Great Reads by NRCM Supporters

The Wild Heart of Maine: Exploring Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, Baxter State Park, and the Allagash Wilderness Waterway, by Dean and Sheila Bennett (Miniver Press, 2026) In this book, Dean and Sheila Bennett document the influence of Maine’s North Woods on the hearts and minds of people (including themselves). They key in on the wild places that became Baxter State Park, the Allagash Wilderness Waterway, and Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument. They begin with captivating gems about Maine’s deep woodlands that they mined from the journals of early explorers. These passages serve as an interesting and informative preface to the heart of the book, which recounts their own lifetime journey together “tramping, rummaging, and poking” around the state, developing a deep appreciation for and understanding of Maine’s wild places. The book pays tribute to the historic  significance of Percival Baxter, Roxanne Quimby, and the Natural Resources Council of Maine in working tirelessly to protect the book’s three featured landscapes. Dean was a long-serving NRCM Board member, and Dean and Sheila each received NRCM Conservation Leadership Awards. This book has made a timely arrival during the 10th anniversary of the establishment of Katahdin Woods and Waters and the 60th anniversary of the protection of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway. At a time when wild places are more important than ever, The Wild Heart of Maine is a  wonderful ode to the “mysteries, pleasures, and surprises that were revealed” during the authors’ ventures deep into three of Maine’s most cherished wild places. —Pete Didisheim, NRCM Senior Director of Advocacy

Always Game: A Maine Woman’s Life of Outdoor Adventure, by Christi Elliott (Islandport Press, 2025) Christi Elliott introduces herself as she’s walking down an old logging road, self-aware, curious, observant. She’s on her own on a partridge hunt for the first time, interspersing memories from growing up in Machias with her recollection of the careful search for feathers
in the gravel. When she learns she has not, in fact, dropped a partridge, she owns her mistake with humility and a sense of humor. Each chapter is its own humorous anecdote. Elliott doesn’t hold back her verve as she recalls time in a duck blind or on fishing boats or in deer stands. It’s a book for wide audiences; no one in my family hunted or trapped, but then, neither did anyone in Elliott’s—she describes her experiences in such a way that anyone can envision and understand. Her depictions of wild (and not so wild) places around the state anchored me. I feel similarly  reverent about Maine’s woods and waters—and it’s exciting to know what a stranger is referring to when they describe something they love: “Oh! I love that place, too!” Sometimes stories about women in maledominated spaces tell grim stories of sexism, discrimination, harassment, or worse. In Elliott’s case, she shares only one major childhood incident in which she was barred from participation in an event because she wasn’t male. While it imprinted enough to be a part of her story, it didn’t change her “why wouldn’t I” approach to everything else in her life (engineering, travel, journalism, hunting). That’s not to say that Elliott didn’t experience sexism, just that in Always Game, she leads by example, rather than by telling a story of adversity or fighting to be an exception to the rules. But this story isn’t about a woman playing a man’s game. It’s about a woman discovering a passion she has for something she didn’t grow up immersed in and pursuing that interest with curiosity and confidence. It’s an anthology of outdoor adventures as well as a story about embracing earnestness, shaking hands with humility, and taking chances on learning new things. —Frances Killea, NRCM Policy Advocate, Woods, Wildlife, & Waters

I’ll Be Home for Dinner, Unless There’s a Hatch, by Lou Zambello (Maine Authors Publishing, 2025) In the throes of winter I got my hands on Lou Zambello’s most recent book, I’ll Be Home for Dinner, Unless There’s a Hatch. If you have appreciated Zambello’s guides in the past, this book feels like an Extended Director’s Cut. I first encountered Zambello’s writing in the summer of 2024. Canoe and fly rods loaded, we were off to visit Rangeley for the first time. We stopped to browse flies at Selene’s Fly Shop in Gardiner when Selene herself noticed me eyeing Zambello’s Flyfisher’s Guide to New England and enthusiastically recommended it. I studied it thoroughly, and our inaugural trip was nothing short of idyllic. Lou shared great canoe put-ins, a few hidden gem fishing areas, and some local flavor in guide shops, attractions, and restaurants. Lou was now a trusted source. Fishers are known for their highly factual storytelling, and Zambello doesn’t fall short in this latest work. I’m even more inclined to take his stories as fact, despite stereotypes about the tall tales of fisherfolk, as the author has proved himself truthful to me over several adventures thus far. Not only does Lou share some wonderful moments in our neck of the woods, he also journeys to some of the most exciting nature-filled fishing destinations around the world. And he provides insights and backstories from his time writing other books, his time guiding, and he can’t stay away from a chance to muse on the finer points of fly selection and fishing techniques—bringing the characteristically informative tone of other travel books. —Nate Hathaway, NRCM Regional Outreach Coordinator

