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Staff Picks...
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Laura
Hansen, Owner/Bookseller
I love language
at least as much as I love
story. You’re likely
to find lots of lyrical writing
in my selections. I rarely
fall in love with a book written
in a style the reviewer describes
as “spare” or
“sparse”. I demand
good writing even in the mysteries
I read.
I also prefer
stories that cover a short
intense period of time; a
day, a week, as opposed to
multi-generational sagas.
My friends
also know that I am a sucker
for any book with water or
a dog on the cover!
I read literary fiction, mysteries,
travel writing, an occasional
memoir and I also read and
write poetry.
You can also
find
me on www.goodreads.com
and Facebook.
 Helene
Tursten Night Rounds 9781616950064
SOHO PRESS $25.00 2/201
In
Night Rounds, Inspector Irene
Huss and her team must dig
deep into the
past to understand current
events. One nurse at a private
hospital goes
missing and another is murdered.
The only witnesses both report
seeing the
"hospital ghost".
Tursten does an excellent
job twining past and present
into an (almost) unsolvable
knot.
 The
House at Tyneford by Natasha
Solomons (Originally
published as: The Novel in
the Viola)
Trade Paperback, December
27, 2011 - place advance orders
now
A lovely
old-fashioned read with immaculate
descriptions and real heart.
It's
the spring of 1938 and no
longer safe to be a Jew in
Vienna. Nineteen-year-old
Elise Landau is forced to
leave her glittering life
of parties and champagne to
become a parlor maid in England.
She arrives at Tyneford, the
great house on the bay, where
servants polish silver and
serve drinks on the lawn.
But war is coming, and the
world is changing. When the
master of Tyneford's young
son, Kit, returns home, he
and Elise strike up an unlikely
friendship that will transform
Tyneford-and Elise-forever.
 Island
of Wings by Karin Altenberg
Another
fine historical novel being
released as a Trade Paperback
Original on December 27, 2011.
Based partly on journals and
letters, Altenberg draws the
reader into the lives and
the shattered hearts of a
Missionary and his wife on
the incredibly remote St.
Kilda Islands off Scotland
in the 1830's.
 Salvage
the Bones by Jesmyn
Ward
A new
and original voice. A gritty
earthern story. A family hellbent
on survival. Hardscrabble
does not even begin to describe
the lives depicted here. Ward
takes a risk here of aleinating
faint-hearted readers who
will not want to look into
the hard face of poverty and
the unforgiving world of backwoods
dog-fighting. A risk well
worth taking.
"Ward writes with a
power and depth of feeling
that is both rare and exhiliarating.
Her novel about 12 days in
the life of a poor black family
living on the Mississippi
coast as a hurrican gathers
in the gulf displays the gifts
of a writer with excceptional
skill and no fear. The characters
seem to almost claw their
way off the pages, so vividly
has Jesmyn Ward created them.
This is a novel of flesh and
blood, heart and soul, dreams
and terrors that I will not
soon forget." - Stan
Hynds, Northshire Bookstore,
Manchester Center, VY
 I'd
like to recommend One Dog
Night by David Rosenfelt
(St. Martin's/Minotaur).
A fun, well-paced and plotted
mystery about a top-notch
lawyer who doesn't want any
clients defending a man accused
of a horrific crime who wants
to plead guilty. $24.99, 07/05/2011
 The
Hundred-Foot Journey
by Robert C. Morais (Trade
Paperback)
I've
just finished reading this
story told in four parts;
Mumbai, London, Lumiere, Paris.
It is the story of Hassan,
a young Indian boy on a life
journey towards becoming a
chef. Part one, Mumbai, is
a rich stew of the sights,
sounds, and flavors of India,
of class divisions, dreams,
greed and of Hassan's eccentric,
upward-seeking family. This,
I believe, will be a great
read for fans of the Saffron
Kitchen, of Pomegranate Soup,
and possibly even the Book
of Salt.
 The
No OM Zone
by Kimberly Fowler
Having
survived my second yoga session
and being a complete novice,
I decided I needed some visuals
before I tackled my next class.
So, I took home and previewed
some of the Yoga books from
the store. Here's my first
choice for no frills language,
excellent instructions, good
illustrations, and handy tips:
The No Om Zone; A No Chanting,
No Granola, No Sanskrit Practical
Guide to Yoga. Just the
facts, Jack! For those of
us who don't want a spiritual
practice, just some healthful
activity.
 A
Good Hard Look by Ann
Napolitano Just Arrived!
Hardback July 2011
Novelist
Flannery O'Connor is a character
in this wonderful novel.
Ann Napolitano's new book,
A Good Hard Look, is taut,
relevant, and richly imagined.
This novel, set in Flannery
O'Connor's hometown of Milledgeville,
GA is emotoinally-charged
and exceptionally well written.
A southern night electrified
by the screaming of peacocks,
a bride-to-be huddles on the
floor besieged by nerves and
bedeviled by the crying of
the peaccoks. A fine wedding
marred by a bruised and swollen
eye and an unusual gift. Under
Naploitano's close scrutiny
the most ordinary of lives
begin to pulse and burn.
 Ordinary
Beauty by Laura Weiss
(Trade Paperback Original,
6/14/2011)
I am loving
this novel of a girl on the
verge of adulthood who has
never really known childhood.
The daughter of an addict
and an unknown father faces
her dying mother head on in
this lushly told book filled
with wonders.
Two thumbs up!!
 Joy
for Beginners by Erica
Bauermeister (author of The
School of Essential Ingredients
which we loved! (Hardback,
June 2011)
I
just have to say this; Joy
for Beginners is a JOY to
read. How rare for a second
novel to live up to the first.
How transporting to live,
even briefly, to live inside
these women's lives. Bauermeister
employs layer upon layer of
metaphor in these lovingly
wrought pages. Food for thought
abounds, at times causing
the reader to stop and savor...a
moment, a phrase, a coming
together of theme and personal
recollection. I've been waiting
for Baeurmeister's next book
since rading and loving The
School of Essential Ingredients.
She uses a similar formula
here, bringing together a
group and then telling their
individual stories one by
one. The writing is lovely,
fluid, easy to read. The characters
might live a block over or
just around the corner from
you.
 Snowdrops
by A. D. Miller (watch
for paperback early 2012)
I
love ex-pat novels. This one
features a British lawyer
in Moscow and is told in a
first-person confessional
style. Quiet, enigmatic and
atmospheric. At each small
revelation I wonder what the
thing he has gotten himself
into might be and what it
is his "confession"
to his fiance is leading to...Snowdrops
was just announced as one
of the six books shortlisted
for the prestigous Man Booker
Prize 2011.
 Sea
Change by Jeremy
Page
I really
enjoyed this book about a
man who has set himself off
to see on an old Dutch barge
seeking solitude, answers,
and at times, it seems, death.
Meanwhile he writes in his
daily journal the life he
imagines might have been he
hadn't lost his daughter and
then his wife. The imagined
life seems more real to me
than the life he is living
in his self-imposed isolation.
Page is generous with telling
details. A Contemporary Fiction
Book Club Selection for January
2012.
