June 22 2023

Last week my husband and I roamed, and you know what that means–checking out bookstores and libraries. Our destination was Spooner and Hayward in Wisconsin’s lake country. For many years my parents owned a lake home on Teal Lake outside of Hayward, so when our children were young we made that trip many, many times–most every weekend in the summer. Lots of wonderful memories.

Going to the lake always included packing books. What might we want to read on the deck or the beach or the pontoon or in front of the fireplace? There was no time for reading on this recent day trip, but we did buy books to take back home with us.

Our first stop was Northwind Book and Fiber, and it almost could have been our last stop, for I kept finding books I just had to have. Only my husband tempting me with a donut from the bakery a couple doors away speeded up my selection process. This store carries a terrific selection of backlist titles, and I quickly decided not to buy any brand-new titles, but to look for some older ones on my TBR list. I did well! This bookstore is now one of my personal favorites.

I was especially pleased to find The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa. I have had this on my “hold” list at the library for a LONG time, but someone keeps renewing or not returning the two copies. This book, by the way, is the last one I have left to read on my fiction 2022 TBR list. A bonus: the store owner said it is one of her all-time favorite books, and she always has a copy on the shelf. I suspect she has already placed an order for a replacement copy.

My WILD CARD selection is West With Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge. I know this has been recommended to me, but I had not added it to my TBR list–who knows why. Well, seeing it, reading the first couple pages, I knew I needed to add this to my stack.

I am embarrassed to say I have not read Emily St John Mandel’s acclaimed Sea of Tranquility. Not sure why, especially since I loved Station Eleven. My granddaughter is a big fan of Mandel’s and that’s reason enough to read more of Mandel’s work.

I’m a little concerned I have already read The Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer, for I have enjoyed other books by her. I don’t own it, however, and it is just one of those books that feels good to hold–chunky and inviting. It has occurred to me to read not only all of her books, but those by her mother, Hilma Wolitzer. Another enticing book project.

The other three books, Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson, The Stationery Shop by Marjan Kamali, and The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams have all been recommended to me by more than one source. Yum!

And what did my husband buy?

• Open Season by C.J. Box
• A Double Death on the Block and A Small Death in the Great Glenn both by A.D. Scott
• The Language of Trees, A Rewinding of Literature and Landscape by Katie Holton.

From Spooner we continued to Hayward, which was so packed with tourists, we decided not to linger, but instead drove further to a small little town called Cable. We remembered taking our kids to the charming little library there, and I was thrilled to see it was still there. Jammed with books–such a cozy place to browse and read.

Part of the library at one time was a small natural history museum with scenes of flora and fauna. Now there is a big new natural history museum where I chatted briefly with my totem animal, canis lupus.

Cable also has a small independent bookstore, Redbery Books. Bruce bought Spider Lake, A Northern Lakes Mystery by a Wisconsin writer, Jeff Nania, but I was more restrained. For once.

Outside the library, by the way, is this sweet carving. The book the bear is reading is Where the Wild Things Are.

Not only do we use our plat map books when we roam, preferring back roads to the main ones suggested by Google maps, but we also consult the Midwest Indie BookStore Road Map. We wouldn’t want to miss any independent bookstore on our route!

Oh, and one more fun book treat. A friend who is a retired University of Minnesota librarian sent me this new version of Monopoly. How fun is this. I have printed the image for my book journal, and we’ll see how well I play in the coming months.

One last thing–I promise. What am I reading now? I have finally started reading The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese. I am surprised to say it is taking me some time to get into it, but maybe that is good or otherwise I wouldn’t be doing anything else. I will keep you informed about my progress.

An Invitation

Do you have any book related treats to report? I would love to know.

LINKS: https://www.northwindbook.com https://www.redberybooks.com