Books~ Minnesota Writers

WE HAVE HAND SIGNED BOOKS FROM MOST OF OUR FEATURED MINNESOTA AUTHORS


Price - $18.95	A Mirthful Spirit Written by: Mary Humthey & Edina Thayer An awesome book and wonderful self-help resource for people in there journey through lif. The authors are highly respected learners and scholars of mirth and laughter. They speak with a tone of warmth, engagement and explanation as they capture and convey the preciousness of a mirthful spirit and laughter in overall wellness. Simply reading this book is not enought. Readers, we beckoned to put its lessons into action for enhancing wellness and happiness. Kaye A. Herth. Ph.d., R.N., F.A.A.N.
Price - $ 23.99	A Shiver Runs Through It
Price - $15.99	A Granny’s Heart Written by: Melisaa Henderson Illustrated by: Paul Reety A Granny’s Heart is an adorable heartwarming story that reflects the deep love grannies have for their grandchildren. Though grannies may differ in shape, size, color and culture, they all share one thing in common: an abundant love in their hearts for their grandchildren. A grannie lap may get overcrowded but a granny’s heart will never be.
Price - $14.00	What The Hell Was I Thinking By Christine Narris Chris Harris lived a storybook life in a rural community the small town didn’t offer much excitement for someone just out of school. Filled with curiosity and a desire to travel, Chris joined the air force. There she met a handsome, charming, young airman and married him only five weeks later. Almost immediately her storybook life evaporated, and she was thrust into a world she never imagined. One minute her husband showered her with affection and love and the next he bombarded her with anger and hate. Confused by his extreme swing of kindness and outrage, she stayed with him for 24 years. But during these years she caught glimpses of life.
Price - $16.95	Quilt of Life By: Kathryn A. Virmig Photography by: Carie Forstner How do you assemble your Quilt of Life? One piece at a time or perhaps many little pieces?
Price - $22.95	Wanda Gag By Gwenyth Swain Famous for her elegantly written and whimsically illustrated children’s books Millions of Cats, The Funny Thing, Snippy and Snappy and Tales from Grimm, Wanda Gag (1893-1946) live a life not unlike that of the characters in the German fairy tales that her grandparents told her as a girl. In this new biography for young readers, award-winning author Gwenyth Swain takes us into Wanda’s girlhood in rural Minnesota, where, from an early age, her artistic talents flourished. Yet Wanda, the eldest of seven siblings, was pushed abruptly into adulthood when her father’s untimely death left her in charge. Following her artistic passions, Wanda began to sell her drawings, launch what would become a distinguished career. Her art was eventually featured at top New York galleries, her books, influenced by her love of nature and animals, became wildly popular amount children and critics across the United States and around the world.
Price - $7.99	Millions of Cats By Wanda Gag A picture book in a million! This enchanting tale of a gentle peasant who went off in search of one kitten and returned with “hundreds of cats and cats millions and billions and trillions of cats” has become a classic.
Price - $17.99	The Night I Met Santa By Lora Johnson Illustrated by: Christine Ann Edwards The Night I Met Santa is a heartwarming tale that reflects on the real meaning of Christmas, expressed in a conversation between Santa and a rambunctious young boy, named Jeremy. Santa shares a story with Jeremy that explains why he brings presents on Christmas Eve - - even to little boys and girls that may not deserve them. Author Lora Johnson makes your children’s dream of meeting the beloved Santa Claus come true! Read this enlightening story to your child, and your little one will feel as if they are sitting right on Santa’s lap.
Price - $29.95	Extra! Extra! the Orphan Trains and Newsboys of New York By Renée Wendinger Nineteenth century New York City- The orphan trains carried over 200,000 children west in what became the largest mass migration of children to take place on American soil. The collection of stories of these children who faced nearly insurmountable odds, the humanity of individuals caught up in the sweep of history is unmistakable.#13; An exceptionally illustrated exhibit; the archival photos of newsboys and bootblacks surviving on the streets of New York. Hauntingly good! #13; A classic nonfiction book with a facinating survey of American history which might have been a lifelong tragic loss. With this volume alone, this author has made the planet a better place.#13; The beauty of this book is it falls straight across the literary spectrum for librarys, academics,and the general reading audience.
