Bergy Bread will be at the Escanaba Farmer's Market over the summer

With summer coming our way, Bergy Bread is making its traditional seasonal change in location to the Escanaba Farmer’s Market! See a message below from Mike Berg:

“Bergy Bread would like to thank The Canterbury Book Store for hosting us this past Winter. We also thank our customers for their support. May 26 & 27 will be our last days at The Canterbury Book Store. Please look for us at the Escanaba Farmers' Market, Wednesdays and Saturday starting in June.”

See you all at the Farmer’s Market!

Join our June Canterbury Book Club - 'Girl Waits with Gun' by Amy Stewart

This June we will be diving into new territory with the Canterbury Book Club - crime fighting and detective work with the Kopp Sisters! "Girl Waits with Gun" is the first in a series by Amy Stewart based on the real life of Constance Kopp in the late 19th Century. Join us for this equally historic and entertaining romp starting in the first week of June - just call, email or stop by the store and let us know if you would like a copy to read along. We'll iron out the details of virtual and in-person gatherings then.

Beautiful Spring Day in downtown Escanaba!

Despite myself, I still find the snow beautiful.

A picture of snowy Downtown Escanaba

A picture of snowy Downtown Escanaba

A picture of snowy Downtown Escanaba

Spring is Here! Because the Used Book Cart is Outside

In what the Ancient Greeks would call “hubris”, we’ve officially declared the start of spring by putting our used book cart outside for the first time this season! I’m sure Escanaba’s weather will do nothing to make this decision look premature!

What Makes a Successful Book Club?

Canterbury Book Store recently completed a virtual book club - reading the book, Migrations, by Charlotte McConaghy. I went into the idea of a book club like I do so many new things - headlong, without knowing how to do it, and just being creative. It seems like it went pretty well. I think most participants got something positive out of it and enjoyed it. And, the others and I agreed we would be interested in doing it again. The book was chosen ahead of time, so we didn’t necessarily go through that part of the process.

After reading through several other people’s ideas of what makes a successful book club, I thought I would incorporate some of my own ideas and some of theirs into a brief list…in case any of you would like to start one and aren’t quite sure how to go about this.

One suggestion was to set an intention, but I think really we didn’t have an intention other than enjoying a good book and sharing our thoughts with each other about the characters, content, plot, writing style, etc and even diving into parts of those that were relatable to our own stories.

We didn’t necessarily limit the number of people who could attend - space was not a concern since we were on Zoom, but being able to allow all participants to share their thoughts can get challenging when you have a multitude on a virtual platform. I think in this instance, timing was the limiting factor anyway. The invitation to participate was posted on Facebook and extended to some friends who don’t do social media. From there, books had to be ordered, so we set a deadline for participation sign up.

Deciding on a regular meeting day and time was pretty important so we could plan ahead. I wanted to host it at a time that would be most convenient for everyone - we did our best to accommodate. Along with a regular meeting time and day, the idea of commitment to attend as many sessions as possible and stay up to date on the reading was important. This was “our” time, and I wanted it to be comfortable but somewhat structured. We decided in the first meeting to allow for eating dinner (or dessert) and enjoying whatever beverage we each wanted. I didn’t want to necessarily “lead” the group, so I asked people to think about what stood out to them or what questions they had or what lines held meaning for them as they read and to share that with us in the Zoom gathering. This led to some very great conversations!

A suggestion from one of the blogs was to send out email reminders, and our fairly regular communications between sessions seemed to cover that well enough. It was always nice to know in advance if anyone wasn’t able to make a particular meeting so we didn’t wait too long to start.

Lastly, the suggestion of a social break when transitioning between books sounded wonderful. With issues surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic, social time has been limited for many and just getting together online to talk about the book was rather nice. We have talked about gathering at a local winery to chat and enjoy a tasting, so that might be our next adventure.

The most important suggestion I would have for anyone who is starting a book club is to be somewhat flexible in your ideas of what it should be. If you start out with a rigid idea and it doesn’t turn out the way you planned, you can end up pretty disappointed, but if you stay flexible, you can really enjoy time with others and get to know them as you share a good book.

Looking forward to the next time!

MK

Spring Seminar Series through MSU Extension

This seminar series looks to have an interesting set of topics. Sign up now and learn more!

'Mystic Michigan' book series has a TV pilot

For fans of the mysterious (and regional!), Mark Jager has just released a TV pilot for Mystic Michigan, based on the eponymous series of books that delve into the weird and cryptic aspects of our state. The pilot is free and easy to watch on Youtube at this link: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=J_dRg51rbtM

It kicks off with an exploration of the Portland Cement Company’s abandoned company town in Lake County, central Lower Peninsula, just north of the old resort area of Idlewild. The production values are excellent, and the show has no shortage of interesting historical facts too!

