John Sheirer

It is obvious why we choose what we read: an interest in the subject and/or a feeling of common interest with the author.

The author dreams about summiting Everest and through-hiking the AT. He is a bit compulsive and chooses instead to walk a 2-mile Connecticut nature trail, every day of the year. What a wonderful idea!

As a dreamer, a slightly compulsive, daily-local-hiking Connecticut Yankee, so far so good. This trail book is right up my alley. I looked forward to some great nature writing, description of a local nature preserve, Southern New England nature observations, details of a single nature trail.

Whoah, hold up. Nature? The author might as well have chosen to hike 2 miles at the mall every day. Hundreds of pages are churned out, but instead of discussing the trillium, oaks, fungi, bird life, or even the trail, the author chooses to discuss his evening basketball games and various chores. He does mention a deer, a turkey, a tic (sic), and a birch leaf - once. His birder and entomologist friends try to get him interested but no avail.

The description on the back cover is "HIKING/MEMOIR'. It is exactly that. But without a skinch of the local, natural world this one falls as flat as the wings of a Common White Tail, as a slab of schist, as the plastron of a Painted Turtle, as a new White Oak Leaf, as the radial petal pattern of Daisy Fleabane...… (more)