SPL Book Club: Award-Winning Books
Settled in the Wild: Notes from the Edge of Town by Susan Hand Shetterly • Selected by Kendra Chubbuck
Winner: Maine Literary Award for Nonfiction (2011)
“Shetterly’s penetrating observations resonate with an undeniable sense of what matters most in life: the preservation of self, the protection of wilderness, and appreciation for the passage of time…” –Booklist
Find Settled in the Wild in MILS
“Settled in the Wild takes us into the woods and along the shorelines, mudflats, and paths of rural Maine, where Susan Hand Shetterly has lived and written about nature for the past thirty years. Now, she turns her attention to the ways humans and animals share the land, especially as our mutual habitat is changing. Her observations start small, looking out her window at the many living things in just one dead tree in her yard, at the wild turkeys and coyotes in the field. Then she expands to the surrounding forest, to the seaside, and to the lives of her neighbors, many of whom have always made a living off the land or sea.
Whether writing about a displaced garter snake, witnessing the paving of a beloved dirt road, catching a cricket with her young son, rescuing a fledgling raven, or rejoicing with the town at the return of the alewife migration, Shetterly pays tribute to the resilience that abounds. She argues for a consciousness that honors the values of wilderness, protects the beauty and vigor of rural communities, and teaches our children to love the gifts of the land.” –From the dust jacket
Eleven readers chose 11 books, and they will lead 11 discussions in 2026. The SPL book club meets the fourth Monday of every month at 6:30pm on Zoom. There are two exceptions: there is no discussion in August when the book club takes a summer break, and the last meeting is bumped up to the second Monday, December 14, to minimize scheduling conflicts around the holidays. New readers—near and far—are always welcome. To sign up for the book club email list, please send a request to the email below.