Book Notes-July/August 2009
Beach Read
Maine’s Pulitzer-Prize-winning author Richard Russo (Empire Falls) tackles marriage in his new book, That Old Cape Magic. Griffin travels with his wife to their honeymoon destination, Cape Cod, for a wedding—and a trip into the past. A year later, he travels to the Maine coast for another wedding, this time after two events have turned his life upside down. The likable but flawed characters evoke laughter and tears in Russo’s novel of family ties. Knopf | $25.95
Fore
After the dissolution of his longtime golf group in Maine and the loss of his job at a national magazine, James Dodson, formerly of Topsham, heads to North Carolina to cover Pinehurst for a local paper. In A Son of the Game: A Story of Golf, Going Home, and Sharing Life’s Lessons, he recounts the time spent golfing with his father and the time he’s hoping to spend on the links with his son, Jack. The writing captures the Southern Pines and the timeless pleasures of sharing the game. Algonquin | $24.95
¡mira, Maine!
The largest and fastest-growing segment of the Maine population is Latino, the group some consider key to economic growth in the state. Latino Voices in New England, a scholarly book edited by David Carey Jr. and Robert Atkinson, two University of Southern Maine professors, gives detailed oral histories of immigrant Mainers. A Sea Dogs player, a hairdresser, and a couple of restaurateurs tell vivid firsthand accounts of identity, politics, and papusas. SUNY Press | $21.95
Where the Wild Things Grow
For armchair foragers or amateur mycologists, David Spahr of Washington, Maine, has penned a basic field guide, Edible and Medicinal Mushrooms of New England and Eastern Canada. The book offers photographs and helpful hints for collecting mushrooms in the woods and the fringes of the suburbs. It’s not the authoritative guide, but there’s a lot here to get you started. North Atlantic Books | $19.95
RX for Med Students
This self-help primer for surviving the sleeplessness and the psychological challenges of medical school gives three sections of thoughtful, practical advice on making the journey to becoming an M.D., D.O., or Ph.D. Dr. Jeremy Spiegel, a practicing psychiatrist at Maine Medical Center, and Dr. Bernie Siegel, the author of Love, Magic, and Mudpies, have teamed up to write The Mindful Medical Student. Doctors Spiegel and Siegel have some TLC up their white sleeves. $19.95 | University Press of New England
Tippy Canoe and Roosevelt Too
The young Franklin D. Roosevelt, who later became the 32nd president of the United States, meets a former chief of the Passamaquoddy tribe, Tomah Joseph, during his family’s trips to Campobello Island in Remember Me, an illustrated, imaginary tale of the budding naturalist. Told by Donald Sotomah and Jean Flahive and illustrated by Mary Beth Owens, the story for young readers and listeners weaves facts about an actual canoe at the Roosevelt home with a summer adventure back in time. $16.95 | Tilbury House
