A Collaboration Celebrating Cookies, Books and Community – Plus William Kent Krueger, Lori Rader-Day, David Krugler and More

By Doug Moe

Annemarie Maitri had first day jitters in the hours prior to officially opening Bloom Bindery at 1834 Parmenter Street in Middleton on Aug. 1.
         “Then I saw the line at the door,” Maitri said.
         The line may have been in part because residents missed Maitri’s Bloom Bake Shop, which closed its Middleton location in November 2017. Many of the faces in line Wednesday were familiar.
         But it was likely also because the new shop, which features a collaboration with Mystery to Me, is a unique space devoted to delicious cookies, good books and community engagement.
         “I covet books and food and connecting with people,” Maitri said.
         It’s a mantra that fits well with Joanne Berg and her staff at Mystery to Me, who welcomed Maitri to the neighborhood when Bloom Bake Shop opened a location on Monroe Street in January 2017.
It was this past spring, after Annemarie visited Portland, checking the new ideas and happenings in that progressive city, that she approached Joanne with the idea of possibly doing something together.
         Joanne was enthusiastic – “the easiest collaboration I’ve ever had,” Annemarie said – and the result is Bloom Bindery. Expect to find an expanded menu of delectable cookies – including Annemarie’s legendary peanut butter chocolate chunk – and other treats including house made ice cream cookie sandwiches.
         But what truly sets the new shop apart is its literary vibe. Mystery to Me books are for sale at the shop, displayed in two bookcases and on shelves around the store. Customers can also order books not physically available at Bloom Bindery and have them delivered to the Middleton location.
         The hope for the future is to have story times, book clubs and author events at Bloom Bindery. A portion of the shop’s cookie profits will go to nonprofits like the Madison Literacy Network and Madison Reading Project.
         On opening day, the bustle at Bloom Bindery continued well into the afternoon. People were eating and reading and talking, perhaps in part because of a few signs strategically placed around Bloom Bindery that proclaim it a “laptop free space.” Yes. Maitri reasoned that there are many places in Dane County where you can get a coffee and stare at your computer. She was looking for something different.
         In collaboration with Mystery to Me, she’s found it. We encourage you to visit Bloom Bindery, for a bite, a book, and a bit of conversation.
Bloom Bindery Hours
Tuesday - Friday: 10am to 6pm
Saturday: 10am to 5pm

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         Later in August, Mystery to Me and Bloom are collaborating on a pair of events around the new creativity guidebook Spark, authored by Andrea Debbink and illustrated by Emily Balsey.
         On Monday, Aug. 27 from 2-4 p.m., Debbink and Balsey will be first at Mystery to Me for a book-based activity, followed by popsicle-making at Bloom Bake Shop two doors down on Monroe Street.  Then on Wednesday, Aug. 29 from 4-6, the author and illustrator will be at the new Bloom Bindery in Middleton to sign and read and help attendees make art work from “Spark.”
         It is a month of good events at Mystery to Me. One of my memorable early author events at the store was an interview with University of Wisconsin-Platteville professor David Krugler about his debut thriller, The Dead Don’t Bleed.
         Now Krugler and his hero, Intelligence officer Ellis Voigt, return with a sequel, titled Rip the Angels from Heaven, which earned a starred review from Publishers Weekly.
         Krugler will be at Mystery to Me Wednesday, Aug. 8 at 7pm, in the company of Lori Rader-Day, a Chicago author whose fourth novel, Under a Dark Sky, will officially be published Aug. 7. It’s a psychological thriller set at a “dark sky park,” and sounds chilling.
         On Friday, August 17 at 7 pm, Edgewood College Professor Steven Davis will be at the store with his timely book, In Defense of Public Lands, which makes the case for why our public lands are an invaluable and irreplaceable asset owned by the American people.
On Saturday, August 18 at 3pm we'll be treated to a visit with Rhonda Gilliland, the editor of  Cooked to Death: Volume II - Lying on a Plate. Cooked -- Fifteen mystery writers have pooled their literary powers and culinary acumen to craft a five-course meal full of surprises both deadly and delicious! 
         Finally, whenever I ask longtime Mystery to Me employees and customers about their favorite author events, one name comes up consistently: William Kent Krueger. The Minnesota author of the acclaimed Cork O’Connor series will be at Mystery to Me Friday Aug. 24 at 7 p.m. (please rsvp online - link here) with the newest entry in the series, Desolation Mountain.
 

A PDF of our events is available here

Check out the August New Releases!

Tiffany Blues: A Novel by M.J. Rose

Pieces of Her

Trust Me

Curiosity