 Ghost
on Black Mountain by Ann
Hite (Trade Paperback
Original Spet 2011)
Told in
the stunning voices of five
women whose lives are inextricably
bound when a murder takes
place in rural Depression-era
North Carolina, Ann Hite's
unforgettable debut spans
generations and conjures the
best of Southern folk-lore--mystery,
spirits, and the incomparable
beauty of the Appalachian
landscape.
 The
Tender Mercy of Roses
is reminscent of the novels
of Sharyn McCrumb, especially
the Nora Bonesteel series;
Michaels pairs a modern mystery
with a wallop of Cherokee
mountain mysticism. Spirits
and strange events surround
the death of rodeo rider Pony
Jones and down-and-out ex-cop
Jo Beth Dawson is caught in
the middle. This is not a
book club book or a literary
award winner, but then not
every book aspires to be or
needs to be. Sometimes we
just want a good old story
with interesting characters
and an unusual premise. This
book has soome flaws, but
it was enjoyable nonetheless.
Reader: just suspend disbelief,
let a bit of the mystical
in, and go ahead and enjoy
the ride. (May 2011 Hardback
Fiction)
 Prayers
and lies by sherri wood
emmons ($15.00 kensington
02/2011)
I thoroughly enjoyed this
book. It begged to be read
in one sitting. Bethy, an
Indiana girl who visits her
Coal River cousins every year,
feels a sisterly bond to her
cousin Reana Mae who is scarecly
tolerated by her Mother let
alone loved. At the same time
Bethy prays for her cousin
she also hides her darkest
secrets. A wonderful new voice
in fiction for fans of Lee
Smith, Dorothy Allison, Ron
Rash.
Fans
of Carolyn Wall's Sweeping
Up Glass or of Velva
Jean Learns to Drive take
note.
A
Reading Group Choices 2012
Selection.
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 City
of Silver
by Annamaria Alfieri
(Trade Paperback)
Thoroughly
enjoyable and packed
with colonial history,
dense with a sense
of place, a closed
door murder mystery,
nuns forced to defend
themselves against
the Spanish Inquisition,
a city's currency
diluted and ready
to be devalued by
the King's emissary
and for all that a
surprisingly fast
read. Fans of Matthew
Shardlake or of Pope
Joan, take note of
this one.
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 The
Lovers
by Vendela Vida NOW
in paperback.
Yvonne,
recently widowed,
heads off to Turkey
to revisit the site
of her honeymoon.
Once there, she realizes
not only how much
the place has changed,
but how much she has
as well. No longer
the free-spirited,
always prepared traveler
she had been, Yvonne
sets out on a drive
to find ...something.
What she finds is
a beach, a small intrepid
little boy selling
sea shells, and a
chance to meditate
on her role as wife
and mother. I liked
Yvonne's openness
to strangers and the
experiences it allowed
her to have. I am
much more insular
and self-contained
as a traveler. Not
all goes well for
Yvonne and I really
related to her occasional
panic attacks as she
tries to find her
way through foreign
cities and strange
landscapes. As many
Americans do (according
to her new friend
Ozlem) Yvonne tries
to always do the right
thing and ends up
doing the typically
American thing instead.
Yvonne learns that
some things you can't
fix and some things
fix themselves.
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 The
Day the Falls Stood Still
by Cathy Marie Buchanan
Now in Trade Paperback.
Our book club discussion
was great!
This
a wonderful historical novel
in the vein of another book
club favorite of ours, Grand
Ambition (Lisa Michaels).
Set immediatley before and
after WWI, Bess's story
is powered by the falls
and whirlpools and mists
of Niagra and by the mysterious
riverman, Tom Cole, who
shares his love for the
river with her.
Buchanan does a marvelous
job of juxtaposing the cultured
life Bess is accustomed
to with the rough and dangerous
life of the river stuntmen
and hydro-electic construction
crews of the era. For
all that, this is a love
story at its heart and I
found myself waiting as
anxiously as Bess for Tom
to reappear along the road
or along the shore. The
Day the Falls Stood Still
is a joy to read.
 Remarkable
Creatures by Tracy Chevalier
Remarkable
Creatures is
a fairly quiet book, not
for fans of high adventure
and gripping plots. It is,
however, an excellent historical
novel that will appeal to
fans of historical fiction
and to book clubs. Mary
Anning's life as a fossil
hunter and her friendship
with spinster Elizabeth
Philpot is convincingly
presented. What intrigues
most is their efforts to
understand the world in
view of their finds and
their struggle to be acknowledged
in the male-centric world
of academics and gentleman
collectors they are thrust
among.
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Leaving
Van Gogh by Carol Wallace
first line:
"I held Vincent's skull
in my hands yesterday."
Publisher
Marketing:Drawing on extensive
research and the many letters
Vincent van Gogh wrote, Wallace
paints a riveting and cinematic
portrait of the final days of
the artist, told from the perspective
of his psychiatric doctor.
Annotation: Drawing on extensive
research and the many letters
Vincent van Gogh wrote, Wallace
paints a riveting and cinematic
portrait of the final days of
the artist, told from the perspective
of his psychiatric doctor.
Note:
Ms. Wallace questions the
standard assumptions of Van
Gogh's suicide and posits a
novelistic theory of where the
gun may have come from. Interstingly,
the new Van Gogh biography just
out this month also proposes
the history may have it wrong
but in their case the authors
make the case that Van Gogh
may have been the victim of
an accidental shooting by a
pair of young boys.
 Van
Gogh; A Life by Steven
Naifeh and Gregory Shite Smith
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 Tree
Craft; 35 rustic wood projects
that bring the outdoors in
I love to
add rustic and organic elements
to my traditional home (interesting
rocks, twisitng burls of wood)
so it is no surprise that this
book caught my eye. Tree Craft
features doable projects with
straight-forward directions,
Got a guy that gets restless
in the waning days of winter?
Here's a way to keep him entertained
and you BOTH happy!
 THE
cottage BOOK; living simple
and easy by Carol Bass
I love this type of book; filled
with rich colors, natural woods
and cozy spaces I can lose myself
in for a short while. I snuggle
in with a glass of wine or with
the dogs on my lap and dream.
The best part is seeing that
small changes are doable in
your own space. I'd shelve this
next to one of my other favorites,
Vintage Cottages by
Molly Hyde English, but
then these don't get shelved
away but rather live on my side
tables and coffee table. "No
residential style reflects the
small-is-beautiful trend better
than the cottage home. Quaint,
personal, modest, and simple,
there's not a pretentious rafter
in its roof. 175 color photographs."
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| Years
ago I read the whole series by
Ann Cleeves about birder George
Palmer Jones and his wife. I loved
them and shared them with many
friends. It is such a delight
to find that Cleeves has wrapped
up her Shetland Island Quartet
featuring Detective Jimmy
Perez with a birding mystery set
on Perez's home island Fair Isle
set off the Sheltand Coast.
   
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 A
Beautiful Place to Die
by Malla Nunn
(Trade Paperback)
A
Beautiful Place to Die
is a roaring good mystery.
Malla Nunn combines issues of
race, politics, and small town
power struggles in this powerful,
provocative, and atmospheric
novel. Rural Jacob's Rest, South
Africa in the 1950's is held
in an uneasy truce between blacks,
coloreds and the ruling whites
until someone crosses social
taboos and a policeman ends
up dead. Detective Emmanuel
Cooper is sent to investigate
and finds himself in a writhing
bed of lies and betrayal and
ends up fighting not only for
the truth but for his life.
