It’s that time again! The biannual fundraiser of the Long Island Community Library. Where else can you buy books, flowers, and baked goods, as well as bid on artwork and purchase raffle tickets for beautiful themed baskets created by island organizations and individuals. There were even opportunities to listen to great music and create paper flowers. Mostly it’s a fine time to gather with island friends and neighbors and celebrate our wonderful island library, on a gorgeous July (20th) day.
Last fall our island book group read “Out stealing horses” by Per Petterson, which was recommended to me by my friend Kari-Lise, who grew up in Norway. I invited Kari-Lise to join our book group, to give her perspective on the book, life in Norway, and Norwegian literature in general. It was Kari-Lise’s first visit to the island, and her first visit to any island in Casco Bay. She shared the background of other books by Petterson which related to the characters in “Out stealing horses.”
We asked Kari-Lise for books by other Norwegian writers that she enjoys, and here are two of her recommendations:
The unseen, by Roy Jacobsen, which takes place on an island!
The bell in the Lake, by Lars Mytting, a historical epic novel.
This book is not by a Norwegian author, but it takes place in Norway (and is at LICL):
Norwegian by night, by Derek B. Miller, a debut novel.
And if these selections leave you wanting more, here’s a great website, Books from Norway
For those lucky enough to be traveling to Norway, here are some suggestions of books to read before you go.
And for the rest of us, until Norway is in our travel plans, we can enjoy reading about this beautiful northern country.
Our latest exhibit in the small glass case in the library is a wonderful collection belonging to Tom and Sharon Marr – Sharon’s rooster collection coupled with Tom’s egg cup collection is a magical pairing, just like Tom and Sharon were.
Open during library hours
Every few years I read one of my favorite books, Caravan, by Dorothy Gilman. Although I rarely re-read fiction, there’s just something utterly delectable about this book. Pure escapism, and a unique love story. I read Gilman’s Mrs. Pollifax spy series, also sheer entertainment, while growing up in California. In researching a bit about Dorothy Gilman after re-reading Caravan, I was amazed to find that she lived in Maine, and is one of our “Maine women writers”! I set out on a quest to discover more about her life in Maine.
A digitized letter at the Maine State Library gives Dorothy Gilman’s address as 7 Fox Court, #410, in Portland, in 1978. Abraham Schechter in the Portland Public Library’s Portland Room helped me find out where Fox Court was, which was on a street parallel to lower Exchange Street, between Fore and Middle Street. Not much is left of Fox Court, just an alleyway that has been renamed Patton Court, after World War II general George Patton. There is a parking garage on one side and the back of the storefronts on Exchange. It appears that soon after this letter dated August 1978 Fox Court changed to Patton Court, according to the city directories, although there is still mention of it in the 1982 Portland city directory – the listing for Exchange Street states that in between 26 and 29, Fox Court begins and Milk Street ends. There is still a little alleyway there – perhaps remnants of Fox Court, although a little unclear, as Fox Court paralleled Exchange Street.
In the 1978 city directory there is still a listing for Fox Court, as being “from Exchange Street to the Canal Bank parking lot.” More specifically, there is a listing for “7 Fox Court Studios.” Perhaps this was some kind of artist studio? From what I hear, this was a tough neighborhood in the 1970s. In the 1920s it sounds like it was even worse, according to the 1924 tax records: “Remarks – This lot is covered by buildings of no value, most of them being in a decrepit state. There is some little income but could not get it.” Fox Court buildings may have suffered from Urban Renewal, as well as “paving over paradise to put up a parking lot” (or parking garage in this case).
The Portland Room’s newspaper index led me to an article about Dorothy Gilman in the Maine Sunday Telegram, Oct. 24, 1982, which gives more clues to Gilman’s life in Maine. It states, “Ms. Gilman had lived quietly in Portland for five years,” and goes on to say that her move to Portland was “more or less random” after deciding that she no longer wanted to live permanently in Nova Scotia. Apparently living in a small fishing village had run its course. Starting out leasing a condo on the Eastern Promenade, she discovered that there were warehouse apartments on the fourth floor above Exchange Street, where she was still living in 1982. Unfortunately I couldn’t find Dorothy Gilman (Butters) in the city directories for those years so I’m not sure exactly where she lived. If the back of her apartment was on Fox Court, perhaps that’s where her mailing address was. There is a building on that side of Exchange Street that has four floors, so perhaps that was her building. The article in the newspaper has a more exact description of her apartment.
