Tag Archives: Minnesota

Episode 415: Minnesota ⛄

Welcome, everyone, to our final episode of Season Four of Reading With Libraries! This snowy Thursday is the perfect day to discuss books by Minnesota authors. ❄😊❄

Check out our full show notes page here. We have books, resources, and beverages waiting there for you.

It has been so great to read with you for these fifteen weeks – we just can’t bear for our book fun to end. So while we are on hiatus you will get a Book Bite each week. This is a quickie five-minute sharing of a book by one of our Guests. We have been producing these for a while now, so you can browse our entire archive on our website.

This week we are discussing a favorite topic: Minnesota books! We will look at book set in Minnesota, and books by Minnesota authors. This is always our season finale topic, because we know there are 10,000 lakes here and at least as many good stories!

Who is joining us today? We are welcoming a new Guest Host to be our Minnesota book expert: Wendy Sykes, from the Great River Public Library system!

This is our last episode of the season, but never fear: Tuesday we will start dropping quickie book podcast into this spot on a weekly basis!

We Heart MN: State Fair books

In this series, we’ll pick some of our favorite things about Minnesota and share some related book suggestions. (We’re open to your suggestions! Comment below or email us and tell us some of your favorite MN things!) 

Favorite Thing: The MN State Fair!
Didn’t make it to the Great MN Get-Together this year, or already looking forward to next year? Read on:

Minnesota State Fair: An Illustrated History by Kathryn Strand Koutsky “State fairs are cornerstones of the American tradition, and few are as beloved as the Minnesota State Fair. Since 1854, Minnesota has reveled in promoting the rich bounty of its land and the magnificent talents of its citizens. From the legendary horse Dan Patch, whose record-breaking races kept the country on the edge of its seat, to Teddy Roosevelt’s famous grandstand speech suggesting that America should “speak softly and carry a big stick,” and from the invention of mini donuts to the discovery of batter-fried cheese curds, the Minnesota State Fair has captured the imagination—and the taste buds—of the entire nation.”

Fair foods : the most popular and offbeat recipes from America’s state & county fairs by George Geary This book is “packed with 120 original recipes created by award-winning chef, best-selling author, and renowned educator George Geary, Each page in Fair Foods is lavishly illustrated with both vintage and contemporary photographs of America’s most beloved fair foods, as well as fun and lively images of rides and attractions and nostalgic ephemera. Fair Foods is not only mouthwateringly addictive, it also captures the joy and spirit of America’s greatest state and county fairs.”

Minnesota State Fair: Deep Fried Thoughts on Cheese Curds, Carnies, and The Human Condition by Ben Nesvig
The author “shares his stream of consciousness journey at the Minnesota State Fair with readers as he explores everything from deep fried cookie dough, the thrill of a giant yellow slide, and ultimately, what prompts Minnesotans to make the greasy pilgrimage.”

 

 

 

Guest Post for CMLE Reads Across Minnesota: Onigamiising: Seasons of an Ojibwe Year

Minnesota is the land of 10,000 lakes, and it also has many interesting books. In this series, we are sharing some of the books we like from Minnesota, or Minnesota authors.

We are mapping our literary journey around Minnesota, so you can see all the interesting places where our books are set. Follow our progress on our Google Map, accessible by clicking that link or searching for the title CMLE Reads Across Minnesota!

This is a guest post from CMLE member Violet Fox. Want to write a book review for us? Let us know

As a relative newcomer to Minnesota I’ve been making a concerted effort to learn more about this state, especially the unique cultures that have shaped the state’s history. Onigamiising: Seasons of an Ojibwe Year, is an enjoyable read focusing on the experiences of author Linda LeGarde Grover, member of the Bois Forte Band of Ojibwe and professor of American Indian studies at the University of Minnesota Duluth. In this book of essays Grover shares stories from her life, finding beauty in everyday life and illustrating her strong spirituality and love for the people in her community.

Onigamiising (pronounced, approximately, AH-nih-gum-AY-sing) is the Ojibwe word for Duluth, meaning “the place of the small portage.” In Grover’s reflections there is a sense of loss of the traditional ways of living that the Ojibwe practiced for hundreds of years in the area before colonization. Grover’s background as an educator gives even further weight to the grief that she shares when discussing the disastrous effects of the boarding schools, where American Indian children were sent by the federal government to attend subpar schools and intentionally be separated from their families and their cultural heritage. But this heartbreak is deftly balanced by an expansive gratitude for the natural world and especially the long-held spiritual and cultural values that are shared by the Ojibwe people.

From the publisher’s description: “In fifty short essays, Grover reflects on the spiritual beliefs and everyday practices that carry the Ojibwe through the year and connect them to this northern land of rugged splendor. As the four seasons unfold—from Ziigwan (Spring) through Niibin and Dagwaagin to the silent, snowy promise of Biboon—the award-winning author writes eloquently of the landscape and the weather, work and play, ceremony and tradition and family ways, from the homey moments shared over meals to the celebrations that mark life’s great events. Now a grandmother, a Nokomis, beginning the fourth season of her life, Grover draws on a wealth of stories and knowledge accumulated over the years to evoke the Ojibwe experience of Onigamiising, past and present, for all time.”

Many of these essays have been previously published in various places. I found the book best enjoyed by reading just one or two essays at a time, with time to reflect on the lessons in each story. Check out one of Grover’s essays online, “Passing on the Ojibwe language,” and then pick up Onigamiising: Seasons of an Ojibwe Year to savor the wisdom and lyricism of her stories.

MALF Invites Applications For Two Major ‘Friends’ Awards

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“The Minnesota Association of Library Friends invites your applications for the 2017 cycles of our two most popular Friends of the Library awards.

First up is our flagship prize, the Evy Nordley Award for Best Project.

Minnesota libraries treasure Friends of the Library groups not only for the financial support they provide, but for the original ideas and innovative projects they generate on behalf of the library and its goals. MALF recognizes this fact each year with the Evy Nordley program.

Continue reading MALF Invites Applications For Two Major ‘Friends’ Awards

RART Retreat April 1: Embracing Romance


The RART Retreat is back! Register by March 28 and join us on April 1, 10:00-3:00, to discuss readers’ advisory for romance fiction and related genres and enjoy a talk by best-selling paranormal romance author MaryJanice Davidson. Cost is $25 for MLA members and $30 for non-members and includes breakfast and lunch.

Location:

Inver Glen Branch, Dakota County Library
8098 Blaine Ave.
Inver Grove Heights, MN 55076
(651) 554-6840

Schedule at a glance:

10:00 – 10:30  Registration
10:30 – 11:00  Ice Breaker and Introductions
11:00 – 12:00  MaryJanice Davidson
12:00 – 12:30  Lunch
12:30 – 1:30    Romance Panel Discussion
1:30 – 1:45     Break
1:45 – 2:45     Diversity and the Romance Genre
2:45 – 3:00     Wrap up

(Note from Mary: I really like MaryJanice Davidson’s books! If you like fun, fluffy, with a swig of vampires/mermaids/werewolves, that take place in Minnesota – these are the books for you!)