North Woods by Daniel Mason with Sarah Sawyer
North Woods by Daniel Mason with Sarah Sawyer  
Podcast: Drinks in the Library
Published On: Tue Nov 03 2026
Description: Our book this week is North Woods by Daniel Mason. When two young lovers abscond from a Puritan colony, little do they know that their humble cabin in the woods will become the home of an extraordinary succession of human and nonhuman characters alike. An English soldier, destined for glory, abandons the battlefields of the New World to devote himself to growing apples. A pair of spinster twins navigate war and famine, envy and desire. A lovelorn painter, a sinister con man, a stalking panther, a lusty beetle: As the inhabitants confront the wonder and mystery around them, they begin to realize that the dark, raucous, beautiful past is very much alive.Sarah Sawyer is an English teacher at a boarding school in western Massachusetts, where she finds endless humor and inspiration in her colleagues and students. She has held both the Joseph C. Mesics Instructorship and the Henry and Judith Zachs Faculty Chair. Sawyer is a graduate of Amherst College and the Middlebury Bread Loaf School of English, and she lives in Easthampton, Massachusetts, with her family. The Undercurrent is her first novel.Stone Fence CocktailIngredients2 oz bourbon, rye whiskey, or dark rum1 dash Angostura bitters4 to 5 oz chilled hard apple cider (to top)Fresh mint sprig or apple slice (for garnish)InstructionsFill a Collins or highball glass with ice.Pour the bourbon (or your spirit of choice) and the Angostura bitters over the ice.Top the glass with chilled hard apple cider.Stir very gently with a bar spoon to combine.Garnish with a mint sprig or an apple slice.