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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.
I read literary fiction,
mysteries, travel writing,
an occasional memoir and
I also read and write poetry.
My friends also know that
I am a sucker for any book
with water or a dog on the
cover!
You can
also find me on www.goodreads.com
and Facebook.
Looking
ahead to Spring/Summer 2010:
The Singer's Gun
 The
Singer's Gun
by Emily St. John Mandel
Hardback Release May 2010
“Reads
like an enchantment. Stunning.
Anton Waker wants a moral
life, a simple everday American
job, to do anything other
than follow in his family’s
shady footsteps. His one
mistake is to start his
new life with a lie he can
never take back. Anton’s
thinking is seductively
convincing. He makes us
believe his good intentions
as much as he does. It is
scary how relatable he is..”
—Laura Hansen, Bookin’
It
 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.
 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.
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 grwon
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.
There
is desolation in these sotries,
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.
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.
 Then
Came the Evening by
Brian Hart (Hardback, Dec.
2009)
Reviewers
compare this book to the
work of Cormac McCarthy
who I haven't read, but
I am sure they are correct.
Bandy Dorner is a man who
courts tragedy, is a magnate
for it. And life isn't any
easier for his son. Set
in Idaho, I get a hint of
Ron Carlson's Five Skies
(a book I loved) and
also of Ron Rash's books
One Foot in Eden
and Burning Bright.
It has been a long long
time since I cried at the
end of a book and I'm not
sure why I did so for a
character as unredeemed
as Bandy, but I did.
 Goat
Song by Brad
Kessler June 2009
Goat
Song is written with
tenderness, humor and intelligence.
Kessler's writing seamlessly
combines his personal experience
and observations with thoughtful
asides that range from etymolgy
and mythology to economics,
ecology, religion, and faith.
Kessler's writing is so
fluid you would read just
about anything he chose
to write about, but the
most joyous sections are
his descriptions of life
as a goatherd and of his
own unique flock. Brilliant.
Recommended for fans of
Hit by a Farm, Marley
and Me, Michael Perry's
Coop, or Barbara Kinglsolver's
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.
 31
Hours by Masha Hamilton
(Temporarily Out of Stock)
What
would you do if you couldn't
locate your college age
son? What if you found out
he'd met a man named Masoud
and traveled in secret to
Pakistan with him? How does
one spawn a home-grown terrorist?
Masha Hamilton considers
all these things and more
in her gripping new novel,
31 Hours.
Masha
Hamilton's best work since
Staircase of a Thousand
Steps. I enjoyed it
in the same way as Ann Patchett's
Run with its compact
time frame and small cast
of well-defined characters.
 From
best-selling author Jeannette
Walls (The Glass Castle)
Half
Broke Horses; A True-Life
Novel is based on
the amazing hardscrabble
life of Walls' own grandmother.
If you like tales of gutsy
women and pioneers, you'll
love this one. Told in plain-spoken
fashion, just the way her
grandmother would have told
it. Half Broke Horses is
going to be a huge hit.
 The
Day the Falls Stood Still
by Cathy Marie Buchanan
(September 2009, $24.99)
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.
 Sweeping
Up Glass by Carolyn
Wall Trade Paper August
2009
With the rich detailing
and clear voice of Lay
that Trumpet in Our Hands
(Susan Carol McCarthy)
and the gripping emotional
and historical impact of
David Hill's Sacred Dust,
Sweeping the Glass is a
wonder.
Olivia lives in the Kentucky
mountains, befriending wolves,
tending her grandson and
fractious mother, and nursing
the wounds of the past.
When she digs too deep into
her family's secrets, she
dredges up trouble enough
to endanger an entire town.
 Madewell
Brown
by
Rick Collignon
This
book takes you by the hand
and draws you up onto the
porch inviting you into
the story of Obie Poole
and Madewell Brown and the
South Cairo Grays. Madewell
Brown is as much about
the vagaries of memory and
the slippery slope of truth
as it is about the old Negro
baseball leagues. Collignon's
sense of place, from the
misty river's edge of South
Cairo, Illinois to the high
mesa outside of Guadalupe,
New Mexico is unerring and
he gives clear voice to
Obie and to Rachel and to
Cipriano as they each search
for a truth that will be
different for each. A marvelous
read.
 Hotel
on the Corner of Bitter
and Sweet
by
Jamie Ford,
(Now in PB)
Jamie
Ford's Hotel on the Corner
of Bitter and Sweet
casts a lasting glow. The
characters are fully realized,
the title is a real attention
grabber, and the story fleshed
out with plenty of local
and period detail. Ford
provides an intimate look
at life on the homefront
during WWII from the uncommon
perpective of an earnest
Chinese-American boy and
his Japanese-American school
friend. I think Henry and
Keiko are two of the most
engaging characters I've
come across in a long while
and I will not soon forget
them, nor Sheldon, the saxophone
player who befreinds them.
I'm not the type of reader
that necessarily longs for
a happy ending, but this
one certainly satisfies.
 All
the Living by C.E. Morgan
(Coming soon in paperback)
All
the Living reads like
a waking dream on a hot
August afternoon. The language
is a delerious mix of colloquialism
and lyricism. Like Coomer's
Decatur Road, I feel
myself wanting to read it
twice; once for the sheer
enjoyment of the story and
the second time to revel
in the language. Ms. Morgan
writes a story that seeps
into you, permeates like
the musk of the soil, envelopes
the reader with the acrid
scent of the farmstead and
the heat of hard work. Through
it all Aloma's nervous fingers
are tapping out melodies
on door frames and tabletops
and her denim-clad thighs,
while Orren's remain motionaless
at this sides. Reminds me
a bit of Jaskunas' Hidden.
 A
Reliable Wife by Robert
Goolrick, Algonquin Books
now in paperback
With
A Reliable Wife,
Robert Goolrick has given
us a rare treat, a story
so good we are loathe to
start another book for fear
it will fail utterly in
comparison.
It
is 1907 and Ralph Truitt
is seeking a wife. Catherine
Land is the woman who answers
his call. In the midst of
a swirling snowstorm, she
steps off of the train and
into his life. She is not
what he expected. Nor is
he as naïve as she
had hoped.
