Reviews Rolling In

The Poacher's Son received two more great reviews over the past couple of weeks. 

First there's this from the Minneapolis Star Tribune:

When Bowditch's father becomes the main suspect in a deputy's death, Bowditch puts his career on the line to hunt for the killer, a quest that takes him deep into the forests of Maine and the heart of his dad's darkness. Doiron knows well the lay of the landscape he's writing about. The subtle parallels he draws between the beasts of the forest and the beasts within us are compelling.

I like that line about the "beasts within us," I have to say. ("Heart of his dad's darkness" is pretty good, too.)

The Provo Daily Herald also liked the book:

Even more than the action—which is intense—character and setting define this book. Northern Maine in the summertime is a felt presence in Doiron's finely-wrought text: the mosquitoes bite, the humidity cloys, the pines perfume the air, and seeable stars spatter the sky. The resolution of Mike's quest is as surprising as it is fitting, making The Poacher's Son not only great summer reading, but simply great reading.

It's been encouraging to hear from readers around the country—especially those unfamiliar with my state—who talk about the way my book transported them to the Maine North Woods since one of my primary goals in writing the novel was to express my love for the place. 

"An Icon of Maine"

The Capital Weekly newspaper in Augusta has a longish profile of me in today's edition. As a journalist, I've found being interviewed for my book to be an interesting (and probably healthy) experience. When you're a reporter, you listen for good quotes and try to make sense of everything you're hearing, and then you aim to translate the essence of your interview into print. When you're the subject of a profile, you realize how much gets lost in translation.

Slow News Day

When I'm not writing novels I spend most of my time editing magazines. On days like today I'm glad not to be a daily journalist trying to cover breaking news. Let's see: Senator Robert Byrd dies, which has the unforeseen effect of endangering financial reform, just as the death of Ted Kennedy seemed to doom health care reform; the Elena Kagan hearings begin; the Supreme Court rules that cities can't restrict handgun ownership while it upholds the power of the government to regulate the accounting industry and agrees to hear a challenge to Arizona's notorious new immigration law. Plus the Netherlands (my sentimental favorite of the remaining teams) eliminates Slovakia from World Cup contention. And it's only just past noon.

A Sea of Librarians

I am at the annual American Librarian Association conference in Washington, D.C. as a guest of the publisher of my large-print edition, Center Point Press (which is based coincidentally in my home state of Maine). I signed copies of the book yesterday and will be back at the booth between 1 and 3 pm today. If you are in town and coming to the conference, I hope you'll visit me.

Yesterday, I arrived at the convention center just as the gates were opening, and I don't know how to say this, but I was just overwhelmed by the sheer number of librarians present. Because libraries are some of my favorite places in the world, I have found this conference a reassuring place to be, although I worry about the future of community libraries in an increasingly digital world. But there is a vibrance here and a feeling of good fellowship that is bracing.

I also had what I think was my first official celebrity moment. A woman in line saw my name badge and exclaimed, "The Poacher's Son!" It turns out she is a huge fan of the book. And yes, that experience, of being recognized and praised by a stranger, was as cool as it sounds.