Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84 Page 85 Page 86 Page 87 Page 88 Page 89 Page 90 Page 91 Page 92 Page 93 Page 94 Page 95 Page 96 Page 97 Page 98 Page 99 Page 100Ann Beattie’s long-awaited new short story collection, her first since 2005, arrives in paperback this year. The fifteen short stories are all set in Maine. Beattie’s gift with language and the wit personified by her work are on perfect display throughout. In- cluded are three tales centered on a teenage visitor to the state, Jocelyn, whose strug- gles with finding her place in the world could easily translate into a full novel. Also included are a touching story of an IRS agent who comes to an important life change after visiting an elderly woman; a group of kids who stumbles upon a room full of Elvis Presley busts; and many other unique and poignant tales. The common thread run- ning though all of these stories is not only their location, but also Beattie’s innate gift of understanding how people relate to each other. She conjures unique and touching relationships in this highly engaging collection of short stories. 224 pages | Scribner | paperback $15 …A seagull swooped up the bouquet and dropped it, but too far out over the rocks for anybody to retrieve it, although the best man tried. But that— real life—you couldn’t write. You had to write Magical Realism, in which no doubt the seagull could recite Latin proverbs while it was being philosophical about the flowers not being fish.” The State We’re In, Maine Stories by Ann Beattie D e c ember 2 0 1 6 3 1 The arts from top: Carolyn hanley, youtube; courtesy photos Intoxicating Tales The team at Longfellow Books invites you to delve between the pages of some of their favorite books from the past year. So settle in and grab a copy. You’re in good hands. Indulge in a cache of great Maine books for the New Year. By Ari Gersen & The Staff of Longfellow Books