Let the Dead Lie,
will be released April 2010.
 Let
The Dead Lie by Malla Nunn
(Trade Paperback, April 2010)
The early
part of this book is hard reading
mainly because it is so uncomfortable
to see the hero of Nunn's previous
book, A Beautiful Place to Die,
in such different circumstances,
stripped of his Detective's
Badge and reclassified as non-white.
Not a big deal? In 1950's South
Africa it changes everything
for Emmanuel Cooper. Cooper
is nonethless drawn in to a
new murder investigation and
quickly becomes a suspect on
the run in the racially mixed
streets of Durban. Cooper does
eventually come to accept the
help of his friends, a Jewish
doctor and a black police officer
he met in the previous book.
With the help of his friends,
the brooding tone and hopelessness
of the story lifts slightly.
Cooper must solve three murders
and protect a Russian defector
and his pregnant wife from a
murderer and a rogue policeman.
Let the Dead Lie is an apt title
as all of Cooper's problems
stem from his inablilty "let
the dead lie". Even when
he knows repsonsible parties
will never be broguht to justice
and that innocent people may
be hurt in the pursuit of justice,
and the consequences for his
own life are dire, he is unable
to stop himself in the pursuit
of the truth.
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 Zoo
Station by David Downing
Trade Paperback
Anglo-American journalist
John Russell has spent over
a decade in Berlin, where his
son lives with his mother. He
writes human-interest pieces
for British and American papers,
avoiding the investigative journalism
that could get him deported.
But as World War II approaches,
he faces having to leave his
son as well as his girlfriend.
I think Donna enjoyed it even
more than I did.
 Heart
of Lies by M. L. Malcolm
Reminiscent
of two other books I've recently
read; Snowdrops by A.D. Miller
and Zoo Station by David Downing
by more romantic and more elegantly
written.
Review Quotes:
Ambitious, captivating....The
expansive plot and rapid-fire
pacing are underscored by brilliant
depictions of post World War
I Europe and Asia. --Atlanta
Magazine on Heart of Lies
Review Quotes:
Fascinating and deftly-written....The
writing is exquisite, wrapping
the reader in another time and
place. --Historical Novels Review
on Heart of Lies
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 A
Twist of Orchids
by
Michelle Wan
This
is the third book in Wan's
Death in the Dordogne Mystery
series where "finding corpses
turns out to be easier than
sighting the rare Cypripedium
incognitum"* orchid. *Kirkus
Reviews" Definitely the
best of three in terms of poltting,
realism and surprise. (Laura
Hansen)
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 Little
Princes: One Man's Promise to
Bring Home the Lost Children
of Nepal by Conor
Grennan
to be published in Trade Paperback
Dec 27, 2011.
Fans of Mortensen's
Three Cups of Tea will love
this account of Grennan's transformation
from world traveler to committed
volunteer. Grennan writes with
humor, style and real warmth
about his - not uneventful -
months as a volunteer in a Nepali
orphanage and his eventual determination
to make a real difference in
the children's lives. I highly
recommend placing an order in
advance for this moving and
adventuresome book.
Click the
link to learn more:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mHur8RMb3w
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 The
Merry Misogynist; A Dr. Siri
Paiboun Mystery by Colin
Cotterill
This
is the 6th in a series set in
1970's Laos. Dr. Siri is a former
rebel fighter who rather than
be allowed the retirement he
deserves has been drafted by
the new regime to be the country's
sole coroner. The aging, french-educated
Siri takes on two cases in this
latest book, that of a missing
homeless Indian and the search
for a duplicitous killer who
marries naive country women
who are never heard from again.
 Love
Songs from a Shallow Grave
by Colin Cotterill
(Hardback)
Natioanal
Coroner of Laos (okay, the ONLY
coroner in 1970's Laos) Dr.
Siri is about to be declared
a national hero. Or will he?
Three young
Laotian women have died of fencing
sword wounds. Before he can
complete his investigation,
Dr. Siri is lured to Cambodia
by an all-expenses-paid trip.
Accused of spying for the Vietnamese,
he is imprisoned, beaten, and
threatened with death. Will
Siri's outspoken nature and
uncompromising search for the
turth make him a hero of the
revolution or a martyr for the
people?
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 Burning
Bright; Stories
by Ron Rash (author of Serena)
March 2010
These magnificent
short stories center around
tough choices in limited circumstances.
Rash once again captures the
voice of the Appalachians in
stunning prose. There is desolation
in these stories, loneliness,
and tenderness, too, little
fires flaring in the night,
moments when men step wrong
and there is no turning back,
a thin connecting thread of
hopes dreamed and hopes dashed.
The first two stories (Hard
Times, The Back of Beyond)
alone and in juxtapostion are
worthy of discussion. Two men
taking different approaches
to "ridding the snake from
the henhouse"; the first
of which turns out to be a harmless
young girl, the second a meth-addicted
nephew who is selling aff the
farm a little at a time until
his elderly parents move out
of the house and into their
son's unheated trailer in fear
of him and his drugged out friends.
In Dead Confederates
and Ascent we see a grown
man and a young boy making similar
self-justifications for stealing.
And in The Woman who Believed
In Jaguars we find a woman
grappling to hold on to a lost
reality by trying to prove the
existance of another.
I highly
recommend Rash's earlier books
One Foot in Eden and
Saints at the River (a
Bookin' It Contemporary Fiction
Book Club Selection). His book
Serena, now available
in paperback, was a New York
Times Notable Book of the Year.
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Two books we've read and
enjoyed and definitely recommend
to you, but which are not
reviewed here due to the huge
exposure they've alrady gotten
on TV, Radio, in print and
on bestseller lists are -
The
Help by Kathryn Stockett
and State
of Wonder by Ann Patchett.
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 Swallowing
the Soap; New and Selected Poems
by William Kloefkorn
Dabbling in these pages is satisfying
no matter where you land. The poems
have the cadence of a down-hill run,
a bit breathless and out of control
and yet perfectly imagined, vividly
descriptive. I haven't read much Kloefkorn
except my old copy of Drinking the
Tin Cup Dry and seeing this body of
work as a whole, feeling it as a massed
choir of one voice, is wonderful.
A Midwest Booksellers Book Award
Nominee 2011.
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I have authored a
poetry chapbook titled Diving
the Drop-off. It is available
at Bookin' It, the Gift Shop at GRAA, Beagle
Books in Park Rapids, and Drury Lane Books
in Grand Marais. You can also click
here to read a few samples
of my poetry (I've just added a new one
avid readers may enjoy), where I've been
published and what writing awards I've won.
You can also read some of my work in The
Talking Stick: Volume 16 "Finding The
Words" available at Bookin' It and
other Minnesota bookstores. Talking Stick
17 available soon.
 Now
available: Why I Keep Rabbits; New and
Selected Poems by Laura L. Hansen (2010)
A self-published poetry chapbook. Laura's
poetry has also been selected for the upcoming
Talking Stick Literary Journal to be released
this fall and for a new poetry anthology
being planned by Lost Hills Books.
