Read the Vineyard

“Read local.” That’s no good. “Read M.V.” Nope. “Read the Vineyard.” That’s a possibility. Alas, my attempt to come up with a catchy slogan to encourage Vineyard residents and visitors to read the impressive, and ever-growing, list of books written by local and semilocal authors doesn’t match the snappy ring of “Shop local.” Clunky efforts aside, here are three good reasons to buy books by Vineyard authors this holiday season:

• A beautiful walk on a Sheriff’s Meadow trail is great, but it becomes even better when you run into the author of the book you just read.
• Your Vineyard authors’ bookshelf is less expensive than a key to Quansoo, and you don’t have to worry about skin cancer from a day with a book.
• You have the choice of buying great books written by Vineyard authors or books written by random authors from the land of off-Island. Why not support the home team?

 

Below is a list of books by the authors who joined us at Islanders Write in 2025, and books published this past year by other Vineyard-connected writers. 

And now back to the shop-local piece. The Vineyard has two fabulous independent bookstores, and frankly, it’s up to all of us to keep them in business. Apologies in advance for mistakes and oversights to Vineyard authors whose 2025 books aren’t on this list. 

 

Cookbooks and books about food

“The Martha’s Vineyard Cookbook,” by Julia Blanter

“Braided Heritage,” by Jessica B. Harris

“The Sea Table: Stories of Fishermen and Recipes from Martha’s Vineyard,” by the Martha’s Vineyard Fishermen’s Preservation Trust, with Catherine Walthers

 

Nonfiction

“From Founder to Future,” by John Abrams

“Seven Secrets to the Perfect Personal Essay,” by Nancy Slonim Aronie

“The Battle for the Black Mind,” by Karida L. Brown

“100% Democracy: The Case for Universal Voting,” by E.J. Dionne, Jr.

“Curveball,” by Bob Drogin

“The Woman Who Knew Everyone,” by Meryl Gordon

“The Mesopotamian Riddle,” by Joshua Hammer

“Pursuing the Leviathan,” by Paul Magid

“History Matters,” by David McCullough, edited by Dorie McCullough Lawson and Michael Hill

“American Artists in Postwar Rome: Art and Cultural Exchange,” by Peter Miller

“The Look,” by Michelle Obama

“The Body and the Blood,” by Charles Sennott

“College Mental Health 101,” by Christopher Willard

“The Miracle of the Black Leg,” by Patricia J. Williams

 

Fiction

“Sheepish,” by T. Elizabeth Bell

“Morning Pages,” by Kate Feiffer

“Our Last Vineyard Summer,” by Brooke Lea Foster

“Boy,” by Nicole Galland

“Where We Find Ourselves: A Cambodian Love Story,” by Sue Guiney

“The Sweetest Days,” by John Hough, Jr.

“The Washashore,” by Marshall Highet and Bird Jones

“The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club,” by Martha Hall Kelly

“We Fell Apart,” by e. Lockhart

“Wings of Red,” by James W. Jennings

“Trial,” by Richard North Patterson

“The Golden Land,” by Elizabeth Shick

“Jackie,” by Dawn Tripp

“The Italian Prisoner,” by Elisa M. Speranza 

“Such a Good Mom,” by Julia Spiro

“Rules for Moving,” by Nancy Star

“Child Bride,” by Jennifer Smith Turner

 

Graphic novel

“The New York Trilogy,” by Paul Karasik

 

Memoirs

“Rewriting Illness,” by Elizabeth Benedict

“Memorial Days,” by Geraldine Brooks

“Nothing More of This Land,” by Joseph Lee

“A Smoke and a Song,” by Sherri Sidoti

“Time’s Bounty: Rethinking Aging,” by Philip Weinstein 

 

Poetry

“A Scarred Samovar,” by Liz Kelner Pozen

“Dear Fellow Warrior,” by Sharisse Scott-Rawlins

“Corner Pocket Poems,” by Ellen Story

 

Humor

“Oodles of Rubles,” by Ivan Cox, illustrations by Mick Stevens

 

Photography

“American Protest: Images from the Streets,” by Jamie Fishman

 

Children’s books

“Oh No, Tillie!” by Amy Benford

“Why Should I Trust You?” by Norman Birnbach

“Next Year at the White House,” “What Louis Brandeis Knows,” “Fanny’s Big Idea,” and “More Than Enough,” by the very prolific Richard Michelson

“Sam and the Number 8,” by Liz Kelner Pozen 

“Feelings Are Like Farts,” by Dr. Christopher Willard

“Wôpanâak Seasons: Seeqan, Neepun, Keepun, Pup8n,” by Carrie Anne Vanderhoop

 

Anthology

“Washashores Review,” edited by Mathea Morais and Elisa M. Speranza

 

Islanders Write exists to promote and celebrate writers, writing, and the writing life on the Vineyard. We do this through in-person events, a monthly newsletter, in the pages of our publications, and now through online workshops with Vineyard writers.