John Ford has seen it all. He's been shot at by desperate prison escapees, been outwitted by wily trappers, and rescued scores of animals. As a tenacious and successful warden, he was always willing to spend the time needed to nab violators of the state's fish and game laws. At the same time, though, he wasn't a cold, heartless, go-by-the-book enforcer; he usually had a good quip ready when he slipped the handcuffs on a violator, and he wasn't above accepting a lesson learned as sufficient penalty for breaking the law.

Ford is also a very gifted storyteller and he writes of his adventures in "Suddenly, the Cider Didn't Taste So Good," a collection of true tales, both humorous and serious, from the trenches of law enforcement, and also includes heartwarming accounts of his rescue of hurt or abandoned animals.  

"John Ford's stories from his long career as a Maine game warden are offered with humility and good humor, and demonstrate an abiding affection for the land, creatures, and quirky characters of Maine. Ford is an appealing character, a great storyteller, and he's FUNNY." 
- Kate Braestrup, author of the 
New York Times
 bestselling memoir, 
Here if You Need Me

"From the serious - tracking a murderer - to the sublime - raising a baby owl - retired Maine Game Warden John Ford shares thirty-five of his best stories that will entertain all indoor and outdoor adventurers."

- George Smith, outdoor writer and former executive director of the Sportsman's Alliance of Maine 

$17 paperback
From Islandport Press, an independent Maine publisher (and let me just say that Father's Day is coming right up...)

Then came the Big Boys: Borders, Barnes & Noble, and finally Amazon ("Thank you for opening this market; we'll take it from here.") They ate our lunch. However, I have to say we tried, back in the day; a lot of us tried our damnedest to do a good job as managers and booksellers: Nancy in Belfast (whom I hired in 1986 with her baby, Emily Burnham, on her knee); Stew in Augusta, and Joanne in the other Augusta store; Ellen in Waterville (now independent at Children's Book Cellar); Louise in Farmington; and Mark in Ellsworth. We were all feeling pretty good about ourselves back then, second-guessing the owners, and despising the Card & Gift Trade that was actually well over half our business. We all loved books and bookselling, and we all bitched over drinks about having to spend so much time on the "Gift Side." It was a different time. Nostalgia is not what it used to be.

On the other hand, there's reality: the day Borders opened in Bangor, the store I was managing, BookSource, Mr. Paperback's flagship (7,000 square feet, 15 employees, and about 70,000 titles), went from 60 transactions an hour to three.

Okay. Snap out of it, Andy. Now is now. Today it would be irresponsible (and pointless) to point to any one of the many factors that caused Mr. P to fail (take your pick: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders, Walmart, e-books, or the Internet in general) or even a combination of any of the above, and say THAT's the reason they failed; it doesn't matter. All those giants threaten all independent bookstores EVERY DAY with carnivorous regularity. So I can't and won't comment beyond my sorrow of seeing another independent throw in the towel.

I get a little nervous when I see a company as big and strong as Mr. Paperback or Borders go down in flames. I worry I might be some good-natured, dim-witted dinosaur contentedly chewing his cud, looking over his shoulder at the approaching asteroid.

But you know, in the final analysis, that's baseball. It's a gloriously free market, and if BookStacks is threatened, it's up to me to defend it. It's my job to attract you away from the Big Boys. And it's not about the money, trust me: it's the eye contact , the face-time, and the service you get at BookStacks, whether it's from me or any one of the three Denises, or Sarah, or Miles. We're here for you; and we all read a LOT, and we all read different stuff. It's pretty plain and VERY real. It's me trying real hard to win your business in order to make you happier and to improve our community. Peroid.

As for my old friends and mentors at Mr. Paperback, and Magazines, Inc., Robert, Pam, Ralph, Jim, and especially Beth, bless your hearts, and thank you; THANK you for giving me the training, the connections, and above all, the discipline to create and maintain this terrific little store in Bucksport, Maine. I wish you the best.

And to you, Dear Reader, I thank you the most for sticking with me and continuing to read real books in the same light. You're the best. You're absolutely the best. Thanks.

Another reason to keep your shopping local? Your carbon footprint. The average box that arrives at a bookstore contains 24 books, compared to 50% of the boxes leaving an internet retailer's warehouse with just a single title enclosed. This entertaining, 1940's newsreel-style video from Duke University and The Regulator Bookshop in North Carolina highlights the ecological impact of shopping locally.