A statewide summer reading experience
Read ME is Maine Humanities’ statewide community read offered in partnership with Maine State Library and Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance. Every summer, the program gets Mainers all reading books by Maine authors.
Hosted by public libraries all across the state, Read ME connects Maine’s reading community through shared experiences, supports Maine libraries in their work to provide quality summer reading initiatives, and elevates the work of upcoming Maine authors.
2026 Books
Adult Fiction and Non-fiction
Recommended by Maine State Library, Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance, and Maine Humanities
YOUTH
Recommended by Alexandra S.D. Hinrichs
Adult Fiction
The Islanders
By Maine’s Lewis Robinson
Shaken by problems at home, Walt joins a new leadership program on Whaleback Island off the coast of Maine. As Walt and his fellow misfits are challenged by ex-military instructors, the reasons behind their intense training slowly surface. Walt and the others must use their new skills find a way to survive.
Adult Non-fiction
A Gardener at the End of the World
By Maine’s Margot Anne Kelley
A gardener’s pandemic journal that combines memoir with an exploration of the natural world both inside and outside the garden. Seeds and viruses are springboards for wide-ranging reflections, such as their shared need for someone to transport them, the centrality of movement to being alive, and the domestication of plants as an act of becoming co-dependent.
Middle Grade
Monster Locker
Illustrated by Maine’s Andrés Vera Martinez
Something in the basement of sixth-grader Pablo Ortiz’s school has waited hundreds of years for its chance to open a portal into the realm of monsters. When Pablo accidentally breaks the seal and summons a vengeful Aztec goddess, his new friends and the wisdom passed down by his abuela help him take her on.
Picture book
Lucy!
Co-written by Maine’s Jacqueline Tourville
As a child, Lucy was sassy, bold, and funny. As an adult, she was a rule-breaking, chance-taking, comedy pioneer. In 1951, I Love Lucy took television by storm, and has made millions laugh ever since. Lucy! is the true story of how Lucille Ball overcame the odds to become the world’s Queen of Comedy.
Library Registration
Over 60 libraries participated in Read ME 2025. Join us again this summer!
Read ME is structured to enable even the smallest, most rural libraries to participate. All that’s required is a commitment to making each of the featured titles available to their patrons.
TOOLKITs
Everything you need to convene your community for Read ME.
Attend an Event
No Events scheduled for Read ME
Author TALKS
A Conversation with Nick Fuller Googins
Nick Fuller Googins discusses The Great Transition with Gibson Fay-LeBlanc of Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance.
A Conversation with Jennifer Lunden
Jennifer Lunden discusses American Breakdown with Gibson Fay-LeBlanc of Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance.
A Conversation with Shannon Bowring
Shannon Bowring discusses her novel The Road to Dalton with Gibson Fay-LeBlanc of Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance.
A Conversation with Marpheen Chann
Marpheen Chann discusses his memoir Moon in Full with Gibson Fay-LeBlanc of Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance.
A Conversation with Morgan Talty
Morgan Talty discusses his debut book Night of the Living Rez with Gibson Fay-LeBlanc of Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance
A Conversation with Meghan Gilliss
Meghan Gilliss discusses her debut book Lungfish with Gibson Fay-LeBlanc of Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance
2022: Phuc Tran Author Talk
Phuc Tran, author of the memoir Sigh, Gone, answers questions about writing, his book, family, and so much more.
2022: Meredith Hall Author Talk
Meredith Hall, author of Beneficence, answers questions from readers across the state of Maine.
2021: Kerry Arsenault Author Talk
Kerri Arsenault discusses her book Mill Town, a narrative nonfiction, investigative memoir, and cultural criticism that illuminates the rise and collapse of the working-class, the hazards of loving and leaving home, and the ambiguous nature of toxics and disease.
REad ME News
Read ME 2024 Books
Read more »
Read ME 2024 Recommending Author
Read more »
Read ME 2023 Books
Read more »
New Read ME Partnership
Read more »