Laura
Hansen was named Great River Arts Association's
August 2010 Artist of the Month. Click here
to read the article.
Fog and Woodsmoke;
Behind the Image (a poetry
collection) from Lost Hills Books will be
available soon. This collection includes
writing from Minnesota writers such as Bruce
Henrickson (editor), Connie Wanek, Doris
Stengl, Eric Mystrom, Lyle Dagget, Nancy
Paddock, Stephani Schaeffer (editorail assistant)
and our own store owner - that's me - Laura
Hansen. Book release reading and party at
Bookin' it on Saturday June 11, 2011.
 Fog&Woodsmoke
is a collection of poems written in response
to photographs by Stephani Schaefer. Each
section of the book is a conversation among
poets, and also a conversation between visual
and verbal images. We meet some of America's
fine poets on these pages as we contemplate
the variety of responses and allow them
to mingle with our own private associations.
 And
here is the cover image of County Lines,
a collection of poems by Minnesota poets
about Minnesota places. It was produced
by the League of Minnesota Poets with grant
support from the Minnesota Sesquicentiennial
Committee. Among the many writers represented
are Dave Bengtson of Long Prairie and Bookin'
It owner, Laura Hansen.
 Forgotten
Roads (The Talking Stick Volume 19)
by the Jackpine Writers Bloc is now available
at Bookin' It. The Talking Stick is a decade-old
publication of the nonprofit organization.
The Talking Stick is a Minnesotan collaboration
of poetry, creative nonfiction and fiction.
Laura L. Hansen, owner and manager of Bookin'
It, has two poems featured in this issue
of The Talking Stick, Confessions of
an Emerald AshBorer and Driftwood.
The Talking Stick Volume 20 (Black &
White) is also now available featuring Laura's
poem What Hold Me.
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A few recommendations
from our recently retired bookseller
and dear friend, Maryjude Hoeffel.
The Number
One Ladies Detective Agency Novels!
All of them.
 Cool
Yoga Tricks by Miriam Austin
From the author
of "Yoga for Wimps" comes
this accessible guide to yoga that
makes even the most intimidating
posture easy to master. Pleny of
helpful photos.
 The
Caregiver's Tao Te Ching
 To
Bless the Space Between Us
 Caleb's
Crossing by Gealdine Brooks
 The
Personal History of Rachel DuPree
by Ann Weisgarber
The unforgiving South Dakota Badlands
is the setting for this debut novel
about a black family struggling
to homestead at the turn of the
20th century. Historical fiction
fans will find an unforgettable
character in Rachel Dupree.
Now in trade
paperback. As recommended by by
our retired bookseller, Maryjude
Hoeffel.
 Unbroken
- A World War II Story of Survival,
Resiliance, and Redemption by
Laura Hillenbrand
More than 10 years ago, while doing
research for her book, Seabiscuit,
Hillenbrand came across an article
on Louis Zamperini. She found in
Zamperini, now 93, an amazing story
which is told in this totally absorbing
book. Zamperini, a record-setting
NCAA miler and a 1936 Olympian was
a B-24 bombadier when his plane
crashed into the Pacific in 1943.
He and his 2 raft mates survived
47 days on the ocean, only to be
captured by the Japanese when their
raft landed on an island. Forced
into virtual slavery by his captors,
Zamperini struggled to survive in
the POW camps. Hillenbrand is a
masterful storyteller, and this
is one you won't want to miss.
 Sacred
Food for Soulful Living - Recipes
from the House of Prayer Kitchen
Edited and Compiled by the Rev.
Ward Bauman
I had the great pleasure of working
on this cookbook for the past 2+
years. After enjoying Ward Bauman's
creativity in the kitchen on several
retreats at the Episcopal House
of Prayer in Collegeville where
he's the Director, and hearing many
other diners requesting recipes,
a small group of us decided to tackle
the project of getting a cookbook
into print. After lots of recipe
testing, design meetings, etc.,
it's finally a reality! Combining
the most-requested recipes with
reflections on food, life, and the
spiritual path, you'll want to make
every scrumptious dish in it.
 Impatient
With Desire by Gabrielle Burton
Now in Trade Paperback
If you've taken note of my fiction
choices, nearly all are historical
fiction; not a surprise since History
was my favorite subject. In this
novel, Burton brings to life Tamsen
Donner, the wife of George Donner,
head of the ill-fated party of pioneers
who were trapped in the Sierra Nevada
Mountains for 4 months in the winter
of 1846-47. Exhaustively researched
and drawing on the 17 extant letters
of Tamsen Donner, Burton's novel
is an engrossing read. A Reading
Group Choices 2012 Selection.
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Our
new bookselller Cher Purvis will start adding
her picks here very soon.
We haven't managed
to chase her down with the camera yet....
CHER
Purvis recently read and recommends Mr.
Chartwell by Rebecca Hunt. She also
recommends
the Ariana Fraklin
books and a long-standing favorite of hers
is A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Cher
is also a great fan of classic British mysteries.
Cher has worked many creative and retail
jobs
including a stint
at the Great River Arts Center in Little
Falls. Cher is a multi-media artist
and creates one-of-a-kind handmade cards
and pins.
Need an art or craft book? Cher (or Wendi)
is a great person to ask.
Below
is a visual peek at the books Cher likes
that are now in stock at Bookin' It --
    
Ghost
on Black Mountain by Ann Hite
Laura recommends this
book and I say "Ditto". A book
every woman should read.
An d
Now-----Meet Erin Karnowski!
Hello everyone,
I am the newest addition to the Bookin'
It staff!! I love to read, and have been
coming to Bookin' It since its beginning.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE.....LOVE Janet Evanovich
novels. I think the Stephanie Plum series
is by far the best, they are humorous mysteries
with a touch of romance so you get alittle
bit of everything. I also enjoy fantasy
books, I started out with the Harry Potter
series in 1999 and haven't looked back,
I have since broadened my horizons to include
Twilght, The Lord of the Rings and Artemis
Fowl, to name a few. When I get the urge
to get more serious in my readings I enjoy
reading about the holocaust. In 2009 I went
to Western Europe and visited Auschwitz
and Auschwitz Birkenau, which gave me a
whole new perspective on things, especially
while reading. My favorite book set during
WWII is Markus Zusak's The Book Thief.
Here
are a few of my favorites that are currently
in stock at Bookin' It Bookstore!!
  
  
  
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Wendi
Martin-Fogelberg, Bookseller/Horsewoman/Crafter
 If
you want to know what Wendi has been reading,
the answer is simple: Tess Gerritsen, Tess
Gerristsen, Tess Gerritsen. Wendi usually
works on Wednesdays, so if you come in and
meet her she can tell you about her eclectic
mix of vacation reading shown here.
What can I say?
Pig Kahuna is just too cute!
Review Quotes: "Sattler's
whimsical acrylics and colored pencil illustrations
adeptly show Fergus's horror when Dave floats
out to sea... Sattler ("Chick 'n' Pug")
offers visual gags aplenty and an evocative
beachside setting that makes it clear that
while the ocean can be scary, it's also
pretty tubular." "-Publishers
Weekly "
 This
is one of the funnest books I have ever
read. After a family tragedy happens it
sets Jacob off to a remote island off the
coast of Wales, there Jacob discovers the
crumbling house of Miss Peregrine's Home
for Peculiar Children. It is a fun tale
of the many adventures he goes through to
find the truth behind the stories his grandfather
told him as a child.
