Category Archives: Books

Books

British Raj : in literature

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I recently read two books that take place in India. One was a novel, The Covenant of Water, by Abraham Verghese, which our island book group read. The other one was a biography, Rumer Godden: a storyteller’s life, by Anne Chisholm. Verghese’s novel is mostly about Indian characters, but their lives are intertwined with British (Scottish) characters, including a woman who grew up in India. To her, India was home. Author Rumer Godden also grew up in India, and spent much of her early adult life there, including in Kashmir, a place I have always been interested in visiting, especially if it includes staying on a houseboat. Several of Godden’s books take place in India, including Black Narcissus, which takes place in the Himalayan foothills.

This led me to think about novels about the British in India. The Guardian has a great list of 10 books that take place in India, including books by Rudyard Kipling, E.M. Forster, and Paul Scott. Emily Eden’s Up the country looks especially appealing: “If Jane Austen had gone to India, these are the letters home she might have written.”

Goodreads has the term, “British Raj,” to describe this period of history, and created a list of books to read. Wikipedia also has a list. The British Raj was the period of British Parliament rule on the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947, for around 89 years of British occupation.

One of my favorite children’s books is “A little princess,” by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Sara Crewe, the main character, is the daughter of an officer in the British Army, stationed in India. In another book by Burnett, The Secret Garden, the central character Mary Lennox was also born in India. Both children end up in England in somewhat miserable circumstances, but find their way into a better life.

In the early 1990s I had the opportunity to visit a friend who was living and working in India. While India was never on my bucket list of places to visit, I was thrilled to spend a few days in beautiful Simla (Shimla) in the Himalayan foothills. In 1864, Shimla was declared the summer capital of British India. We met an older British woman, named Pat, who had grown up in India, and it was home to her.

Regardless of the lasting impact of the British Raj on India, the literature to come out of it is worth further investigation, and adding to my growing list of books to read.

Books

Happy 100th anniversary, Winnie the Pooh!

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I found out that this year is the 100th anniversary since the publication of “When we were young,” where we are first introduced to the endearing sweet little bear, Winnie the Pooh. This book of poetry by A. A. Milne launched the literary career of “tubby little cubby all stuffed with fluff” Winnie the Pooh. Coincidentally, Bette Jane lent me her copy of “The House at Pooh Corner,” which is the second book to feature Winnie the Pooh (the first being, “Winnie the Pooh“). Amazingly, I don’t think I have ever read any of the Winnie the Pooh books, but was well acquainted with the characters in the classic children’s stories by A. A. Milne, thanks to television shows and movies, such as the recent “Christopher Robin,” which I watched on our way home from Brussels in the spring.

Enjoy this classic song by Kenny Loggins, in honor of the 100th anniversary of our beloved Winnie the Pooh.

Books, Uncategorized

Dave Singo: Vietnam Conflict Medic

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There is a new display in the glass case at the Long Island Community Library, courtesy of Long Islander Dave Singo, who served in the Vietnam Conflict from 1968 to 1969 as a combat medic and laboratory technologist. Come see this amazing exhibit of items from Dave’s time in Vietnam, including photographs, books, awards, flags, and banners.

Appropriately, this exhibit is up through Veterans Day.

Books

Printers and printing presses in Portland

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If you are interested in the history of printing in the Portland area, then the Portland Room at the Portland Public Library is the place to go. In addition to the current exhibit, Printed in Portland, there are a lot of wonderful examples of the works of printing presses in Portland, which has had an abundance of smaller presses throughout its history.

One of these great little presses is Shagbark Press, which began in 1985 in South Portland. David Wolfe, who started his career in Maine at the famed Anthoensen Press, teamed up with the general manager at Anthoensen, Harry Milliken, to launch Shagbark Press. Harry N. Milliken was the President, David Wolfe the Vice-President, and Gwendolyn Milliken the Treasurer. Harry and David were printers, and Gwendolyn, Harry’s wife, was the proofreader and secretary. They created books, periodicals, pamphlets, folders, bookplates, stationery, and broadsides, among other things. They later sold the press to Scott Vile of Ascensius Press. David Wolfe currently has his own press, Wolfe Editions, at the Bakery Studios on Pleasant Street.  

It’s a small but magnificent circle of printers intertwined in Maine, with a rich history of printing behind them.

Books, Libraries, Music

Art and Soul 2024

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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.

Books

The literature of Norway

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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.

Books

Looking for Dorothy: Dorothy Gilman in Portland, Maine

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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 a more exact description of her apartment.

Fox Court (now Patton Court) – building with four floors was perhaps where Dorothy’s apartment was?

Possibly the building Dorothy Gilman lived in with the four floors

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.

Books, Libraries

Cuala Press

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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).

Books

Notable books read in 2023

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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.

Books, Libraries

Stories behind the glass: the library at Victoria Mansion

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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.