I will continue to research, but for now, when I walk by the alley that was Fox Court, or stroll down lower Exchange Street, I will think fondly of Dorothy Gilman and her wonderful, transporting, books.
P.S. I found the book that is mentioned in Gilman’s letter to Shirley Thayer at the Maine State Library, “A new kind of country,” at the Portland Public Library, which tells of her life in a small town in Nova Scotia. From what I’ve read so far this book will remind Long Islanders of our lives on an island in Maine, in Dorothy Gilman’s usual charming way. The Long Island Community Library has seven of her books, including “Caravan” and several from the Mrs. Pollifax series.
In this month of March, when we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, I would like to share with you another wonderful treasure in the Portland Room of the Portland Public Library, the Cuala Press collection. This special collection of greeting cards, prints, and book covers was given to the public library by James Augustine Healy (1890-1975), a philanthropist and active proponent of Irish literature. He also gave Cuala Press materials to Colby College. (Healy had a summer home on Chebeague Island, to give further connection to our island community). The Maine Irish Heritage Center also owns some Cuala Press books.
The Cuala Press (pronounced coo-la) was an Irish private press set up in 1908 by Elizabeth Yeats and Lily Yeats, the sisters of William Butler Yeats, the Irish poet, dramatist, and writer. Their brother Jack provided illustrations for some of the works of the press, which promoted Irish cultural heritage and decorative arts. It was also the only Arts and Crafts press to be run and staffed by women (which also helps us to celebrate Women’s History Month in March).
Karen Boss, the new curator of the small glass case in the library, has created a brilliant new exhibit for our enjoyment: Who is who? 55 photographs of islanders as babies or children are on display – and it’s up to us to figure out who is who! Prizes will be given.
Come on down and see this wonderful exhibit!
It’s that time again, to reflect on interesting and notable books that I read last year. According to my Goodreads site, I read 48 books, with the shortest book being “Flunking sainthood: a year of breaking the Sabbath, forgetting to pray, and still loving my neighbor” by Jana Riess at 179 pages, and “The dollmaker” by Harriette Simpson Arnow at 677 pages (which I ended up skimming much of). The average book length was 311 pages, which is perfect: too much longer and I start to get grumpy, and really, I think most good stories should be told in about 300 pages.
The most read book was “Lessons in chemistry” by Bonnie Garmus, which I loved, but because it’s so popular I won’t highlight it. The least read book was “Snowshoe and lancet,” which I will feature in my list below. Some of my other favorite books this year I have written about in previous blogs, such as Ride of her life, and Drinking the rain, so I will not spotlight them in this list.
So, below is my list of recommended books to read:
Snowshoe and lancet: memoirs of a frontier Newfoundland doctor, 1937-1948, by Robert Skidmore Ecke.
This book was a serendipitous find. I came across a Christmas card from Robert P. Tristram Coffin to Robert Ecke in a book that I catalogued at the Maine Historical Society, and then I catalogued the card. I was intrigued enough to research Ecke. When I learned about his time as a doctor in Newfoundland I was hooked enough to trot down to the Portland Public Library to find his book. This amazing book by Robert Ecke (1909-2001), based on his diary, is a blending of graphic descriptions of medical procedures with the social customs of the Newfoundlanders. And lots of tea drinking! I’m so grateful this book was published, although it took many years after the fact. I think it would make a wonderful BBC series.
The flower arrangement, by Ella Griffin
This book of intertwined stories takes place in a flower shop in Dublin, Blossom and Grow. Cleverly, each chapter’s flower represents a story. This is one of those book which after reading it the first time I reread much of it, to try to figure out when and where the characters popped in and out of the chapters. This was such an enjoyable read, and I loved the characters, writing, setting, and all things flowers!
Fun with Fred: life with OCD and hoarding: a humorous memoir, by Leslie Robinson.
