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Newsletter  Archives

Thanks! Summer is a busy and fun time in the stores. There’s the bustle of activities, and also the opportunity to see people who are in the area for the summer. We value our customers, and appreciate your business. We know you can buy books in a variety of places, and are grateful that you choose to shop with us. Our mission is to continue to provide you with the best customer service possible. Thanks for your patronage, and your friendship. Taste of Dorset 11:00 to 3:00, August 4 Dorset is THE place to be the first Sunday in August for our annual festival with a small town feel! There will be lots of food, with restaurants setting up serving stations outside, offering small portions (tastes.) Many will have special items not ordinarily on their menus. It's also possible to go in and be served inside the restaurants. Most businesses will offer some sort of food. It's a family friendly event—lots of games for kids, wagon rides, a horse-mounted posse, and music on the streets. This year we're adding a mayor's parade, starting at 12:30, and followed by Mayor Bobby Tufts pulling the name of the new mayor out of a hat. At Sister Wolf, we're hosting signings by five authors: 11:00 to 1:00 Peter Geye The Lighthouse Road Safe from the Sea   Jess Lourey The Mystery by the Month series 1:00 to 3:00 Carolyn Boehlke Chasing the Moon   Scott Carpenter Theory of Remainders   Jeanne Cooney Hot Dish Heaven We'll be selling smoothies in front and our coffee bar will be humming. In addition, Bob Wills (co-owner of the bookstores and a faculty member at the University of North Dakota) is bringing the Power On team from UND to our lawn, where they will be ready to engage children in fun science experiments. Shuttle service will be available along highway 226. Join us for the fun! Two Events with William Kent Krueger on August 22! The latest Cork O’Connor mystery, Tamarack County, will be released on August 20 (and may be pre-ordered at either store.) Author William Kent Krueger will be signing his books at Beagle on August 22, 3:30 to 4:30. We’re hosting an event at the Y Steak House at 5:30 that day, featuring a talk by Krueger. Tickets are $30, and include supper, a non-alcoholic drink, and gratuity. (Cash bar will be available.) Tickets are available at both stores. It’s a great chance to spend an evening with a favorite Minnesota author! Big Winners in July First came the delicious pies that won the annual July 4th contest: Double Crust 1st place with Caramel Apple—Mark Bridge 2nd place with Cranberry Cherry—Maddie Spalding Juvenile Division 1st place with American Silk Pie—Zach Frank & Cooper Swift 2nd place with Strawberry Chiffon Pie with Chocolate Crust—Katie Laxson Single Crust 1st place with Pecan Buttercup Squash—Gail Gruis 2nd place with Strawberry Mousse—Treana Fietek Cream/Custard 1st place with Raspberry Lemonade—Jill Tate 2nd place with Chocolate Banana Cream—Lilly Tate BEST IN SHOW JILL TATE WITH RASPBERRY LEMONADE! And one last winner: the Park Rapids Library received $960! And then Waldo was found...and found...and found... The Waldo finder who won the Grand Prize? Julia Harmon! Fortunately she brought a lot of family who helped her carry out two baskets and two brown bags FULL of great stuff from the merchants in Park Rapids! BestSellers in July Beagle Books     Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline         Sister Wolf Books     Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline           Lighthouse Road by Peter Geye       The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe           Notes from Hannah Revisiting the World of Grown-Up Books I’ve been reading mostly Young Adult books for years now. I love them, blog about them, and gush about them any chance I get. Now, I’m working with adult books and I’ve had to shift my reading habits slightly. I’ve always thrown in the adult book here and there, and made it a point to read some of the Sister Wolf Book Group picks—because I know those tend to be amazing–but it’s been a long time since I’ve gotten excited about grown-up books.  In fact, when I do pick up adult books, I tend to find them a little bleak (mostly because of the stage I’m at in my life—it’s scary to think some of the central conflicts in these books are what I have to look forward to.) But this week we had sales conference, which is basically where we all go and hear about the different publisher’s lists for the next season and talk about how to package upcoming books—and I have to say, for the first time in years, I am excited about adult books! I’m even thinking of putting aside my Young Adult reading pile and working my way through all the awesome adult books I heard about! So, I’m off to make my way through thrillers, essays, and literary fiction.  I’ll let you know how it goes. Midwest Connections for August Books or authors of particular interest to our region Beautifully Unique Sparkleponies by Chris Kluwe With Beautifully Unique Sparkleponies, Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe (now with the Oakland Raiders) presents a hilarious and uncensored take on society's ills. Kluwe's style and persona appeal to a wide range of demographics—male and female, young and old. Kluwe has been, from a young age, a ferocious competitor and book-lover. With this book, he has also established himself as a talented writer in his own right. The Sixteenth Rail: The Evidence, the Scientist, and the Lindbergh Kidnapping by Adam J. Schrager In The Sixteenth Rail, Adam J. Schrager's new true-crime expose about the Lindbergh kidnapping, readers will discover that before CSI and NCIS, there was a mild-mannered forensic scientist whose diligence would help solve the twentieth century's greatest crime. Arthur Koehler was called the Sherlock Holmes of his era for his work tracing the ladder used to kidnap Charles Lindbergh's son to the culprit. The subject of an upcoming Smithsonian Channel show, this is a gripping tale of science and true crime. The Butterfly Sister by Amy Gail Hansen Hansen's new novel is an entertaining mystery that digs into the nature of friendship, womanhood, and sanity. Consumed by the mystery of her missing college roommate Beth and obsessed with Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own, 22-year-old Ruby sets out to uncover the truth, not only about Beth's past but also her own. In doing so, Ruby is forced to reexamine the people from her past: the professor who whisked her away to New Orleans and then shattered her heart and the ghosts of dead women writers who beckoned her to join their illustrious group. And when Ruby's storyline converges with Beth's in a way she never imagined, she returns to the one place she swore she never would: her alma mater.