CRYSTAL FALLS, Mich. (WZMQ) – The Upper Peninsula Publishers and Authors Association, or UPPAA, announced its 4th annual U.P. Notable books list for this year.
The Crystal Falls District Community Library Director, Evelyn Gathu commented that while its still important for the community to shop local, reading local can be just as valuable.
“Reading local is just as important, because these authors are just great assets to the community. They give us so much history and so much feedback about this wonderful place that we live. It’s just great that we now have our own list of notable books every year, there’s ten that are selected every year,” Gathu remarked.
She shared that the Crystal Falls District Community Library has been hosting a digital book club via zoom every second Thursday of the month to feature a local U.P. author. The group meets at 6:00 pm central, or 7:00 pm eastern time. Gathu added that people from all around the U.P. and even all around the country join in on the zoom meetings to chat with and support these local authors. Anywhere from 12-56 households join in at a time.
This year’s notable books on the UPPA Notable Books list are:
- The Big Island; a Story of Isle Royale – Julian May and John Schoenherr (UMN Press reprints, 2022)
- North of Nelson: Stories of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula – Hilton Everett Moore (Silver Mountain Press, 2022)
- We Kept Our Towns Going: The Gossard Girls of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula – Phyllis Michael Wong (MSU Press, 2022)
- Dissecting Anatomy of a Murder – Eugene Milhizer (Ave Maria School of Law Press, 2019)
- Shipwrecked and Rescued, Cars and Crew: The City of Bangor – Larry Jorgensen (Fresh Ink Group, 2022)
- Dorothy is Moving Mountains, a True Story – Dorothy Paad and Matthew Forgrave (DEPBooks 2022)
- The Biting Cold – Matthew Hellman (Beacon Publishing Group, 2022)
- Superior Voyage anthology – Marquette Poet’s Circle, Ed. by Rick Rastall (self-published, 2022)
- Empire Mine – Cascade Range: Michigan’s Largest Iron Mine – Allan Koski (self-published, 2022)
- Cady and the Birchbark Box: A Cady Whirlwind Thunder Mystery – Ann Dallman (Modern History Press)
This year’s U.P. Notable Classics are:
- Bloodstoppers and Bearwalkers: Folk Traditions of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula by Richard M, Dorson (University of Wisconsin Press, 2008)
2. Ice Hunter: a Woods Cop Mystery by Joseph Heywood (2nd Ed; Lyons Press, 2008)
The book club is in parntership with UPPAA out of Marquette, and is named the U.P. Notable Books Book Club. Gathu said that anyone is welcome to join in those digital meetings. Gathu shared the library’s most recent U.P. author feature.
“Tonight we have Terri Martin, and she wrote the Home Wind, which is an excellent book for young adults, but I mean I’m an adult and I really enjoyed it. So it’s all about a logging camp years ago, and it’s got a lot of action and adventure,” Gathu responded. The book is regarded as being for ages 9 and up.
“There’s just a wide range, you get everything from kids books to adults books. Non-fiction, and fiction. They do a good job every year of putting together the list. Then that’s when I step in and try to get the authors to come and talk to us about their work,” expressed Gathu.
The zoom address to chat with local authors for the monthly book club is available at the Crystal Falls District Community Library’s website: https://crystalfallslibrary.org/