An Ecologist’s World: Seashores, Forests, Lakes, Mountaintops, Peatlands, and Prehistoric Landscapes, by Ron Davis (Independently published, 2026) An Ecologist’s World is a fascinating mix of personal memoir and travelogue, ecological storytelling, and, in a few chapters, a “cookbook” for scientists and conservationists who may be interested in carrying out research like that carried out by University of Maine professor emeritus Ronald B. Davis. It is not an exaggeration to say that anyone who reads this book will find much to learn. Even as a biologist and naturalist who grew up here in Maine, I found the chapters on the ecology of Maine’s rocky intertidal coastline and spruce-dominated coastal forests were full of fascinating details that were new to me. Photos and graphics are sprinkled throughout the book, enhancing both Ron’s personal stories and his ecological essays. I was particularly absorbed by the chapters that discuss Ron’s research to reconstruct the past history of ecological change across landscapes using pollen sampled from deep cores taken from lake bottoms and peatlands. Chapters are wonderfully wide ranging with titles like “Guarumo and Its Ants,” “Coring Oxbow Lakes in Nepal,” and “Mapping the Ancient Landscapes of Northern New England.” This is a book that anyone interested in ecology in general and in Maine’s ecology and conservation should read. —Jeffrey Wells, PhD, NRCM member

Under the Rubble: The Hidden Letters of the Warsaw Ghetto, by Elisa Boxer (Apples & Honey Press, 2026) In her latest book, as in one of her past ones, Elisa shares a true Holocaust event, taking place just as Nazis invaded Poland and began their persecution of Jewish people. When realizing that many of them will not survive, Jewish neighbors in the Warsaw Ghetto begin writing notes in secrecy, sharing the terrible things that were happening at the hands of the Nazis. They do this to ensure that even after they are gone, the world will realize the atrocities they faced. They bury the notes, and after the war, one of the few survivors from this group helps to unearth the buried notes—to share first-hand stories in their own words. This is a difficult topic even for adults, but Elisa writes this book in a way that will allow conversations with children without sharing gruesome details that may be too difficult for them to understand. Having reviewed many of Elisa’s books, I am always impressed with her thoughtfulness and the age-appropriateness of what she shares. The back of the book, as many of her earlier books,  includes more of the story. The bravery of this group of people, putting themselves at risk to ensure that the real story was told, is something that will stay with me. —Beth Comeau, NRCM Web & Communications Manager

The Single-handed Sailing Business, by Capt. Lyman Stuart (selfpublished, 2021) One day out of the blue, Capt. Lyman Stuart received a phone call with the question: “How did you start your business?” Capt. Stuart is a lifelong sailor who decided to leave behind his career in computer science and follow his passion. “I cannot imagine a more bizarre time in my life,” he admits, and sets to pain-staking research into everything from what exactly such a business might offer to financing to timing to licensing. The result was a successful sailing business—charters and lessons—Stuart ran for 10 years. It resulted in a book that serves as a blueprint for how he started and ran his business. Within the helpful how-to are tips like “Never sail in winds stronger than the length of your boat” and insider takes—when asked how much is too much when it comes to strong seas, he responds, “I always measure ‘too much’ by the whites of the eyes. People panic well before the boat does.” As of this writing, Stuart’s business is still for sale; regardless of your interest in owning a sailing business, this book will help you appreciate all that’s entailed in it. —Allison Wells, NRCM Senior Director, Communications 