I’ve known Leslie for about 30 years, and while I know she struggles with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, I had very little idea of the depth of this struggle until I read this book. Leslie brings the reader straight into what OCD and hoarding looks like on a daily basis. While many of us have piles that need tending, and are prone to “gather” items that we may someday need, most of us are able to quickly dispose of extraneous and unimportant flotsam and jetsam in our lives and move on without a second thought. We can relate to OCD because we understand it, but only on a surface level. This book is a must read for anyone who has OCD, hoards, or knows someone with these disorders.
The winter sea, by Susanna Kearsley
This novel about Scotland is a wonderful way to learn about a period of Scottish history, the Jacobite expedition of 1708, through the eyes of Carrie, an author who travels to Scotland to immerse herself into the geography as background for her book. My only quibble was that there was a bit too much history and too many historical characters to keep straight, but having the explanation of the real figures and story at the back was very helpful. My favorite part was when Carrie initially finished writing the book, and her editor said, “Oh, no you can’t end the book like that – way too depressing.” Sometimes I find myself rewriting depressing endings, so I could appreciate the editor’s perspective!
Hare with amber eyes: a family’s century of art and loss, by Edmund De Waal
As an archivist and history person, this was my kind of book, as the author tried to track down the provenance and stories of his family’s artifacts. This tells quite a tale of a family, who crisscrossed Europe and Asia, for various reasons, while managing to hold onto their collection of netsukes. I was drawn into the story, and I liked the unique voice of the author.
Alena: a novel, by Rachel Pastan
This was a serendipitous find – when I saw the book was based on Rebecca, and written by an author I had read another book by, I had to pick it up. The story really drew me in, and I loved the main characters. The author takes Daphne du Maurier’s classic “Rebecca,” and places it at a small museum on Cape Cod, with various twists, such as the main character being a museum curator. I was mesmerized all the way through, and in fact, went back to reread some favorite passages.
Waterlog: a swimmer’s journey through Britain, by Roger Deakin
This book, which apparently launched the international wild swimming movement, seemingly took me as long to read as it probably did for Roger Deakin to swim. Which isn’t to say I didn’t like it, but a few pages was all I could read at a time. I would like to read it again sometime as I felt like I couldn’t quite absorb it the first time around. Next time I read it I’ll have an atlas by my side so I can see where he swam. Regardless of all that, this is an amazing book about one man’s quest to swim in all sorts of waterways in England.
The Blackout book club, by Amy Lynn Green
I would read a little of this book, about a library and librarian in a small town in coastal Maine during World War II, before turning out the light at night, and it seems like each time I would say to myself, “I really love this book.” I’m not sure why, beyond the good stories and characters. Just something about how it was put together and the storytelling. One fun thing about the book is that one of the characters is from Long Island – yes, our Long Island! I went on the author’s website later to find out more about this connection.
The involuntary American: a Scottish prisoner’s journey to the new world, by Carol Gardner
I learned about this book when I was working on the Sharon Anderson Long Island history research papers for the Long Island Historical Society. Sharon’s folders about the Doughty family introduced me to Thomas Doughty, the “involuntary American,” who arrived at the Massachusetts Bay Colony in the winter of 1650-1651, after the Battle of Dunbar. Turns out there are other families in this collection, including the MacVanes, that are also descendants of Scottish prisoners of the same era. It was fascinating to learn about this period of history that I knew nothing about. It’s also a good background to 17th century New England history.
Island of missing trees, by Elif Shakaf
This novel introduced me to the Cyprus crisis in 1974, which I also knew nothing about. This book is another great example of accessing history through fiction, in this case a horrific war. Despite the serious subject matter, this is actually a lovely book, and one of the voices is that of a fig tree!
May this list introduce you to some books that may not be as visible as the usual bestsellers, but bring some added layers to your reading.
For many of us in Portland, a tradition at Christmas time is to visit the Victoria Mansion, which is lovingly and lavishly decorated. One of my favorite rooms is the library, of course, full of beautifully bound books behind glass cases. This library was a hidden collection until recently, when two Victoria Mansion staff members, Sue Flaherty and Michelle Josephson, did a thorough investigation of the books behind the glass cases, and in the process learned even more about the families that lived in the Mansion: the Morses and Libbys.
