This made me laugh. Not lol, more of a chuckle than a lol.

25 Things I learned From Opening a Bookstore

25.  No matter how many books you’ve read in the past, you will feel woefully un-well read within a week of opening the store.  You will also feel wise at having found such a good way to spend your days.

“This smoothly written debut . . . captures the innocence and impetuousness of youth…. Wurtele carefully looks beyond religious and cultural stereotypes and her heroine’s character growth is moving and realistic.” –Booklist

“Offers a strong sense of time and place.” –Publishers Weekly

“Set in the danger and drama of Italy during the Second World War, The Golden Hour is an enthralling story of love, family, and courage. Margaret Wurtele has delivered a lush, suspenseful, and thoroughly engaging read.” –Lynn Sheene, author of The Last Time I Saw Paris

World War II-set fiction captivates readers with its irresistible combination of fear and hope set against one of the most turbulent times in history. New American Library is proud to publish talented debut novelist Margaret Wurtele, whose beautiful and moving story is a testament to the indomitable spirit of the people struggling to survive during the strife of the World War II era.  The Golden Hour begins in the summer of 1944 in Tuscany and portrays love and hope in a war-torn nation.  In a story woven with historical detail, Wurtele explores the emotion, fear, and hope that permeate the rarely explored landscape of World War II Italy.

Seventeen-year-old Giovanna Bellini sees firsthand the devastating effects of the war.  Following the Italian government’s peace agreement with the Allies, Giovanna watches as the German military invades her town, forming a hostile occupying army. At first, Giovanna is fascinated by the Nazi officers, but as the war strips away Giovanna’s naïveté and harsh realities are exposed, her brother Giorgio recruits her to aid in the Italian Resistance. When she is asked to hide wounded Jewish freedom fighter Mario Rava, Giovanna finds herself falling for the brave young man. The world around her is in constant turmoil and when terrible truths are revealed, threatening the lives of everyone Giovanna cares about, she is forced to make unimaginable sacrifices and decisions.

Margaret Wurtele is the author of two memoirs. She and her husband split their time between Minnesota and Napa Valley, where they are owners of Terra Valentine Winery.

A Good American

“A Good American is a quixotic immigration tale wrapped in exquisite finery, from the opening promise of everlasting music, to the closing declaration that one’s own ordinary life is anything but ordinary. Don’t miss this new voice in American fiction.” —Sarah Bagby, Watermark Books & Cafe, Wichita, Kansas

“Stunning, just stunning. Meet the Meisenheimer family through the eyes of grandson James as he relates the story of his immigrant family through nearly a century of American history. Peppered with remarkable characters: a jazz trumpeter who cooks a mean gumbo, a promiscuous school teacher, a dwarf… need I say more? You will laugh out loud, then cry your eyes out. This novel is priceless, and a gem of a read.” —Carol Katsoulis, Anderson’s Bookshop, Naperville, Illinois

An uplifting novel about the families we create and the places we call home.

It is 1904. When Frederick and Jette must flee her disapproving mother, where better to go than America, the land of the new? Originally set to board a boat to New York, at the last minute, they take one destined for New Orleans instead (“What’s the difference? They’re both new”), and later find themselves in the small town of Beatrice, Missouri. Not speaking a word of English, they embark on their new life together.

Beatrice is populated with unforgettable characters: a jazz trumpeter from the Big Easy who cooks a mean gumbo, a teenage boy trapped in the body of a giant, a pretty schoolteacher who helps the young men in town learn about a lot more than just music, a minister who believes he has witnessed the Second Coming of Christ, and a malevolent, bicycle-riding dwarf.

A Good American is narrated by Frederick and Jette’s grandson, James, who, in telling his ancestors’ story, comes to realize he doesn’t know his own story at all. Poignant, funny, and heartbreaking, A Good American is a novel about being an outsider—in your country, in your hometown, and sometimes even in your own family.

Alex George is an Englishman who lives, works, and writes in Missouri. He studied law at Oxford University and worked for eight years as a corporate lawyer in London and Paris before moving to the United States in 2003.

Both books are available at Monkey See Monkey Read in downtown Northfield.

February 1, 2012 – Northfield music favorites Meredith Fierke, Steve McKinstry and Dylan McKinstry will play a concert in tandem with Twin Cities legend-in-the-making Chris Koza for a night of intimate, acoustic, atmospheric pop-folk music at the Northfield Arts Guild on Friday, February 10 at 8pm.