What
follows is a skillfully
told tale of lies and betrayals,
of rampant passion and unchecked
desires, and occasionally
of hope and compassion.
Fierce and original, sensual
but never crass, Goolrick
spins a remarkable tale
that takes the reader from
the sophistications of Chicago
to a bitterly cold and barren
Wisconsin winter to the
opium dens and music halls
of St. Louis.
A
Reliable Wife wins NAIBA's
"Book of the Year"
for fiction. Midwest Booksellers
"2009 Choice Award"
honor book.
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 The
Crossing Places
by Ellie Griffiths
January 2010, $25.00
Ellie Griffiths opens a great
new mystery series with The
Crossing Places. Professor of
Archaeology, Ruth Galloway,
who lives at the edge of wind-blown
saltmarsh with her two cats
Sparky and Flint, is asked to
help the police in a missing
child case when bones are found
not far from her cottage. Thoroughly
enjoyable. How could I not love
a heroine who reads Ian Rankin
in bed at night?
Stop in now for this 2010
release, especially if you are
a fan of Erin Hart's mysteries.
Speaking of Erin Hart....False
Mermaid is due March 2010.
Novelist
Erin Hart who will be at our
Linden Hill Author Tea Retreat
in May gave us permission to
quote her review of The Crossing
Places from her goodreads
post.
"Against
the eerie backdrop of the Saltmarsh—a
dangerous, desolate stretch
of coastline that’s not
quite earth, not quite sea—forensic
archaeologist Ruth Galloway
stirs up fears and passions
among the living even as she
unearths ancient remains.
Although she’ll
admit to being a walking cliché—she’s
an overweight, unmarried, cat-loving
academic—Ruth Galloway
actually defies such slender
classification. She’s an
uncommon heroine whose acute
insight, wry humor, and depth
of feeling make her a thoroughly
engaging companion on this spooky,
sometimes harrowing ride."
- Erin Hart (Haunted Ground,
Lake of Sorrows, False Mermaid)
 Shatter
by Michael Robotham
03/2009 Hardback
In Michael
Robotham's latest thriller,
psychologist Joe O'Loughlin--the
appealing hero of "Suspect"--tries
to prevent a suicide and finds
himself locked in a deadly duel
with a very clever and chillingly
cold-hearted killer.
Retired Inspector Ruiz (of "Suspect"
and "Lost") is called
in to aid his friend and they
alternately parry and partner
with the solid and irracible
DI Veronica Cray. Great characterizations
and gripping detail make this
the psychological suspense novel
of the year. Top-notch suspense,
totally relevant to the contemporary
scene.
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 The
Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
by Stieg Larsson (June 09 Paperback)
In his remarkable
debut, Stieg Larsson tops even
the disturbing tales of fellow
Swede Henning Mankell. This
mystery is rich in detail, full
of plot twists, and complicated
by familial antagonism and deception,
yet is cleanly and cleverly
told. Larsson tells the story
of a financial reporter who
takes on a major coporation
and loses and while in retreat
from his humiliationg defeat
is hired by a Swedish Industrialist
to write a family history. Blomquist
is aided in his research by
a disturbed but brilliant young
woman who can hack into anyone's
life, including Blomqusit's
own. Intense and absorbing and
at times brutal in its depictions
of the dark side of human nature.
 Italian
Shoes; A Novel by Henning
Mankell, (4/2009, $26.95).
Marvelous.
As so often when reading Mankell,
I found myself reading late
into the night. While this book
about a man torn from a long
self-imposed isolation is wholly
unlike any of Mankell's Kurt
Wallander mysteries, it has
some Mankell trademarks - characters
written so strong and clear
you could see them through a
deep fog, an unparalleled depiction
of the Swedish landscape, and
brief shocking moments of violence.
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 Necessary
As Blood, A Duncan Kincaid/Gemma
James Mystery
by Deborah Crombie
Another
well-thought-out mystery by
Crombie. Thoroughly enjoyable.
Gemma James gets involved with
a missing persons case that
turns into murder. Though the
case is assigned to her partner
Duncan Kincaid, Gemma continues
to search out answers in order
to protect a young girl orphaned
by the murder. Rich in background
detail of immigrant London,
and of its Bangladeshi subculture.
Very good and makes me want
to go back and read The Case
of the Missing Servant by Tarquin
Hall which I have tucked away
at home somewhere and also Brick
Lane by Monica Ali.
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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.
Nunn's next book in the series,
Let the Dead Lie,
will be released April 2010.
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 As
I began reading Robert Olmstead's
Coal Black Horse,
I immediately felt as one with
the traveler who crosses remote
and dusty roads bearing a fateful
message. Not since disovering
Joe Coomer's The Decatur
Road back in the 80's have
I found myself so quickly transported
by the language of a book and
its sure-footed cadence. Olmstead
uses language like a seduction,
one that lulls both the reader
and the main character, fourteen
year old Robey, into a waking
dream-state. I wanted to ride
Olmstead's words hard and fast
past the horrors of war and
to hold on to the reigns of
his story until I was safely
back at Robey's mountain home.
This is a book, like Elie Wiesel's
Night and Tim O'Brien's
The Things They Carried,
that everyone should read at
some time in their lifetime.
(Available in Trade Paperback,
May 2008.)
 Far
Bright Star
by Robert Olmstead
$24.95,
May 2009, Algonquin Books of
Chapel Hill
Olmstead
has the ability to imagine a
world, a rich fully realized
world, and to put it into words
so that the reader walks in
the very same landscape that
the characters do, thinking
their thoughts and suffering
their pain. And Olmstead’s
Far Bright Star is indeed
filled with pain, inflicted
trauma, violence and two very
strong brothers linked by a
lifetime of service in pointless
wars and desolate lands. And
throughout their travels and
travails there are horses, strong,
winded, “blown”, skeletal,
strong horses.
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 I
just received a copy of Beloved
on the Earth; 150 Poems of Grief
and Gratitude (June
2009) and have already liberally
sampled the poems included.
