Locally Grown Northfield

The Magic Room

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.

All these items are available at Monkey See Monkey Read in downtown Northfield. An as always, we’ll wrap your gifts for free in some of our lovely wrapping paper.

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.”

The Least Cricket of Evening

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.

Wonderstruck

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.

We’ve been selling games for five years. But lately we’ve added even more non-book items to our bookstore. New games, magnetic poetry, toys, and t-shirts are arriving daily.

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.

Loon

The haunting call of a loon is quintessential summertime for many people, and it’s also the state bird of Minnesota. These majestically beautiful birds breed on northern lakes during the spring and

summer, and when fall arrives, they migrate to open coastal waters. This gorgeously illustrated prose poem follows two baby chicks through this cycle. We witness their birth, and how they learn to swim, find food, and avoid predators such as snapping turtles and big bass. In the fall, they imitate their parents as they learn to fly and are eventually large and strong enough to make their own migration to the coast.

An afterword supplies other interesting facts about the common loon, which some scientists believe has inhabited lakes and oceans for millions of years.

Susan Vande Griek is a teacher and writer. Her junior novel, A Gift for Ampato, received high praise from teachers and journalists alike and was shortlisted for the Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction. She divides her time between Halifax, Nova Scotia, and St. Andrews, New Brunswick.

Karen Reczuch has illustrated many children’s books, including The Auctionby Jan Andrews, Just Like New by Ainslie Manson, and The Story of Life on Earth, winner of the BC Book Prize for illustrated children’s lite

Northwest Angle

William Kent Krueger’s next nail-biting suspense in his critically-acclaimed, award-winning series, featuring private detective Cork O’Connor.

With his family caught in the crosshairs of a group of brutal killers, detective Cork O’Connor must solve the murder of a young girl in the latest installment of William Kent Krueger’s unforgettable New York Times bestselling series.

During a houseboat vacation on the remote Lake of the Woods, a violent gale sweeps through unexpectedly, stranding Cork and his daughter, Jenny, on a devastated island where the wind has ushered in a force far darker and more deadly than any storm.

Amid the wreckage, Cork and Jenny discover an old trapper’s cabin where they find the body of a teenage girl. She wasn’t killed by the storm, however; she’d been bound and tortured before she died. Whimpering sounds coming from outside the cabin lead them to a tangle of branches toppled by the vicious winds. Underneath the debris, they find a baby boy, hungry and dehydrated, but still very much alive. Powerful forces intent on securing the child pursue them to the isolated Northwest Angle, where it’s impossible to tell who among the residents is in league with the devil. Cork understands that to save his family he must solve the puzzle of this mysterious child whom death follows like a shadow.

“Part adventure, part mystery, and all knockout thriller” (Booklist), Northwest Angle is a dynamic addition to William Kent Krueger’s critically acclaimed, award-winning series.

William Kent Krueger’s next nail-biting novel featuring private detective Cork O’Connor. “Part adventure, part mystery, and all knockout thriller” (Booklist), Northwest Angle is a dynamic addition to William Kent Krueger’s critically acclaimed, award-winning series.

During a houseboat vacation on the remote Lake of the Woods, a violent gale sweeps through unexpectedly, stranding Cork and his daughter, Jenny, on a devastated island where the wind has ushered in a force far darker and more deadly than any storm. Amid the wreckage, Cork and Jenny discover an old trapper’s cabin where they find the body of a teenage girl. She wasn’t killed by the storm, however; she’d been bound and tortured before she died. Whimpering sounds coming from outside the cabin lead them to a tangle of branches toppled by the vicious winds. Underneath the debris, they find a baby boy, hungry and dehydrated, but still very much alive. Powerful forces intent on securing the child pursue them to the isolated Northwest Angle, where it’s impossible to tell who among the residents is in league with the devil. Cork understands that to save his family he must solve the puzzle of this mysterious child whom death follows like a shadow.

William Kent Krueger is the award-winning author of ten Cork O’Connor novels, including Heaven’s Keep and Vermilion Drift. All are available from Atria Books. He lives in the Twin Cities with his family.

