Looking For Hickories - A Michigan Notable Book
Andrew Norton
A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of reading Thomas Springer's book, Looking For Hickories. It's a charming collection of essays with the theme of nature woven throughout each one. Reading the essays made me chuckle and sigh with contentment at the wonderful life of simplicity. Much of the book covers life in an old farmhouse with a bit of acreage and all that goes with trying to live more in step with nature. I got a kick out of the free range chicken that had a love affair with automobiles until it met its unfortunate dismay in trying to answer that age old question, "Why did the chicken cross the road?" Springer craftily weaves his essays across the years with the perspective of youth and the wisdom that comes with getting older. Looking for Hickories was a quick read (168 pages) that left me sad as I finished it because I wanted it to keep on going.
The other main joy I received while reading it was that he is a local author so I was familiar with the territory he was writing about and could smile at his interactions with the local characters. Coming from a local author, I had heard of Looking For Hickories long before it made the 2009 Michigan Notable Books list. It's a well deserved honor for Thomas Springer and you will not be disappointed in spending a few pleasant evenings with this fine collection of essays.