I find this to be an absolutley
essential collection. Some of
my favorite poets are represented
here (Kooser, Oliver, Berry,
Clifton) and many are new to
me. But this is just a remarkable
and thoughful collection and
the poems are well-crafted and
not dripping with sentimentality
as so many of these types of
collections tend to be.
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 The
School of Essential Ingredients
by Erica Bauermeister is
absolutley charming and Bauermeister's
writing is chock full of beautiful
metaphors. Now in trade paperback.
On Monday nights, Lillian closes
her restaurant to customers
and opens her arms to the students
of her cooking class. Not one
to depend on recipes, Lillian
opens her students eyes, hearts
and minds by concentrating on
each ingredient as a guest at
the table to be admired and
enjoyed and paired with other
interesting "friends".
Bauermeister lays out this delectable
spread one student at a time,
giving voice to the sometimes
subltle and sometimes dramatic
ways the class has changed their
outlook on life.
 
Pomegranate Soup
and Rosewater and Soda
Bread by Marsha Mehran.
both in quality paperback.
Read these
two small delightful books together
in one "sitting".
Three sisters flee revolutionary
Iran and arrive after a time
in a small Irish village where
they turn the town on its ear
by opening the Babylon Cafe.
The voices ring so true in Mehran's
deft storyteller's hands that
they keep on singing in your
head long after the stories
are read and set aside. Lovingly
told and peppered with humor
and heart.
 The
Way Life Should Be by Christina
Baker Kline (Trade Paperback)
One of the
lightest books I've read in
a long time, but quite charming
and delightful. Once the story
launches us and the protagonist
to an island in Maine, life
becomes a series of introductions
to an intersting cast of characters
who eventually form a mutually
supportive bond through cooking.
Recipes included at the end
of the book.
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 The
Creator's Map by
Emilio Calderon (Hardback,
July 2008) (Trade Paper, July
2009)
The
writing in Caleron's historical
novel captivates and enchants.
The Creator's Map is
filled with images and names
evocative of another time, Rome
in the Fascist Era of Hitler,
Franco and Mussolini, rich in
intellectual and philopsophical
ideas, and rife with the exigencies
and vagaries of world politics.
Calderon wraps these timeless
details around a complex romantic
web.
Through
the eyes of a Spanish architect
in Rome, the dark period surrounding
the rise and fall of Fascism
roars to life as an architect,
a passionate young librarian,
and an Italian prince become
entangled in a web of intrigue,
love, and deceit involving a
fateful map.
If
you are a fan of Carlos Ruiz
Zafon's Shadow of the Wind
with its Labyrinthine streets
and reliquary of "lost"
books, or Orhan Pamuk's Snow
for its incomprehensible
politics and hapless narrator
used by every side, or Peter
Cameron's Andorra with
its intriguing mix of ex-patriots
thrown together in a historic
setting, or even the religious
intrigue of secret sects found
in The Da Vinci Code,
here's a book for you.
 City
of Thieves by David Benioff
-- Trade Paperback now available!
Benioff writes
of harrowing times with amazing
gentleness and good humor. A
mis-matched pair of prisoners
- both accused of minor crimes
- are released by a Russian
officer in need of a favor.
The two unlikely companions
join together on an adventure
that will take them behind German
lines and ally them with a band
of resistance fighters. Not
once did I forsee how this engaging
tale would end.
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 The
Lord of Death by Eliot Pattison
(The Skull Mantra, Water
Touching Stone, Bone Mountain,
Beautiful Ghosts, Prayer for
the Dragon) grabs you from
page one and doesn't let go.
A gripping, powerful tale of
Tibet under Chinese rule and
of the lengths one man will
go to ease another's suffering.
Pattison continues the Detective
Shan series by sending him to
the foot of Tibet's most famous
mountain, Everest, where he
must help an enemy in order
to save his son.
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 A
Guide to the Birds of East Africa
a debut novel by Nicholas Drayson
A men's
club version of The Ladies No.
1 Detective Agency filled with
miscalclations, mishaps, misnomers,
misteps, misgivings, birds,
betting men, and a most happy
ending. The members of Kenyas
Asadi Club love to make bets
- outrageous and pointless bets.
Unassuming Mr. Malik - businessman,
birdwatcher, and widower - has
taken a fancy to Rose Mikawba,
the leader of the weekly birdwatchers
walk. He's been working up the
nerve to ask her out when flashy
over-bearing Harry Khan, an
old classmate and irritant,
walks in and appears to sweep
rose off her feet. The club
members propose a bird-watching
contest to sort it all out.
Mr Malik encounters one trial
after another in his attmepts
to fill out his bird list as
Mr. Khan gads about on expensive
trips and guided safaris in
pursuit of his goal. Marvelous.
Now in paperback!
This long-time favorite, now
available in a redesigned paperback
edition, makes me desperate
to be able to draw. A must for
anyone who loves to spend time
in communion with nature and
longs to learn the art of close
observation.
From the
day it was released in 2000,
"Keeping a Nature Journal"
has struck aprofound chord among
naturalists of all ages. In
response to this groundswell
of enthusiasm here is the revised
edition with an updated interior
design and a new cover.
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 Time
Is A River by Mary Alice
Monroe January 2009 paperback
Mia Landon travels to a mountain
sanctuary near Asheville, North
Carolina, while she begins her
recovery from breast cancer.
There, she discovers the long
lost journal of a well-known
fly-fisherwoman from the 1920s--an
account which draws her back
into the world around her.
Monroe's depiction of a woman
coming to terms with life after
breast cancer and her husband's
betrayal is thoughtfully done
and worthy in itself, but the
setting and backstory are what
really kept me hooked. I loved
the mountain setting, the cabin
by the river with its unusual
contents, and the intriguing
tale of a reclusive woman who
was a master fly-fisher in the
20's. Monroe successfully and
subtlety weaves the lessons
of fly-fishing into Mia's story
of recovery. A thoroughly restorative
book.