Fierke and the McKinstrys will be previewing material from their highly anticipated new album which will be released this spring. “This is by far the best music I’ve ever made,” says Fierke. “Steve and Dylan each bring something unique to the table, and together we’re creating something that I’m very excited about. I can’t wait for people to hear these songs.”

Fierke’s previous album, 2008’s The Procession, garnered so much attention that Minneapolis radio station Cities 97 placed her song Train’s Song on the prestigious Cities Sampler. Later that year, she was named Northfield’s best performing musician by the Northfield Entertainment Guide. The extra amount of time she and the McKinstrys have taken in recording their new album has created a lot of conversation amongst the Northfield music scene. “People have been wondering what they’re up to,” said local music promoter Rich Larson. “I’ve had a chance to hear most of the new album.  The extra time and work really shows. Every song is a knock out. It’s going to be a real treat to hear this music in a great room like the one at the NAG.”

The show at the NAG is the second of a month-long tour of small coffee houses and arts venues that Koza is making throughout Minnesota. This comes fast on the heels of a two month West Coast tour with his band Rogue Valley.  “I love seeing road warrior performers like Chris,” said Larson. “The best time to catch a singer/songwriter is in the middle of a long touring cycle like the one he’s in right now. He’s had some opportunity to flesh out his music in front of a lot of different audiences, which is really the best way to develop a song. This is going to be a very good night of music.”

“The thing that really strikes me is the $10 ticket price,” said Jessica Paxton of KYMN Radio. “You’d pay $25-$30 for this exact show at the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis or the Fitzgerald in St. Paul. And, frankly, the NAG is a far more intimate setting. For fans of good music, this isn’t bargain. It’s a steal.”

The Northfield Arts Guild is located at 304 Division Street South. Doors will open at 7:30, and the music will start at 8:00. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased in advance at www.left-handedentertainment.com or at the door the night of the show. For more information, contact the Northfield Arts Guild at (507) 645-8877 or Rich Larson at (612)756-0490.

Related: see my blog post of photos of Meredith Fierke, Dylan McKinstry, and Steve McKinstry performing at the Carleton Weitz Center Theater last November.

Up a short flight of stairs, inside a former bank in a small rural town 100 miles northwest of Detroit, there is a special place, rich in history, and 100,000 brides-to-be from across the Midwest have made pilgrimages to find it. Just 10 foot by 8 foot, it has floor-to-ceiling mirrors on every wall, carrying the brides’ images to infinity. It is called the Magic Room.

The town is Fowler, Michigan, a middle-class community with 1,100 residents – and 2,500 wedding dresses. The building is Becker’s Bridal, home to each of those dresses, a figurative blizzard of white. Jeffrey Zaslow takes readers to this remarkable small-town bridal shop to explore the hopes and dreams parents have for their daughters. He weaves this true story using a reporter’s research and a father’s heart. Jeff came to Fowler not just to write about wedding gowns and what they represent. He came to understand the women wearing them, their fears and yearnings, and through them, he tells a larger story about the love between parents and daughters today.

In this magical book, Zaslow examines women on the brink of commitment, whose stories, secrets, and memories will pull you in from the moment they first see their reflection in this iconic room.

Jeffrey Zaslow is a columnist for The Wall Street Journal and the author of the New York Times bestseller The Girls from Ames. Through his writing, he has told the stories of some of the most inspirational people of our time. He is co-author, with Chesley Sullenberger, of Highest Duty, and with Randy Pausch, of The Last Lecture, the #1 New York Times bestseller now translated into forty-eight languages. Zaslow is currently collaborating with Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and her husband, astronaut Mark Kelly, on their memoir. He lives in suburban Detroit with his wife, Sherry, and daughters Jordan, Alex, and Eden.

The book is available at Monkey See Monkey Read in downtown Northfield.

Interested applicants may apply in person or send resume to Premier Banks, 112 East Fifth St., Northfield, MN 55057 or e-mail resume to hr@premierbanks.com.

For additional info, visit our website:   www.premierbanks.com EOE

The conversation is being sponsored by a wide range of grassroots citizen groups, farm groups, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and InCommons.  The purpose of the meeting is to explore how citizens, businesses and government can share leadership by collaborating to restore water quality in the four river systems.

