With experiential gifting maintaining its holiday footing and the inclination to eliminate clutter remaining strong, the gift of books can easily...
Book Club
Angie Hong Sends Us to the River to Experience Its Beauty
Author and environmental educator Angie Hong sends us to the watershed for ephemeral explorations. Angie Hong is an environmental educator who has...
“Animal, Vegetable, Miracle”
One of my favorite books of 2025 may be nearly two decades old, but that isn’t going to stop me from recommending it wholeheartedly to everyone I...
Baby Go! Board Books Explore Global Cultures
Board book series by travel expert Vanessa Christensen introduces children to global cultures. Vanessa Christensen loves to explore. Whether it’s in...
“Día de Los Muertos”
Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is traditionally celebrated by those of Mexican heritage in late October or early November. While its...
A Joyful Guide to Cleaning Your Home
Let’s talk about House Love: A Joyful Guide to Cleaning, Organizing, and Loving the Home You’re In, a recent release by Twin Cities author Patric...
“Malibu Rising” Dives Into Summer
Taylor Jenkins Reid does it again in one of her most recent historical fiction novels, Malibu Rising. Malibu, California, August 1983. Nina Riva is...
“The Berry Pickers”
Set in Maine and Nova Scotia, The Berry Pickers opens in the early 1960s when 4-year-old Ruthie, the youngest in her Mi’kmaq family who travels to...
Valley Bookseller Recommends “The Women”
Celebrate Women’s History Month this March with a new release from Kristin Hannah. It’s the mid-1960s. President Kennedy has been assassinated, and...
The Lost Library
In this new release by bestselling authors Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass, the main character, Evan, knows that two things are a big deal: books and...
A Fun Read for Spooky Season
Bruce is back! And he’s ready to be crotchety about Halloween. Bruce dislikes all holidays and all fun things, really. His family of mice and...
Stolen Focus
We can all stop feeling like our inability to focus is a character flaw. While writing Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention—and How to Think...
How One Local Author Pursues Her Passion
Lake Elmo author Stephanie Landsem talks writing and pursuing your passions. In 2007, Lake Elmo resident Stephanie Landsem found herself at a...
New Guidebook Explores the Twin Cities’ Oldest Sites
Plymouth author Julie Jo Severson releases Oldest Twin Cities: A Guide to Historic Treasures. Julie Jo Severson's latest guidebook highlights some...
Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club
While supper clubs may be gradually vanishing relics, we’re lucky those that remain are largely concentrated in the upper Midwest. We’re also lucky...
Collisions of Earth and Sky Book Review
This book is so lovely. Part autobiography, part manifesto on how important nature is for our human spirits, local author Heidi Barr describes how...
‘The Winners’ Book Review
Author Fredrik Backman blesses us again with the eagerly anticipated third installment of the Beartown Trilogy. Be prepared to lose yourself in this...
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt Book Review
A surprising friendship between a widow and an octopus. Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt is the beautifully woven story of the...
Black History Month Reads
Book recommendations to celebrate Black health and wellness. The Washington County library has gathered three book recommendations in honor of Black...
The Genome Defense
In 2013, the U.S. Patent Office sent a memo to its patent examiners instructing them to cease and desist examining all patent claims related to...