 Worth
Dying For; a Jack Reacher Novel by Lee
Child
We listened to this book
on CD on a long drive to Florida and now
my non-reader husband is a Lee Child fan.
Now available in paperback.
  
 The
Bone Garden by Tess Gerritsen (available
in mass market paperback, $7.99)
I listened to this one
on audiobook and really enjoyed the suspense
and period detail. I'll definitely be adding
Tess Gerritsen to my list of authors to
watch. In this story, 1830's Boston meets
present day rural Massachusets when a human
skull turns up on the grounds of a new home.
A Kirkus Reviews starred review.
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Water
for Elephants
by Sara Gruen
This book
is fantastic. Gruen's depiction of
circus life in the dust bowl years
is gritty and realistic, her characters
drawn with bold , bright strokes.
On the surface Water for Elephants
is about the life of a young man whose
family is displaced from their home
leaving him uable to finish his Veterinary
education. In a moment of blind desperation
he hops a train which he soon learns
is owned by a second rate traveling
circus. He becomes the shows unoffficial
Vet and the self-appointed protector
of the lovely young equestrian star,
Marlena. The true hero of this story,
however, is the magnifcent Rosie the
Elephant. I also very much enjoyed
Gruen's two earlier books, Flying
Changes and Riding Lessons.
All are available in paperback.
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 The
Birthing House by Christopher
Ransom
This psychological
thriller with supernatural overtones
begins as a story of possession and
sexual obsession and ends ultimately
in murder, as a centuries-old crime
is reenacted in the present with devastating
consequences.
Now availalbe in
Trade paperback, $14.99.
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Annie
Freeman's Fabulous Traveling Funeral
by Kris Radish
The
delivery of a UPS package with a pair
of red high top sneakers filled with
ashes and a note...the lives of 5
women will change forever.
As
they set off on a traveling funeral
for their friend Annie they encounter
miracles, fun, secrets, broken hearts
and second chances.
Annie
Freeman's Fabulous Traveling Funeral
is a heartwarming, fun adventure that
I someday hope to go on.
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Cain is one of my new favorites for
her high suspense mysteries:
  
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 Had
to have my own copy of The Assasination
of Hole In the Day after attending
Treuer's lecture at the Weyerhaueser
Museum. Here's a photo of me with
the author:
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Donna
Plante, Bookseller Emeritus
 I'm
currently enjoying a mix of Nordic
mysteries, American Westerns, and
memoirs that take me around the world.
I've always loved to travel and especially
enjoyed my visits to Russia, China,
Australia and New Zealand. These days
I find that the vicarious travel I
get from books is a little more in
my budget (but no less exciting).
I
also love to do Jigsaw puzzles, usally
1000 piece puzzles that keep me up
at night and busy for weeks. Stop
in at Bookin' It to see some of the
beautiful Pomegranate Puzzles that
just arrives featuring incredible
graphic images by artists such as
Charley harper and even Frank Lloyd
Wright.
 The
Dressmaker of Khair Khana; Five Sisters,
One Remarkable Family, and the Woman
Who Risked Everything to Keep them
Safe by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon (History/Biography)
March 2011 Hardback
A
well-written wonderful memoir appropriate
for the times we live in. Takes us
into the lives of oppressed Afghan
women who may not so much as walk
down the middle of the road or even
drive a car. As the Taliban took over
Kabul and women could no longer work
or attend school, the economy shuddered
to a halt. To support her family,
Kamela Sediqi began making clothes
at home—and soon built up a business
that now sustains 100 neighborhood
women. the Dressmake of Khair Khana
will be compared (not surprisingly)
to Greg Mortenson's "Three Cups
of Tea"and to William Kamkwamba's
"The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind"
(one of Maryjude's Staff Picks).
This
one gets a ditto from store owner
Laura Hansen.
"Kamela Desiqi's
unforgettable story shows just how
far we are willing to go for those
we love, and proves once again the
power fo girls to remake our world.
This is one of the most inspiring
books I have ever read." - Greg
Mortenson, author of Three Cups of
Tea
http://www.gaylelemmon.com/
 The
Distant Hours by Kate Morton
is definitley a thumbs up. The bestselling
author of "The House At Riverton"
and "The Forgotten Garden"
offers another unforgettable tale
weaving together history and mystery.
A women returns to Milderhurst castle
where her mother was sent during the
WWII evacuation of London. I heartily
recommend all three of Morton's books.
 Old
World Murder by Kathleen Ernst (Trade
Paperback, October 2010)
Whether
or not you've been to the Old World
Wiscsonsin historic site, you'll enoy
the fine writing in this regional
cozy mystery.
Hoping
to leave behind her heartbreaking
past, Chloe Ellefson makes a fresh
start as the new collections curator
at Old World Wisconsin. This outdoor
ethnic museum charms visitors with
authentic historical artifacts and
costumed employees who churn butter,
make shoes, and reenact 1870s settlement
life. But Chloe's first day on the
job only brings misfortune when an
elderly woman pleads with her to find
the priceless eighteenth-century Norwegian
ale bowl that she donated to the museum
years ago. Minutes later, the disappointed
woman dies in a mysterious car crash.
 Leonid
McGill is back, in the third--and
most enthralling and ambitious--installment
in Mosley's latest "New York
Times"-bestselling series. The
economy has hit the private-investigator
business hard. So how can McGill say
no to the beautiful young woman who
walks into his office with a stack
of cash? ThoughLeonid knows better
than to believe every word, this isn't
a job he can afford to turn away,
even as he senses that-if his family's
misadventures don't kill him first-sorting
out the woman's crooked tale will
bring him straight to death's door.
A Publishers Weekly Starred Review.
 Mercy
Kill by Lori Armstrong
This
intense thriller set in South Dakota
is a 2011 Midwest Connections Pick.
Armstong's earlier book, No Mercy,
was given a rave review by Minnesota
Mystery Writer William Kent Krueger.
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What
can I say? It is hard to pass up a
good dog story. In the past year I've
read One Good Dog, A Dog's
Purpose, One Dog Night, Dog Tags,
Cowboy & Wills, and Come
Back Como.
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 A
Mortal Terror; A Billy Boyle World
War Two Mystery by James R. Benn
Maybe
his best yet. The writing is amazingly
visual. I really love this series.
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 The
Blood Royal; a Joe Sandilands Mystery
by Barbara Clevery
I
am thrilled each time I see a new
book in this series arrive.
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The
Brutal Telling by Louise Penny
(Now
in Trade Paperback)
Over
the course of the past year, I have
discovered and enjoyed this wonderful
series by Louise Penny featuring Chief
Inspector Gamache. They are a traditional
village mystery set in Three Pines
in Canada. Reviewers call Penny's
mysteries "sophisticated"
and "literary", and refer
to her as a "world-class storyteller".
I heartily agree and The Brutal Telling
is her best yet.
