This is the time of year –as the days start to lengthen, almost imperceptibly but enough that we talk about it—when I haul out my little blue notebook to review what I’ve read over the past year. I choose three or five or six books I liked the best, and add a sentence, maybe two, about why.

… Being around Mainers encourages brevity, gentle abruptness; a shyness about spilling personal details or inquiring too deeply.