November’s moody weather is the perfect excuse to hibernate. Grab a book and bed down for a weekend at these Northern gems:
Read It: The Lake, the River & the Other Lake by Steve Amick.
Small-town soap operas depend on a quirky cast of characters, and Amick delivers like a Garrison Keillor fan’s dream. The plot of his sharply comic tale leapfrogs through the lives of folks living in a fictional Northern Michigan lakeside resort town. There’s a jet ski–loathing, Vietnam-vet Ojibwe swim coach, a bigoted orchard owner whose son has fallen for a migrant worker, an Internet porn–addicted minister, a beautiful local, the “fudgie” who loves her, and more. Publishers Weekly calls Amick’s debut book smart and punchy dark fun; we call it a great excuse for a weekend read-a-thon.
BOOK It: The bold and beautiful Stone Waters Inn.
Stone Waters Inn is the perfect place to dip into The Lake, the River & the Other Lake; the lodge sits on the banks of the Intermediate River in the quaint village of Bellaire. A lake—Bellaire—and another lake—Intermediate—are just a stone’s throw away. Stone Waters’ riverside suites offer a bookworm’s fantasy pairing of fireplace and Jacuzzi tub (family suites and an on-site cottage also available). 800-336-3680
Read It: A Thousand Bones by P.J. Parrish.
Bones found in the woods of a fictional Leelanau Peninsula town are clue No. 1 in a string of brutal murders of young women. Rookie lady deputy Joe Fry is on the case—and in the killer’s sights.
BOOK It: Aspen House B&B
Fry’s Leelanau manhunt may keep you up all night at the Aspen House B&B in Leland, but so what? You’ll spend the hours snug and safe under an ultra-fluffy down comforter, and morning brings a happy ending: innkeeper Paula Swick’s legendary breakfasts—prepared on an Aga stove, served on antique dishes and featured in her Leelanau Culinary Treasures cookbook.
Read It: Voyageurs: A Novel by Margaret Elphinstone.
As the war of 1812 rages, North England-born Quaker Mark Greenhow is on a quest to North America to find his young sister, Rachel. She, disowned by her faith following a marriage to a Scot-born fur trader and grieving for her stillborn son, has disappeared into Michigan’s Northwoods.
BOOK It: Wilderness Park
The best way to disappear into Michigan’s Northwoods while still savoring the romantic coast of yesterday’s fur traders is cozying up at one of Wilderness Park’s log cabins, which are nestled in the woods along the Straits of Mackinac shoreline. You bring the book, the bedding and the food; Wilderness provides the firewood, cookin’ woodstove and bunks for four to eight folks. 800-447-2757