Books for Blizzards

Blizzard? Time for a Good Book

Each of these books would make a good gift for the right person, but the True North Cabin Cookbook would also be the perfect north woods host or hostess gift. The appetizing assortment of delicious yet approachable recipes were inspired by the author’s time at her family cabin on Burntside Lake. From snacks to desserts, to main courses and cocktails, she covers it all. Recipes are accompanied by personal, nostalgic stories and mouth-watering photographs. Ingredients for the dishes are readily sourced from any local grocery store or foraged throughout the seasons. It's the perfect addition to any northern foodie's cookbook collection.

Perhaps you recall the old Bell Museum with its classic Jaques dioramas. But were you ever curious about how exactly those dioramas were created? That fascinating story is just one of the aspects of Minnesota’s premier natural history institution detailed in this thorough, richly-illustrated book. Reading this would be the equivalent of completing the course material for a master’s degree in Natural History with a focus on Minnesota. Research projects, collections, interpretative efforts and the personalities behind them fill the pages. A whole section is devoted to a tour of the new museum, opened in 2018, and includes photos and explanations of how the dioramas, some 70 year old, were restored to their original or even better condition.

Enjoy Canoe Country all year with The Boundary Waters Calendar!

$13.95 at your favorite stores, by mail, phone, or online

+ $5 per shipping address for one, $10 for 2 or more. MN delivery add 6.875% sales tax.

PO Box 188, Ely, MN 55731 • 218-365-3375 • www.RavenWordsPress.com 62 The Ely Winter Times

For the person interested in Minnesota history, Scandinavian culture, skiing, or all three, Winter’s Children will provide many pleasureable hours of browsing old photos and gleaning trivia facts to impress skiing friends. Laced with humor–one chapter is titled “Yump, Ole, Yump!”–the text is entertaining as well as informative. The author apologizes for skewing his focus to Minnesota, but acknowledges that our state has more Nordic skiers and ski races than any other in the Midwest. When you’re ready for a good story, but still cozying up to the skiing theme, try The Ski Jumpers. In spite of the title, this novel illuminates complex male relationships more than life as a ski jumper. Fathers, brothers, uncles, and friends–by choice or necessity–hate and love, fight and support, abandon and cling, and finally, towards the ends of their lives, accept one another and find some peace in a deeper understanding than the good/bad dichotomy they learned at a young age. A gangster mentality alternates with the outlook a bad diagnosis brings and a more ordinary perspective on life, creating a tension that moves the plot along. This book invites you to spend a snowbound weekend with bits of Minnesota ski history, nostalgic descriptions of life on the North Shore, and Geyes’ unique style that gives the reader the sensation in the pit of their stomach created by standing atop a 300’ tower, the thrill of jumping, and the exhilaration of flying–without the risk of actually trying this daunting sport.

Whether you daydream about your own big paddling trip or just like to read about someone else’s, you’ll find excitement in these two books by local photographer, author, and Ely Echo columnist, Ken Hupila. Singing Waters recounts his trip on the Albany River to Hudson Bay. Written journalstyle, it is packed with useful tips scattered among the fishing successes, rapids-running, and daily camp life. Reading Shore Lunch is like listening to stories told by your best friend who’s had a 40-year career as a top-notch guide for Boundary Waters fishing trips. Some stories are about the clients, some about the guide, and a few are largely philosophical musings. Ken’s remarkable photographs deliver the reader’s imagination to the settings in all their scenic wild beauty or stunning-sunset glory. All the chapters are short, making for a good read when you just have a couple minutes, but they leave readers wanting more, making the potential for a “just-onemore” late night binge.

Walleye, A Beautiful Fish of the

Dark, has less to do with putting a meal of tasty fillets on your dinner plate and more to do with the living fish. What do they do all day? How do they grow? Why do their eyes look like that? And perhaps most intriguing, how can the walleye population be managed for sustainability, and how can we know that? This is a plain book; its purpose is to provide information on the history and current status of Minnesota’s favorite game fish.

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Explore the wisdom of the woods with Forest School for Grown Ups, a celebration of all things outdoors. Taking inspiration from the popular northern European programs for children, this book is a treasure trove of skills that any wilderness enthusiast would benefit from. Learn about edible vegetation, find your way by reading the stars, or hone your fire-building skills. Brush up on your nature facts or craft with natural materials. Its beautiful cover looks great on your coffee table or bookshelf, too!

Staci Drouillard had Seven Aunts with seven distinct backgrounds, personalities, and ways of dealing with their life as it came along. But they all had strengths to tap into for themselves or one another when the going got tough. And they all had the courage to do what needed to be done so that the next generation could have lives that mattered to their world. Sad, angry, funny, touching–the book elicits all these feelings with its stories, but mostly it inspires respect for all aunts.

Time for the books for kids. In the middle-grade novel Controlled Burn by Erin Soderberg Downing, 12-yearold Maia is sent to stay with her grandparents following a fire that destroys her family's home and severely injures her younger sister. While her parents are focusing on her sister's recovery, Maia has her own fears and anxieties to contend with.

The Ely Winter Times

Summer in rural Thistledew, Minnesota is a far cry from her home in Chicago, but Maia adapts as she befriends a young neighbor and accompanies Grandpa Howard to his lookout post at the fire tower. Their adventures lead to familiar "End of the Road" locales such as Lake Vermilion and the Hegman Lake Pictographs. This is a quick fun read for adults, too

Mashkiki means traditional medicine in the Anishinaabe language. When Grandma runs out of her sage and cedar, the grandkids rush to help her find more on the Mashkiki Road. There they meet Makwa, bear, who teaches them about having the courage to do what is right–the first of seven Grandfather Teachings. Along the road, gathering the herbs Grandmother needs, they take away much more from the wisdom of the animals. Sounds heavy–but these are light, whimsical stories made more fun by the cheerful illustrations.

The perfect companion to One Summer Up North, One Winter Up North focuses on the fun of winter travel by dogsled and the special experiences of winter camping. Beware: you should be prepared to manage the reader’s persistent requests to go on a winter adventure of their own. Of course, there are lots of ways to do that in Ely, even for little kids and totally inexperienced adults. The endearing illustrations detail the the spirited child’s delight in the crisp winter sunshine, the sparkling snow and stars, the distant eerie sound of a wolf pack, the furry enthusiasm of sled dogs, and the frigid stillness of the forest. How about giving this book plus a half-day trip with Chilly Dogs to your favorite children this Christmas?

Chapman Street Books Prairie Fire Tobacco

Quality used books on all subjects, including many with local interest. Bring yours in for a discount. Big free box. Home to Prairie Fire Tobacco, with imported and domestic blends. 139 E. Chapman St. 218-365-2212