Quirky Maine Offerings

Although my longtime partner Denise and I vacationed in Maine in early September, I am still feeling the effects from my visit.

Worlds’ Smallest Bookstore

(Sedgwick, Maine) It would have been easy to drive past this rural outpost of literature, but Denise encouraged me to stop for a photo opportunity. This literary shed was started by Bill Henderson who is also the founder and publisher of Pushcart Press. Pushcart sponsors an award that has supported small presses since 1976. It is best known for its Best of the Small Presses series of books.

Big Chicken Barn Books & Antiques

(Ellsworth, Maine) This place was huge and it resembled a re-purposed chicken barn. Amongst the offerings were signed Stephen King books and other Maine writers like Carolyn Chute. In the gardening section I was hoping to find Annie Proulx’s obscure landscaping book on building trellises and brick sidewalks but I had to settle on this Flower Drying book because of its title and unintentional humor. (It doesn’t address the question if you heat flowers in your microwave does the smell linger like popcorn?)

Calendar Notes

Weather permitting on Saturday morning November 8 my pop-up Destination Books will be the Carter Center’s Freedom Farmer’s Market. I will bring Flower Drying and other memorable books for show and sell. Remember our motto: “Destination Books — For the adventurous.”

One of the more popular books this fall as been the series of hiking books Hiking Intown Atlanta’s Hidden Forests and Hiking Metro Atlanta’s Hidden Forests by Jonah MacDonald and Zana Pouncey. The authors will be at the DeKalb History Center on Wednesday evening November 12 to talk about the books at Hops at the History Center. Details here. (We also sell the book at our popups and at our “book kiosk” at the Journeyman in downtown Decatur. )