The meeting will feature a meal and round table discussions facilitated by InCommons  – a community-based initiative that connects Minnesotans to share tools, knowledge and resources to address complicated problems. 

The Owatonna dialogue will be patterned after a similar round table discussion held in Mankato on  December 6, 2011,  More than 130 people attended the discussion that featured farmers, environmental advocates, government agency workers and recreational users of the river all sitting at the same table to discuss the issues and seek common ground.

The public is invited and welcome to attend.  Farmers and landowners are especially encouraged to participate.  To register for the meal and dialogue or for more information, call 1-877-269-2873 by January 25, 2012.  Seating is available for 80 people on a first come, first served basis.  Organizers are expecting a full house, so don’t delay.

January 29th
3:00 – 6:00 PM
Cannon River Winery
421 Mill St. W
Cannon Falls

Can’t make it to the event but still want to bid on auction items?  We’ll be posting many of the items on the CRWP website the week of January 23rd so you can bid before the event.

Appearing onstage with his band the Long Beds (featuring special guest hotshot Andy Dee of Big Top Chautauqua Blue Canvas Orchestra), Mike will weave stories and humor (including material from The Clodhopper Monologues) throughout a lively concert of original songs, including those on his most recent album, Tiny Pilot (Ambledown Records).

Tickets $12 in advance (plus service charge) or $15.00 at the door.  Buy advance tickets here or at Monkey See Monkey Read, 425 Division Street South, Northfield, MN beginning Dec. 15th.

Listen to a cut of Tiny Pilot here or stop by the shop. Tiny Pilot will be in full rotation this month.

Wingshooters by Nina Revoyr

In the traditin of TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, A River Runs Through It, and Snow Falling on Cedars, Revoyr’s new novel examines the effects of change on a small, isolated town, the strengths and limits of community, and the sometimes conflicting loyalties of family and justice. Set in the expansive countryside of Central Wisconsin, against the backdrop of Vietnam and the post-civil rights era, Wingshooters explores both connection and loss as well as the complex but enduring bonds of family.

A damn fine book.

The Tiger’s Wife by Tea Obreht

In a Balkan country mending from war, Natalia, a young doctor, is compelled to unravel the mysterious circumstances surrounding her beloved grandfather’s recent death. Searching for clues, she turns to his worn copy of The Jungle Book and the stories he told her of his encounters over the years with “the deathless man.” But most extraordinary of all is the story her grandfather never told her—the legend of the tiger’s wife.

Alvin loved this one.

Making a Friend by Alison McGhee

Bestselling author, Alison McGhee reminds us all that nothing that has been cared for can ever disappear for good, for, “What you love will always be with you.” And, this tender story about the power of friendship will stay with readers long after they turn the last page.

Another winner from Alison McGhee

The Chronicles of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg

For more than twenty-five years, the illustrations in the extraordinary Mysteries of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg have intrigued and entertained readers of all ages. Thousands of children have been inspired to weave their own stories to go with these enigmatic pictures. Now we’ve asked some of our very best storytellers to spin the tales. Enter The Chronicles of Harris Burdick to gather this incredible compendium of stories: mysterious, funny, creepy, poignant, these are tales you won’t soon forget.

The Clodhopper Monologues by Mike Perry

Not so long ago, author, humorist and amateur pig farmer Michael Perry fed the chickens, changed his boots, kissed his wife and daughters, and drove downstate to a refurbished opera house in Stoughton, Wisconsin. Waiting for him onstage was a microphone; waiting in the seats was a sold-out house full of folks ready to laugh. For the next two hours the walls of the old opera hall echoed with stories of love and long underwear, happily failed bachelors, aggressive roosters, one-eyed joke-telling butchers, the glories of pickup-truck-based courtship…and wave after wave of laughter. And then – right at the end there – came the story of the little girl, the guinea pig, and a math lesson gone wrong.

okay this one’s not a book, but it’s so damn funny.

Set Cubed

SET Cubed is A Curious Game of Clever Connections, challenging a player’s ability to identify SETs between the dice in their hand and those already on the board.  Players can play up to 3 dice per turn making as many SETs as possible. Create SETs up, down and across the board, the more SETs you create, the higher your score. As the number of dice on the board increases so do the possible SET combinations. Rack up points by using BONUS SQUARES! Roll a WILD die and unleash the possible number of SETs that can be made during your turn! How many SETs can you make?! The player with the most points wins!

