Upcoming Events

Books & Beer with J. Ryan Stradal



Sep 19 2019 - 5:00pm to 7:00pm

Join us for a couple of delicious beers and a lively discussion of J. Ryan Stradal's second novel, The Lager Queen of Minnesota.

About the book: Edith Magnusson's rhubarb pies are famous in the Twin Cities--they were named the third-best in the state of Minnesota and St. Anthony-Waterside Nursing Home has quickly becomes the hottest dinner ticket in town. Still, she lays awake wondering how her life might have been different if her father hadn't left their family farm to her sister Helen, a decision that split their family in two. With the proceeds from the farm, her sister, Helen Blotz, built her husband Orval's family soda business into the top selling brewery in Minnesota. She singlehandedly created the light beer revolution and made their corporate motto ubiquitous: "Drink lots, it's Blotz." But Helen dismisses IPAs as a fad, and the Blotz fortune begins its inevitable decline. Soon, though, she finds a potential savior that's surprisingly close to home. Diana Winter earns a shot at learning the beer business from the ground up just as the IPA revolution begins. The stakes couldn't be higher: just as she's launching her own brewpub, she's due to deliver a baby girl. When the unthinkable happens, it's up to Grandma Edith--and a delightfully surprising cadre of grandmother friends--to secure the next generation's chances for a better future. Can Grandma Edith's Rhubarb Pie In A Bottle Ale save Diana's fledgling brewery, and change their hearts and fortunes forever? The Lager Queen of Minnesota serves up a cast of lovable, quintessentially Midwestern characters eager to make their mark in a world that's often stacked against them. In this deeply affecting, humorous, emotional family saga, resolution can take generations, but when it finally comes, we're surprised, moved, and delighted.

About the author: J. Ryan Stradal is a contributing editor at TASTE Magazine. His bestselling debut, Kitchens of the Great Midwest, won the 2016 American Booksellers Association Indie's Choice Award for Adult Debut Book of the Year and also the 2016 Midwest Booksellers Choice Award for debut fiction. Born and raised in Minnesota, he now lives in Los Angeles.

New York Times Bestselling Author William Kent Krueger!



Oct 19 2019 - 5:00pm

New York Times bestselling author William Kent Krueger discusses his latest novel, This Tender Land

The acclaimed author of Ordinary Grace returns with a powerful novel about an orphan boy's life-changing adventure traveling down America's great rivers during the 1930s, seeking a place to call home and a sense of purpose in a world sinking into despair. The novel also shines a light on the shameful history of Native American "boarding schools," where thousands of Native American children were sent to be force-assimilated into European-American culture.

William Kent Krueger is the award-winning author of the New York Times bestselling Ordinary Grace, winner of the Edgar Award for best novel, as well as eighteen Cork O’Connor novels, including Desolation Mountain and Sulfur Springs. He lives in the Twin Cities with his family, is a huge supporter of independent bookstores, and has become a dear friend to Apostle Islands Booksellers. Please join us at the store on Saturday, October 19th at 5pm to learn all about his new novel.

Explore the Wisconsin Story with Local Author Dennis McCann



Oct 24 2019 - 5:00pm

You may know Dennis McCann from our store's #1 bestseller, This Superior Place: Stories of Bayfield and the Apostle Islands. But, did you know that several years ago Dennis wrote a book called The Wisconsin Story? Well, the Wisconsin Historical Society has decided it was time to update this wonderful book! Join us on Thursday, October 24th at 5pm with Dennis at the store to discuss his latest book.

The Wisconsin Story: 150 People, Places, and Turning Points that Shaped the Badger State offers readers engaging vignettes about everything Wisconsin. From portraits of significant figures like Robert and Belle La Follette, Golda Meir, and Edna Ferber, to stories of important events like the Black Hawk War, 1960s campus protests, and oleo smuggling, The Wisconsin Story takes readers on a fun and informative ride all across the Badger State. Where was Calvin Coolidge's summer White House? What was the "anti-corset resolution?" And why was a cow named Ollie milked on an airplane? Award-winning newspaper columnist Dennis McCann's talent for distilling complex subjects into brief stories that pack a punch makes this collection the perfect answer to the question "what makes Wisconsin, Wisconsin?"

We will have plenty of copies of this and Dennis' other books available for purchase.