“A few years ago I read and recommended O’Brien’s Buffalo for the Broken Heart about his efforts to replace the cattle on his ranch with bison. Equinox takes place on that same ranch but before the bison. On the cusp of turning 50 and with his wife heading off to the East Coast on a year’s leave of absence from her medical practice, O’Brien decides to take the fall, the equinox, to dedicate himself to his falcons and his hunting dogs. He has one exceptional female falcon that he really wants to spend time training, to see how far he can go with her. Equinox is truly a love story about the South Dakota prairie where O’Brien ranches, his birds and his dogs. In fine prose he describes the elements of falconry and you can almost hear the wind through the birds’ wings as they dive on their prey. A bit of a contemplative as O’Brien thinks about his life and what matters to him through that fall equinox, and a lot a beautifully written book.”—Sue, Paulina Springs Books, with locations in Redmond and Sisters, OR