Great (almost true) Maine stories

Brian Daniels is a talented guy who loves the outdoors and writes everything from columns and novels to songs. I really enjoyed his first novel, Luke’s Dream, so of course I looked forward to his new book, It Seemed Like A Compliment To Me, published by Islandport Press.

While the book is supposed to be fiction, I guarantee that many of the stories are very close to the truth. I think Brian changed the names to protect the guilty. Many of the stories are hilarious.

My favorites included Small Town, a defense of every rural town in Maine, and Cowspeak, about life on a small dairy farm. Here’s a short exchange from that story:

Over many years of visiting the farm as an in-law, I’ve come to realize that farmers grow attached to their animals. In fact, I recall one Sunday dinner when my nephew commented: “I like Doreen.”

“Who’s Doreen?” I asked.

My mother-in-law, Bea, replied: “Doreen is dinner. She was old and a little tough, but she makes a good pot roast, don’t ya think, Joe?”

There’s also some great hunting stories, including the chapter titled Nearly True Hunting Stories. I think that could be the title of all of our hunting stories! And of course with two grandsons and two granddaughters, I loved the stories about granddaughter Gracie. Turns out Gracie is brilliant, according to Brian, just like my grandkids.

In the introduction, Brian says his daughter once told him, “Dad, you’re a big old smart alec. You shouldn’t say the things you do in a room full of people. It’s rude, and it’s embarrassing. You’re better than that!”

Today, rather than saying those things, Brian writes them! And I am so glad that he does.

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.