Regional Interest

Leelanau Books highlights many Michigan authors, both fiction and non-fiction titles, as well as a large array of local and regional interest books. Some authors of local interest include John Mitchell, Jerry Dennis, Ken Scott, Aaron Stander, Jim Harrison, Kathleen Stocking, Deborah Wyatt Fellows, Mardi Link, Robert Underhill, Bill Crandell, just to name a few. 

 Books of interest about Michigan include titles dealing with the Great Lakes, shipwrecks and lighthouses, Michigan's Upper Peninsula & books with photography and text that highlight the beauty of our state.

*Fishtown: Leland Michigan's Historic Fishery, by Laurie Kay Sommers debuted this summer and has been a wonderful addition to local history information.  It has many old Fishtown photos and is a very well-researched and authorative text on the history of Fishtown.  This book will make a beautiful gift for anyone interested Historic Fishtown of Leland Michigan.  A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this book benefits Fishtown Preservation. 

*A new book of photographs called Beautiful Sleeping Bear Dunes hit the shelves this summer.  Presented by MyNorth Media, this book "brings this landscape of dunes, water and woods to life.  It makes a wonderful souvenir to keep our area on your mind throughout the year. 

*Neil Walling, part time northern Michigan resident has published 2 books of paintings featuring our beautiful county.  The first, a book of paintings, photographs and text is called Leelanau: The Road Less Traveled-A Painter/Photographer's View of Leelanau County.  The second book, Michigan Portfolio: An Artist's View of Leelanau County is a collection of watercolor and oil paintings  all done outside on site.  Both books are lovely and represent the beauty of Leelanau County.

*Former Leelanau County resident Maggie van Galen has written a children's book titled The Adventures of Keeno and Ernest "The Banana Tree", a story that teaches two valuable lessons about friendship and following family rules. Maggie grew up here in northern Michigan and now lives on the North Shore of Massachusetts

*We carry The Best of the Back Pages, 2013, a calendar featuring Leelanau County photographs by Ken Scott, published by the Leelanau Enterprise.  We also have a new local calendar for sale this year-Nature Sceens~Leelanau~2013.

*A few cookbooks of local interest are Michigan's Guide to Local Cooking by Susan Clemente and Pure Michigan: Eating Fresh and Local in the Great Lakes State.  Tasting and Touring Michigan's Homegrown Food: A Culinary Roadtrip is a new addition to our cookbook collection.

*We carry  the Barn House Puzzles, jigsaw puzzles, each with over 500 pieces.  These puzzles are a product of Traverse City and picture many local and recognizable photos of our area.  PuzzlesThatRock is another line that we sell-these puzzles feature petoskey stones in interesting 'up north' pictures.   

*Local author John C. Mitchell's book Grand Traverse: The Civil War Era continues to be a popular title.  John not only received the 2011 Michigan Historical Society State History Award for this book, but more recently the 2012 Independent Publisher Book Award-Best Non-Fiction: Great Lakes, Silver.  John is also the author of Wood Boats of Leelanau and several children's Michigan history books.

*Loreen Niewenhuis's book titled A 1000~Mile Walk on the Beach: One Woman's Trek of the Perimeter of Lake Michigan is still selling well.  Loreen writes "It was a journey that challenged and changed me.  I had a second grand adventure by writing...and chronicling my year with Lake Michigan."  She began her latest adventure this year with another journey that takes her along the shoreline of all five great lakes.  Watch for the book about this latest adventure early in 2013, A 1000-Mile Great Lakes Walk.

*We carry local author Aaron Stander's books. His newest is titled The Cruelest Month and is on our shelves.  Aaron's other titles are Summer People, Color Tour, Deer Season,  Shelf Ice and Medieval Murders.  All are murder mysteries set in northern Michigan and feature the main character Sheriff Ray Elkins.

