Amy signed copies of The New Midwestern Table and Give a Girl a Knife.

Candace Simar signed Dear Homefolks, a collection of short stories which transport you to another time and place, and the glory of what might have been. Candace is the Award Winning Author of the Abercrombie Trail Series. Dear Homefolks was published this year by RiverPlace Press.

Elisa Korenne

Elisa signed A Hundred Miles to Nowhere, and she sang and played the guitar. Her book is a memoir which relates what happened when she moved from New York City to rural Minnesota for love, and found there's more to life than music.

Sarah Seidelmann

Sarah signed Swimming with Elephants, the eccentric, sometimes poignant, and occasionally hilarious experience of a working mother undergoing a bewildering vocational shift from physician to shamanic healer.

One comfy lodge + three stimulating books + eight interesting women = a great week-end retreat!

Our annual retreat was the last week-end in October, with the theme Kaleidoscope: Exploring the World through Different Lenses.

Each of our books provided a different perspective:

The Leisure Seeker by Michael Zadoorian, The Song Poet by Kao Kalia Yang, The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Shoptoberfest in downtown Park Rapids
October 13 to 15

Many stores had sales or special offers. We’ll had a drawing for two books:

• What we could learn from the example of the Ojibwe to better our own society. 
• The devastating “Lost Century” of the 1500s and what it meant to Native peoples.
• The roles of Native men, women, the family and the clan.
• Life through the seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter.
• The importance of storytelling: myths, monsters and supernatural beings.
• The migration of the Ojibwe and its impact on other tribes.
• A Q&A session at the end.

Following the program, Bob will sign copies of his new book, Windigo Moon.

Dale Mulfinger
October 7

Dale Mulfinger was in the store to sign copies of his latest book, The Family Cabin. Dale designed many cabins in the area.

Jill and Deane Johnson launched
Little Minnesota in World War II at Beagle and Wolf!
September 23

Jill and Deane Johnsons’ latest book tells the stories of 140 Minnesota men who died in World War II. The men all came from the tiny towns featured in the Johnsons’ first book, Little Minnesota. The stories, which are accompanied by photographs, letters, and family recollections, are both inspiring and nostalgic.

William Kent Krueger

William Kent Krueger was in the store to sign copies
of the latest Cork O’Connor mystery, Sulfur Springs.

August 19

Local author Bob Guelker signed copies of his latest book, Stone Creek,

and Duane Lindberg signed copies of The Kingdom of the Rings.

2nd Annual Lit Bit with Jason Gobble

Like tracking physical health with fit bit, Lit Bit helps keep reading life healthy. Jason Gobble, our Penguin Random House rep, shared great titles for summer reading in this after hours event. It was a laid back evening with fellow book lovers.

Elisa Korenne

We had a great time when Elisa Korenne came to sign copies of A Hundred Miles to Nowhere! So we invited her back to discuss the book with anyone who’s read it—or is thinking of reading it.

Eric Dregni told us about his latest book, You’re Sending Me Where? Dispatches from Summer Camp! 

Leaves of Grass—Illuminated
August 4

Beagle and Wolf and the Park Rapids library co-sponsored Patrick Scully’s one-man show about Walt Whitman, America’s great (and radical) poet.

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

Amy Thielen
July 29

Amy Thielen came back to sign her books Give a Girl a Knife and The New Midwestern Table.

Frank Weber
July 22

Frank Weber was in the store to sign copies of Murder Book. (Murder book is a term for a cold case where a homicide is suspected.)

Jon Frederick spent his adolescence protecting his mentally ill brother and worrying about his parents' farm as it headed toward bankruptcy. So when Mandy Baker, the alluring new girl in town, pursued him, he was easily enamored. But on the day he ended their relationship, Mandy vanished. There is no doubt in the small Minnesota town of Pierz that the flirtatious girl is dead, and there is little doubt that Jon got away with murder. A decade later, Jon is made an investigator with the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. While investigating a case near his hometown, he quietly reopens the murder book on Mandy Baker and begins to see commonalities between Mandy's disappearance and his new case. As the investigation intensifies, Jon realizes he has crossed paths with the killer before.

Frank Weber is a forensic psychologist.

Elisa Korenne
July 15

Singer-songwriter Elisa Korenne gave a book talk, sang and played her guitar, and signed copies of Hundred Miles to Nowhere: An Unlikely Love Story. The book recounts what what happened when she moved from New York City to rural Minnesota for love, and found there's more to life than music.

The 11th Annual July 4 Pie Baking Contest and Auction

We annually support the Park Rapids Library with pie!

 

Double Crust
Single Crust
Custard or Cream
Juvenile (any pie by an 8-12 year old)

Prizes are provided by the Friends of the Library.

 

Keith Lesmeister
July 1

Keith Lesmeister read from We Could’ve Been Happy Here, followed by a signing. In this collection of short fiction, he plows out a distinctive vision of the contemporary Midwest. These stories peer into the lives of those at the margins-the broken, the resigned, the misunderstood. Hopeful and humorous, tender and tragic, these stories illuminate how we are shaped and buoyed by our intimate connections.

Tim Jollymore
June 24

Tim Jollymore was in the store, signing copies of his latest book, Lake Stories and Other Tales. This volume includes short stories, a travel memoir, seven short poems, and an essay. The book is full of the humor, pathos, and wisdom of the common man. The entertaining writing will tickle your funny bone as well as touch your heart and mind with warmth and sharp delight. Copies of Tim’s earlier books were available as well.

Lorna Landvik was with us at Bella Caffé for a reading from her latest book, Once Upon a Blue Moon Lodge, and book signing. The new book is a sequel to Patty June’s House of Curl, and we’ll have that book as well. Join us for the fun!

The Park Rapids Library and Beagle and Wolf teamed up this year to celebrate Children’s Book Week! We had all picture books—hardcover, paperback, and used—on sale for 20% off. The Library hosted Storytime Friday morning. Read more about the importance of fostering a love of reading in young children.

The Week of the Young Child™
April 27

This is an annual celebration of early learning, young children, their teachers, and families. Park Rapids businesses hosted special activities for young children throughout the week of April 24 to 28. We hosted an interactive storytime based on the new children’s book The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors.

The Girl Who Drank the Moon, by Minnesota author Kelly Barnhill, is a young adult book and the winner of this year’s Newbery prize. It’s the story of a young girl raised by a witch, a swamp monster, and a Perfectly Tiny Dragon who must unlock the dangerous magic buried deep inside. It’s a book which is impossible to put down!

Our second book was Mothering Sunday by Graham Swift. The story, which is set in England, takes place on March 30, 1924, although it does flash forward. It’s been called a feminist Cinderella story, set just after the Downton Abbey era.