Octopus Bookshop

05/26/2026

Now at Octopus Bookshop!

05/25/2026

The book “When Books Went to War,” by Molly Guptil Manning explores the program during WWII to get free, pocket-sized books (think cargo pants) to American troops to keep up morale. These were made specifically for the troops and called Armed Services Editions.” Thank you to all who have served, and may we honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice. Anyone interested in this topic or other war history, Octopus Bookshop is open today from 10 am to 5 pm.

05/21/2026

Congrats to Angela from E. Waterboro, Maine for winning the Grand Prize in the inaugural Coastal Maine Indie Book Crawl! 🎉 After visiting all 5 participating bookstores from Kittery to the Kennebunks, Angela will receive prizes from Literally Kittery, The Booktenders, Perkins Cove Bookshop, Lupine Books, and Octopus Bookshop. 📚 We had >100 visitors on Independent Bookstore Day and 41 who completed our Indie Book Crawl! THANK YOU to everyone who came out in support of Indie Bookstores! Mark your calendar for next year: 4/24/27

05/19/2026

Remember to get your ticket for this Wednesday night’s Silent Reading & Social Hour. 🐙📚🍷🏠 And use your receipt to get 20% off a single book between now and 5/27

Silent Reading & Social event happening Wednesday, May 20th from 5:30pm - 7pm at Wine House on Main. Relax with a book for 30 minutes of uninterrupted reading, followed by social hour to share wha it is your reading. Your $25 tickets gets you a beverage and cheese board, plus 20% discount to use at Octopus Bookshop from date of ticket purchase until 1 week after the event. Reserve your ticket here: https://thehub-api.mastermind.com/payment-link/68dfe76167ee3b345369993f

05/11/2026

Author event this Friday at 2pm at the Louis T. Graves Memorial Library in Kennebunkport. Meet author Judith Stiles as she talks about her novel “Hush Little Fire.” Books will be available for sale & signing. See you there!

Join us in welcoming author Judith Stiles to the Louis T. Graves Memorial Public Library on Friday, May 15, at 2 PM. She will be here to read from her new book, “Hush Little Fire”. Secrets implode and generations of lies boil over into deadly consequences when a suspicious fire breaks out on Christmas Night on Cape Cod. This enthralling and darkly humorous debut novel of long-buried truths will captivate readers. Ms. Stiles writes essays, fiction, and news articles for the Italian publication Ytali Global, covering all things American. Her short stories and literary essays can be found in Europa Quotidiano, Hemingway Shorts, Kenyon Review (honorable mention), Room (first place, creative nonfiction competition 2024), The Ex-Puritan, and The New York Times. She lives with her partner in crime, who helps clean up the house when their 3 kids, Julia, Jane, and Johnny, come to visit. The Louis T. Graves Memorial Public Library is located at 18 Maine Street, Kennebunkport. For further information, please call 207-967-2778 or visit www.graveslibrary.org.

05/08/2026

Silent Reading & Social event happening Wednesday, May 20th from 5:30pm - 7pm at Wine House on Main. Relax with a book for 30 minutes of uninterrupted reading, followed by social hour to share wha it is your reading. Your $25 tickets gets you a beverage and cheese board, plus 20% discount to use at Octopus Bookshop from date of ticket purchase until 1 week after the event. Reserve your ticket here: https://thehub-api.mastermind.com/payment-link/68dfe76167ee3b345369993f

05/07/2026

Countdown to Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 10th! Show Mom a little love with a gift from Octopus Bookshop. We’re open every day, even Mother’s Day! 🐙📚🥰

05/04/2026

Now available at Octopus Bookshop.

04/27/2026

04/27/2026

Author Wally Lamb is coming to Arundel Sept. 24th for the second annual Clifford W. Burgess Author Night hosted by Louis T. Graves Memorial Public Library. The event will be held at Vinegar Hill. See link below to buy tickets!
Wally Lamb’s novels are available, now, at Octopus Bookshop and will be sold at this event as well, including his latest novel “The River is Waiting,” coming out in paperback May 19th.

Save the date!

Wally Lamb, author of seven New York Times bestselling novels, three
of which—"She’s Come Undone", "I Know This Much Is True", and his most recent novel "The River Is
Waiting"—were Oprah’s Book Club picks. Lamb will read and discuss his writing at 6:30 p.m. on
September 24 at Vinegar Hill Music Theatre in Arundel.
Lamb will be interviewed by Rebecca Eaton. Eaton took the helm of the PBS series Masterpiece Theatre
and Mystery! in 1985 and later oversaw a highly successful relaunch of Masterpiece which attracted
a new generation of viewers to a long string of hits highlighted by Downton Abbey, the most-watched
drama in PBS history.
This second Clifford W. Burgess Author Night is hosted by the Louis T. Graves Memorial Public Library
in Kennebunkport, Maine and is open to the public. Clifford Burgess was a civic leader in
Kennebunkport in the 1980s whose memory lives on with his family’s generous support. These annual
fundraising events feature nationally recognized, popular authors. All proceeds from ticket sales and
event sponsorships support the library’s essential operations.
Tickets for Wally Lamb will be for sale online at vinhillmusic.com. This is a popular fall event that sells
out quickly, so buy your tickets today!
The Louis T. Graves Memorial Public Library, housed in an historic 19 th century building located near
Kennebunkport’s famous Dock Square town center, is a full-service free library whose mission is “to
enrich the lives of all we serve.” A nonprofit organization, Graves Library receives 60 percent of its
operating budget from donations and other fundraising sources.
Thank you, sponsors, Burgess Family, Kennebunk Savings, Hurlbutt Designs, Octopus Books, Vinegar Hill, and the Colony Hotel.

04/24/2026

Coastal Maine Indie Book Crawl “Get Lit” is happening Saturday, April 25th in celebration of Independent Bookstore Day! Visit ALL FIVE participating bookstores to enter Grand Prize drawing, PLUS get special offers all day, even at some cafes and pubs to keep you going on your indie book crawl. START at any of the following bookstores between Kittery and Kennebunkport:
Literally Kittery, Kittery 9am - 5pm / The Booktenders, York 10am - 5pm / Perkins Cove Bookshop, Ogunquit 9am - 5pm / Octopus Bookshop, Kennebunk 9am - 5pm / Lupine Books, Kennebunkport 10 am - 5pm