The Allagash: A Hard Road to Wilderness, by Tim and Susan Caverly (Prepared for print by Leicester Bay Books, 2026) I imagine that there are few people that have spent as much time on the Allagash as Tim Caverly, who was supervisor of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway for 18 years. In this book, Volume 15 of his Allagash Tails Collection, Tim shares stories and journal entries of his family’s time living and working in the Allagash. Some of the stories are unexpected and harrowing, like the one he shares in the very first pages. The book shares journal entries related to some disagreements amongst people in the area and others in Augusta about how best to manage and protect the Waterway. Tim doesn’t leave out difficult stories, including investigations, arsons, and Air Force B-52 bombers flying over the area during training exercises! Toward the end, I began recognizing different pieces of work Tim described, as I was already working at NRCM by then. I learned early in my tenure at NRCM that the organization was founded around protection of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway, so reading this book helped me understand some of the history of all that has happened over the years to protect the Allagash, the nation’s first Wild and Scenic River. —BC

Storm Tide, by Paul Doiron (Minotaur Books, 2026) For fans of Paul Doiron’s Mike Bowditch series of crime novels, his newest book Storm Tide delivers — immediately. In the first page, there is a fatal fire, a baby, a neighbor, and throughout the book, you figure out how all of those, as well as another murder, are related. Mike is dealing with lots of unanswered questions as he works to solve these cases, but this time with the added stress of being just weeks from becoming a firsttime dad. His wife Stacey has her own added stress—a stalker. Bowditch and his trademark grit navigate these murders full of twists and turns, as always. For those of us who love Maine and a good crime novel, this latest in the Bowditch series delivers. The book is a true page-turner, always begging you to keep reading to find out what surprises might emerge for Bowditch, a true Mainer who holds dear the values of our state—a deep commitment to community and the outdoors. Put this on your summer reading list and you won’t be disappointed! —Colin Durrant, NRCM Communications Director

The Heron Witch, by Marnie Reed Crowell (Green Writers Press, 2025) This book is about a young girl, Nancy, who moves with her mother to a coastal Maine island—away from her friends and everything she knows. She is unsure about her new community but quickly meets the neighbor, Mrs. Scott, and another neighbor, Matt, who has always lived on the island and is about Nancy’s age. During this summer, Nancy spends a lot of time with them and learns about the island’s wildlife, nature, and life in a lobstering/fishing town. The author is a biologist and seamlessly weaves in factual information about native plants, deer, foxes, bears, and Mrs. Scott’s beloved Great Blue Herons. I loved the mention of the Merlin app from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology—an app I use regularly to identify birds in my yard. This book also illustrates differences among people on the island as well as “PFA” (people from away)—a theme of respecting others and their differences appears a few different ways throughout the book. This book would be good for anyone who is in middle school or older. I thoroughly enjoyed it and read most of it in one sitting. It would be a great summer read, especially at camp or along Maine’s rocky coast. It might cause you to pause, listen, and explore your surroundings.—BC

Goode Vibrations of the Dead River Valley, by Amy Safford (Saco River Books, 2025) The author so skillfully intertwined the numerous layers of this book that I could not put it down. Set primarily in the Eustis and Stratton area, one layer of the story recalls the building of Wyman Dam in 1948-49 after the inhabitants along the Dead River were forced to move to create Flagstaff Lake, a reservoir for the power company. The main character, Pennie, relives Benedict Arnold’s Expedition to Quebec in dreams she has throughout the book. Her uncle, a lawyer in Portland, has sent her to meet their relatives in Eustis to find evidence to stop an eminent domain order. His cousin had survived the trauma of losing a home to the flooding in the late 1940s. Now he is trying to protect his property near Middle Carry Pond as the power company wants to take it for the Independence Corridor carrying hydroelectric energy through Maine to southern New England. The final layer of the story revolves around the everyday lives of the people in this small town. Each layer is important to the story. The author meets my most important criteria: Her characters are authentically Maine. This is a great read! —Betty Hartley, NRCM member

Just for Today, by Charlotte Agell (Scholastic Press, 2026) Just for Today is a lovely children’s book that shares the message that worrying doesn’t have to carry us away and consume our whole day, and that the power of a friend can help bring you back to a place of courage and happiness, even just for today. Elba starts the story by worrying and not being able to sleep. When  Norris comes along to share his friendship and joy with Elba, he helps her embark on a journey of storytelling and boat building to ease her worrying. Then Elba accidentally floats away on their boat, the Adventure. Norris begins to worry about his friend while Elba navigates the situation and sees the bright side of the adventure she is on as she works to return to her friend, singing, “Just for today, I’ll be okay…” Once reunited, Elba and Norris finish their storytelling with “once upon a time, there were two friends.” The power of friendship can help us all be okay, just for today.
—Codi Riley-Havu, NRCM Gifts, Records, & Stewardship Coordinator 

