100 Books Every Lover of Maine Should Read
Every book on our big, curated list — novels to memoirs, kids’ books to cookbooks — helps prove Stephen King’s maxim that “books are a uniquely portable magic.” And every one fulfills the mandate of Barbara Cooney’s Miss Rumphius, helping to make the world more beautiful.
- Does the Great Maine Novel exist? A new book raises questions and weighs some options.
By Brian Kevin - Rereading The Sign of the Beaver: lessons learned from a childhood favorite with a problematic legacy.
By Brian Kevin - Simple and profound, the message of Barbara Cooney’s Miss Rumphius still resonates.
By Virginia M. Wright - Two superfans go the rounds in a grueling elimination tournament to crown the single Maine-iest Stephen King book.
- A few cherished books inspired a move to Maine for one Down East editor.
By Jennifer Van Allen - Driving the Golden Road is as beautiful and rugged a trip as in author John Gould’s day.
By Brian Kevin - Seven Maine landmarks for your next literary pilgrimage.
By Jennifer Van Allen - It’s a photo finish among four of our favorite photography collections.
By Benjamin Williamson
North by East
Communities around the state speak for the trees, a new type of camp-stove fuel reuses veggie oil, and virtual tours of the CMCA are works of art. Plus, Mainers populate outer space in Maine Dispatches.
Food and Drink
It’s all about home cooking: a bicentennial collection of treasured family recipes, expert advice on the DIY lobster roll, and Maine-made Thai sauces to spice up the pantry.
Good Things from Maine
From Ebenezer Akakpo’s ornate jewelry designs to . . . flax, the humble fiber that helped build Maine. Also, a Portland knife seller and sharpener runs a shop that’s a cut above.
Maine Homes
An overgrown Nobleboro field blossoms into a place for elaborate gardens and family gatherings, and the décor in a Westbrook couple’s ranch comes with lots of stories.
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Departments
Where In Maine
Maine Moment
Dooryard
Editor’s note, reader feedback, responses to April’s Where in Maine, and more.
Columns
Browntail Moths: A Larva-Hate Relationship. Timelines: Elizabeth Arden Invents the Destination Spa. Room With a View.
My Favorite Place
American Ninja Warrior competitor Jesse Labreck on Three-Cornered Pond, in Augusta.
On the cover: Lupines in bloom in Whitefield, by Benjamin Williamson.
Additional photos: Heidi Kirn; Mark Fleming; Benjamin Williamson.