Why You Should Come to See Howard Frank Mosher on Wednesday, April 21st, 7 PM (Or Somewhere Else on Another Date)

If you haven't met Howard Frank Mosher on one of his previous trips to Milwaukee, you're missing a wonderful author. He's been chronicling the Kinneson family over a number of books, jumping through history to cover their place in the Lewis and Clark expedition (The True Account) or to dramatize how the highways displaced people during the roadbuilding of the early 20th century (On Kingdom Mountain).

Mosher is able to pen a wide variety of novels using his constraints. They generally relate to Kingdom Mountain, Vermont and touch on a Kinneson. Within that he's been able to write a baseball novel (Waiting for Teddy Williams) and a contemporary drama about racial issues (A Stranger in the Kingdom). Though I read the latter a long time ago, I can still recommend it as a Northern New England To Kill a Mockingbird-esque tale. (Don't like how I use the easy comparison shortcut? Life as a bookseller is filled with compromise!)

His new novel, Walking to Gatlinburg, is a Civil War drama, which Mosher considers his first historical thriller. One Kinneson (Pilgrim) goes to fight in the Union army and goes missing. His brother (Morgan) tries to find him, but as the family is also a stop on the Underground Railroad and there's been a bit of a mishap with one man on his way to freedom and his bounty hunters in pursuit, he's not just hunting, he's being hunted.

Really great Washington Post review here from Carolyn See. That's Lisa See's mom, for those not in the know. I bet there's a battle for who can write the best toast when someone in the family gets married. And here's the very good Associated Press review, as seen in the Kansas City Star. To paraphrase, Bruce DaSilva calls it positively Iliad-ian. Blog challenge: read only books that are derived from the Iliad and the Odyssey.

Here's Mosher's blog post on how he's rather hot on indie bookstores. Come out and prove him right.

Event is at Boswell on Wednesday, April 21st, 7 PM. That's soon--clear your calendars.

Can't make it because you're say, 500 miles away? Here's the rest of the tour for Walking to Gatlinburg:

APRIL 22, 2010
BOOK STALL AT CHESTNUT COURT#
Winnetka, IL (12:00 pm)

APRIL 22, 2010
ANDERSON'S BOOKSHOP#
Naperville, IL (7:00 pm)

APRIL 23, 2010
TREE HOUSE BOOKS
Holland, MI (7:00 pm)

APRIL 25, 2010
JOSEPH BETH BOOKSELLERS
Cleveland, OH (7:00 pm)

April 26, 2010
LIFT BRIDGE BOOKS
Brockport, NY (7:00 pm)

April 27, 2010
TALKING LEAVES BOOKS*
Buffalo, NY (tbd)

April 28, 2010
BOOKHOUSE OF STUYVESANT PLAZA
Albany, NY (tbd)

MAY 4, 2010
PHOENIX BOOKS
Burlington, VT (7:00 pm)

MAY 5, 2010
BRATTLEBORO PUBLIC LIBRARY
Brattleboro, VT (tbd)

MAY 6, 2010
ANDOVER BOOKS#
Andover, MA (7:00 pm)

MAY 7, 2010
GIBSON'S BOOKS
Concord, NH (7:00 pm)

MAY 8, 2010
ROCKPORT LIBRARY/TOAD HALL BOOKS
Rockport, MA (tbd)

MAY 10, 2010
WATER STREET BOOKS
Exeter, NH (7:00 pm)

MAY 11, 2010
PORTER SQUARE BOOKS#
Cambridge, MA (7:00 pm)

MAY 12, 2010
BRIGGS & CARRIAGE BOOKSTORE
Brandon, VT (7:00 pm)

MAY 13, 2010
CROSSETT BROOK MIDDLE SCHOOL
Waterbury, VT (7:00 pm)

MAY 14, 2010
NEWBURY LIBRARY
Newbury, VT (7:00 pm)

MAY 15, 2010
KINGDOM BOOKS
St. Johnsbury, VT (10:00 am)

MAY 16, 2010
MISTY VALLEY BOOKS
Chester, VT (7:00 pm)

MAY 18, 2010
COBLEIGH LIBRARY
Lyndonville, VT (7:00 pm)

MAY 19, 2010
PORTLAND PUBLIC LIBRARY WITH LONGFELLOW BOOKS#
Portland, ME (7:00 pm)

MAY 20, 2010
WHITE BIRCH BOOKS
North Conway, NH (7:00 pm)

JUNE 19, 2010
BARNES & NOBLES
Burlington, VT (1:00 pm)

JUNE 25, 2010
JABBERWOCKY BOOKS
Newburyport, MA (7:00 pm)

JUNE 26, 2010
SHIRETOWN BOOKS
Woodstock, VT (7:00 pm)

JUNE 29, 2010
QUECHEE LIBRARY
Quechee, VT (7:00 pm)

Just because I like to annotate, I have included a # sign for the bookstores I have been to. I need to get out more.