 Hannah's
Dream by Diane Hammond
Coplin Hammond, Harper Paperbacks,
September 2008, $13.95
In Hannah's
Dream, author Diane Hammond
takes a snippet of news footage
about an aging elephant and
her keeper and expands it into
a marvelous novel. Hammond creates
a vibrant and believable cast
of characters to fill her fictional
world not the least of which
is the amazing elephant Hannah
whose uncertain future is pivotal
to the story. I was quickly
and completley absorbed by the
story and so will any reader
who has ever looked into the
eyes of an animal
and seen a familiar soul looking
back. Our summer book club loved
it!
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 I
love Michele Scott's Wine Country
Mysteries for a quick Sunday read.
Though her previous book, A Vintage
Murder, was a letdown I've sort
of grown fond of the characters and
decided to go on and read Corked
By Cabernet and she is back
in good form. This series is printed
as paperback originals so go ahead
and indulge your lighter side. Recipes
and wine pairings included!
This series is
the ultimate in summer fun, beach
reading. Scott's next Wine Country
Mystery, A Taste of Murder,
is due out in April 2010.
 The
Fire Engine that Disappeared by
Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo
Part of The Martin
Beck Police Mystery Series set in
Sweden and written by a husband and
wife writing team. In this book, not
Martin Beck but the cranky and contemptous
Detective Gunvald Larsson is the main
character. He has just saved a number
a people from a burning building that
exploded while under police surveillence.
Larsson's fellow officers are content
to call it an accident, but Larsson
is sure it was arson. This series
of ten mysteries set in 1960's Sweden
is being re-released by Vintage paperbacks
and I plan to delve into the whole
series. Great for fans of Henning
Mankell or Steig Larsson.
South of Hell by PJ Parrish
Another taut and
dazzling read for fans of Parrish's
Florida PI, Louis Kincaid. In this
outing Kincaid finds himself traveling
back to Michigan to help out on a
cold case he was loosley connected
tom years before. At the same time
a young girl is hitchhiking home,
straight into the arms of a killer.
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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.
 Whitelines
journals and paper have finally arrived!
We've been waiting for the US
release of this Swedish innovation since
we went to trade show last fall. Whitelines
paper has a lightly toned non-glare background
with white lines that disappear when you
photocopy, scan or fax. Whitelines give
you the guide lines or grids you need to
make a neat document while being less busy
and distracting, especially user-friendly
for anyone who suffers from astigmatism
or dyslexia. Available hardbound or wirebound.
 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. In stock now
at Bookin' it.
Among the many writers represented are
Dave Bengtson of Long Prairie and Bookin'
It owner, Laura Hansen.
My Only Home, Poems by
Freya Manfred (Red Dragonfly Press, $12.00)
Midwest Booksellers' Association 2009 Book
of the Year Winner for Poetry
 I
have recently fallen in love with the poetry
of Freya Manfred. Like me she loves water,
in her case lakes, in my case rivers and
lakes, and she knows them as she knows her
own family. These poems are regional only
in the sense they dwells in the depths and
the reflections of the water Manfred seeks
out. And these are indeed poems of great
depth and clarity and richness.
Freya Manfred's poetry collection is dedicated
to "my two favorite places to swim"
and, indeed, a large section of the book
is an ode to lakes. But in My Only Home,
Freya doesn't just praise lakes, she becomes
them, sinking into the dark waters of grief,
the welcoming waters of home, into deep
communion with family, self, and place.
My throat constricts with recognition as
Manfred describes how grief over her father's
death weighed "a heavy fieldstone"
on her chest that carries her "to the
bottom of the lake". I return again
and again with her to the dock and the boathouse,
to the lake bottom and the far shore, and
to the perfect metaphor of "A Body
Heals/the way a lake heals/in wider and
wider circles" (p. 46).
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Maryjude
Hoeffel,
Spirituality Book Discussion Group (SBDG)
Coordinator/Bookseller
I
read a mix of fiction and non-fiction.
I gravitate to spirituality titles,
historical fiction, non-fiction history
and adventure, with some memoir and
travel thrown in for good measure.
I love to cook, bake, & create,
so you'll find cookbooks among my
picks as well as art/craft selections.
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 Things
That Make Us [Sic] by Martha Brockenbrough
Are you tired of hearing your friend
refer to that strong Italian coffee
as an "expresso"? Does
your sister always refer to something
as being further (instead of farther)
away? Now there's hope in this funny
and oh-so-helpful book on the often-overlooked
subject of the correct useage of
English. Brockenbrough, the founder
of SPOGG, the Society for the Promotion
of Good Grammar reviews all the
important things you learned in
elementary school but might have
forgotten. She intersperses her
"lessons" with the funny
e-mails and letters she's sent to
grammar violators, including the
Toronto Maple Leafs and the White
House.
 In
Cod We Trust by Eric Dregni
Eric Dregni grew up with a father
who always extolled his Norwegian
heritage. When he was awarded a
Fullbright Fellowship in Trondwheim,
Norway, Dregni and his wife, Katy,
who was pregnant with their first
child, left for a year-long adventure
to the land of luttefisk, lefse
and the dreaded moreketid (dark
night of the Norwegian winter).
A humorous and poignant memoir that
you don't have to be Norwegian to
enjoy.
The Boy Who Harnesed the Wind by
William Kamkwamba
Inventiveness, persistence and hope
all fuse beautifully in this inspiring
book about a boy who builds a windmill
to improve the lives of his family
and community in famine-ravaged
Malawi.
Holiday Inn by Kevin Kling
One of our favorite native-son storytellers
returns with a new collection. A
year-full of hoildays becomes the
springboard for Kling's spirited
humor.
 Soul
Survivor - The Reincarnation of
a World War II Fighter Pilot by
Bruce and Andrea Leininger with
Ken Gross
Whatever
your beliefs about past lives and
reincarnation, the story of James
Leininger will intrigue you. In
2000, Bruce and Andrea's sleep was
broken by the screaming of their
then 2 year-old son, James. James
was having a nightmare, one that
would recurr with distressing regularity
over the next several months. What
confused and disturbed Jame's parents
was what he screamed out: "Plane
on fire! Little Man can't get out!"
Determined to understand what was
happening to their son, Bruce and
Andrea embarked on a several-year
journey to unravel the mystery -
one that involved a WW II fighter
pilot killed in the Pacific in 1945.
