Beagle and Wolf Books & Bindery Newletter

March 2019

Page One Staff Picks Youth Yak Book Groups News

Winter has worn out its welcome in Park Rapids!

We can’t make the cold, snow, and wind go away, but we are making plans for summer. This is the time of year we order summer books and go to Market to order non-book items, and that helps us remember that warmer days are on their way! We’re also scheduling events for summer—see below for information about Nick Butler’s visit. And, of course, we’re curling up with great books—we hope you are, too!

Spring Retreat
March 30, 10:00 to 4:00

Give yourself the gift of a day apart and join us for our annual Spring Retreat. We’ll be at the Jewel of the Northwoods, the B&B between Hubbard and Menahga, about 15 minutes from Park Rapids. We’ll enjoy a delicious lunch and lively conversation.

Our theme will be “Living Outside Ordinary Time,” and we’ll explore this idea by reading and discussing two very different books. The Immortalists follows the lives of four siblings who visit a fortuneteller and learn the date each of them will die. Orphan Island is a middle grade book about nine children who live on a mysterious island.

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The cost of the retreat is $45, plus books. Registration materials are available at the store or by email. Contact us at 218-237-2665 or sally@beagleandwolf.com.

And looking even further ahead, our fall retreat will be October 25 to 27. Theme and books will be announced later in the year.

Chili Challenge
March 6, 11:00 to 1:00

“Doggone Good Chili” will be our entry in the annual Chili Challenge, an event sponsored by the Park Rapids Enterprise to benefit the Hubbard County Food Shelf. Join us at the American Legion, 11:00 to 1:00 on Wednesday, March 6. Each “dollop” of chili will be $1, and you’ll be helping a great cause! Our chili recipe, renamed to honor Tripod, will be vegetarian, since March 6 is Ash Wednesday. The store will be open during the Chili Challenge.

Nickolas Butler
June 1, 5:00 pm at Bella Caffé

We’re thrilled to be hosting an event with Nick Butler in June! Nick’s previous novels, Shotgun Lovesongs and The Hearts of Men, were favorites of staff and customers alike, and we know you’ll love his latest book, too. Little Faith is the story of Lyle and Peg Hovde, who live a quiet life in rural Wisconsin. Years earlier, their infant son died, creating a quiet crisis of faith for Lyle. Life went on, and soon he and Peg adopted a daughter, Shiloh, who left home as soon as she could. She’s back now, with a five year old son, Isaac. Lyle and Peg dote on the boy and have settled into a comfortable routine with him and his mother.However, Shiloh becomes infatuated with the leader of an almost cultish church in nearby La Crosse. Her parents worry about her, and particularly about Isaac, whom they think Shiloh’s boyfriend is using for his own purposes. The book is beautifully written and the characters dealing with issues of faith, doubt, and family seem like people you might know. book cover

This event will be next door, in the atrium at Bella Caffé. Join us as we welcome Nick to Park Rapids and hear about Little Faith.

The book will be released March 5, and we’ll have copies in the store then.

New Releases

You’d think Christmas is in March this year, if you were judging by the great books which will be released this month.
In addition to Little Faith, we’re looking forward to:

On the Bright Side: The New Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen,
85 Years Old
Hendrik Groen

In this follow up to The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen, Hendrik is back with observations of life in an old people’s home that are as humorous, charming, and poignant as the first book. The book releases on March 19.

Holy Envy: Finding God in the Faith of Others
Barbara Brown Taylor

After Taylor, an Episcopalian priest, left ministry in the local parish, she taught a course on World Religions for a number of years at Piedmont College. She reflects on that experience, and the way she and her students grew as a result of it. Taylor’s other books include Learning to Walk in the Dark and Altars in the World. Holy Envy will be released on March 12.

February Bestsellers

Onigamiising: Seasons of an Ojibwe Year Linda LeGarde Grover A staff pick!	The Alice Network Kate Quinn	The Girl in Building C Mary Krugerud A staff pick!	Not a Sound Heather Gudenkauf	Educated Tara Westover A staff pick!	Killers of the Flower Moon David Grann


The Immortalists Chloe Benjamin	Give a Girl a Knife Amy Thielen	Orphan Island Laurel Snyder	Voices in the Stones Kent Nerburn	Birds of Minnesota Stan Tekiela	All the Wild Hungers Karen Babine

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Midwest Connection Picks

The Raven Tower
Ann Leckie

For centuries, the kingdom of Iraden has flourished, protected under the watchful eye of the god known as the Raven. But now, the power of the Raven is weakening. A usurper has claimed the throne. The kingdom’s borders are tested by invaders, god and human alike. And as the unrest deepens, the darkest secret of the Raven’s tower slowly comes to light, threatening to destroy Iraden forever.

Northern Lights
Raymond Strom

Shane Stephenson has come to the remote town of Holm, Minnesota, looking for his mother. Holm is divided between a group holding white pride rallies just outside town and young misfits and drug users who adopt Shane as their own. As Shane seeks connection in their dysfunctional company, his androgyny draws the enmity of the bigoted Sven Svenson.

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Finding Dorothy
Elizabeth Letts

This richly imagined novel tells the story behind The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the book that inspired the iconic film, through the eyes of author L. Frank Baum’s intrepid wife, Maud.

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Nothing Is Scary with Harry
Katie McElligott

Nothing Is Scary With Harry is a story about a girl, her blankie, and the value of comfort. The story follows Katie throughout her childhood as she overcomes various “scary scenarios” with the help of her friend Harry the blanket. Through Katie’s connection to Harry, Katie’s mother learns that “lovies” are like best friends, and have no expiration date. “Life can be scary, so how can it be wrong to hold tight to something that makes you feel strong?”

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Page One Staff Picks Youth Yak Book Groups News

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