OUTERMARK by Jason Brown; Paul Dry Books, 2024; 176 pages, $17.95; ISBN 978-1-58988-194-5.

OUTERMARK

Of short stories, writer Neil Gaiman says: “A short story is the ultimate close-up magic trick — a couple of thousand words to take you around the world or break your heart.” And mid-coast Maine writer Jason Brown does all of that magic and more in this powerful short story collection.

Brown is a Maine Book Award winner for his short stories, and “Outermark” is his fourth collection. Fourteen stories present colorful vignettes of the history of Outermark Island, a fictional island off the Maine coast near Nova Scotia, as told by the men and women who lived there from 1727 to 2022. Writing short stories is a lot harder than most people think — brevity and focus are paramount, and every word must count. And Brown is a master.

The stories begin with Corson Wills, a former resident, relating life on Outermark when the small island community fades and disintegrates until Outermark is just “a rock in the ocean where no one lives anymore.” Brown makes it clear that hard times, bad feelings, drugs, alcohol, petty rivalries, jealousy and pervasive unhappiness spell the end of the island.

One story tells of early indigenous people living peacefully on the island, and the violent conflicts with intruding colonists. Another tells of romantic relationships denied for all the wrong reasons. One hopeful tale, “Janet’s Story,” tells of the comfortable relationship and
companionship between a young man and an older woman.

Best perhaps are three short stories that are truly short — just one paragraph each — but they are beautifully written, creating vivid imagery and emotion. The people portrayed in these stories all have one thing in common: In their own way, they each have dreams that will never be realized and they know it. Remember that magic?

WARM YOUR BONES: COZY RECIPES FOR CHILLY DAYS AND WINTER NIGHTS by Vanessa Seder; Union Square & Company, 2024; 240 pages, $30; ISBN 978-1-4549-5414-9.

WARM YOUR BONES: COZY RECIPES FOR CHILLY DAYS AND WINTER NIGHTS

For those plucky folks who are cooking-challenged but willing to try, dinner is ready when the smoke alarm goes off. For other less-inspired cooks, the dinner menu is “Take it or leave it.” Then there are those who actually enjoy cooking, trying new recipes and willing to gamble on the results. Those people will enjoy the new cookbook, “Warm Your Bones.”

Portland author Vanessa Seder is a food writer and culinary instructor (once with Stonewall Kitchens in York). She has already penned two cookbooks, “Secret Sauces” (2017) and “Cool Eats” (2021), and this third book focuses on winter dishes to warm up your kitchen and your tummy.

There are 10 chapters here with beautifully illustrated recipes for everything from breakfasts, starters, soups and stews, and sandwiches to main courses, side dishes, condiments, drinks and desserts. Each recipe contains background history, lists of ingredients and measurements, oven or stove-top preparation and tips for presentation.

Many of the recipes require considerable time to prepare and cook — only a few are quick, easy and simple. Seder also does not indicate how long it would take to prepare each recipe, and many require several days of advance preparation (especially sourdough starter). So read carefully to determine how much work you want to do.

However, several recipes really stand out like Stuffed French Toast, baked apples, sourdough waffles, beef stew and oyster stew, the Drunken Gravy Turkey Sandwich, beef tenderloin, Bundt cake and Orange-Clementine Marmalade.

Learn, too, about a brilliant use of dental floss in the kitchen, what a Dutch baby and a “spactchcocked chicken” really are, and why in French cooking “the first crepe is for the dog.” It is clear why Seder is a first-class food stylist. She knows what she’s doing and is an excellent writer.

Bill Bushnell lives and writes in Harpswell.