Looking for Your Next Book?


Kennebunk Free Library staff love helping patrons find their next great read! We invite you to email us or call us at 207-985-2173, and we also welcome you to check out the online forms and resources on this page.

Please visit our New Materials page to learn about items that arrived at the library recently and to find out whether we have this week's New York Times bestsellers available in our various collections (print, large print, audio, ebook, eaudio)? 
 
For information about browsing the catalog and requesting items, please visit our Lending page.
 

Request a Book Stack Customized for You


Would you like to borrow a stack of books handpicked by a librarian? We’d love to choose some books for you! Request a book stack by filling out the Google Form below. If you'd only like a list of titles, rather than an actual book stack, you may request that option on the form. A KFL library card is required. We'll contact you when your book stack is ready to be picked up!

Adult/Young Adult Book Stack Request Form
 

Request a Book Stack Customized for Your Child


Would you like a librarian to handpick a stack of books for your child? Request a book stack by filling out the Google Form below. A KFL library card is required. We'll let you know when your book stack is ready to pick up curbside!

Children's Book Stack Request Form
 

Request a Customized DVD Bundle


Want some DVDs, but have no idea what exactly you want to watch? Let the librarians at KFL take care of that! Request a customized DVD Bundle by filling out the Google Form below. A KFL library card is required. We'll let you know when your bundle is ready to pick up curbside!

DVD Bundle Request Form
 

New Books

as seen on our homepage

Click on a title to visit its record in our catalog, where you can place a hold online, or call the library to ask us to place a hold for you.

Fiction:
The Chosen and the Beautiful - Nghi Vo
Dear Miss Metropolitan - Carolyn Ferrell
A Passage North - Anuk Arudpragasam
Razorblade Tears - S. A. Cosby
The Startup Wife - Tahmima Anam

Nonfiction:
Bigfoot in Maine - Michelle Y. Souliere
Dear Senthuran - Akwaeke Emezi
Carry On - John Lewis
Little and Often - Trent Preszler
The Natural Mother of the Child - Krys Malcolm Belc
 

Hot New Releases on Order for August


Click on a title to visit its record in our catalog, where you can place a hold online, or call the library to ask us to place a hold for you.

Staff Picks for August 2021


Kat, Library Assistant:
 
Blueberry Love by Cynthia Graubart - August is blueberry season and this book shows 46 ways to enjoy them: breakfast, lunch and dinner with entrees, salad dressing, jam, cocktails and old-fashioned scrub. My list of must-try recipes includes “Make-Ahead Blueberry-Pecan French Toast Casserole, Blueberry and Onion Jam Glaze and Sautéed Pork Tenderloin with Blueberry Balsamic Mustard Glaze”. Something for everyone, blueberries for all!
 
Sigh, Gone: A Misfit's Memoir of Great Books, Punk Rock, and the Fight to Fit In by Phuc Tran - This coming of age memoir begins as Phuc’s family leaves war-torn Vietnam in 1975 after the fall of Saigon and starts a new life in Pennsylvania. Phuc’s irreverent humor and experiences lets the reader in on just what it was like for he and his family to adapt. This quote is a good example: “My father loved the library because it was a safe haven for him - no missed cultural cues, no bigoted insults from his coworkers, no glaring reminders of what was lost. All patrons of the library were pilgrims to the oracle all seeking the same thing: knowledge. And in their pursuits of the same thing, they were all equals.” During his freshman year of High School, a friend recommends a title by Albert Camus and his appetite for reading is born. Phuc shares what he learned from: The Picture of Dorian Gray -- The Plague -- Crime and Punishment -- The Scarlet Letter -- A Christmas Carol -- Man and His Symbols -- Madame Bovary -- Pygmalion -- The Metamorphosis -- The Importance of Being Earnest -- The Autobiography of Malcolm X -- The Iliad. This book was recommended by my co-worker, Kate and she was right.
 
The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde - KFL has an audio version of this work. It only takes two hours to read/listen to. I had enjoyed listening to this amusing play earlier this spring and was delighted to hear Phuc Tran’s thoughts on it in Sigh, Gone. Algernon pretends to be his friend’s troublesome younger brother, Earnest, in Wilde's satire of nineteenth-century fashions, manners, and morality. Perfect for a day trip!
 

Denise, Library Assistant:


 

Websites for Readers

An annotated list by KFL library assistant Kyle

General

Perhaps the most famous website for readers, Goodreads is a kind of Facebook for book lovers.  Readers can create different lists, sorting their to read, have read, and current reads into different lists and share those with their Goodreads friends.  It is fun to see what your friends are reading or want to read.  Goodreads also has an immense community of reviewers that provide valuable insight into whether that hot new book is really worth your time reading.  They also have features to connect authors with readers and will sometimes offer giveaways.  Note: Goodreads is owned by Amazon.

LibraryThing is very similar to Goodreads.  If you are looking for a non-Amazon alternative to Goodreads, LibraryThing is for you.

Fantastic Fiction is the ultimate resource for author bibliographies and accurate series information.  If you want to know what order to read a series in or what books a specific author has written, chances are you’ll find it within their database of over 50,000 authors.  The pages are simple, but straightforward.  Fantastic Fiction also keeps running lists of new books being released along with debut authors.  They have recently added book list features similar to Goodreads, but their strength remains in accurate series information.

Shelf Awareness is a book review website that offers a twice weekly email newsletter with their reviews, author interviews, and other book related goodness.  They review fiction and non-fiction books of all genres, along with young adult and children’s books.