Body in the Blueberry Barrens, by Claire Ackroyd (Maine Authors Publishing, 2025) My wife gave me this book and thought I would enjoy it because I’m a writer of mystery novels and children’s books. This is the second book by this author that I’ve read—the first was Murder in the Maple Woods. This book centers around Simone Thibodeau, who was a maple production worker who works hard to become a Maine Game Warden. She found herself a companion pit bull named Ivy who never leaves her side. Ivy does the one thing Simone fought so hard to avoid. Ivy loves Simone and breaks through her hard outer shell. But, during Simone’s first year as a Maine Warden she encounters a murder. On her own time, she investigates the murder, aiding the Maine State Police, doing her best to not get in the way. With her past as a maple inspector, Simone quickly picks up on many things that the police miss. With help from her friend/boyfriend (she has a hard time labeling him), she follows many different twists and turns throughout this nail biter. With every introduction of characters, you feel you are one step closer to knowing who did it, but then there’s a new twist. Body in the Blueberry Barrens is exciting, fun, scary, and sad. This is an excellent murder mystery, great for anyone. If you are going to read them, I encourage you to read Murder in the Maple Woods first. Claire Ackroyd is an amazing author who shares the beauty of Maine while creating these suspenseful mysteries. —Chris Comeau, NRCM member

Orion Rising: Collected Poems, by Doug Rawlings (Lulu.com, 2014)

“And the moon/ Could be a wise fisherwoman/ Hauling her jeweled net/ Through our seas…” So begins Doug Rawlings’ poem “To Carol: My Children’s Teacher,” one of my favorites in this collection of poems. It’s typical of the connections he makes: people in nature, of nature, as nature. Rawlings, a Viet Nam (his preferred spelling) vet and founder of Veterans For Peace, has described his poems as offerings of resistance and hope. There are moments in the book that are difficult to read—Rawlings is honest in his verse when he recalls his experience during (and after) the war, but he transforms that same honesty into a sense of optimism. It’s especially evident in his poems about and to his family and others—friends, school teachers, fellow war vets. It makes sense, of course, that nature would be at the heart of so many of them. It provides a common bond that ties us all together. –AW

Also By Doug Rawlings

A Baker’s Dozen: Fiddleheads and Other Poems for Children (Kellscraft.com, 2021) Features illustrations by Rawlings’ granddaughters Xochitl and Iona Pope.

Flower Song

Live your life
like a flower
blossoming every hour
reaching for the sun
growing from the rain
living every moment
like it will never come again.

In the Shadow of the Annamese Mountains (Kellscraft.com, 2023) With photos of the people of Viet Nam by Rawlings’ dear friend Don Evon.

Man Afield, by Jim Krosschell (Prolific Pulse Press LLC, Publisher, 2026) The poems in this book are an immersion in nature. As I read, I felt surrounded by birds, trees, flowers, and insects, often juxtaposed and intertwined with themes of mortality, rot, and human-made things, as in the double entendre-titled poem “Sounds Off”: “I might mistake/ the roar of trucks on US 1/ for wind in oaks/ if I snap off my resentments for a while/ and watch the flock of gulls/ circling above the bay…” In places, like “All Rivers Lead to the Sea,” Krosschell’s passion for the natural world triggers his activism: “Ubiquitous amorous ships kiss the waves./ Below, the blast of their engines/ deafens dolphins,/ makes humpbacks bleed,/ kills krill….” Still there is peace and beauty throughout, as in “Sea Smoke”: “Cold hands in the air/ touch the warm heart of the sea…” Poems are devoted to observing wildlife foraging, references to Maine abound, and clever connections give cause to pause. In “How to Fall,” he’s watching oak leaves waft to the ground and notes, “So many elegant ways to decompose…” Anyone who loves Maine and enjoys poetry will find themselves moving easily through this book. – AW

From Man Afield, by Jim Krosschell:

Multitudes
A population of more than a hundred ducks swims
in the cove today, along with, improbably, some
hundred white gulls. Several times all rise and
swirl and quickly turn back, contradicting
themselves in response to a stimulus
unknown to amateur scientists
or even to such poets who
would like to contain
birds and every
other living
thing in
words
like
I