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Katie
Jacobson, Bookseller (currently on family
leave)
Katie makes Goat's Milk Soap, knitted items
and other art/crafts. Check her out at www.katiescustoms.com.
 Katie
tells us her only weakness is kryptonite,
but we happen to know she has a weakness
for our Funky Chunky Peanut Butter Pretzels!
Katie
says: Ok, it's true. Funky Chunky is definitely
a major weakness for me, but you know why
if you've tried it. I'm the new girl here,
so I will introduce myself: I am married
to a fellow nerd- Shawn-who loves to read,
and also have two little nerds at home that
also love to read, Olivia (9) and Genevieve
(6). I would LOVE to discuss books with
you, so come on in and chat with me. My
favorite genres are Fantasy, Historical
Fiction, Mysteries, Crafts, Theology (my
major in college) and a dabbling with Philosophy.
If you recommend a book to me, however,
I will probably read it no matter what genre
it is, just so we can talk about it. My
family and I live what my friends describe
as an "Amish" lifestyle; no cell
phones or tv, we make all that we can, and
we have two goats that we milk so I can
make soap. Any books that teach me more
about doing-it-yourself will certainly pique
my interests as well. My youngest daughter
has a lot of food allergies, so I like to
think that I know a thing or two about some
good cookbooks and recipes for this kind
of situation. I would be glad to help you
out if this is a struggle for you as well!
Having trouble getting
your kids enthused about reading? Try this
idea! This is our Autumn Reading Tree that
we have in our hallway at home. Small books
are worth a leaf on the tree (I usually
write the title and who read it), and bigger
books are worth something fun- you can see
that my girls made me put up an owl when
I finished "The Brutal Telling"
by Louise Penny. Later, they got to add
a jack-o-lantern for listening to me read
them "The Christmas Chronicles: The
Legend of Santa Clause." You can dream
up all kinds of fun decorations! Now, we
are all excited about our Christmas Reading
Tree- each little book is worth a decorative
ball, and big books earn us a present, snowflake,
or a star!
Let's be friends on www.goodreads.com,
shelfari.com, or facebook.com and talk books!
Altar of Bones
by Philip Carter
I knew this book was
going in my staff favorites section before
I finished the first hundred pages. It sounds
like a fantasy book, which is why I picked
it up in the first place, but it's not.
It's more of a thriller mystery, and it's
AMAZING! I just love this book and can't
put it down. I think my husband is getting
sick of hearing me gush about it :) I'm
not quite finished, and the suspense is
killing me. I can't wait to see how it all
plays out!!!
 The
Gods of Greenwich by Norb Vonnegut
When I first began reading
this book, I thought, "This isn't for
me." There is a lot of finance talk;
hedge funds, stock portfolios, etc. I have
no interest in business or finance, so I
figured I would be bored. The business and
finance kept going throughout the whole
book, but the underlying plot and tensions
kept me hooked! I ended up looking forward
to my lunch breaks just so I could read
this. This book would be great for your
accountant/stock broker friends or family,
but it would also be great for anyone who
likes a little suspense! P.S. Yes, Norb
Vonnegut is related to Kurt Vonnegut- they're
fourth cousins. And yes, I googled it!
Pathfinder:
Orson Scott Card
I LOVE this
fantasy book! I'm so excited that it's a
trilogy! The main character is Rigg, and
he is such an awesome guy. The story starts
out with him as a pre-teen, and he has such
a great personality. It's so interesting
to see how he reacts to the different situations
in his life, and to watch him grow into
a honorable young man through his many adventures.
A nice twist makes a perfect ending. There
is a team Edward and a team Jacob... I vote
for a team Rigg!
The Sword
of Truth Series by
Terry Goodkind
Yes, I have read
all of these books! I started watching the
show "Legend of the Seeker" on
the Sci-Fi channel, and since books are
always better than their shows/movies, I
knew I had to try the first one. I fell
in love with this Sword of Truth series,
and burned through them in no time. Great
fantasy, mature characters, and evokes pictures
of beautiful scenery.
Chronicles
of the Necromancer by Gail Z.
Martin
Another
fantasy series that my husband and I have
enjoyed. If you liked the "Sword of
Truth" series by Terry Goodkind, then
you will certainly enjoy the Chronicles
of the Necromancer. The main character is
Tris, and he has to flee home after his
deranged brother, Jared, slaughters the
whole family. Jared then takes the throne,
and Tris knows that he has to figure out
a way to overthrow his power-hungry sibling,
because Jared is evil and is using dangerous
dark magic to control his kingdom and to
attempt to overtake other kingdoms. Meanwhile,
Tris is learning that he has his grandmother's
gift of necromancy- speaking with the dead.
Can he control his new power and focus on
what needs to be done? So many people are
suffering; can Tris and his friends save
their kingdom and many others?
Warriors series by Erin Hunter
My daughter,
Olivia, is nine years old, and is absolutely
obsessed with this series. She loves animals,
and of course wishes she could hear them
talk. In this series, her dreams come true!
There are different clans of wild cats,
and the reader follows their adventures
as they vy for territory, muscle for rank,
and hunt to survive. When Olivia is not
reading these books, she is busy making
her stuffed animals act out the stories,
or writing stories of her own with all the
Warriors characters. Her imagination has
just exploded after reading these! There
is also a Reading Warriors club that kids
can belong to, which encourages reading
books to get to higher levels in your "clan".
It's wonderful!
 Graveminder
by Melissa Marr
All I can
say about this fiction book is that it really
surprised me. If I even hint at how
it surprised me, I'll wreck the shock for
you. The only thing I can safely say is
that I really liked this book! I kept wondering
what on earth would happen next, therefore
I read it all in about a day. It will be
released in June of 2011, so keep it in
mind!
Vegans Know How
to Party by Nancy Berkoff
We're not vegans, but
my youngest daughter, Genevieve, has terrible
food allergies. It's getting to the point
where we can't simply replace foods in favorite
recipes. When you end up having to use a
substitute for eggs AND milk (and therefore
also butter, cream, cheeses, etc) in the
same recipe, it just doesn't work. The texture
is terrible, or the whole thing just flops.
This book has really helped us be able to
offer Genevieve the same foods that we all
take for granted. Last week, she ate the
first cupcake that she's ever had in her
life! Thank you, Nancy Berkoff!
 Devil's
Food Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke
This was my first Joanne
Fluke foody murder book. Who doesn't love
a mystery? It's always fun to read a story
that is set in Minnesota. I knew that there
were a few recipes inside, but I was so
excited to find so many! I can't wait to
try them out.
 The
Stormchasers by
Jenna Blum
Have you ever wondered
what it is like to love someone with a severe
mental illness? Perhaps you do love someone
that has a mental illness, or you have one
yourself; this book is for you. Karena has
a twin brother, Charles, who suffers from
Bi-Polar disorder. However, Charles isn't
the only one who suffers- this book follows
Karena as she desperately searches for her
sick brother, who is a stormchaser, hoping
to find him in time to help him. Along the
way, she gets lost in memories of their
childhood, which are bittersweet since she
and Charles are so close and love each other
so much, but have this disease separating
them. This quote made me feel for Charles
and how isolating mental illness must be:
'"I'm sorry, K," says Charles.
