Three cities in three days! Highlights of Sy’s German book tour included meeting and following rheas (yes, rheas– giant flightless birds from South America!) who live wild just outside city limits of Lubek; attending the largest literature festival in Europe, LitCologne, with mystery writer Donna Leon, where 700 attended our reading; and hanging out with Donna and bovine, caprine and equine fans for a photo shoot for Stern magazine.
The Magic Glow of Fireflies at Midnight
Another boon from Sy’s recent tour in Germany: celebrating publication of yet another of her books in German translation. The Curious Naturalist: Nature’s Everyday Mysteries has become The Magic Glow of Fireflies at Midnight with fresh, new art by Tine Pagenberg.
How to be a Good Creature: A Memoir in Thirteen Animals has been selected as a notable book in the children’s category of the 2018 Sigurd F. Olson Nature Writing Award. Since 1991 this award has honored the legacy of Sigurd Olson, who attended Northland College and is the namesake of the College’s environmental institute, by recognizing writers who seek to carry on his tradition of nature writing.
Sy’s favorite bookstore is nearby. The Toadstool Bookshop in Peterborough, N.H., is a thriving independent bookstore. Sy loves to read at the Toadstool because there will be a large turnout and thoughtful questions.
Willard Williams, who opened the Toadstool in 1972, told the Monadnock Ledger-Transcript in an interview about the many writers who have visited his store:
Q: Over the years, what was the most memorable speaker and how did the audience respond to them?
A: I don’t want to slight anybody who didn’t, but certainly our most successful ones were Howard Mansfield and Sy Montgomery. They’re a couple who live in Hancock, and they’ve each written different kinds of books. Both of them, they’re lots of fun and lots of people come to hear them, too. They give great presentations….
Thank you Willard for such a vibrant, important part of our community.