*Robert Wangard, author of an up-north murder mystery Target has written a sequel titled Malice, another Pete Thorsen mystery.  We also have Bob's second  book titled Hard Water Blues.

*Steve Hamilton's latest UP mystery is titled Die A Stranger and is another Alex McKnight novel.  Bryan Gruely, author of Starvation Lake and The Hanging Tree has written a third northern Michigan mystery titled Skeleton Box.  Red Jacket: A Lute Bapcat Mystery begins a new series for Joseph Heywood.  The main character, Lute Bapcat is a "former cowboy,Rough Rider, beaver trapper and a man who, in 1913 is hand-picked by Theodore Roosevelt himself to become one of Michigan's first civil service game wardens.  His territory: the Keweenaw Peninsula."

*Chef Jim Voltz has a trio of cookbooks, the latest of which is titled Hors d'oeuvres on the Porch.  The two previous books are Brunch on the Porch and Dinner on the Porch.  All include delicious sounding recipes and suggested menus to complement them.

*Local author Robert Underhill's most recent murder mystery is titled Once Dead, Long Dead. "It all started innocently enough, just a simple hike in the National Forest. Under the circumstances, Kerry probably shouldn't have gone-but now it was too late." Bob is also the author of several other mysteries, including Strawberry Moon, Cathead Bay, Death of the Mystery Novel, and Providence Times Three. 

*Traverse City author Elizabeth Kane Buzzelli has written four Emily Kincaid Mysteries titled Dead Sleeping Shaman, Dead Dancing Women,  Dead Floating Lovers  and her newest, Dead Dogs and Englishmen.  These mysteries take place in northern Michigan and are all available here at Leelanau books.

*Mardi Link's true crime book Isadore's Secret: Sin, Murder and Confession in a Northern Michigan Town continues to be a popular book and is "A gripping account of the mysterious 1907 disappearance of a young nun in a northern Michigan town and the national controversy that followed when she turned up dead and buried in the basement of her own church."  This is Mardi's second true crime account, the first of which is When Evil Came to Good Hart.

*Local resident Bill Crandell's Fishtown: Stories of Historic Fishtown, Lake Michigan and the People of Leelanau County , a collection of stories "that tell of the essence of both Fishtown and Leelanau County"  remains a popular little book and is available here.

*Local author and winner of the Newbery Award (for her book Criss Cross), Lynne Rae Perkins, has written another book for children.  As Easy as Falling Off the Face of the Earth is a story about a teenage boy who "encounters one comedic calamity after another when his train strands him in the middle of nowhere and everything comes down to luck."  and is available in paperback .  Lynne's latest project is illustrating a children's book by Esme Raji Codell, Seed by Seed: The Legend and Legacy of John "Appleseed" Chapman.

*Another new children's book to us this summer was Chickadees at Night , written by Bill O. Smith and illustrated by Charles R. Murphy.  Bill tells the story addressing the question "Where do chickadees go at night?"  Bill is a former elementary school principal and currently lives among the chickadees of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Empire, Michigan.

*We carry some local music CD's. If you enjoy easy-listening music featuring well known classic songs, old standards and more, local piano artist Rick Lahmann has a variety of choices for your listening pleasure.  Harry Goldson's Jazz Ensemble offers a great selection of CD's which will please all jazz enthusiasts.  His music has renditions from the big band era to present.  Local Traverse City musician James Filkins has produced a CD with beautiful, soothing, easy listening acoustic guitar music called Summer Sands & Sleeping Bear.  Filkins's first CD is titled Borderline Normal and is also available at Leelanau Books.

*We also carry the Dunes Review-Literary Journal.  This publication is printed twice a year and contains original poetry, short fiction and essays, much of which is by regional writers. We carry the current edition, as well as many back issues.

If you have an interest in any of these publications or wish to inquire about any other books, please call or email us.

Check our Events and News page for upcoming local author book signings, new arrivals and book suggestions from our staff. Email or call us with questions or requests.