Price - $12.95	*Feisty Lydia* Feisty Lydia is the personal story of a woman born in 1925 in Neuotting, Germany. Her remarkable spirit helped her to survive a premature birth, the Great Depression, death-defying experiences, the Nazi regime, and war in her home town and country. The story continues when this German war bride journeyed with her young son Johnny aboard an American troop ship to America in 1948, to join her husband John. Read how Lydia used her feisty and optimistic personality to overcome the struggles of life in a new country and to create her Elysian Fields, a place of joy and tranquility, in the city of Elysian, Minnesota. Sprinkled with glimpses of history to provide the setting, the biography of Lydia is created from personal interviews with Lydia, her family, and friends.
Price - $	Becoming the Mother of Me A memory by Kathryn Adams Doty Kathryn Adams Doty grew up in Minnesota as a daughter of a German Methodist minster, after his untimely death, she must come to the grips with her fathers wishes to become “a blessing for mankind”. In 1939, while a student at Hamline University, Kathryn entered the popular radio talent contest, Gateway to Hollywood, and headed to California. In the final round of completion, she was paired with a young actor named Hugh Beaumont, whom she later married. A brief career in motion pictures followed, in which she had roles in movie as diverse as Ginger Rogers, Bing Crosby, Maureen L. Hara, Irene Dunne and Lionel Barrymore. Sometimes forgotten in the long shadows of her father, Kathryn grows to understand and appreciate her mother’s special gifts and deep love and, in going so learns to accept herself as well. In the end she returns to the words of Carl Jung, that “Life is not so much a Puzzle to be solved, as a mystery to be lived.”
Price - $15.00	Amazing Attributes of Aging Written by Judy Apple and Mary Huntley Amazing Attributes of Aging shares the story of Mankato, high school women who graduated in the class of 1958. In the shadow of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, these Minnesota born women were among the first generation to retire from a lifelong career while at the same time actually engaged with family and community. Held together by the symbolism of a blue garter, they share reminisces of homelife schooling and play. The silly and sacred stories section reveal the accomplishment of these women celebrating 50 years or more fun than anyone can imagine.
Price - $15.95	Wanda Gag Growing Pains Diaries and drawings by the author of Millions of Cats Wanda Gag (pronounced “Gog”) rose from poverty in small-town Minnesota in the 1910’s to international fame as an artist in 1920s. Her lithographs, drawings, and children’s book – perhaps the best-known of which is Millions of Cats – reflected her deep interest in the ordinary life of working people. In Growing Pains: Diaries and Drawings from the years 1908-17, Gag shares the honest, touching, and often humorous record of the daily events of her own youth and her struggles to understand and develop her emerging talent. This Borealis reprint edition includes a new introduction by Karen Nelson Hoyle that describes Gag’s success as a mature artist.
JILL KALZ Jill grew up in New Ulm, MN and is the author of nearly 50 children’s books. She has received the 2007 Bank Street College “Best Children’s Book of the Year” Award and the 2008 Minnesota Book Award Finalist.
	FARMER CAP Farmer Cap is a strange old man who lives in Pfeffernut County. All of his neighbors think so. But their minds may change when they see what he harvests this year.
	HENRY SHORTBULL Henry gleefully hogs every toy, crumb, and bit of attention in sight, refusing to share with anyone. When Henry goes so far as to swallow the sun, he realizes that greed isn’t good. Will he be able to make amends with the people of Pfeffernut County?
PATRICK “PACKY” MADER Patrick is an elementary school teacher who lives in Northfield, MN.
	OPA & OMA TOGETHER This book follows Opa & Oma as they care for their 16 grandchildren. They still farm, bake and sew as they did when their own children lived at home, but now they are older and still together, taking care of the grandchildren, growing together, like the farm and their children did.
	OMA FINDS A MIRACLE In this book, Opa is away and a big snow storm has hit the farm. When the cows come home, Oma realizes one cow slowly coming into the barn, but looking back into the field. Oma then realizes that the slow cow has had a newborn baby and it is still out in the storm. After searching, Oma finds a white calf in the snow, still alive! Oma names the calf Miracle, because that is what it was!
GORDY JONES Born and raised in St. Paul. Gordy is a writer, photographer and certified bench warmer. He lives in Oakdale, MN
	BASEBALL GUY “Kids learn to play the game by having fun and most of them don’t even know the life lessons they are learning from participation in baseball. This book spells out some of those lessons.” quote from DAVE WINFIELD
RUTH MARIE BERGLIN This is Ruths first published work since she won a contest in the sixth grade. She is a former teacher and now lives in Mankato with her husband and two daughters.
