Fellow angler,

Much like those desperate businesses that thank you for being a valued customer, I am emailing you on Thanksgiving Day with a completely sincere message:

Thank you for subscribing to my newsletter. My output is irregular and sometimes I insult you (you know you like it) but your readership provides invaluable encouragement for me to keep writing as I (slowly) work toward making my novel dreams come true.

Changing the subject

Here’s a book rec if you need one to finish Native American Heritage Month strong:

Squanto: A Native Odyssey by Andrew Lipman

The myth of Squanto and the first Thanksgiving is well known, but the true story of Squanto’s life is both fascinating and a mystery. We know he was abducted multiple times by Europeans, learned to sail English boats, had to find a new tribe when he finally regained freedom because his people mostly died, made failed and successful plays for power against Native chiefs, and died from a possible poisoning. When firsthand sources are unavailable or contradictory, Lipman does well to add context about what life was like for people in Squanto’s various circumstances.

When I finished this book, I put it down and, like Special Agent Dale Cooper when he drank his first cup of coffee in the town of Twin Peaks, declared that it was damn fine.

Title song

I went back and forth on this. Should I pick a cheeky song? A joke song? A genuine song? In the end, here’s a song with no words and that you can play in the background during Thanksgiving preparations.

That’s not to say this is background music. Dawg’s Rag by The David Grisman Quintet is artistry. David Grisman is a favorite of mine for his unique and rockin’ brand of bluegrass.

Bluegrass has been on my mind since the Brooklyn Folk Festival a couple of weeks ago, though I’d say this is more like bluegrass jazz than the more common jugband bluegrass. It’s influenced by the guitar of Django Reinhardt and the violin of Stéphane Grappelli. I also get shades of the Gipsy Kings and flamenco at times. Grisman says he just makes "Dawg Music," but whatever its name, it’s fun.

Depending on who you are, it may interest you to know:

• Grisman performed regularly with Jerry Garcia, including on the Grateful Dead’s American Beauty.

• One of Grisman's songs (Dawggy Mountain Breakdown) was the opening theme song for NPR’s Car Talk with Click and Clack, the Tappet Brothers (RIP Tom).

• Grisman is from New Jersey (that’s for you, Myles).

Until next time,

Happy (turkey) fishing!