 Baking
Cakes in Kigali by Gaile Parkin
I can best
describe this book as a "Patty
Jane's House of Curl" meets
"The No. 1 Ladie's Detective
Agency". Angel Tungaraza is
a cake baker extraordinaire in Kigali,
Rwanda. But her talents as a baker
are equaled by her compassionate
heart and her ability to change
lives - lives that have been touched
by AIDS and the horrors of the Rwandan
genocide. Readers of Lorna Landvik
and Adrianna Trigiani will enjoy
this first novel by Parkin, a native
of Zambia.
 Have
a Little Faith - a True Story by
Mitch Albom
Albom's new book is a small gem;
and inquiry into faith and the power
of love. Albom tells the story of
two men of God - the aging rabbi
of his childhood temple in New Jersey
and the pastor, a former criminal,
of the I Am My Brother's Keeper
ministry in Detroit, Albom's current
home. Touching and personal, readers
who enjoyed Tuesdays with Morrie
will want to read this one as well.
Will be published in late September.
 Goat
Song:A Seasonal Life, A Short History
of Herding, and the Art of Making
Cheese by Brad Kessler
Yes, this book is also on Laura's
list of personal picks, but after
she read it, she insisted I read
it too. Since Laura rarely reads
non-fiction, I thought "this
must really be good", and it
is! Kessler, whose novel, Birds
in Fall, I really enjoyed, proves
just as adept at memoir. Goat Song
is a paean to living close to the
land. Funny and warm and I learned
a lot about cheesemaking to boot!
.
 Sacred
Hearts by Sarah Dunant
Dunant's newest novel (she wrote
Birth of Venus and In
the Company of the Courtesan)
is just what I look for in historical
fiction: wonderful writing and a
story that immerses you in another
time and place. The setting for
this one is the 1570s in the northern
Italian city of Ferrara where Serafina,
a 16-yr. old passionately in love
with a young singer, is forced into
the convent of Santa Caterina against
her will. She longs to escape, yet
feels a growing attachment to Suora
Zuana, the convent's herbalist/apothecary
to whom she is apprenticed. Dunant
offers us a glimpse into a medieval
convent, one of the only places
where women held power and used
political intrigues of their own.
 The
Blue Notebook by James A. Levine
Levine's
debut novel haunted me long after
I finished reading it. The blue
notebook of the title is a diary
kept by Batuk, a 15-year-old prostitute
in Mumbai, India, who was sold into
sexual slavery by her father at
the age of nine. For Batuk, the
act of writing is a way to transcend
the grim reality of her life. All
of the U.S. proceeds fom this novel
will be donated to the International
and National Centers for Missing
and Exploited Children.
Fearproof
Your Life - How to Thrive in a World
Addicted to Fear by Joseph Bailey
This is one of the best self-help/spirituality
titles I've read in years. Bailey,
a psychotherapist from St. Paul,
MN, provides us with a process to
release fear and live a life in
which we are connected to and guided
by our True Self. Clearly written,
wise and practical...I'm putting
this one into as many hands as possible!
Tornado
Hunter - Getting Inside the Most
Violent Storms on Earth by Stefan
Bechtel with Tim Samaras
If you've been tracking my personal
picks at all, you know I enjoy an
exciting read about nature and adventure.
Summer thunderstorms can be spectacular
here in the midwest, and tornadoes
spawned from these storms have always
fascinated me.Tornado
Hunter pulls
you into a vortex of life and death,
following storm chaser Tim Samaras,
whose 20-year quest has been to
increase our understanding of nature's
most violet storms. You'll also
meet others who have had their own
encounters with tornadoes and lived
to tell their stories. 8-page color
photo insert with amazing photos.
 Junk
Beautiful - Room by Room Makeovers
with Junkmarket Style by Sue Whitney
& Ki Nassauer and Junk
Beautiful Outdoor Edition by Sue
Whitney with Kimberly Melamed
My favorite flea-market junkies
are back with two new books.
Learn from these pros how you can
turn your garage-sale and flea market
"trash" into interior
design treasure.
 Life
is a Verb: 37 Days to Wake Up, Be
Mindful, and Live Intentionally by
Patti Digh.
This book is a gift. Patti
Digh's writing is from the heart and
will touch yours profoundly with its
truth. Digh's stepfather died 37 days
after his diagnosis with lung cancer.
His death made Patti ask herself:
"What would I be doing today
if I had only 37 days to live?"
She outlines 6 care practices for
a more meaningful and intentional
life: Say Yes, Trust Yourself, Slow
Down, Be Generous, Speak Up and Love
More.
A book
I'm recommending to everyone.
 Mister
Pipp by Lloyd Jones
This book has just been added to my
personal list of the "10 best
books I've ever read". As booksellers,
we don't have the time to read every
book that arrives here. I'd read great
reviews of this one but hadn't gotten
around to reading it. I recommended
it to a customer based on reviews,
then asked if she'd let me know what
she thought. So here's a thank you
to Mary Jo for being my "reader
and reviewer".
Set on a tropical island torn by civil
war, Jones explores the power of story
and imagaination through the eyes
of 13-year-old Matilda as she listens
to her teacher, the last remaining
white man on the island, read from
the only textbook available: Charles
Dicken's Great Expectations.
Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
A novel based on a dark day in France's
history: the round-up, by French police
of several thousand Jews in Paris
on July 16, 1942. Ten-year-old Sarah
and her family are caught in the round-up,
but believing she'll return in a few
hours, she locks her younger brother
in their secret cupboard, promising
she'll return for him. Sixty years
later, an American journalist writng
an article about the round-up, becomes
obsessed with Sarah's story when her
research reveals a possible connection
to her French husband's family.
 Little
Heathens - Hard Times and High Spirits
on an Iowa Farm During the Great Depression
by Mildred Armstrong Kalish
Perhaps I was attracted to
this book because I live on an old
farmstead, in an old farmhouse and
know about unheated upstairs rooms.
But even if you never lived on a farm,
Kalish's memoir will delight you.
My favorite chapters were "Thrift"
and "Medicine" under the
section titled "Building Character".
