Woods Wanderer

I have just released Walt Franklin’s new book, Beautiful Like a Mayfly, under the Wood Thrush Books imprint. As most of you probably know by now, I’m a big fan of his, having published his work repeatedly in years past. In 2014, I reprinted his collection of fly-fishing essays, River’s Edge, thus assuring that it would stay in print. This newer work complements that older one.

Beautiful Like a Mayfly is both a travel narrative and a collection of nature essays. Even though it spans four decades, Franklin is reluctant to call it a memoir. Rightly so. It’s more a celebration of life lived simply: roaming through Greece and Germany, fly-fishing out west and here in the Northeast, and engaging the world as both a naturalist and a conservationist while always keeping a watchful eye for songbirds. And Franklin gives it all to us with generous helpings of humor, erudition and insight, per usual.

I couldn’t be happier about publishing this. While I’ve been busy cultivating an online bookselling business this past summer, I’ve pushed this project ahead, one step at a time. Now here it is, the finished product – a fine addition to the Wood Thrush Books list, and a welcome break from a long parade of self-publications.

You can get a copy from Amazon.com or by going to the WTB website, WoodThrushBooks.com. If you are new to Franklin’s work and want to sample it first, check out his blog, RivertopRambles. He posts there regularly.

Tags: birdwatching, conservation, far west, fly fishing, Germany, Greece, memoir, nature essays, travel essays, travelogue, upstate New York

In May 2004 Judy and I rented an apartment in the heart of Paris, then explored the history and culture of France while feasting on the city’s many delights. It was a fulfillment of Judy’s dream, just like going alone into the wilds of Alaska was a fulfillment of mine.

To my own surprise, I enjoyed the City of Light so much that I felt compelled to write about my adventures there. In order to do that, I had to step out of my comfort zone. A Little Crazy in Paris is written in a style similar to my outdoor/nature narratives, but the urban scene of Paris is a world away from American backcountry. As a result this book is something else.

Francophiles will like this story, no doubt. I hope others enjoy the lightheartedness of it. There is more humor here than in all my other books combined.

A Little Crazy in Paris is now available at Amazon.com as both a paperback and a digital download. For those of you who would rather buy the book directly from me, I’ll have copies in-house in a couple weeks. I’ll be sending a notice to folks on the Wood Thrush Books mailing list at that time.

Let me know what you think of it.

Tags: France, French culture, Paris, travel, travelogue