First Flight at Our Independent Bookstore

Even though the official publication date is September 16, on Thursday night, September 11, we “launched” In Hovering Flight with a reading/signing at, fittingly, my hometown bookstore, the Moravian Book Shop (see the post titled “When in the course of human events” for more about this fine store). There was a terrific turnout, and we sold a bunch of books, all of which was really exciting, of course. But the best part was how surrounded and supported I felt; there were friends from our local Quaker Meeting there, friends and parents from my daughter’s school, current and former students of mine, and lots of other colleagues and friends. It made me realize that we really are part of a wonderful community here, and it confirmed, for me, what the Indie Bound people have been saying, about the invaluable sense of community that a local, independently owned bookstore can offer (see “Why shop Indie?” at www.indiebound.org).

So hearty thanks to Stephanie Anderson and the other folks at the Moravian Book Shop for making this special evening happen.

A quick note on one of my favorite moments of the evening: I noticed an older couple in the audience that I didn’t recognize, and when they came up after the reading to have me sign their book, they introduced themselves as Claire and Ed—two birdwatchers from our area who had seen an article about In Hovering Flight in the local paper (http://www.mcall.com/entertainment/all-hovering.6577244sep06,0,4383006.story; http://www.lehighvalleylive.com:80/bethlehem/index.ssf/2008/09/moravian_college_professor_to.html). I was thrilled about this. I’ve so hoped that birders and birdwatchers (there’s a difference, I’ve learned, but I’ll have to write about that another time) would find and read IHF. I’ll admit, too, that it makes me a little nervous. Will they find flaws in the lists in all those field notebook entries? Will they take issue with my use of the long-eared owl or the cerulean warbler (not to mention that beautiful, mythical Cuvier’s kinglet)? Will they disagree with my depiction of the scarlet tanager’s song? I know enough about birders and birdwatchers to know that they’re a smart, opinionated group overall. I hope the ones who read my book will feel that I’ve handled their beloved birds accurately and well.

So if you’re reading this, Claire and Ed: Thank you again for coming on Thursday night. Let me know what you think of the book—but please, be gentle!