Mainers challenge themselves to reading goals during the pandemic A 9-year-old who has read some 250 books and a book club that tackled 'War and Peace' are among those filling their downtime with reading. Photo by Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer Nine-year-old Lucy Harkness used to do have days filled with school, gymnastics, soccer or some other extra-curricular activity. But since the pandemic began, the Portland fourth-grader’s life – not to mention her family’s home – has become filled with books. Her mother, who works at the Portland Public Library, brings home a shopping bag full of them every few weeks. Her family estimates Lucy’s read 250 books in the past year, ranging from graphic novels and young adult books to classics like “Little Women.”