My favorite game

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

In her long-awaited new book, Laura Hillenbrand writes with the same rich and vivid narrative voice she displayed in Seabiscuit.  Telling an unforgettable story of a man’s journey into extremity, Unbroken is a testament to the resilience of the human mind, body, and spirit.

Simply an amazing story. Highly recommended

Haruki Murakami

We have a number of his books you could choose including his latest 1Q84. Murakami is always a delight to read.

Tiny Pilot by Mike Perry and the Longbeds

Like so many before him, Michael Perry learned to sing in church. Then a Waylon Jennings 8-track got him hooked on boogety-boogety. This combination yielded the mix of straight-up twang and churchly harmonies found in Perry’s music. Tiny Pilot is Michael Perry’s second full-length release with his band the Long Beds. The songs on Tiny Pilot range from boot-stomping country to roughneck folk ballads and are populated by characters drawn straight from rural and small-town America. The music made by Perry and his Long Beds has been described as ‘country folk,’ ‘folk-twang,’ and Americana.

Just like Gordon Lightfoot…only zippier. Seriously, I love this album.

Big Little Brother by Kevin Kling

“This charming first children’s book by celebrated storyteller Kevin Kling, with whimsical drawings by Chris Monroe, traces a familiar arc from sibling rivalry to brotherly love.”

For our December Third Thursday special, we will discount everything 20%. Well, not everything. There are a few exceptions like special orders. Books, games, toys, and calendars will be 20% off.

Visit our Monkey See Monkey Read website and the Monkey See Monkey Read blog.

There will also be a Dickens Christmas Village with 55 illuminated, hand-painted, porcelain buildings, and more than 100 “accessories” (people, animals, trees, etc.).  In addition, several residents will have their apartments open for viewing, each with a different floor plan.

Kildahl Park Pointe is Northfield’s first resident-owned housing cooperative offering large, modern apartments for active, independent seniors.

It is located at 888 Cannon Valley Drive (Cannon Valley Drive and Lincoln Parkway).

We will donate 10% of our Winter Walk sales to the Haslett-Marroquin family’s support fund.

For more than a decade, Trailer Trash has taken the holiday spirit and put a spin on it that is decidedly their own, performing a series of holiday shows in the Twin Cities and Rochester.

The band played a couple of very well received shows in Northfield this year, and they are really excited to share their own special brand of Christmas cheer with us. Combining original songs for the season with some reworked holiday favorites, these “honky tonk heroes” will have you laughing, singing and dancing your little humbug off.

Left-Handed Entertainment is proud to present this one-of-a-kind holiday classic, and we hope to make it another traditional holiday event in Northfield.

We could not be doing this without the generous help of some local sponsors: Rob Schanilec at the Northfield Entertainment Guide, Jeff Johnson at KYMN Radio, John Thomas at Mr. JST Technology Consulting, Cate Vermeland Photography, Ross Currier at the Northfield Downtown Development Corporation, and of course, Griff Wigley here at Locally Grown Northfield.  We thank them for their support.

Tickets are $8.00 in advance or $10.00 at the door (A true bargain! Tickets for the sold-out show in Rochester were $17.50 and $22.50). You can order your tickets online at ATrashyLittleChristmas.com or by contacting either me, Rich Larson, at bgwg@charter.net or Jessica Paxton at Jessica@kymnradio.net.

Doors open at 6pm, and guests will be treated to a special holiday set by Matt Arthur & The Bratlanders at 7pm.

See you there!

“This novel is so good-hearted, so life-affirming, it’s a joy to read. . . . What Katz does so well is evoke the feelings of love the people have for their town and their close connections, even when the football team keeps losing. Katz clearly has compassion for all of his characters, and some of his descriptions of their feelings are so beautiful you’ll want to read whole paragraphs several times.” —Mary Ann Grossman, St. Paul Pioneer Press

“Katz has offered us a smart, moving, beautiful and important book.”  —E. J. Dionne Jr., syndicated columnist, NPR commentator

A haunted stranger seeking a second chance in life helps a struggling Midwest factory town rediscover its better self. Think: Friday Night Lights meets It’s a Wonderful Life.

Winner of the 2011 Independent Book Publishers Association Award for popular fiction, Third and Long tells the story of a dying Midwest factory town that finds new life when a former Notre Dame football star is hired as the local plant manager. Soon he is handed not just the job of saving Made Right clothing, but the far more daunting task of saving the town.

