SSoP Podcast Episode 52 — Maine: Lighthouses, Lobster Rolls, and the King of Horror

SSoP Podcast Episode 52 — Maine: Lighthouses, Lobster Rolls, and the King of Horror

Monday, 15 May, 2023

Perched in the top-right corner of the US, Maine is wrapped in a snuggly hug from Canada and bravely faces the crashing Atlantic. If bracing sea air, glorious pine trees, and fresh-from-the-ocean seafood is your thing, you’re going to want to visit asap.

Maine’s 5000 miles (8000 km) of coastline mean there are dozens of lighthouses, ample excuses to get out in a boat (kayaking along the Maine Island trail, anyone?), and opportunities to see puffins, seals, and whales in their natural habitat.

Or set your sights on the forest! The Pine Tree State is perfect for honing your Disney princess skills with moose, black bears, white-tailed deer, river otters, foxes, and other furry forest creatures.

When you’re ready to get cozy with a book, there’s the poetry of Longfellow, the delight of Charlotte’s Web, and the malevolent Pennywise, who is the terrifying and brilliant invention of Maine’s number one literary hero, Stephen King.

In this episode, we get hungry for lobster rolls and Maine blueberries, learn some funny island names, and honor a delightful ambassador to Maine. Then we recommend five books that took us to Maine on the page, including a Gothic coming-of-age story, two vastly different (but unputdownable) memoirs, a literary crime novel, and a sweet story about the magical power of love and the Northern Lights.

Here are the books about Maine we recommend on the show:

Books, Transcript, and More

For a complete roundup of all the books we recommend, plus a full transcript and the other cool stuff we talked about, visit the Episode 52 show notes.

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A short list of awesome things in Maine: Lonely lighthouses, blueberries, just-caught lobster, great poetry, kayaking, stargazing, spine-tingling horror tales, pine trees, moose, crashing Atlantic waves, and more.
The poet's atmospheric poem blurs the divide between memories and haunting. He casts the 'harmless phantoms' — who glide by our sides and sit at our fires — as silent visitors, forging our connection to the beyond.
Is it a cookie? Is it a cake? A whoopie pie is two large, soft chocolate cookies held together with a luscious buttercream filling. Its origin may be in dispute, but we can all agree that it's a truly American treat.
What better way to celebrate National Poetry month than a poem called 'Travel'?! Edna St. Millay's brief poem packs an emotional wallop, capturing yearning and the romance of escape in just three perfect stanzas.

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