There are 1061 books in the library, including histories, fiction, adventure stories, religious books, and a hymnal dating back to 1795, which is the oldest book in the collection. The fiction includes books by Kate Douglas Wiggin (see November’s blog), who was friends with Mrs. Libby (Louisa). Books by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow were also popular, so the local Maine authors are well represented. Some of the books include inscriptions, which give even more clues to relationships between the donor of the book and the lucky recipient. Occasionally items were found in some of the books, such as a pressed flower or bookmark.
Private libraries are a wonderful source of history, to learn more about the people who collected their books. Several years ago I had the honor of cataloguing the books in the Wadsworth Longfellow House, including the books in the bedroom of Anne Longfellow Pierce, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s sister, as well as the books in sitting room.
So, next time you are in a historic house museum, take a closer look at those books in the book cases or on shelves, as they may also have a story to tell about the inhabitants.
Special thanks to Sue Flaherty and Michelle Josephson for providing information for this blog.
Years ago, when I was the Special Collections Librarian at Westbrook College (later University of New England), and in charge of the Maine Women Writers Collection, I met Glenys Tarlow, collector of books by Kate Douglas Wiggin (1856-1923). She offered to give a talk about Wiggin, which I followed up on. Through that talk I met Carla Turner, who owned Kate Douglas Wiggin’s summer home, Quillcote, in Hollis, Maine. Carla was kind enough to invite me out to see her beautiful home, and she also took me to the Salmon Falls Library, which was established in 1911 by Kate Douglas Wiggin as the Salmon Falls Village Library and Tearoom (every small town needs one!). It was truly an honor to meet these generous women, connected to Kate Douglas Wiggin – one of the wonderful side benefits of my job.
Many people are familiar with Kate Douglas Wiggin’s most famous book, “Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm,” but many don’t know of all Wiggin’s other talents and interests, including as an educator (a leader in the free kindergarten movement) and composer. As a native Californian I was intrigued to learn of Wiggin’s connections to California. Teenage Kate’s family moved to Santa Barbara, where I also lived as a teenager in the nearby town of Carpinteria. In her early 20s she headed the Silver Street Kindergarten in San Francisco—the first free kindergarten on the West Coast of the United States (I was born in nearby Berkeley and lived in San Francisco after college).
What is also interesting about Wiggin is how she was connected to Maine, despite being born in Philadelphia. When Kate’s father died, her mother moved the family to Portland, and then Hollis, Maine. Kate later attended Gorham Female Seminary. She spent time off and on at Quillcote throughout the years, getting involved in the local community, and even setting one of her books in Buxton. When she died at the age of 66, her ashes were scattered on the Saco River.
As you can see, I feel a bit of a kinship for this famous author who was bi-coastal, with roots in the two places I’ve lived the longest – California (26 years) and Maine (27 years).
Postcrossing is an online project for people to exchange postcards with other project members globally. There are currently just over 800,000 members, more than 200 countries represented, and almost 74 million postcards received.
In the 7 years that Nancy Noble has been a member, she’s sent and received only 35 postcards, which is very few compared to many postcrossers. But in this limited correspondence, she’s received postcards from Brazil, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Lithuania, Moldova, Netherlands, Russia,
Singapore, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Taiwan, Ukraine, and the United States (including Seattle, Finger Lakes, and Chicago). And she’s sent postcards to Germany, Russia, and the United States, but also Slovenia and Sweden.
Direct swaps are an option, and Nancy swapped postcards with Martin in the Czech Republic at his request. She also recently became a pen pal with Inga in Germany also at her request—she just sent a long letter about her life north of Hamburg.
But mostly these random postcards from all over the world bring a smile to Nancy’s face when they land in her mailbox here on Long Island.
Interspersed with the postcards in the exhibit case are coins and bills from the various countries Karen has visited over the past twenty years. She’s spent a lot of time in both Asia and South America. Countries represented include Malaysia, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Nepal, China, and Thailand, as well as Bolivia, Guatemala, Chile, Colombia, Argentina, and Uruguay.
Karen always travels as cheaply as possible, booking flights for “shoulder season” when they are less expensive, staying in hostels, and often traveling by bus. She’s met amazing people and learned so much along the way.
Long Island Community Library small meeting room exhibit case
Open during library hours