Laced with keen insights into contemporary issues—the importance of community, pitfalls of the global economy, the skewed importance of sports in the lives of people who desperately need a victory—Third and Long is a moving portrait of a vanishing America hanging by a thread, with perhaps just enough time remaining for one last miraculous play.

Bob Katz is the author of several widely praised books, including Hot Air, a novel about a charismaticLatin American revolutionary who comes to the U.S. for a speaking tour of Midwest colleges, which was optioned for a movie by MGM, and the nonfiction book Elaine’s Circle about an Alaskan schoolteacher.

“Beautifully layered and lovingly detailed, White Truffles in Winter is a tale of extraordinary people entangled in a captivating love story. Filled with lush and decadent longing, this novel will dazzle the mind as well as the senses.” —Diana Abu-Jaber, author of Birds of Paradise: A Novel

A breathtaking novel, rare and moving, about the world’s greatest chef and his unruly heart.

White Truffles in Winter imagines the world of the remarkable French chef Auguste Escoffier (1846-1935), who changed how we eat through his legendary restaurants at the Savoy and the Ritz. A man of contradictions—kind yet imperious, food-obsessed yet rarely hungry—Escoffier was also torn between two women: the famous, beautiful, and reckless actress Sarah Bernhardt and his wife, the independent and sublime poet Delphine Daffis, who refused ever to leave Monte Carlo. In the last year of Escoffier’s life, in the middle of writing his memoirs, he has returned to Delphine, who requests a dish in her name as he has honored Bernhardt, Queen Victoria, and many others.

How does one define the complexity of love on a single plate? N. M. Kelby brings us the sensuality of food and love amid a world on the verge of war in this work that shimmers with beauty and longing.

N. M. Kelby is the critically acclaimed author of In the Company of Angels, Whale Season, White Trufflesin Winter, and the Florida Book Award winner A Travel Guide for Reckless Hearts, among others. She lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Both books are available at Monkey See Monkey Read in downtown Northfield.

A beautiful collection of meditative essays on the everyday nothings of life in which meaning can be found. In the tradition of the meditative essay, the writing of Robert Vivian begins with a mundane moment and, through the delicate workings of curiosity, contemplation, and inspiration, reveals unsuspected meaning.

In this second collection of essays, Vivian finds his occasions in Midwestern towns and European cities. He explores the spiritual significance of circumstances and places and those who inhabit them, from the Jewish dead in a long-neglected cemetery in Poland to a dog slaughtered on a highway fronting the Black Sea to gunshots ringing out in rural Michigan. Again and again, Vivian probes what such phenomena suggest about the times we live in—and what they share with every time that ever was.

Robert Vivian is a professor of English and creative writing at Alma College in Michigan and a core facultymember in the low-residency MFA program at the Vermont College of Fine Arts. His stories, poems, and essays have appeared in numerous publications, and his plays have been produced in New York City. He is the author of Cold Snap as Yearning and the Tall Grass Trilogy, which includes The Mover of Bones, Lamb Bright Saviors, and Another Burning Kingdom, all available from the University of Nebraska Press.

Praise for Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day

“Soon the bread will be making itself… The crusty, full-flavored loaf that results may be the world’s easiest yeast bread.”–The New York Times

“If holiday gift-givers are aiming to buy one new cookbook title for the bakers in their lives, they should look no further.” –Minneapolis Star-Tribune

From the bestselling authors of the hugely popular Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day featuring the authors’ signature approach to yeast dough that the Chicago Sun-Times has called “quite simply, genius,” this new a cookbook applies their same revolutionary approach to bread-making to pizza and flatbreads. With nearly half a million copies of their books in print, Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë François have proven that people want to bake their own bread—as long as they can do it quickly and easily. When fans hailed their pizza and flatbread recipes as the fastest in their books, Jeff and Zoe got busy creating all new recipes for lightning-fast pizzas, flatbreads, and sweet and savory tarts from stored, no-knead dough.

Jeff Hertzberg, M.D., is former practicing physician with 20 years of experience in health care as a practitioner, consultant, and faculty member at the University of Minnesota Institute for Health Informatics. He grew up eating New York pizza and spent years trying to figure out how to make dough that was convenient enough to use for daily pizza, flatbreads, and loaves. He lives in Minneapolis with his wife and two daughters.

