This morning I was surprised, honored, and delighted to hear that
Howl Like a Wolf! was selected as one of four honor books for the 2018 Montana Book Award! Fabulous news on a Monday morning.
Congratulations to winner Chris LaTray, a fine fellow who wrote a delightful book you should all read. It’s a privilege to share the field with Chris, Rick, Susan, and Sneed.
From the Press Release:
The 2018 Montana Book Award winner is One-Sentence Journal: Short Poems and Essays from the World at Large by Chris La Tray, published by Riverfeet Press.
One-Sentence Journal is a collection of poems grouped by the seasons over the course of one year. Each captures the intransigence of a moment in a single day and celebrates the intimate relationship between nature and self. Interspersed are essays on life and living in Montana. La Tray’s poignant yet humorous observations challenge readers to reflect on their own surroundings and share in his gratitude for the beauty of the natural world.
Four honor books were also chosen by the 2018 Montana Book Award Committee:
A Traveling Feast by Rick Bass, published by Little, Brown and Company.
A Traveling Feast is an odyssey to some of America’s most iconic writers as well as a record of self-transformation as Bass seeks to recapture the fire that drove him as a young man. Along the way we join in escapades involving smuggled contraband, an exploding grill, a trail of blood through Heathrow airport, an episode of dog watching with Amy Hempel in Central Park, and a near run-in with plague-ridden prairie dogs on the way to see Lorrie Moore, as well as heartwarming and bittersweet final meals with the late Peter
Matthiessen, John Berger, and Denis Johnson. Poignant, funny, and wistful, The Traveling Feast is a guide to living well and an unforgettable adventure that nourishes and renews the spirit.
Wonders and Woodpeckers: A Father-Son Big Year of Birding by Sneed Collard III, published by Mountaineers Books.
From the killer bee-infested border region of southeast Arizona to the sultry islands of the Galapagos, Warblers & Woodpeckers recounts the quest of a father and his thirteen-year-old son to see as many birds as possible in a single year. With a measured blend of humor, natural history, and adventure, this tale takes readers to great birding hotspots of America and beyond, both to experience their incredible avian wealth and to experience the focused, often eccentric, world of ornithological travel. Along the way, readers share the ups and downs of the relationship between a father and his teenage son.
The Flicker of Old Dreams by Susan Henderson, published by Harper Collins.
This is a novel about a young woman who comes most alive while working in her father’s mortuary in a small, forgotten Western town. Set in America’s heartland, The Flicker of Old Dreams explores themes of resilience, redemption, and loyalty in prose as lyrical as it is powerful.
Howl Like a Wolf! by Kathleen Yale, published by Storey Publishing. This creative and beautifully illustrated interactive guide makes learning about animals fun for children. Fifteen animals explain their amazing feats and invite kids to enter their world by mimicking their behavior — an imaginative approach to learning that fosters curiosity, empathy, and dramatic play.