Vegan Yum Yum - Decadent (But Doable)
Animal-Free Recipes for Entertaining
& Every Day by Lauren Ulm
Even
though I'm not a vegan, I can't wait
to try the recipes in this book. There's
Strawberry-Rhubarb Cofee Cake, Creamy
Broccoli Mushroom Bake, Glazed Green
Bean Salad, Spicy Tomato Chickpea
Soup and Apple Strudel. I love the
book's set-up: large color photos
of each dish, clear instructions,
and icons for indicating which recipes
can be prepared in less than 30 minutes.
A great choice for anyone wanting
to eat more vegetable-based meals.
Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It and Other
Cookimg Projects by Karen Solomon
I
like to give gifts I've made in my
own kitchen - jams, breads and other
goodies made from my home garden.
I think home-made is better tasting
than store bought. Solomon's 75 cooking
projects allow any home cook to produce
similar treats. She includes crackers,
chips and dips, condiments, pickles,
pasta, cured meats and fish, cheese,
preserves, sweet treats and more.
Color photos, clear instructions for
making and storing.
 Rustic
Fruit Desserts (Crumbles, Buckles,
Cobblers, Pandowdies, and More) by
Cory Schreiber and Julie Richardson
Oh boy, it's summer and fruits
are plentiful. Now what to do with
those raspberries you just got at
the farmer's market, or the cherries
you just picked from your tree? Schreiber
and Richardson provide you with a
bounty of easy-to-prepare desserts
with fresh fruit from every season
of the year. Color photos throughout.
I'm going to try the Apricot-Raspberry
Cobbler. Mmmmmm!
Cake Keeper Cakes - 100 Simple
Recipes for Extraordinary Bundt Cakes,
Pound Cakes, Snacking Cakes and Other
Good-to-the-Last-Crumb Cakes by Lauren
Chattman.
Chattman's done it again with
this scrumptious collection of recipes
for fantastic cakes your family will
love. Chattman has the busy baker
in mind, so these cakes don't take
a lot of time or effort. I made the
Cranberry-Walnut Bundt Cake with
Maple-Espresso Glaze. Yummm!
Dessert Espress - 100 Sweet Treats
You Can Make in 30 Minutes or Less
by Lauren Chattman
I inherited a sweet tooth from
my Grandma Hoeffel, but unlike my
grandma, I don't have a lot of time
to spend in the kitchen. When this
book arrived in the store, I grabbed
it and am happy to recommend it to
you. Chattman, a former pastry
chef, finds ingenious shortcuts
for made from-scratch goodies to satisfy
every sweet tooth. Try the
Oatmeal-Chocolate Chip Waffle Cookies,
the Chocolate-Hazelnut & Raspbery
Panini, the Mocha Marshmallow Mousse....
they're all wonderful!
 Eat
This, Not That! by David Zinczenko
with Matt Goulding
This handy guide will help you make
smart, healthy and low-cost food choices
at the supermarket. Covers all sections
of the store, from the produce aisle
to the frozen food section and includes
thousands of foods. Among the info:
"11
Secrets the Food Industry Doesn't
Want You to Know", "The
20 Worst Packaged Foods in America"
and "Your Save-Money Shopping
Guide". Also in the series:
Eat This, Not That for Kids
and Eat This, Not That! (focuses
mostly on chain restaurants, but also
includes special occasion meals and
some supermarket info.)
 Flatbreads
and Flavors - A Baker's Atlas by Jeffrey
Alford and Naomi Duguid
In their James Beard Award-winning
cookbook "Flatbreads and Flavors"
Alford and Duguid share more than
sixty recipes for flatbreads of every
origin and description: tortillas
from Mexico, pita from the Middle
East, naan from Afghanistan, chapatti
from India, pizza from Italy, and
French fougasse. In addition, they
provide 150 recipes for traditional
accompaniments to the flatbreads,
from chutneys and curries, salsas
and stews, to such delectable pairings
as Chinese Spicy Cumin Kebabs wrapped
in Uighur nan or Lentils with Garlic,
Onion, and Tomato spooned onto chapatti.
Redolent with the tastes and aromas
of the world's hearths, "Flatbreads
and Flavors" maps a course through
cultures old and intriguing, and,
with clear and patient recipes, makes
accessible to the novice and experienced
baker alike the simple and satisfying
bread baker's art.
I tried the bulgur bread (no yeast)
with the Armenian Eggplant-Tomato
Salsa. YUM!
 Artisan
Bread in Five Minutes a Day: the Discovery
That Revolutionizes Home Baking by
Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francoise
Here's
the answer for all of us who enjoy
artisan bread, but who don't have
the time for the classic time-consuming
process. Hertzberg, a physican and
serious hobby bread baker, developed
a recipe that cuts the prep time to
a minimum. No kneading and the dough
can be kept in the refrigerator for
two weeks. When you want to bake a
loaf, just whack of a piece, form
it and let it rest a bit, then bake!
He teamed up with pastry chef, Zoe
Francoise to write this book, which
includes the master recipe as well
as many variations including pizzas,
whole grain breads, even caramel rolls!
Yumm! PERSONAL ENDORSEMENT: I have
been baking this bread for several
months now and it's wonderful!
 The
Not So Big Life by Sarah Susanka
Susanka, a
former Minneapolis architect and proponent
of the "Not So Big House"
philosophy, has written an inspiring
book helping readers to "remodel"
their lives, learning in the process
how to make room for things that really
matter. Using architectural principles
such as "Composition", "Bigger
Isn't Necessarily Better", and
and "Openability", Susanka
gives the reader a blueprint for a
new way of living.
Sweater
Surgery - How to Make New Things With
Old Sweaters by Stefanie Girard.
This book is so much fun! You'll be
inspired to take those old sweaters
and recycle them into items fashionable
and funky, usful and unique. Designer
and author, Stefanie Girard shows
you how to cut, restitch, felt and
embellish old sweater fabric. 35 step-by-step
projects with diagrams and patterns.
 How
To Make Books - Fold, Cut & Stitch
Your Way to a One-of-a-Kind Book by
Esther K. Smith
I took a bookbinding class last
year and this was one of the resources
the instructor recommended. Great for
familes and teachers too since many
of the projects can be done by younger
kids. Clear illustrations and instructions.
