I was just about to give up on my call to action from January’s article about the most checked out library books of 2025. The piece drew plenty of clicks, but no one had answered my question: “What are you reading, North Shore?”
So, when Penni Cuppy’s email landed in my inbox, it made my whole week. Cuppy is a Two Harbors resident, and she and I share a few reading habits. We both keep more than one book going at a time, and for the same reason.
“I have a tendency to need a book that grabs me from the start,” Cuppy wrote. “I have found that actually reading more than one book at a time actually helps if I run into a slow part of a book. I can switch and then go back.”
We also agree that the books have to be very different, otherwise the plots start to blur and things get confusing.
Lately, Cuppy has been determined to read the alphabet series by Sue Grafton. The long‑running series follows private investigator Kinsey Millhone from “A Is for Alibi” in 1982 through “Y Is for Yesterday” in 2017. Grafton passed away before she could write the final installment.
As she’s worked her way through the books, Cuppy has been struck by how sharply the passage of time shows up on the page, especially in the tools and tactics of investigation.
“I find it interesting to follow how things have progressed in how they used to investigate compared to now,” she said.
Another favorite author of Cuppy’s is Nora Roberts, who she feels “from romance novels to serial killers really keeps you intrigued.” She recommends “The Search” for dog lovers, a story that is both delightful and genuinely tense.
Through the winter reading program at the Two Harbors Public Library, Cuppy has also discovered authors she hadn’t heard of before but now enjoys. She mentioned Chevy Stevens’ “The Hitchhiker” as one that kept her “glued to the pages.” She plans to read more of her work.
I’ve added these recommendations to my TBR and hope many of you do too. I am currently behind on my reading challenge but still working on it. I recently finished “Maren’s Run” by Debra Hines, whom we featured in a January 21 NSJ story. Hines was a great interview, and I enjoyed the book’s balance of romance and dog sledding. It was an easy, inspiring read, and I missed the characters when I finished. I happen to know the book is available at the Two Harbors Public Library, so be sure to check it out.
Right now, I’m reading a book by Minnesota author Frank Weber, a forensic psychologist and true crime writer who was kind enough to send me his newest title, “Heartbreak Hollow”. I won’t give anything away quite yet, but watch for an author interview coming soon to an NSJ near you.
Also coming soon, I hope, is another North Shore Reading Round up feature where YOU tell me what you’re reading, what you love about reading, what your kids are reading, what you read growing up…really anything about books is welcome! Please write to sarahwritesnsj@yahoo.com and let me know what you’re picking up or putting down. Include your name and town of residence for a chance to be featured.
Thank you, Penni, for sharing and making this follow‑up possible.
