Wander Minnesota: Books!
Regardless of what Punxsutawney Phil had to say, it's still winter in Minnesota, and likely to stay that while for a while. But spring and summer will come, and it'll be time to explore everything Minnesota has to offer, which is, of course, quite a lot. Don't worry—you'll have this to help you: my new book, "Backroads & Byways of Minnesota", is available for pre-sale right now!
I'd be remiss if I didn't point out that while you can pre-order it on Amazon, you could—and I hope you will—visit one of the Twin Cities' many fine bookstores and order it there instead. We have a wonderful book community here, and it's up to us to keep it alive and vibrant.
Birchbark Books in south Minneapolis is a cozy neighborhood store with an eclectic array of books for sale, along with Native American arts and jewelry, and even an indoor tree house for kids. The store is owned by Louise Erdrich, author of The Last Report of the Miracles at Little No Horse and Shadow Tag.
St. Paul's Common Good Books is another author-owned store. Garrison Keillor is the proprietor of this shop, and it's full of local interest books, wide-ranging fiction, and poetry.
Magers & Quinn in Uptown Minneapolis is the area's largest indie bookstore, a gigantic collection of all kinds of books, new, used and collectible. The staff is knowledgeable and can help you find exactly what you need in this huge store.
Micawber's is a gem in the St. Anthony neighborhood, not far from the University of Minnesota's St. Paul campus. The store may be small, but it has an impressive inventory, including lots of sale books and a great kid's area.
Speaking of kids, Minneapolis and St. Paul both have wonderful children's bookstores, full of tantalizing reads for all ages and staffed by well-read, thoughtful book lovers. St. Paul's Grand Avenue is home to Red Balloon Bookshop, while Minneapolis's Linden Hills neighborhood has Wild Rumpus Books, both excellent destinations for outings with the young ones.
Those interested in sci-fi/fantasy, mysteries and crime books have their own havens. Uncle Hugo's and Uncle Edgar's Books are side-by-side in south Minneapolis, with Hugo's focused on sci-fi/fantasy and Edgar's on mysteries. Not far away is Once Upon a Crime, a small underground store packed full of everything related to mystery and crime.
What else is happening in our state? Be sure to check out the 10 p.m. Sunday night WCCO newscasts, where you can learn more in the weekly segment, Finding Minnesota.