Kirkus is a well known and established book review magazine.  They review all genres of fiction and nonfiction, along with young adult and children’s books.  All of their detailed reviews are available for free on their website.  It’s a great way to see how good the latest bestsellers are and also discover other books and authors that are highly reviewed.

Book Riot is an extensive book review and recommendation website.  They present their information in more of a “news” story form that the traditional book lists and review format of other sites.  Some will find it more engaging.  They also have several very popular book related podcasts.

Book Marks describes itself as a “Rotten Tomatoes'' for books.  Their editors scour the internet for book reviews from credible, known sources.  Once a book has at least three reviews, they categorize those reviews as pan, mixed, positive, or rave giving readers a quick way to see what is being said about the hottest new releases.  Excerpts of the reviews are also provided so you can decide for yourself.

LoveReading is your standard book reviewing website: it provides listings of new and recommended books, along with providing a short review of each book.  They have an excellent and extensive themed book list section.  While the site is UK based, most books are published simultaneously or nearly these days.

Any New Books is a service that provides weekly emails with lists of new books in genres or topics that you can customize.  With 42 different fiction and nonfiction genres it’s easy to get specific about your own personal loves.  Want to know the latest computer programming, political, and history books each week?  Done.  This service tends to be stronger with its nonfiction coverage than fiction.  Also they will include self-published and books from lesser known publishers which may be of varying quality.
 

Historical Fiction  

If you are searching for your next historical fiction novel to read, head over to Historical Novels.  They list over 5,000 novels grouped by both time period and geographic location.  Their listing includes both straight historical fiction and also historical mystery fiction.  Reviews are included for some of the titles.  This isn’t the best site for keeping track of what is hot off the press, it has amazing listings of older historical fiction from the 2000s, 1990s, and beyond.  Perfect for when you want to get a book without a long waiting list.

Historical Novel Society has been reading and reviewing historical fiction since 1997 -- over 15,000 books.  While not all of those are listed on their website, there are still plenty of books to choose from.  They do keep up with the latest publications and have extensive reviews of recent releases.

Historical Fiction Online is a good old fashioned internet message board.  It is an online forum for lovers of historical fiction to post book reviews, reading logs, and have general discussions about all things historical fiction.  It is easy to go down into the rabbit hold on this site, but there is good information on books to be found here.
 


Mystery

Stop, You’re Killing Me is a massive resource for mystery lovers.  It tracks the latest releases by month for hardcover, paperback, large print, and audio formats.  You can also browse new and older titles grouped by location, job of the main character, historical time period, ethnic group of the main character, and subgenre (ie cozy, thriller, paranormal).  It’s easy to find some great mysteries perfectly suited to your tastes using these indexes.  They also have book reviews and book award listings.  What more could a mystery read want?

From the folks who bring you the general reading website “Book Marks”, Crime Reads is a website devoted to all things mystery from novels to true crime.  They present their book lists and recommendations in essay format as opposed to just straight lists.  This is a great resource to follow for their insightful posts on new and little known mystery writing.

The “Golden Age” of mystery novels -- Agatha Christie comes first to mind for many but there are so many other great mystery novels with shady looking characters in trench coats being followed by the hero detective (usually also wearing a trench coat) on the cover.  The blog In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel highlights those great classic mysteries of the 1920s-1950s, while also giving reviews of recently published books.  If you’re looking for a new mystery but especially if you’re looking for an old mystery, check this site out for some great ideas.

If you are a fan of the cozy mystery subgenre, then you need to spend some time on this website. Cozy Mystery List keeps up on the newest releases, along with directories of cozy mysteries by theme, time period, and author.  With loads of book reviews and recommendations, this site will quickly fill up your to-read list.
 


Science Fiction & Fantasy

SFBook is a straightforward book review blog.  They post a copious amount of book reviews specific to the Science Fiction and Fantasy genre.  There are book reviews the scroll through for days while seeking your next great space or fantasy adventure.

Locus Magazine is a monthly print magazine that covers all things news in the science fiction, fantasy, and horror genres, along with author and other interviews, book releases and reviews.  Many of their book reviews are also published on their website for free access.

Den of Geek is a website devoted to all things ‘geek’ culture from movies to games to comics to books.  Their book section features roundups on the latest monthly releases along with individual reviews and news.  This is especially a great place to keep up with all the books crossing over to tv and movie streaming services.
 


Romance

If you need any ideas for what romance book to read next, visit She Reads Romance Books!  It has dozens of reading lists by topic, subgenre, along with lists of what to read/what to skip for each month’s new book releases.  There are also a good number of book reviews to give you a little more information about a book, recommendation lists, and more.  It even has a quiz to help you “discover your next book boyfriend”!

Romance Junkies has an extensive list of book reviews for new releases and classics.  Their site is organized so that it makes it very easy to find reviews for romance sub-genres such as contemporary, romantic suspense, paranormal/futuristic, and historical romance.

All About Romance (or AAR as they call themselves) has tons of romance book reviews, along with industry news, author interviews and commentary.  Their website has a section devoted to the reviews (which are searchable), along with a blog with news, plus forums for you to get in touch with other romance book lovers.
 


Thrillers

Best Thrillers is a comprehensive book review site just for the genre of thriller.  But the best part is how they break down the thriller genre so that it’s easy to find the specific type of thriller books you’re looking for, whether that is apocalypse, historical, medical, military, political, spy, or many other sub-genres.  A great place for anyone looking for a little adrenaline in their reads.