It happened again.
Just when I started to wonder whether this column might be shortlived, a message came through that reminded me exactly why it’s worth keeping around.
This one came from someone who spends her days surrounded by books and the people who love them. Gwen Danfelt, manager of Drury Lane Books in Grand Marais, shared a look at what has been moving across their counters this winter.
She described The Correspondent by Virginia Evans as a “feel-good epistolary novel.” The Gales of November: The Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald by John Bacon continues to find readers, along with On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder. For families, she pointed to Skunk and Badger by Amy Timberlake as a strong read-aloud option.
Danfelt herself is reading Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir and called it “hilarious” and “page-turning.” She hopes to catch the movie adaptation in the theater. With Ryan Gossling in the lead, I just might have to, too.
This month, the Drury Lane Book Club, open to the public, is reading Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton.
“This nature memoir has really grown in popularity since it came out last year,” Danfelt said. “The author is living in rural Britain when she finds a newborn hare on the road, and she takes it home. She writes a moving story of caring for the wild hare and shares a lot of fascinating facts about these common animals, similar to our snowshoe hares.”
In May, the club will turn to Under the Same Stars by Libba Bray, a World War II young adult novel. More information is available at drurylanebooks.com/drury-lanebook-club.
Reading a book is one thing. Sharing the story and talking about it makes it something else.
I recently finished Shining Sea by Anne Korkeakivi, a novel that follows a family after the sudden death of the father, beginning in the 1960s and stretching forward. It is sad in a way that feels familiar, grounded in family dynamics, grief, and the kinds of love that do not always say what they mean out loud.
I handed it to my mom as soon as I finished. She read it almost overnight. We compared notes. She caught something at the end that I missed.
I mailed it to my auntie just as she mailed books to my mom. The packages must have crossed somewhere in between. My auntie has excellent taste, so I am already looking forward to whatever comes back my way next.
Danfelt also highlighted a new local history title by Brian Tofte, Tofte: A Norwegian Immigrant Story, released in December. Tofte will speak at the Silver Bay Public Library on April 16 from 5 to 6 PM, sharing more about his family’s move to the North Shore.
“It is full of local history and photographs,” Danfelt said.
Many of these titles are available at Drury Lane Books, local bookstores along the shore, and at your local library.
North Shore Readers, I would love to hear from you. Tell me what books you loved as a kid or what your kids are reading now. Share the book that changed your life or the story that stayed with you longer than you expected. You can remain anonymous if you like. Write to me at sarahwritesnsj@yahoo.com and help me keep this column traveling from one good book to the next.