And if enjoy the music in the pilot, it was written and performed by the band Starboard Quest - more of their work can be heard at https://starboardquest.com/music-videos

We try and keep Jager’s books in stock at the Canterbury, so come check them out the next time you stop in!

-Jesse

1st Annual U.P. Notable Books List and Virtual Book Club with Authors

U.P. Publishers & Authors Association Announces 1st Annual U.P. Notable Books List

According to Mikel Classen (Sault Ste. Marie), UPPAA Publications Chair, this Notable Books List is in response to the lack in some Michigan literary circles of representation of U.P. writers . Classen said, “Traditionally, recognition of Michigan books has been dominated by the university presses downstate and we would like to take this opportunity to highlight literature that focuses closer to home for us.”

http://www.upnotable.com/2020/04/02/announcing-1st-annual-u-p-notable-books-list/

There will be a virtual book club covering several books from the UP Notable Books List that are by UP authors or that are written about the UP. Eight of the authors from the Notable Books List have agreed to do a Zoom talk with readers about their book. This web link will tell you how to join the club which started earlier in January and will continue through August. Order and buy the books through Canterbury Book Store, or check them out from your local library. Then meet with the author and other readers monthly to discuss the book. The schedule is shown below. Please note that ALL events start at 6:00PM Central Time

The Marsh King’s Daughter by Karen Dionne Tuesday, 19 January 2021 **already past**

Three Fires Unity: The Anishnaabeg of Lake Huron Borderlands by Phil Bellfy Thursday, 11 February 2021 Out by John Smolens Thursday, 11 March 2021

Cady and the Bear Necklace by Ann Dallman Thursday, 08 April 2021

Murder on Sugar Island (Getting to Know Jack Book 2) by Michael Carrier Thursday, 13 May 2021

Camera Hunter: George Shiras III and the Birth of Wildlife Photography by James H. McCommons Thursday, 10 June 2021

Lake Superior Tales: Stories of Humor and Adventure by Mikel B. Classen Thursday, 08 July 2021

Go Find! My Journey to Find the Lost—and Myself by Susan Purvis Thursday, 12 August 2021

Developing the Habit of Reading

While some folks just have a seemingly innate love of reading and either pick up a book as often as possible or even carry one with them for any chance to open it up, others want to read more but just don’t seem to be able to get into the habit.

Reading for enjoyment sometimes comes in waves, especially during school years when you have to read so much for your classes. Sometimes the addition of new responsibilities edges out the time you once spent reading.

Whatever the case, if you want to read more and aren’t doing so, this article: https://psyche.co/guides/how-to-make-a-daily-habit-of-reading-more-books can help you work it back into your schedule. It talks about motivation, practice, perseverance, enjoyment, and fulfillment. Some favorite quotes from the article follow.

“…although TV and video games of course offer escapism, there’s nothing quite like devouring the pages of a beautiful novel, sitting quietly in one place while letting words transport you to another. Screens show you what’s happening; novels, by contrast, construct those fictions within your mind, allowing you to become anyone, and go anywhere.”

How many times have you been reading a captivating story only to look up and realize you’ve lost track of time and where you are? I know I have done so. I’ve read books in the middle of summer that are set in snowy, winter landscapes and felt the chill or books involving intense action and suspense and realized I’ve been holding my breath. Reading truly does transport a person.

“People who read literary fiction in particular tend to be better at reading others’ emotions and have greater moral sensitivity, possibly due to their simulation of the lives of complex characters; and reading nonfiction will increase your knowledge and broaden your mind.”

Who of us hasn’t teared up while reading about someone’s struggles or heartbreak. There are certain books I have trouble reading aloud because I get too choked up. On another note, I find the quote to inspire hope - that if we can encourage our youth to read good literary fiction, we can help them become good at reading emotions and being more morally sensitive. I feel that this world could use more sensitive, compassionate, empathetic people.

If you need to purchase some books to get your reading habit, or that of your kids, off to a great start - stop by the bookstore - you might find something just right, or we can order a book for you.

Digital Inventory updated!

We recently finished doing an inventory of all books currently in stock, and have updated our digital inventory spreadsheet that we have hosted on this site! It can be accessed by the tab in the upper right corner, or by this link below:

https://canterburybookstore.com/digital-inventory

As we sell out of books, this list will gradually go out of date, but we’ll try and update it periodically. Additionally, if a book doesn’t appear on this list, and is still in print, we can almost always order in a copy for you. Provided you’re not in a rush, there is no extra charge for this!