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Greetings!
Tornados devastate Oklahoma! The year’s first dangerous storm hits the East Coast! West Coast cities await the Big One! As Demaris said after we went through the 1989 quake in the San Fransisco Bay Area, “Every place has its faults!†One of the lesser-known, but powerfully violent “faults†that we have here in the Northwoods, is the so-called “derecho wind†(See photo).
A derecho is a straight-line wind that is associated with a land-based, fast-moving band of severe thunderstorm and can carry tornado or hurricane force. In 1977 a northern Wisconsin derecho generated winds of 115 mph. In 1998 another Wisconsin straight-line storm produced a measured wind gust of 128 mph. In 2006 a derecho here in Bayfield blew much of the local Festival of Arts out into Lake Superior.
So, what’s this got to do with books? Um…nothing! But, we sometimes like to talk about the weather. But wait…! One of our favorite authors, William Kent Krueger, in a recent book – Northwest Angle – used a devastating derecho that occurred in the Boundary Waters a few years ago to set the scene for one of his Cork O’Connor mysteries. So there!
We have just returned from a trip to western British Columbia, Vancouver Island and the Discovery Islands. It was not a bookseller’s trip, but bookstores always seem to show up. One gem is the Book Bonanza At-The-Cove in Quathiaski Cove, BC on Quadra Island. The village is about the size of Bayfield and has the same maritime culture and see-saw tourist seasons. The store has a great collection and an experienced and dogged owner in Robin King. We felt as kindred spirits.
We browsed with envy in Armchair Books in Whistler, BC - a terrific little bookstore. Envy because the winter ski season is their busy time with summer tourism a close second. A year-round business in a small town surrounded by a majestic natural setting - ah, what a dream! Wait! That’s our reality here in Bayfield! With the sled dog races, snow-mobiling, downhill skiing, cross-country skiing, ice-fishing, the ice caves, cozy inns and quirky locals. It’s not like summer yet, but we’re getting there.
The real gem is Munro’s Books in Victoria, BC. This is without doubt the finest bookstore we have seen anywhere! Set in an old bank building with twenty-four foot ceilings and gorgeous wall murals it has a collection to match. This year it is celebrating its 50th anniversary. It was founded in 1963 by Jim Munro and his former wife, Alice (yes, that Alice Munro) as a little paperback shop. Now, by our lights, it’s the quintessential bookstore – local, independent and book savvy! A vanishing breed!
Happy Reading!
All of us at AIB
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Meet Michael Perry!
Friday, June 28, 2013 - 6:45pm
Would you like to meet Michael Perry -
Author of Visiting Tom, Coop, Truck and Population 485?
We are thrilled to be co-sposoring with Reed Realty Michael Perry & the Longbeds at Big Top Chautauqua on June 28th. Molly and the Danger Band will open the show. As a part of our sponsorship we will be hosting a reception at 6:45pm, before the show. Michael will be joining us to share some of his stories, and even a sneak peak at his new book (which isn't published yet!).
Would you like to be invited to this reception? All you need to do is stop by the Apostle Islands Booksellers and make a purchase of $15 or more. You will then be entered in a drawing. Then buy your tickets for the show. We will select as many as 40 people!
In addition, we will also select one name to win two front row seats to the show as well!
All winners will be selected on
Monday, June 24th around Noon!
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What we're reading...
 Dog Stars
by Peter Heller
This post-apocalyptic novel – in the genre ranging from On the Beach to The Road – embeds seeds of redemption in a world of devastation and casual, preemptive violence. There are threads of A Boy and His Dog; Boy Meets Girl; Helping Your Neighbor; and, Tough Old Codgers. But, for the most part, it’s Dog-Eat-Dog (or, more precisely, Dog-Eat-Man!). The writing is inventive and often appealing with one-word sentences and some rhythmic phrasing that brings life and color to an otherwise bleak landscape. A virulent flu virus (with an HIV-type blood disease chaser) has decimated the human population. Climate change is drying, rotting and burning everything else. The setting is Colorado mountain country and we see it from the air in the 1956 Cessna piloted by our young protagonist. He’s “one-of-us†– sometimes savvy, sometimes naïve – amidst a small cast of uber-competents each of whom slowly succumbs to his influence. It’s a good book!
Mornings in Mexico
D.H. Lawrence
Lawrence was much reviled during his lifetime and largely condemned in obituaries at his death. While he had significant champions in E.M. Forster, Aldous Huxley and F.R. Leavis, the conventional wisdom regarding his manner and work was negative. Nevertheless Sons and Lovers, Women in Love and Lady Chatterley’s Lover continue to have devoted followers. The Plumed Serpent, another favorite, has its origins hidden in a little gem in his oeuvre. Mornings in Mexico relates the experiences and impressions from his life in Mexico and Native American country in the early 1900's. His observations of household life and the markets of Oaxaca are rich and colorful. His condemnation of the manner of the “white monkeys†in their interactions with indigenous people is unsparing. His description of the Hopi Snake Dance near Oraibi on 3rd Mesa is captivating. The book does not entirely escape Lawrence’s tendency to arrogance and patronization, but it is a quiet, pleasant read.
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Closing Thoughts...
 Have you heard about Anne Greenwood Brown's young adult trilogy that takes place in Bayfield and among the Apostle Islands? These stories are great for teens - containing sweet young love, conflict and of course murderous mer-people living in the depths of Superior!
Anne will be doing a reading and signing on July 2nd in Ashland. We will be there to sell copies of her books!
Here are the details:
Anne Greenwood Brown,
author of Lies Beneath and Deep Betrayal
When: Tuesday, July 2nd at 1:30pm
Where: Ashland Public Library, 502 West Main Street, Ashland
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