people don’t come back to life on their own. We need a radio crew of friends looking out for us—people like Tom Watson crawling around in our basement trying to fix our busted water pipes.

Landslide

Betty Culley

Nancy Paulsen Books/Penguin Random House

Nathan Savage has always been fascinated by anything that moves; he sees movement others don’t notice. But what he sees now out his living room window sets off major alarm bells—the massive landfill across the road is shifting, and could be heading toward a catastrophic landslide. The landfill is also where Nathan’s dad works, on the top of the heap driving the huge compactor that crushes garbage with its enormous metal wheels. The more Nathan watches the landfill, the more worried he becomes. What will happen to his father if he’s at work when the garbage hill collapses? A fate that seems closer to happening every day if Nathan doesn’t act soon. But how does a ten-year old boy stop a force of nature? In this fascinating and fast-paced story, Betty Culley exposes kids to lots of garbage, and the natural and environmental impact country landfills have on local towns.

Secrets of the Magic Glass

Cassie Sano

Maine Authors Publishing

In Camden, Maine, 5th grade Andie Dreem is haunted by a secret kept from her—the whereabouts of a father she’s never known— all the while keeping her own secret about the power of her magic magnifying glass. When her grandfather, whom she loves more than anyone in the world, is diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, Andie puts her scientific skills into action to save his life, even at the peril of her own, as she secretly travels to microscopic worlds.