Pilgrim at Tinder Creek
This book by Annie Dillard had an impact on me when I read it soon after it was published in 1974. This recent NPR interview got me thinking about how inspiring her works were to me. She is not "larger than life" but comes across in the interview like neighbor rather than a famous author. She continues to inform and inspire as I noticed in this NPR piece after the Thailand tsunami in December 2004.

After reading this Slate review, I want to read her new book, The Maytrees. Until reading this review, I hadn't though about how "Tinker" was written under conditions similar to "Walden." I sometimes think about how I what it would be like to have a time like they took to retreat, write, and contemplate the natural world. I am pretty sure my spouse would not go for too much of that so I don't know how it could work out. We wouldn't want to be apart but she would not tolerate the isolation and silence well. I wonder how long I would last but I think about trying.