You'll learn non-sewn books (accordian
and folded books) as well as several
techniques for stitched bindings. |
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Wendi
Martin-Fogelberg, Bookseller/Horsewoman/Crafter
 
 Polar
Obsession by Paul Nicklen
is as intense and timely as it is beautiful.
Wildlife photograper Nicklen goes to the
extremes of the artic to gather the images
in this collection, including diving into
the icy waters normally only inhabited by
Narwals, seals, penguins and polar bears.
The result is a photographic exploration
of Artic lands that is at once intimate
and startling.
Book Report:
 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. Due out August 4, 2009. Horror
fans take note.
Chelsea
Cain is one of my new favorites for her
high suspense mysteries:
  
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 The
Hour I First Believed by
Wally Lamb
What
can I say, I just love Wally Lamb.
Now availalbe in Trade Paperback!
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.
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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Chosen
by a Horse; A Memoir
by Susan Richards
For
everyone who has ever loved a horse
this one will really tug at your heart
strings. Susan tells the heartwarming
story of an abused woman and horse
who find each other and learn to love
and trust again. Having owned an abused
horse myself it brought back many
emotions of what we went through to
get to that place only to lose him
in the end. June
2007 Trade Paperback.
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 Gallop
- A Scanimation Action Book by
Rufus Butler Seder
Kids will
love this ingenious "moving picture"
book of animals in motion. Reminiscent
of an old-fashioned kinetiscope. Check
out the amazing follow-up books,
Swing! and Waddle!
 Roger
Burrow's Images Travel Kit by Roger
Burrows
Burrows' distinctive
geometric designs from his innovative
Image series are included in this
fun pack. Comes with a 100-page book
with Wire-O binding and perforated
pages, a hardback lap board, colored
pencils in a pouch, and pencil sharpener.
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Here's a fun book
for anyone who loves to entertain...
I used ideas from this book to help
me decorate the tables for the 2008
Author Tea Retreats at Linden Hill
and everyone was really wowed by the
different napkin folds. The photos
do a great job of showing the folding
steps. Sometimes I completed them
without even referring to the written
instructions. This book has napkin
folds for both cloth and paper napkins,
and from simple to elegant to whimsical.
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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 Sunsout Puzzles that
are available. Laura likes to stock
the ones that aren't square, but die-cut
to the shape of the animal image.
Tough, but really fun!
 One
Good Dog by Susan Wilson,
March 2, 2010
By
now you've figured out that I love
dogs and - ergo - dog stories. And
I am here to tell you, I just loved
this book. A story of salvation in
the very best sense.
 13
1/2 by Nevada Barr
Donna
says, "I couldn't put it down!"
Barr makes a departure from her popular
Anna Pigeon Mystery Series in the
taut psycholological thriller. Barr,
who once lived in Minnesota, spins
her fictional tale off actual events
of the 1970's, when a young boy murders
nearly his whole family. Set partially
in Rochester, MN, Barr draws on a
number of true crimes in constructing
her fictional character.
The
Physick Book Of Deliverance Dane,
A Novel by Katherine Howe
A Top IndieNext List Pick and
a Starred Review in Booklist
"The
Physick Book of Deliverance Dane"
travels seamlessly between the Salem
witch trials in the 1690s and a modern
woman's story of mystery and discovery.
Author Katherine Howe's ancestores
were among those accused of being
withches. The customer feedback
on this one has been fabulous!
June
9, 2009 Hardback Release
 Sworn
to Silence by Linda Castillo
(June 2009 Hardback)
Ohio. Amish country.
Chief of Police Kate Burkholder is
chasing a murderer through deep snow,
working a case that carries too closely
to her own past. Great characters,
well-paced, but reader beware...the
murders are brutal and graphically
described.
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 The
Fate of Katherine Carr by Thomas
H. Cook June
2009
Two
usolved mysteries serve as the backdrop
to this unusual story which is part
mystery, part traveler's tale. I found
it to be "excellently good"
with a nice twist at the end. Publishers
Weekly, in a starred review, calls
Cook's work "eerily poignant."
 The
Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
by Alan Bradley
A unique debut
-- an 1950's English Cozy-style murder
mystery featuring a precocious 11-year
old sleuth named Flavia de Luce. There
is a good reason this was the top
IndieNext Pick for April 2009. Now
available in paperback with a sequel
due this year as well.
Only those who
dislike precocious young heroines
with extraordinary vocabulary and
audacious courage can fail to like
this amazingly entertaining book.
Expect more from the talented Bradley.(Booklist)
 Tomato
Rhapsody by Adam Schell June
2009
Adam Schell invites
readers to join in the ribald and
at times bawdy hijinks of a 16th century
village in Tuscany as they celebrate
The Feast of the Drunken Saint. Told
with wry good humor, Rhapsody ridicules
the superstitions, prejudices, and
even the clergy in this inventive
fable of love and how the tomato came
to Italy.
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 The
Color of Lightning by Paulette
Jiles
This
well-written historical novel evolved
from a side-story that Jiles came
across while researching her highly
praised "Enemy Women". Jiles
expands on the story of Britt Johnson,
a freed slave who travels with his
family after the Civil War from Kentucky
to the dangerous Texas frontier.
 Dog
On It
by
Spencer Quinn
February 2009 Hardback Release Now
in Trade paper
Oh
what fun. Dog On It is narrated
by Chet, a very large and voluble
dog who is totally devoted to his
PI owner, Bernie. As Bernie's protector
and sidekick, Chet proves to be a
wonderful observer and readers will
enjoy his ironic dogs-eye-view of
Bernie's life and of life on the streets.
In their mystery debut, Bernie and
Chet are working on the case of a
missing teenager. While Bernie works
the case, Chet goes off on a few misadventures
of his own. Whether keeping eyes on
Bernie or using his wits to get himself
out of trouble, Chet shows himself
to be one of those great canine heroes
we'd all love to have on our side.
The sequel, Thereby Hangs The Tail,
just arrived!
