When I post a photograph of a table of new books in my shop, with other tables and shelves in the background showing more books (new and used), beautiful notecards, and cool Michigan jigsaw puzzles, and my caption for the photo reads, “The gifts you need to find are here,” I’m not kidding. Be more specific? Okay, I can do that, too.
Robin Kimmerer’s third book, Serviceberry, is THE book of the season, bar none. If you loved Braiding Sweetgrass and Gathering Moss, you will love Serviceberry.
Readers in Michigan and around the world have fallen in love with Bonnie Jo Campbell’s latest novel, The Waters, a luxuriously immersive reading experience, out in paper in time for the holidays.
James, by Percival Everett, the well-known Huckleberry Finn story told by Jim, the man who ran away from slavery, is on everyone’s lists for best books of 2024. (I love these reworkings of familiar novels, with the “same” events seen through another’s eyes. Sarah Shoemaker’s Mr. Rochester and Jo Baker’s Longbourn are other novels that give us new perspectives on old classics.) Other novels big novels of the year include Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner and Tom Lake by Ann Patchett, the latter set in Traverse City’s cherry-growing country.
North Woods, by Daniel Mason, one of my stepdaughter’s favorites this year, is a book I may give myself as a gift. It is the story of a house through successive owners, which must be more exciting than that capsule summary makes it sound, because my stepdaughter said when she finished the last page, she was ready to turn back to the beginning and start reading it again immediately.
Poetry! How about poetry by Jim Harrison, Fleda Brown, John Kropf, Michael Delp, and others, and also some new, tempting collections? You Are Here: Poetry in the Natural World, edited and introduced by Ada Limon; Dog Songs, by Mary Oliver; and Eat the World, by Marina Diamandis, all invite you to take the plunge. Another book of poems, entitled The Smell of Wet Dogs (see top image again) is one for the whole family to enjoy together.
The foregoing are only a very few selections from my new book section, with lots, lots more available in the shop. Also, as you know, used books here range from signed first editions and matched sets of beautifully bound volumes to all manner of surprises in a wide variety of categories. (Hint: If you aren’t sure what your friend or family member would choose, a gift certificate is a good idea for locals or regular Northport visitors.)
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| You can't go wrong with Jerry Dennis |
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| or signed Jim Harrison |
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| or classic Dickens tin beautiful bindings. |
Also, whether you are a year-round local or far from northern Michigan in winter, remember you can follow me not only on this blog (where I don’t post as often as I should), but also on Books in Northport, my discursive, free-form blog that covers books and a whole lot more.
Thank you for visiting today!