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

Forever

Forever is the thrilling conclusion to Maggie Stiefvater’s #1 New York Times bestselling Shiver trilogy.

In Maggie Stiefvater’s Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. In Linger, they fought to be together. Now, in Forever, the stakes are even higher than before. Wolves are being hunted. Lives are being threatened. And love is harder and harder to hold on to as death comes closing in.

Maggie Stiefvater is a writer, artist, musician, and the New York Times bestselling author of Shiver, hailed by Publishers Weekly in a starred review as, “a lyrical tale,” and by Bookpage as “beautifully written, even poetic at times, and a perfect indulgence for readers of all ages.” Since publication, rights to more than thirty-five foreign editions of Shiver have been licensed. Linger, the second book in the Shiver trilogy debuted at #1 on the New York Times Bestseller list. Maggie is also the author of Lament: The Faerie Queen’s Deception and Ballad: A Gathering of Faerie. She lives in Virginia with her husband and their two children.

Wolfsbane

How many trials can one love survive? This thrilling sequel to the much-talked-about Nightshade begins just where it ended. Calla Tor wakes up in the lair of the Searchers, her sworn enemy, and she’s certain her days are numbered. But then the Searchers make her an offer–one that gives her the chance to destroy her former masters and save the pack, and the man, she left behind. Is Renworth the price of her freedom? And will Shay stand by her side no matter what? Now in control of her own destiny, Calla must decide which battles are worth fighting and how many trials true love can endure and still survive.

Andrea Cremer’s New York Times bestselling, debut young adult novel Nightshade drew the attention of readers and critics alike last fall and quickly established her as a talented new voice in the world of teen literature. The Los Angeles Times raved, “A fantastical mash-up of religious warriors and witch hunts, of feminist will and societal oppression.” Entertainment Weekly.com said, “This teen wolf tale… will keep you reading intently.”

Wolfsbane is the second book in the Nightshade trilogy, and will be followed by Bloodrose in spring 2012.

Andrea Cremer is a professor of history at Macalester College in St. Paul, MN, where she teaches courses on sexuality and power, and focused her Ph.D. studies on how sexuality and power intersect in history. Follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/andreacremer.

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

Five years of monkey business here at Monkey See Monkey Read (see the Monkeyreadblog, too). It’s hard to believe we’ve made it this far, but we did it.

We’d like to say thank you to all of our customers.

So for one week, everything in the store is 20% off. The only items excluded are the bikes. They’re not really in the store because we park them outside.

The sale starts during Crazy Daze and continues to Wednesday, August 3, 2011.

Party on Wayne!

The Borrower

In this delightful, funny, and moving first novel, a librarian and a young boy obsessed with reading take to the road. The Borrower is an Indie Next pick and has garnered rave reviews in O Magazine, BookPage, and Booklist(starred review) among others.

“[Lucy's] relationship with Ian is charming and original. A stylish and clever tale for bibliophiles who enjoy authors like Jasper Fforde and Connie Willis.”
–Library Journal

“Makkai takes several risks in her sharp, often witty text, replete with echoes of children’s classics from Goodnight Moon to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, as well as more ominous references to Lolita . . . the moving final chapters affirm the power of books to change people’s lives even as they acknowledge the unbreakable bonds of home and family. Smart, literate, and refreshingly unsentimental.”
–Kirkus Reviews

“The Borrower proves [Makkai] is a great writer… This is a wonderfully entertaining story packed with moral conundrums and beautiful writing.”
–Patrick Neale, co-owner, Jaffe & Neale Bookshop & Café

Rebecca Makkai’s short fiction will appear in The Best American Short Storiesthis fall for the fourth consecutive year, and appears regularly in journals like Tin House, Ploughshares, New England Review, and Shenandoah. She lives north of Chicago with her husband and two daughters.

Spellbound: The Books of Elsewhere, Vol. 2

With no way into the house’s magical paintings, and its three guardian cats reluctant to help, Olive’s friend Morton is still trapped inside Elsewhere. So when Rutherford, the new oddball kid next door, mentions a grimoire — a spellbook — Olive feels a breathless tug of excitement. If she can find the McMartins’ spellbook, maybe she can help Morton escape Elsewhere for good. Unless, that is, the book finds Olive first.

