“Reading is everything. Reading makes me feel like I’ve accomplished something, learned something, become a better person. Reading makes me smarter. Reading gives me something to talk about later on.”
– Nora Ephron
Sharing books brings connection, and at the end of a Maine winter, we certainly can benefit from such a connection.
What are you reading?
I posed this question to the Cundy’s Harbor Library board in March. The library orders books based on patron requests, what types of books are getting checked out, and demand from book clubs and other groups. When the Maine Public Book Club recently published its selections for 2026, many were already on our shelves. We preorder books we know patrons will want. When the latest Louise Penny, Paul Doiron, or Sarah Graves is published, it is on its way to our mailbox.
Here are the books our board shared with me.
Board President Beth Dufresne: I just finished our book club’s selection, “The Briar Club,” by Kate Quinn. I really liked it, and if it had not been for the book club, I would have never read it. It had Margaret Chase Smith as one of the people. I think well-researched historical fiction can be good.
Usually I read books for escape. As I travel a lot, I like books I can pick up and put down. With my daughters I discovered the Percy Jackson series by the author Rick Riordan. This month I am enjoying “Percy Jackson and The Olympians: The Lightning Thief.” It is a great way to decompress after a long day.
Board Secretary Lynn Kilchenstein: I am an avid reader. The stacks of books on my bedstand, on the coffee table, and next to my bed grow each day. Currently the two books I am reading are very different. One I first read a year and a half ago: Benjamin Moser’s “The Upside-Down World: Meetings with the Dutch Masters.”
In contrast to this nonfiction, I am reading “The Hitch,” by Sara Levine. It is short, arresting and amusing, with the main character being an aunt who, while taking care of her nephew, finds him possessed by a deceased dog.
With my grandson, I just read “Anyone Else Awake? A Dawn Chorus,” because he wanders into my room to ask, “When will it be morning, Grandmom?”
Board Vice President Joanna Damon: Joanna just finished “The Black Wolf,” by Louise Penny. Joanna connected with the book because she had a job in Fort Kent, where she worked in both Canada and Maine. It was not unusual for her to work in Fort Kent and go to lunch in Canada. The plot of this book speaks to serious enmity between Canada and the U.S.
Joanna is one of those avid readers who, like Lynn, likes to revisit books. This past month she revisited two books: “The Wild Trees,” by Richard Preston, and “All Creation Waits,” by Gayle Boss. Both are nonfiction and center on nature. The first tells of people who climb and study the world’s tallest trees: the redwoods of California and the mountain ash of Australia. For Joanna, these trees have been a passion since she read about them in her sixth grade geography book. She made the trip to see the redwoods in 1968 and has returned several times since. “All Creation Waits” tells true stories of how animals of the north make it through winter, with captivating illustrations. Did you know bears give birth while hibernating and painted turtles don’t breathe during the months they are buried in the mud?
As winter gives way to warmer temperatures and longer hours of sunlight, keep reading. Read for yourself, read with your family or friends. Read aloud or read in the bath. Read on a boat, on an airplane, or anywhere you find a place or space.
If you’re looking for your next read, stop by the library or check our online catalog at cundysharbor.me.