Zoë François is a pastry chef trained at the Culinary Institute of America, but she is a pizzaiola at heart. While writing this book, she traveled far and wide to eat every pizza and flatbread she could find. In addition to tossing pizzas, she creates desserts on her pastry blog zoebakes.com. She lives in Minneapolis with her husband and two sons.

The authors met in their children’s music class in 2003 and wrote the best-selling Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day and Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day. Pizza or bread questions are answered at www.PizzaIn5.com.

Both books are available at Monkey See Monkey Read in downtown Northfield.

  

"Hello Everyone! My name is Rhonda and I’ve been here at the Prairie’s Edge Humane Society for a while now.  When I first came here, I was lost, scared and had an injury to my hip and knee that was causing me a lot of pain.  The folks here at Prairie’s Edge have been so kind to me.  They had a veterinarian check out my injuries and he said I had a dislocated hip and torn ligaments in my knee. 

So they operated on my hip first and now I am recuperating here at the shelter until I am strong enough to have my knee operated on also. I’m able to exercise in the yard here at Prairie’s Edge and I don’t have that horrible pain in my leg anymore, I’m so happy! These nice folks are going to give me some physical therapy and fix me up real good, so that I can be adopted by someone who will care for me, love me and I won’t be alone anymore.

But it costs a lot of money to do all these wonderful things for me. They could really use your help, there are other animals here who need the same love and attention just like they are giving me.  Won’t you consider a donation to Prairie’s Edge on Give to the Max Day? Thanks so much for helping me and all of the other animals here at PEHS. I need to go rest now in the nice warm, comfy bed they have for me!" – Rhonda

There are many other animals such as Rhonda at Prairie’s Edge Humane Society who need your help! Please consider a donation on Give to the Max Day, Wednesday, November 16th.

Your on line donation could help PEHS win even more money from GiveMN.org. Click on the Give to the Max logo on Wednesday and make your donation to Prairie’s Edge Humane Society.

Here are some ways to stretch your donation and help PEHS even more!

Win a Golden Ticket and Super Size It!

One donor will be randomly chosen every hour to have $1,000 added to their donation. This could be you! And, one $10,000 Super-sized Golden Ticket will be drawn from a donation made sometime during the 24 hours of giving. You could win Prairie’s Edge Humane Society a $10,000 jackpot! So consider donating at an “off” time, such as early in the morning or late at night to increase your odds in the drawing. If you plan to give a larger amount, break it up into smaller donations throughout the hour; that will increase PEHS’s entries in the drawing! There is a $10 minimum donation on line so if you plan to donate $100, break it up into ten $10 donations in one hour instead!

Help Prairie’s Edge Humane Society Win the Grand Prize

This year nonprofits will compete for prize grants on three leaderboards based on the number of dollars raised on Give to the Max Day. Your donation could put Prairie’s Edge Humane Society in the running to win $15,000, $10,000, $7,500 or $5,000. The more you give the better chance we have to win even more money!

It’s easy to help the homeless animals at Prairie’s Edge Humane Society…just click on the Give to the Max logo and donate!

In this valley, songs live . . . and kill. The Hum & the Shiver is the first novel in a new series that spins a new Celtic mythology in the mountains of Tennessee and has drawn comparisons to  the magical realism of Charles de Lint and to Holly Black’s Modern Faerie Tales series. No one knows where the Tufa came from, or how they ended up in the Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee, yet when the first Europeans arrived, they were already there. Dark-haired, enigmatic, and suspicious of outsiders, the Tufa live quiet lives in the hills and valleys of Cloud County. While their origins may be lost to history, there are clues in their music — hints of their true nature buried in the songs they have passed down for generations.

A resident of Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin, Alex Bledsoe worked as a reporter, editor, and photographer before taking up writing full time. His Eddie LaCrosse series has earned rave reviews from critics, including starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Booklist.  Alex builds buzz for his novels  and discusses a myriad of current event and pop culture topics on his blogwww.alexbledsoe.com/blog, and is a regular contributor to Tor.com where his insightful pop culture posts are always sure to spark intriguing  conversations among readers.