"I didn't mean to raise my voice. It
just frustrates me that otherwise we're
like one person, but that's the one thing
you don't get."' Even though they are
twins and have that incredible twin bond,
both Karena and Charles know that Karena
will never be able to fully understand Charles'
mind.
The Memory Keeper's Daughter by
Kim Edwards
My book club in Rochester
read this book. The beginning of the book
makes you think that one story is coming,
but it pulls the rug out from underneath
you. A sad, frustrating, story that ends
well. Edwards' newest book, Lake of Dreams,
will be availalbe in January 2011.
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Books
for Kids ...lullabies, tall tales,
fun facts, lift-the-flaps, art projects;
think of us as a playground for your
child's mind!
Meet
our official store greeter....Jackson.
 Jackson
(a Schipperke/Schnauzer mix)
is our official store greeter. Jackson
likes to sit in our laps and listen
as we read aloud the newest children's
books. He's also an excellent doorbell.
 Sparrow
Road (May 2011) by Sheila
O'Connor (author of Where No
Gods Came)
Laura devoured
this wonderful new Young Adult novel
from Sheila O'Connor almost in one
sitting. This is the story of Raine,
a 12-year old girl just learning about
her father, and a summer of wonders
and discoveries at an Artists Retreat
where TV and Radio are set aside in
exchange for a whole new world of
hope and dreams. Absolutley charming.
 Noodle's
Knitting by Sheryl Webster
Noodles loves soft, cuddly yarn. When
she finds a ball the farmer's wife
has tossed aside, Noodle decides to
knit her own project. But she knits
and purls herself into something more
than she bargained for. This delightful
picture book holds a tactile surprise:
the yarn on the page is fuzzy to the
touch.
Don't
Slam the Door! by Dori Chaconas
One slam begins a domino-effefct of
household chaos in this humorus read-aloud.
How
Rocket Learned to Read by Tad
Hills
An inspirational teacher opens Rocket's
world to words.
 Creak
Said the Bed by Phyllis
Root
On a dark, stormy night, Momma and
Poppa are sleeping peacefully until
Evie, Ivy and Moe want to climb into
their bed. But will there be room
for Fred? You won't want to miss this
great read-aloud.
 The
Defense of Thaddeus A. Ledbetter
by John Gosselink
(ages 10 & up) Oct 2010
In this book,
Gosselink combines "case files",
journal entries, post-it notes, and
emails to come to the defense of one
Thaddeus A. Ledbetter who is soooo
in trouble. Thaddeus has been put
on in-school suspense FOR A YEAR!
Thaddeus is also on the outs with
the Boy Scouts of America though he
is the most prepared boy in the world.
Kids will love this tongue-in-cheek
defense of a boy with nothing but
good intentions and big ideas. In
the spirit of Lemony Snicket, the
book is filled with new words and
Thaddeus' (mostly true) Fun Facts.
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 Seasons
by Anne Crausaz
This lovely book
from France is a welcome addition
to the American children's book market.
Anyone who loves the clean lines and
block colors of Charley Harper's books
will enjoy the simple, fresh illustations
in this book about what each season
of the year brings.
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 I
Spy With My Little Eye Minnesota
by Kathy-Jo and Ed Wargin
Another winner
from Sleeping Bear Press. Included
in these pages are bright bold photographs,
Minnesota "Photo Facts",
search and find challenges and side
by side spot-the-difference photo
collages.
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 Little
Apple Goat by Caroline Jayne Church
Little Apple
Goat prefers munching apples, pears
and cherries from the farmer's orchard
to munching grass. But one stormy
night, all of the orchard's trees
are blown down. How will Little Apple
Goat manage without her fruit?After
a while, something mysterious begins
to happen on the farm. Young readers
will delight in this sweetly illustrated
tale.
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These sweet
board books feature beautifully-sewn
felt finger puppets that pop out from
their family dwellings on every page.
A delight for babies and toddlers.
Also availalbe: In My Pond.
  
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 On
the Farm by David Elliot, illustrated
by Holly Meade
We are huge fans
of woodcuts and Holly Meade uses them
to bright and wonderful effect here.
Each spread features a farm animal
and a lively poem that aptly shows
the animal's character.
"New York
Times" bestselling author and
a Caldecott Honor-illustrator evoke
life on a farm with simple, lyrical
text and boldly expressive images.
Full color woodcuts.
Now available, with the same beautiful
woodcuts, In The Wild!
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 Pablo
Neruda; Poet of the People by
Monica Brown and Julie Paschkis
The crazy
quilt of colors in this illustrated
book form rivers of words that deliver
a stunning picture book biography
of one of the world's most popular
poets. A visual feast for fans of
illustation; would serve as an excellent
writing inspiration for use in the
classroom,
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 Children
Make Terrible Pets by Peter Brown
Parents and kids will recognize the
"can I have a pet?" theme
in this delightful book about a bear
who finds a boy she wants to keep.
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 Interrupting
Chicken by David Ezra Stein
A little chicken's
habit of interrupting at bedtime turns
storytime on its head. Audaciously
illustrated in bold color.
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 Billy
Twitters and His Blue Problem
by Marc Barnett Illustrated by Adam
Rex (Frankenstein
Makes a Sandwich)
We're not sure
why Billy's Mother thinks buying him
a big blue whale as a pet is a suitable
punishment for not cleaning his room,
but one morning there it is - parked
just outside the house with his big
sleepy eye peering in the window.
What will Billy do with his new pet?
Fun, humor enough for the whole family,
and more cetacean facts tucked in
than you ever thought you needed to
know.
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 Fine
As We Are by Algy Craig Hall
The arrival of
a new sibling can be a time of uncertainty
for youngsters. This new book about
Little Frog's big brother experience
is one that parents and children will
enjoy time and time again
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Horns & Wrinkles by
Joseph Helgerson
One
hundred twenty miles south of Minneapolis,
tucked between the bluffs and sandbars
of the Mississippi River, is a place
where river trolls, rocks trolls and
ancient blue-wing fairies still practice
their magic barely hidden from the
modern world. When Claire and her
cousin, Duke, get mixed up with a
threesome of bumbling but almost likeable
river trolls, strange "riverish"
things start to happen. With Duke
growing a bully's horn and his parents
turned to stone, it is up to Claire
to unlock this riddle of missing miners,
falling stars and lucky crickets that
never tell the truth.
One
thinks of these type of fantasies
taking place on the moors in England
or amongst the celts of Ireland or
in some dark castle in a namelss country
far away. I like that Helgerson brings
the magic right into our own time
and to familiar territory.
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 Now
available in paperback: Duck at
the Door is now in paperback!
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Of
Local Interest and Regional Interest:
Mississippi River Sunset, Little Falls,
MN Photo by Laura L. Hansen
 Mississipp
Headwaters Guidebook
If you enjoy our
magnificent Mississippi River, you're sure
to enjoy our new Mississippi Headwaters
GuideBook. Hot off the press, this book
takes the reader from Itasca State Park
to Little Falls. It's a journey down the
river, its history, its highlights, its
many different personalities, and its residents
(human and animal).
Illustrated by the beautiful
photography of Doug Ohman and Dominique
Braud, you'll almost feel like you're on
the river. Included are a complete set of
DNR maps – providing river miles, highlights,
campgrounds, neighboring road systems, and
tributaries.
