While I was waiting to get your book I grabbed one of my top 5 books, that I hadn’t read in awhile, from my carefully edited book collection. Lo and behold I saw that on the back of the book you had written one of those brief comment/review things. The book is Pete Fromm’s “Indian Creek Chronicles.” As with your writing, I felt a connection to Pete’s book, possibly due to we are all about the same age, and our love of the wild outdoors.

I first heard about Pete Fromm, and “Indian Creek Chronicles” back in the early 90s when I stumbled onto a wonderful magazine “Big Sky Journal” (BSJ). Through this magazine I learned of many writers who became favorites.

Through BSJ I discovered the author of what became one of my other top 5 books, “Winter” by Rick Bass. This was his first book. It is about journeys, raw wild nature, the beauty and awesomeness of snow & cold, and the richness of solitude (I’m no writer).

I also enjoy Pam Houston’s “Cowboys are my Weakness.” I so envy her outdoorsy lifestyle, and her clear & concise way of writing. I realize that “Cowboys” is fiction but it seems to based Pam’s life.

Dixie Franklin’s “Faces of Lake Superior” is about the wonderful & unusual people Dixie has met along the Lake Superior shore.

“The Superior Peninsula” by Lon Emerick” I also treasure for his wonderful depictions of his lovingly thought of upper peninsula, especially the Marquette area. He was an NMU professor.

I finally figured out the “eerie” connection I feel with you. I was at NMU the same time that you and your wife were. You mentioned in “The Living Great Lakes,” the winter up there of 1978/79 as being so brutally cold. Dixie Franklin in her above mentioned book writes about the tragedy that occurred that winter at the “Crying Cabin,” in Marquette. If you don’t recall the “Crying Cabin” and this incident you can seek out Dixie’s book.

Marquette is still my favorite place in the world. My husband and I are heading there this weekend. I hope to sometime meet you and your wife. I just got off the phone with my closest friend, who was also my NMU roommate, telling her about you, and we are going to try and get our other NMU friend and all come and see you at your Ann Arbor library event.

Best of everything to you and your family. I look forward to reading more of your work.
Jill

And then I cast aside all the classic female writers (Austen, Elliot, Bronte, Gaskell), Poets (Emily Dickinson, my favorite), playwrights (Jane Bowles), those who have captured a time period (Mary McCarthy’s The Group or Alice Walker’s Color Purple or Doris Lessing’s Golden Notebook), the entertainingly commercial female authors (Highsmith’s Ripley series or J.K. Rowling), a lot of GREAT current female authors (Erdich, Monk, this list is exhausting) … and I thought about the “tiny, small whispers” that totally have knocked me out in my lifetime:

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie – again, absolutely.

The Maytrees – Annie Dillard (Jerry – you love her as I recall. Have you read this gem?)

Wuthering Heights – longer, but shorter than her sister Charlotte’s Jane E, so I’ve listed it.

The Diary of a Young Girl – Anne Frank

The Awakening – Chopin

Gigi – almost anything by Colette, I’m a sucker for – her scenes are paintings of life

To the Lighthouse – Woolfe is a master, of course, but this is such an economically powerful piece

Heartburn – Ephron, despite being somewhat sentimental

The Lover – Marguerite Duras

Ethan Fromme – Edith Wharton

Babette’s Feast – Karen Blixen (Isak Dineson?)

Their Eyes are Watching God – not “tiny,” but mind-blowing & powerful. Likewise Little Women occurred to me, but that doesn’t really fit into my small-with-amazing-impact genre by women writers.

Is it coincidental that these small incredibly evocative books all written by women? Are there male equivalents? Maybe Calvino or Levi?

Interesting, Jerry. Can’t wait to read your new book.

Amy

Glad to have you back in the blogosphere, Jerry.