• “Working for our watershed” photos with themes of environmental stewardship
• “Family and friends in the outdoors” People enjoying  water
• “Nature in our watershed” landscape and wildlife photography
   

Entry guidelines

• Maximum of 3 submissions per photographer
• Photos must be submitted electronically to carmen@crwp.net before 12/1/11
• File size no bigger than 4MB
• Include your name, the location of the photo and a 1-2 sentence description
• Specify category of submission: Working for Our Watershed, Family and Friends in the Outdoors,or Nature in Our Watershed
• By submitting your photo, you give CRWP the right to use it in future web and print publications.

Expanding upon the genre-breaking form he invented in his trailblazing debut novel,The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Brian Selznick creates another awe-inspiring, multilayered reading experience.

Wonderstruck weaves together two compelling independent stories, set fifty years apart — Ben’s story, which takes place in 1977, is told in words; Rose’s story in 1927 is told in pictures. Ever since his mother died, Ben feels lost. At home with her father, Rose feels alone. When Ben finds a mysterious clue hidden in his mother’s room, and when a tempting opportunity presents itself to Rose, both children risk everything to find what’s missing. Rich, complex, affecting and beautiful, Wonderstruck is a stunning achievement from a uniquely gifted artist and visionary.

Thirteen-year-old Travis has a secret: he can’t read. But a shrewd teacher and a sassy girl named Velveeta are about to change everything in this witty and deeply moving novel. With sympathy, humor, and disarming honesty, Pat Schmatz brings to life a cast of utterly believable characters — and captures the moments of trust and connection that make all the difference. Schmatz addresses an issue — illiteracy — that is very real, but does so in a fresh, teen-friendly voice, and the masterfully realized characters include not only the main character, Travis, and his new friend, outrageous Velveeta, but also a brilliant teacher and a determined, dedicated librarian. The characters in this book come from very sad circumstances, but this is ultimately a very hopeful and, indeed, entertaining read.

Growing up in rural Wisconsin, Pat Schmatz‘s passions were reading, basketball, and the woods. She lived in Michigan, California, and Minnesota before landing back in central Wisconsin. She still travels whenever she can, from Japan to Rhode Island to Vancouver to New Zealand. When she’s not traveling, Pat does administrative work for the Legal Aid Society of Minneapolis. She is currently at work on a new novel.

Both books are available at Monkey See Monkey Read in downtown Northfield.

Told from the alternating perspectives of a husband and wife, In Caddis Woodexplores the competing rhythms of romantic love, family life, and professional ambition, refracted through the changing seasons of a long marriage. Beneath the surface, affecting their collective future, beats the resilient and endangered heart of nature. As the memories multiply and the family gathers at their longtime summerhouse in the woods of Wisconsin, Hallie and Carl’s grown-up daughters offer unexpected avenues toward forgiveness and healing. With warmth and generosity, Mary François Rockcastle captures the way that the aging mind imbues the present with all the many layers of the past as she illuminates the increasingly unbreakable bonds borne of a shared life.

“As she did in her debut, Rockcastle once again melds family drama with a palpable sense of place. . . . Suffused,appropriately, with imagery of the natural and man-made worlds, Rockcastle’s skillful pacing weaves together the family’s tumultuous history with its uncertain present. A mature love story offering a clear-eyed glimpse of the challenges and rewards of a long marriage.”—Publishers Weekly

The bestselling author of Montana 1948returns to Milkweed Editions with American Boy, a classic tale of desire, betrayal, and coming of age in 1960’s Minnesota.  Already chosen as one of the top 20 Indie Sleeper hits for Fall 2011, as well as an IndieNext selection for October, American Boy is shaping up to be the Midwestern novel of the year.

“Watson has penned some of the best contemporary fiction about small-town America, and his new novel does not disappoint. . . . With his graceful writing style, well-drawn characters, and subtly moving plot, Watson masterfully portrays the dark side of small-town America. Highly readable and enthusiastically recommended.” —Library Journal (starred review)

Larry Watson is the author of seven widely acclaimed novels, including the best-selling Montana 1948. Over the course of his career, Watson has been praised for the “unflinching honesty and complete respect” he shows to his characters (Booklist), and his novels have been called “captivating and haunting” (Washington Post), “remarkable” (Baltimore Sun), “utterly mesmerizing” (The Nation), and lauded as small masterpieces which “pull you immediately into [their] depths and settle inside your bones for a long and haunting stay” (San Francisco Chronicle). Larry Watson lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with his family.

Both books are available at Monkey See Monkey Read in downtown Northfield.

Magnetic Poetry arrived last week. We have some of the Essential Word Magnets, Kids, Voices, and Little Words magnets.
  

