Reviews of “A Life Lived Outdoors” are insightful and humbling – order it now for Father’s Day!

A friend from church who lives in a nearby town just ordered four copies of my new book, for Father’s Day gifts for her father, father-in-law, and two brothers. Thank you Rachel!

book coverHere are a few excerpts from reviews of my book A Life Lived Outdoors, published in March by Islandport Press in Yarmouth. You can buy the book at the islandportpress.com, and in most Maine bookstores. It’s even in a few restaurants, markets, and hardware stores!

Of course, the book is a wonderful read. Why wouldn’t it be? The guy is a seasoned writer and a thoughtful person who has a lot of outdoor experiences under his belt… “A Life Lived Outdoors” is a collection of thoughtful essays that convinced me of one thing that I was really never quite sure of. George is the real deal, a true son of Maine. If the best that is Maine runs deep within you be sure not to miss “A Life Lived Outdoors” by George Smith. – V. Paul Reynolds, Northwoods Sporting Journal and Lewiston Morning Sun

The collection is impressive in its topical and emotional range – from poignant musings on nature, family, and fishing to good-natured jokes at Maine’s expense. Our official “state sport,” Smith quips, ought to be “complaining,” our state export, “our children.” His quick wit also shines in an ode to the quirks of camp (where a poorly anchored toilet is deemed “a moving experience”) and a laugh-out-loud condemnation of woodlot litterbugs (“Energy drinks are numerous – it takes a lot of energy to throw them out the window.”) In every selection, Smith’s crisp language is devoid of frills, making for a simple-but-elegant exploration of both state and self. “No one should doubt the richness of Maine life,” Smith writes. This collection affirms it many times over. – Caroline Praderio, Down East magazine

This is not a troublemaking book. It’s a celebration of the state we choose to call home. And I suspect most Mainers will find themselves nodding their heads and agreeing with the sentiments expressed by Smith as they turn the pages. I also suspect that the former lobbyist in Smith would consider that a pretty substantial victory. – John Holyoke, Bangor Daily News

The small successes in a family yard sale, the fate of a rabbit seeking shelter in a woodpile and the fond familiarity of a broken window at a lake camp are some of the images in George Smith’s first book, “A Life Lived Outdoors.” It’s a book about what it means to make do in Maine, what a make-do kind of place looks like and how nature colors such a world. It’s about why we all need to spend time in a cabin, a tent or campground in some wild, quiet place to improve “our quality of life and mental health.” – Deirdre Fleming, Maine Sunday Telegram

These columns are a long valentine to the hills, small towns, back roads, woods, ponds and streams (especially the streams) of his native state. – U.S. Senator Angus King, in his forward to the book

 

George Smith

About George Smith

George stepped down at the end of 2010 after 18 years as the executive director of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine to write full time. He writes a weekly editorial page column in the Kennebec Journal and Waterville Morning Sentinel, a weekly travel column in those same newspapers (with his wife Linda), monthly columns in The Maine Sportsman magazine, two outdoor news blogs (one on his website, georgesmithmaine.com, and one on the website of the Bangor Daily News), and special columns for many publications and newsletters. Islandport Press published a book of George's favorite columns, "A Life Lived Outdoors" in 2014. In 2014, George also won a Maine Press Association award for writing the state's bet sports blog. In 2016, Down East Books published George's book, Maine Sporting Camps, and Islandport Press published George and his wife Linda's travel book, Take It From ME, about their favorite Maine inns and restaurants.