Local poet (and Beagle and Wolf staff member) LouAnn Shepard Muhm has a poem in a beautiful newanthology, River of Earth and Sky! LouAnn will read her own poetry as well as poems by other writers.

Sponsored by American Express, this national event encourages shoppers to Shop Local and support small businesses in their community. The independent bookstore part of small business Saturday is known as Indies First.

Minnesota authors of children’s books volunteered in the store.

Dawn Rossbach (The Cookie Garden)

andDebbie Hoven (Light Up the Year! And Normal Loves the Lake) signed copies of their books.

The traditional activities we all love included the Yuletide Sampler.

Author Eric Bergeson was with us during the Yuletide Sampler, signing copies of his latest book, A Treasury of Old Souls. Bergeson frequently speaks on eldercare, and the book, written in his signature entertaining style, traces the growth of his love and understanding of the elderly from his first day of kindergarten to recent adventures with his great aunt Olive.

Betty Boughton Hanson signed copies of a book for young children, Kudos for Kids. Hanson created the book to encourage caregivers to read to children. It has simple text and colorful photographs. One of the pictures (which was printed in a national magazine) was taken in Park Rapids!

Nel E. Sherk signed copies of Beyond Our Control. When her husband left her alone with three young children, Nina was forced to try and figure out what happened to her life. Where had she gone wrong? What could she have done differently? She began to think back to how hard her life was as her kids turn to their neighbor, Sam, for help with their mom. She soon finds that love can be found anywhere, any time, and dwelling on your past won't get you anywhere you haven't already been.

Norma Knapp signed copies of Scoria Roads, her new memoir. Knapp writes heart-rending stories about living in twenty different houses in her first twenty-one years. The book is a touching meditation on what it means to love, lose, accept, and negotiate fate’s obstacle courses. The memoir is filled with Knapp’s towns and landscapes changed from the sweet safe ’40s and ’50s to a chaotic world today caused by a blistering oil boom. Knapp also signed copies of her earlier book, Missing My Best Friend, a children’s book about grief.

Where's Waldo? In July he was all over Park Rapids.

The famous children’s book character in the striped shirt and black-rimmed glasses visited local businesses throughout our community again this July. Those who spotted him could enter to win prizes, including buttons, book coupons and more. Waldo figures were well hidden in participating local businesses. Find Waldo Local is a great summer vacation activity, and a wonderful way to support local business and the Shop Local movement.

Beagle and Wolf Books and the Friends of The Library team up to sponsor a fund raiser for the Park Rapids Public Library every year. The annual Pie Contest provides two ways to support the library. One is to vie for the chance to be the Pie Champ and win prizes donated by the Friends of the Library!

This year we also had Beagle and Wolf favorite, Candace Simar, signing copies of Shelterbelts, her latest book.

After the book talks, we took pre-orders for Lady Maybe.

Dave Grindberg signed copies of Rapture of the Deep.

David was an international tennis star and is a radio personality (he broadcast his weekly program from Park Rapids on the 30th) who has written a moving account of his relationship with a special dog. David read from and signed copies of My Boy, Ben. Here’s a trailer for David’s book.

At the same time, we hosted an animal adoption event in our back yard. Headwater Animal Shelter was present with animals which were available for adoption.

And we had treats for everyone—dog-shaped cookies for humans, dog treats for dogs!

We officially combined Beagle Books & Bindery and
Sister Wolf Books!

Jill and Deane Johnson were in the store, signing copies of Little Minnesota and The Best of Itasca: A Guide to Minnesota's Oldest State Park

Bindery tours were also offered.

Everything with Sister Wolf Books or Beagle Books & Bindery on it was on sale! This included totes, travel mugs, and t-shirts:
and select artwork from Sister Wolf Books.

For more information, or to inquire about a particular art piece, email sally@sisterwolfbooks.com.

We were part of a nationwide party as indie bookstores from coast to coast celebrate everything that makes them unique! Join us for a day-long party! Tim Jollymore signed copies of Listener in the Snow, local musician Debbie Center was on our piano, and we sold some exclusive items to commemorate the day.

Businesses throughout Park Rapids are inviting children to participate in special activities. We’ll have an interactive storytime in the store on April 13, 10:00 to 10:30, based on the book Click, Clack, Peep. Each child will receive a prize, and one will win a copy of the book! The event in limited to 15 children. Watch the local newspaper for a full schedule of events.

The Park Rapids Area Library hosted an event with her at the Park Rapids Armory. Snelling is a lively, personable, and inspiring presenter.

We welcomed Nevis native Karen Babine for the hometown launch of her book Water and What We Know. The book is a collection of personal essays exploring the link between natural history and memory, landscape and identify, place and meaning—and it’s largely set right here in Hubbard County, where Babine grew up! She currently teaches at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota. Will Weaver (shown above with Karen), another author with roots in Hubbard Country has this to say about the book: "What is the effect of place on character? Of our birth landscape on how we see the world? This wonderful, meditative book asks all the right questions."

We had a great evening at Night-In! Readers came from as far away as South Dakota and Missouri to hear Jen and Sally’s book recommendations, and everyone went home with a couple of books and a goody bag filled with bookie treasures.

Here are the titles we recommended: