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.

Some of the Michigan children's and young adult authors on the scene are Lynne Rae Perkins, Tobin Sprout, Gloria Whelan, Shari Yost Binstadt, Carl Sams, Robbyn and Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen, Dana Lehman, Sonja Richards, Barry Marsh, Hillary Porter and Jennifer Charron Ward.

 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.

*We carry The Best of the Back Pages, 2012 , a calendar featuring Leelanau County photographs by Ken Scott, published by the Leelanau Enterprise.  We also have the Pure Michigan 2012 calendar with photos taken throughout our beautiful state.

*Two recent 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.

*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.  Another featured puzzle would be a 1,000 piece puzzle from Pure Michigan depicting a Lake Michigan beach scene in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park.

 *Local author John C. Mitchell's newest book is titled Grand Traverse: The Civil War Era. This book was published on June of 2011, and is our top selling book for 2011. John is also the author of Wood Boats of Leelanau and several children's Michigan history books.

*Another local Civil War related book is called Echoes of Distant Thunder written by Frank Slaughter. This novel is a "compelling historical drama vividly portraying Michigan's rich history, landscape and participation in the Civil War."

*Loreen Niewenhuis has written about her recent journey in a book titled A 1000~Mile Walk on the Beach: One Woman's Trek of the Perimeter of Lake Michigan.  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."

*We carry local author Aaron Stander's books. His newest is titled Medieval Murders which will be available in the very near future.  Aaron's other titles are Summer People, Color Tour, Deer Season & Shelf Ice.  All are murder mysteries set in northern Michigan and feature the main character Sheriff Ray Elkins.

*Leland's own Jim Carpenter has written a book of short stories which "reflect aspects of Carpenter's world growing up in the Midwest".  The book is titled Surviving My Happy Childhood.  These stories inject humor and charm into a very fun and readable collection of fiction which take place from childhood years to adulthood.

*In the Shadow of the Bear: A Michigan Memoir is  written by Jim McGavran.  The book "chronicles the author's return, after a forty-year absence, to the site of his childhood summer vacations at Little Glen Lake in northwestern Michigan's Leelanau Peninsula."

*Robert Wangard, author of last year's murder mystery Target has written his second  book titled Hard Water Blues.

* M. Christine Byron & Thomas R. Wilson have just come out with a new book titled Vintage Views Along the West Michigan Pike: From Sand Trails to US-31.  They are the authors of 3 previous books, the most popular in our area being Vintage Views of Leelanau County.

*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.

*Donald Lystra's Season of Water and Ice , winner of the Midwest Book Award in 2010 is a novel which has both young adult and adult appeal. It has been named a Michigan Notable Book. The story takes place in "1957 in rural northern Michigan" and is "the story of a pivitol few months in the life of a young teen, Danny DeWitt, who lives alone with his father following the sudden departure of his mother." The author divides his time between Ann Arbor and a farm here in northern Michigan.

*Traverse City author Elizabeth Kane Buzzelli has written three 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  has been reprinted and is again available for purchase.

*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."  It will be available in paperback in April of 2012.

*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.

*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.

* Exposures 2011 is available.  This is the  23nd issue of Exposures.  This journal  is "an impressive community showcase for the talents, hard work and creativity of our youth", with submissions included from Leelanau County schools.  We have Exposures in stock, and you can pick up your copy for $5.

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.