The house isn’t the only one keeping secrets anymore. Mystery, magic, corruption, and betrayal abound (plus just enough laughs to take the edge off). You’ll never guess what happens next in this thrilling, chilling second volume in the critically acclaimed series.

Jacqueline West, a two-time Pushcart nominee for poetry, lives in Red Wing, Minnesota.

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

South of Superior

When Madeline Stone walks away from Chicago and moves five hundred miles north to the coast of Lake Superior, in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, she isn’t prepared for how much her life will change. Charged with caring for an aging family friend, Madeline finds herself in the middle of beautiful nowhere with Gladys and Arbutus, two octogenarian sisters — one sharp and stubborn, the other sweeter than sunshine. As Madeline begins to experience the ways of the small, tight-knit town, she is drawn into the lives and dramas of its residents.

“I was captivated by Ms. Airgood’s setting and her characters, they’re pitch perfect. South of Superior is a wonderful debut novel.” –Lesley Kagan, author of Whistling in the Dark

“An inviting read that transports the reader to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula in a blink.” –Jessilynn, McLean and Eakin Booksellers

“A pleasantly paced story that takes place in the UP of Michigan where towns are small, winters long and hardships abound. Ellen Airgood has captured the beauty of the area, the isolation and cast of local characters.” –Barbara Siepker, The Cottage Book Shop

Ellen Airgood runs a diner in Grand Marais, Michigan. This is her first novel.

Beyond the Trees: Stories of Wisconsin Forests

Join nature writer Candice Gaukel Andrews as she traverses the natural and human history of some of the most pristine places in the Upper Midwest: Wisconsin’s state and national forests. Richly illustrated with color photographs by the author’s husband, John T. Andrews, and other professional photographers, Beyond the Trees is an intimate visual portrait of these stunning landscapes. Archival images, informative sidebars, locator maps, and contact information for Wisconsin state and federal forests round out this unique book.

Candice Gaukel Andrews is a former screenwriter for Paramount Pictures and now specializes in nature and travel writing. Her other books include Great Wisconsin Winter Weekends, The Minnesota Almanac, An Adventurous Nature: Tales form Natural Habitat Adventures, and Travel Wild Wisconsin.

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

The Year We Left Home

Jean Thompson has been celebrated by critics as “a writer of extraordinary intelligence and sensitivity” (O: The Oprah Magazine) and “one of our most lucid and insightful writers (San Francisco Chronicle). Now, Thompson brings together all her talents to deliver a career-defining novel. The Year We Left Home is a sweeping and emotionally powerful story of a single American family during the tumultuous final decades of the twentieth century, spanning from small-town Iowa to suburban Chicago to the coast of Italy. In a starred review, Booklist says, “Superb. Finely crafted. Thompson’s pithy humor, redolent details, and knowing compassion have never been sharper or more resounding as her characters’ follies and struggles reveal depthless truths about men and women, families and vocations, the lure of away and the gravitational pull of home.”

Jean Thompson is the author of Who Do You Love: Stories, a 1999 National Book Award finalist for fiction, and the novels City Boy andWide Blue Yonder, a New York Times Notable Book and Chicago Tribune Best Fiction selection. She lives in Urbana, Illinois.

It’s the summer before seventh grade, and twelve-year-old Raine O’Rourke’s mother suddenly takes a job hours from home at mysterious Sparrow Road — a creepy, dilapidated mansion that houses an eccentric group of artists. As Raine tries to make sense of her new surroundings, she forges friendships with a cast of quirky characters. But it’s an unexpected secret from Raine’s own life that changes her forever. Collette Morgan of Wild Rumpus in Minneapolis, MN writes, “Sparrow Road has restored my faith in middle grade fiction. A beautiful ode to creativity, kindness, and the power of forgiveness.”

Sheila O’Connor is the award-winning author of three novels. Her poems, stories, and essays have appeared in various anthologies and magazines and her work has been recognized with foundation grants and fellowships. Sheila teaches fiction for Hamline University MFA Program where she also serves as fiction editor for Water-Stone Review.

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