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 The
Little Sleep, A Novel by Paul
Tremblay (Paperback origingal,
March 2009)
This
wickedly funny mystery features a
narcoleptic PI who gets into the darnedest
situations. Fantastic! I loved it.
Library
Journal Starred Review
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The
Brutal Telling by Louise Penny
(Hardback,
10/2009)
Ovee
the course of the past year, I have
discovered and enjoyed this wonderful
sereis 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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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.
Read
on to discover some of his favorites.....and
some of ours too.
 Guess
Again by Mac Barnett
Barnett's rhyming book asks kids to
fill in the missing word at the end
of each verse. Think you know the
answer? Guess again. Young ones will
enjoy this as a read-aloud.
 Step
Into Reading Level 2, Shampoodle ($3.99)
Filled with lively dogs and plenty
of laughs. Perfectly written for first
readers.
 A
Friend Like You by Tanja Askani
A Friend Like You is a great book
for kids showing friendship between
various animals. For fans of The
Blue Day Book, Owen and Mzee
or Stranger in the Woods. Features
delightful animal photographs that
will appeal to all ages.
Photographer Askani adopts orphaned
or injured animals, and under her
care, unexpected friendships form.
This collection of heartwarming photographs,
accompanied by simple text celebrating
the comforts and delights of friendship
is sure to appeal to anyone who loves
animals and appreciates a true friend.
Full color.
 Here
are three books that celebrate things
that Minnesotans love...rocks, moose
& loons.
  
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 Nico
& Lola; Kindness shared between
a boy and a dog by Meggan Hill
A
Staff and Midwest Connections Pick!
Great for teaching kids how to treat
a new puppy, an older family pet,
and also how we should all learn to
be "so kind" to each other.
Nico is asked to take care of Aunt
Sue's pug and finds it isn't so hard
to be kind if he just pays attention
to what Lola needs and what he'd want
in the same situation. Irresistable.
Gorgeuous photographs that will
appeal to fans of the Carl Sams series
Stranger in the Woods, Lost
in the Woods and First Snow
in the Woods.
Puffling by Margaret
Wild and Julie Vivas
Simple,
endearing text follows a young puffin
from birth to his first leap into
the big ocean. As he waits safe in
his nest from the scary gulls, he
asks each day when he will be big
and brave enough to leave home.
Gentle illustrations by Julie
Vivas reflect the muted tones and
foreshortened light of the artic regions.
Skippyjon Jones Lost in Spice by
Judy Schachner
Skippyjon
Jones is back and his latest adventure
- a trip to Mars - is out of this
world.. A fun read aloud with tongue-twisting
alliteration and sprinklings of Spanish.
This Siamese cat who think he's a
chihuahua is a hoot!
Otis by Loren Long
This reminded
us of the classic "Mike Mulligan
and His Steam Shovel". A sweet
story for the very young about friendship
and loyalty. We love the muted palette
Long used for his illustrations.
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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.
 Now
also: I Spy Hockey
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 Fancy
Nancy Fans TAKE NOTE! Goldilicious
is here!
In this enchanting
follow-up to her "New York Times"
bestsellers "Pinkalicious"
and "Purplicious," Kann
brings to life a magical new character--a
roller-skating, kite-flying, high-jumping
unicorn.
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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.
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 Origami
Master by Nathaniel Lachenmeyer
Shima the origami Master lives
on a mountain in Japan. One morning,
Shima finds a new origami animal on
his desk. The next day, another creature
appears. Who is making these wonderful
creatures? In finding his answer,
the master learns a wise lesson. Paper-cut
art illustrations by Aki Sogabe.
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 Shape
by Shape by Sue Macdonald
Bright simple shapes,
creative cut-outs, and a fun guessing
game make this book a great way to
learn shapes. Macdonald is a Caldecott
Honoree.
 Totty
a board book by Paola Opal (part
of the So Small Series of books)
Totty is the last
of the turtles to emerge from the
sand. So how does Totty become the
first of his siblings to reach the
sea? Told in simple, graphic pictures
and a minimum of words. A perfect
start for the littlest ones.
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 We
love The King's Taster by Kenneth
Oppel June 2009
Oppel appeals
to kids and parents alike in this
creatively illustrated book about
a beagle belongs to the Royal Cook
and is the official King's Taster.
When a new King is crowned, the cook
and his hound travel far and wide
to find foods to suit the new King's
taste.
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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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 Danny's
First Snow by Leonid Gore
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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 Do
Unto Otters - A Book About Manners
by Laurie Keller
Adults at the book fair I was
at recently came over to my table
to see what all the laughter was about.
I just couldn't help it; Keller's
book is the best kids' intro to the
Golden Rule I've read. Rabbit is surprised
to discover that The Otters, have
moved in next door. He wonders if
he'll get along with his new neighbors
when his friend, Owl, reminds him
of the rule put forth by Socrates
for maintaining harmonious relationships.
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Of
Local Interest
Two
new books by local authors:
Awesome
Possum by Faye Sandy
Rural
Roots; A Memoir by Delores Thoma
 State
Fair - The Great Minnesota Get-Together
by Susan Lambert Miller
From 10,000 photos
shot over four years, Miller has selected
100 images that capture the fair's essence.
A delight for first-timers and annual-goers
both.
 Now
available, Lambert's Minnesota County
Fairs.
 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.
Temporarily
Out of Stock.
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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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We've been
wanting to offer this Classic Minnesota
CD by Fyder and Everhart for some
time and AT LAST they are here...Goin'
Up North is the perfect
gift for Minnesotans in exhile, hardy
northwoods fishermen, or the family
comedian. Goin' Up North
pairs beautifully for Father's Day
with the recently released book, Legends
& Legacies (above). Funny,
poignant, and always distinctly Minnesotan...Fyder
and Everhart are singer/songwriters
that know the human heart and illuminate
the humorous moments in our everyday
lives. Also availalbe: Hooks and
As Is; solo CD's by Glen Everhart.
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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,
warmth, and accuracy, Charles A. Lindbergh--aviator,
author, scientist, and conservationist--recalls
the boyhood experiences that led to his
later life of international fame and significant
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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