Our latest shipment of toys and puzzles just arrived from Melissa and Doug.These are high quality toys, puzzles, and art supplies. They built to last and reasonably priced.

Geotoys is a new product line we discovered about a week ago. We started with Geocards and Geopuzzles.

We’ve been selling literary t-shirts fromUnshelved.com. Their next shirt should be available by November. It’s my favorite one yet.

This is only the beginning. We’ll be adding new items all the time.

Susan Perry was a long time Northfield resident and employee of Cannon Valley Veterinary Clinic. She was generous to people and animals and is missed by everyone who was blessed to have known her.

Prior to her death, Susan had been actively working with Prairie’s Edge Humane Society to plan a Walk for the Animals which would be held in Northfield each fall. After her death, it was obvious to all involved that not only should the planning for the Walk continue, but it should be done so in her honor.

On Saturday, October 8, 2011, we will be celebrating the love Susan had for the animals at the shelter by gathering at the 3rd Annual Susan Perry Memorial Walk for the Animals at Sechler Park in Northfield. Bring your pet and join us for a morning walk! You may walk or enjoy activities from 8:30 AM – 12:30 PM. There will be a blessing of the animals held at 9:30 AM, raffles, games for humans and pets as well as prizes for the top fundraiser.

If your pet is not microchipped, we will be offering microchips for only $20.00! It can be done right at the Walk by our shelter veterinarian, Dr. Charlie Gumbusky. It takes only minutes. Dr. Charlie will also be on hand to answer your basic pet care questions during “Ask the Vet”.

Walkers donating at least $50 will receive a free Walk t-shirt. All proceeds will benefit the homeless animals of the Prairie’s Edge Humane Society. For more information or to donate, call 507-334-7117 or www.prairiesedgehs.org/sueperrywalk.

Why harvest rainwater?

• Free “soft water” containing no chlorine, lime or calcium making it ideal for gardens, flower pots, car and window washing.
• A rain barrel will save you about 1,300  gallons of water during the peak summer months!
• Helps protect the environment while it saves you money and energy.
• Diverting water from storm drains decreases the impact of runoff to streams and lakes.
• A rain barrel is an easy way for you to have a FREE consistent supply of clean, fresh water for outdoor uses do your part for clean water!

“Harriet’s observations of the world and her small place in it are insightful and often touching. And Svoboda often displays a poet’s touch with language and imagery.” —Publishers Weekly

A picaresque in the American vein, Terese Svoboda’s new novel is the Bohemian answer to Willa Cather’s iconic My Ántonia. Lifting the shadows off an entire era of American history in one brave girl’s quest to discover who she is,Bohemian Girl gives full play to Svoboda’s prodigious talents for finding the dark and the strange in the sunny American story—and the beauty and the hope in its darkest moments.

Young Harriet’s father sells her as a slave to settle his gambling debt with an eccentric Indian—and her story is just beginning. Part Huck Finn, part True Grit, Harriet’s story of her encounter with the dark and brutal history of the American West is a true original.

Terese Svoboda is the author of five volumes of poetry and four novels, including Tin God (Nebraska 2006); a collection of short stories, Trailer Girl and Other Stories (available in a Bison Books edition); and a nonfiction book,Black Glasses like Clark Kent: A GI’s Secret from Postwar Japan, winner of the Graywolf Nonfiction Prize.

Good Graces

Lesley Kagen returns with the sequel to her national bestselling debut, Whistling in the Dark. “Kagen does a remarkable job of balancing the goofiness of being an 11-year-old with the sinister plot elements, creating a suspenseful yarn that still retains an air of genuine innocence. Readers who enjoyed the first book are in for a treat.” —Publishers Weekly

Whistling in the Dark captivated readers with the story of ten-year-old Sally O’Malley and her sister, Troo, during Milwaukee’s summer of 1959. The novel became a New York Times bestseller and was named a Midwest Honor Award winner. In Good Graces, it’s one year later, and a heat wave has everyone in the close-knit Milwaukee neighborhood on edge. None more so than Sally O’Malley, who remains deeply traumatized by the sudden death of her daddy and her near escape from a murderer and molester the previous summer.

Lesley Kagen is a writer, actress, and restaurateur. She lives in Wisconsin. Visit her web site at www.lesleykagen.com

Both books are available at Monkey See Monkey Read in downtown Northfield.