 Tumbled
Dry
Poems
by Charmaine Donovan
Brainerd area poet
Charmaine Donovan's first full-length poetry
collection is now available. For shipment
details and pricing, call the store at 800-809-1848
(in MN only) or 320-632-1848 or email us
at book@integra.net.
 Cooking
A Family Tradition by Custom Printing of
Little Falls
A
collection of favorite recipes from the
Podtburg family and from dozens of other
area family, church, and fundraiser cookbooks.
More inormation
by calling 320-632-1848 or 800-809-1848
(toll free in MN).
Awesome
Possum by Faye Sandy
Rural
Roots; A Memoir by Delores Thoma (temporarily
Out of stock)
 The
Minnesota Table
This
beautiful cookbook and travelogue includes
and interesting sidebar on the Franciscan
Sisters ofLittle Falls and an article on
the Annual Bethel Lutheran Lutefisk Supper
also in Little Falls.
Travel
along in spring, summer, fall, and winter
as we hunt morels, pick blueberries, winnow
wild rice, and come nose-to-nose with yaks,
elk, and bison. Meet gardening nuns and
artisan farmers who breathe color and warmth
into the argument for sustainable agriculture;
try new twists on classic and regional recipes
that take the pure flavors of fresh, local
ingredients to new heights. Recipes include
Grilled Rainbow Trout with Chive-lemon Pepper
Butter, Wild Rice Dried Cranberry Salad
with Clementine Vinaigrette, and MapleSugar
Creme Brulee.
Charming
watercolors and color photography illustrate
the stories and recipes.
 Camp
Ripley 1930 - 1960
by Sandra
Alcott Erickson
The author of this book has served as the
administrator of the Minnesota Millitary
Museum, located at Camp Ripley, for the
last 13 years. This 127-page pictorial hisory
includes rare photographs of Camp Riply's
early history.
 Minnesota
13 - "Wet" Wild Prohibition Days
by Elaine Davis
Davis, a Professor
of Management at St Cloud State University,
has written a fascinating account of the
Prohibition era in Stearns County, Minnesota.
In these pages, you'll meet makers of moonshine,
bootleggers and gangsters. And, if you can
trace your heritage back to this part of
Minnesota, you might even meet your relatives!
 Minnesota
State Fair An Illustrated History
by Kathryn Strand Kolutsky & Linda Kolutsky
From the pair that brought us Minnesota
Eats Out and Minnesota Vacation Days
comes the newest title about the Great MN
Get-Together. Filled with wonderful photos,
this book is a must for every fair lover
and for those who've never been to the best
10 days of late summer.
 Land
of Amber Waters; the History of Brewing
in Minnesota by Doug Hoverson contains
a good deal of information on Little's Falls
Kiewel Brewing Company; richly illustrated.
LOCAL GRAD
PUBLISHED BY HARLEQUIN
Helen Brenna, 1979 Graduate of Little Falls
Community High School (Helen Twomey) was
in Little Falls this summer signing books
at Bookin' It. See our signed copies page
for titles available as signed stock. Helen's
book, Peak Performance, is available
now.
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Back
in Stock!
"About
Little Rock" The Story of a Small
Town Boy by Harvey Starr
 A
Place to Call Home; a memoir by
Faye Schreder of Sartell, MN $12.95
A
well-written and interesting book
filled with short anectodal stories
of growing up in rural Cental Minnesota
in the early 1940's.
Also
availbleL White Clover Blossoms by
Faye Schreder.
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 SIGNED
copies still available.
Legends
& Legacies; Fish Stories from
Northern Minnesota
- A History of the Nisswa Guides'
League by Ray Gildow, Published by
Evergreen Pres, May 2005, $24.95
Broken Hart; Small Town, Short Stories
by Jerry Mevissen of Nimrod, MN
Jerry
is just a great guy and we hope you'll
give his book a look. Jerry's earlier
book is The Nimrod Chronicles.
Jerry is a very active member tof
the Jackpine Writers' Bloc.
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 Poems
of Everyday Life by Danny
Noss of Randall, MN ($19.95)
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Written
by long-time Little Falls art teacher,
Ren Holland, the book is about the
search for the source of the Mississippi
River, the early days of Itasca State
Park, and life in the area around
the park. Of more general interest
are stories of rural schools and logging.
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Long Prairie's resident poet, Dave
Bengtson (Broken Lines),
chats with visiting author Sheila
O' Connor (Where No Gods Came)at
a book signing at Bookin' It in the
fall of 2003. Bengston's poetry was
recently selected to be aired on Garriosn
Keillor's Writer's Almanac
and in U.S. Poet Laureate Ted Kooser's
American Life in Poetry.
Learn more about David Bengtson's
poetry and readings at: http://web.mac.com/dbengtson1
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Local Historian Maurice Faust spends
his retirement heralding the towns
and events of Morrison County.
 Beyond
the Horizon - A Collage of World Wide
Adventure is a collection of stories
from the varied travels of Maurice
and his wife, Maggie. Join this adventurous
couple as they roam from Norway to
Mexixo, Jamaica to Hudson Bay to discover
the gifts of other cultures.
The
Great Experiment: Prohibition
in the United States and Central Minnesota
is a look at the days of stills, blind
pigs, moonshine and rum-runners and
the failed attempt to make the country
dry.
Aitkinsville to Zerf
is an alphabetical tour through
the early history of immigrants putting
down permament roots in Morrison County...from
paper towns, platted and still on
record to towns that showed great
early promise only to fail to towns
held together by the glue of religion,
their original churches still in use
today.
Pounded By Tramps:
A Probe Into the Dark Side of Local
History includes accounts
of lynchings, hangings, brutal murders,
bounty hunters, sheriff's posses and
crime on freight trains.
Remember, No Electricity;
A Reminiscence is Faust's
most personal book. Faust recalls
his years growing up in Agram township
and tells tales of card games and
shopping at the JC Penney where your
change was hoisted down from the office
above on a cable.
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Moving personal
account of frontier women left behind
in Minnesota when their husbands went
west to prospect for gold in Colorado
and Montana in the mid-1800s.
"These
richly detailed letters portray the
lives of many 'widows,' who share
their fears and hopes, and also provide
a vivid description (from James) of
life in the mining communities."
-- CHOICE
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Lindbergh Looks
Back; A Boyhood Reminiscence by
Charles A. Lindbergh, Foreword by Reeve
Lindbergh
Lindbergh's personal and intimate
recollection of his boyhood days on his
family's Minnesota farm on the banks of
the Mississippi River.
With remarkable detail
and warmth, Charles A. Lindbergh--aviator,
author, scientist, and conservationist--recalls
the boyhood experiences that led to his
later life of international fame and achievement.
Lindbergh introduces readers to the curly-haired
boy and serious-minded youth who grew to
manhood from 1902 to 1920 on a farm along
the banks of the upper Mississippi River
near Little Falls, Minnesota. There, long
before the Spirit of St. Louis and its celebrated
flight, he learned the country ways that
nourished his love of the natural world
and its preservation, inspired his practical
knowledge of working machinery, and revealed
the importance of careful observation and
perseverance.
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