	DEAR BIG, MEAN, UGLY MONSTER This book is for anyone who has ever peered nervously under the bed after dark. You will be amazed at what could be under there, and you may even make a new friend along the way.
KATHRYN ADAMS DOTY Kathryn was born in New Ulm to a German Pastor. She left in 1939 to pursue a career in the movies. She later married actor Hugh Beaumont of “Leave it to Beaver” and had 3 children. After she retired she began writing and returned to Mankato, Minnesota where she lives with her husband.
	A LONG YEAR OF SILENCE When the U.S. enters WWII in 1917, the world turns upside down. Anti-German hysteria sweeps through Minnesota, disrupting the lives of friends and family. Set in New Ulm, Minnesota this novel is a thoughtful story that engages readers of all ages.
	WILD ORPHAN Set in rural Missouri in the 1920s, the story deals with difficult issues that confront the gentle moral spirit of Elizabeth Eibers, who is placed in an orphanage when hard times force her mother to take a night job. There, suffering under the strict discipline of Father Gastmann, she finds solace in her growing friendship with Georgiana, a tough, "wild" orphan. And when her mother contracts tuberculosis, Elizabeth is forced to confront the truth about her missing father.
DANIEL J. HOISINGTON A writer and an historian, Daniel founded the Edinborough Press, a publishing company of books on American History. Daniel, a lover of history, spent years as the Director of historical societies and museums in such places as: Virginia, Massachusetts and Minnesota.
	A GERMAN TOWN The city of New Ulm presents this history of the town in recognition of its 150th anniversary. The city holds a unique place in American history. Founded by German settlers, many were members of the only colony organized by Turners in the United States. In 1862, its embattled citizens defended their homes during the Dakota Conflict, suffering the destruction of nearly three-fourths of the town.
DON HEINRICH TOLZMAN (Translates from German, and edits) Mr. Tolzman is a man who has spent a great deal of time working to create German-American relations, knowledge and studies. Know as the “Father of German-American Day,” he led the campaign to establish October 6th as National German-American Day. He is also and editor of German-American history and cultural literature.
	THE INDIAN’S REVENGE By: Rev. Alexander Berghold Published in 1891, this book discusses the impact the Dakota Conflict had on the settlers and Native Americans in the area. Written by Rev. Alexander Berghold, a former New Ulm parish priest; he wove together first-hand accounts of the uprising, and the aftermath. With the skill of an historian, and the moral insight of a theologian, Rev. Berghold gives us a great story, as well as a history lesson
	MEMORIES OF NEW ULM By: Rudolf Leonhart Filled with humor, this book gives us an eyewitness account at life on the frontier, the two battles of New Ulm, and the retreat to Mankato. Although this book is an historical work, documenting Leonhart’s experiences in New Ulm during the Sioux Uprising, he has managed to turn this into a novel of sorts, filling voids of his memory with fiction. Also, even though some statistics are incorrect, he manages to tell his story very well, and not just as a documentary of the times.
JIM OLSON Now living in Eden Prairie, with his wife of 41 years, Jim is a retired English teacher. After spending 30 years teaching, Jim has found time to do what he loves, write. Taking his experiences during the Vietnam War, and the town of Jackson, MN, where he grew up, Jim wrote a wonderful story in Boomer. “Everything in my life shows up somehow in Boomer.” mentions Jim.
	BOOMER Boomer is a story of a lifetime. A lifetime filled with the joys of childhood, and tragedies of the Vietnam War, the things that were destroyed, and the surprising ones who survive and return.
PAUL HADLEY
	CROSSWINDS Paul does a wonderful job making the reader believe that the fictional story they are reading was a real life account. In Crosswinds, we read about a recounting of a situation that threatened the entire military establishment, in the later years of WWII.
	CHASING AFTER THE WIND Another work of fiction, this is the story behind three major military actions during World War II, as the action is seen through the eyes of an enlisted man.
	WINDS CHASED This story, which picks up right where Chasing after the Wind leaves off, tells of the events of special naval forces, and Sailors who carry out four major assignments.

German, Norwegian
& Swedish