Leelanau Holiday reads: 2025 books by local authors
From staff reports
We chatted with the experts, the bookworms, and bookstore owners, and here’s our roundup of local books—or books written by local authors—that were published in 2025. All make great holiday gifts! Find them at Leelanau County’s locally owned, independent bookstores: Cottage Book Shop in Glen Arbor, Bay Books in Suttons Bay, Dog Ears Books in Northport, and Leelanau Books in Leland; or at your local library. Happy reading!
A Winter of Discontent for Henry Milch (The Wyandot County Mysteries Book 4), by Marshall Thornton (Kenmore Books)
In the fourth book of the Wyandot County Mysteries, Henry Milch has his hands full. Literally. His mother has mysteriously run off, leaving his baby sister in his care. He, with the help of his grandmother and her friends, juggles diapers, feedings, and constructive playtime with his new job as an investigator Hamlet Gilbody. His first assignment, looking into a local woman who is suing a winery suddenly becomes a lot more complicated when the woman’s corpse is dumped in front of the tasting room.
Bitter Frost, by Bryan Gruley (Severn House)
The first in a brand-new crime thriller series from Edgar nominee and Pulitzer Prize–winning author Bryan Gruley. Feisty defence attorney Devyn Payne faces off against veteran detective Garth Klimmek as they work to solve a vicious double homicide in their small, icy town of Bitterfrost. Thirteen years ago, former ice hockey star Jimmy Baker quit the game after almost killing an opponent. Now, as the Zamboni driver for the amateur team in his hometown of Bitterfrost, Michigan, he’s living his penance. Until the morning he awakens to the smell of blood . . . Jimmy soon finds himself arrested for a brutal double murder. The kicker? He has no memory of the night in question. And as the evidence racks up against him, Jimmy’s case is skating on thin ice. Could he have committed such a gruesome crime? As his defence attorney Devyn Payne and prosecuting detective Garth Klimmek race to uncover the truth, time is running out for Jimmy. Because all he can really be sure of is that he is capable of taking a life. The question is, in his blacked-out state, did he take two?
The Doublewide, by Ann Goethals (Mission Point Press)
Candy Schein—the protagonist of Ann Goethals’s debut novel, The Doublewide—has always stayed quiet and kept her head down. Now age 28 and living in a modest apartment above a pizza parlor, Candy has spent years saving for a dream most people take for granted: a place to call her own. When she finds a “mystic blue” doublewide manufactured house, it sparks something bigger than a dream home—a journey towards self-acceptance and courage that forces her to leave behind the comfort of invisibility.
Found and Lost: The Jake and Cait Story, by Howard Lovy (Vine Leaves Press)
In 1985, they met by chance. As a young guitarist and violinist, Jake and Cait created something transcendent each time they locked eyes and finished each other’s musical phrases…. until the music stopped. Forty years later, the song that started it all brings them back together. But time changes everything. Faith will test them. Regret will haunt them. But the music… might just save them. Sometimes, the only way forward… is to play the song from the start. Perfect for fans of Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid, and Tom Lake by Ann Patchett, Found and Lost: The Jake and Cait Story strikes all the right chords for anyone who’s ever wondered if it’s possible to reclaim their dreams-and the people-they left behind.
Glen Arbor Township: A History to 1920, Andrew White, editor (Leelanau Press)
Hundreds of photographs, maps, and firsthand accounts illustrate this history, researched and written by five people. Indigenous people and first immigrant settlers, living in heavily timbered land, saw political boundaries change frequently, and population grow with commercial lumbering and farming. Resort and fruit orchard development began in the 1890s and reached its height in 1920.
In Defense of Good Women, by Marilyn Zimmerman (SparkPress)
This debut novel shines a light on the dark subject of infanticide when a successful female criminal defense lawyer is ordered to defend a seventeen-year-old minister’s daughter charged with murder in the drowning death of her newborn child. In Defense of Good Women is the story of Victoria Stephens, a successful, hard-nosed criminal defense attorney appointed by the court to represent a 17-year-old minister’s daughter charged with murder in the drowning death of her newborn child. Victoria faces a hostile community, a salivating press, an uncooperative client, but most of all, a nagging intuition that she should not be handling this case. Forced to delve into the psychology of neonaticide as she searches for a defense, Victoria discovers a link between this case and her own past which, once uncovered, leads her beyond the boundaries of not just her profession, but the law.
Isabela’s Way, by Barbara Stark-Nemon (She Writes Press)
For fans of Ruta Sepetys’s Salt to the Sea, this coming-of-age tale of one fourteen-year-old girl’s escape from early-seventeenth-century Portugal’s Inquisition, achieved with the help of a clandestine band of allies, will thrill and inspire. In early-17th-century Portugal, Spain, France, and Germany, dangers are plentiful—especially for those of Jewish heritage. Non-Catholics have been expelled from Spain, and the Inquisition has come to Portugal to impose its prohibitions. Fourteen-year-old Isabela, an obedient “New Christian” with a talent for needlework, believes she has nothing to fear from the Inquisition. But when a mysterious woman arrives with a message from Isabela’s traveling father, the girl must leave her home and embroider her way along the clandestine network of sanctuaries created to conduct Conversos, or secret Jews, to safety. A host of supporters and spirit guides, as well as one special young man, assist Isabela as she escapes the Inquisitors and makes her way across countries and cultures. As she travels, she learns of the danger and importance of her work, with its coded symbols, and is shocked to discover her family’s true origins. In this enthralling coming-of-age tale of resistance, love, and danger, Isabela employs her talent and fierce determination to find her way despite the powerful forces that buffet her at every turn.
Mama Sugar Bear, by Katie Bosch, illustrated by Mireille Belajonas (Mission Point Press)
Inspired by the true story of the “sugar bear” which broke into Grocer’s Daughter Chocolate in Empire in May 2024 and made off with a 50-pound bag of sugar—as reported by the Glen Arbor Sun.
How does Mama Sugar Bear get her name? After a long winter’s nap, she wakes up hungry and smells something yummy. In this charming tale inspired by a true story, Mama Sugar Bear and her two cubs become unlikely friends with a park ranger after Mama steals and devours a bag of sugar from a local chocolate shop. The ranger encourages the bears to explore Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore’s natural bounty of berries, fish, and honey.
North of Tomboy, by Julie Swanson (SparkPress)
For fans of Kacen Callender, Lin Thompson, and Kyle Lukoff, comes a middle grade novel set in 1973 about a child who feels more boy than girl and is frustrated that people act blind to that when—except for her stupid hair and clothes—it should be obvious! Shy fourth grader Jess Jezowski turns the tables on her mom when she’s given yet another girly baby doll for Christmas. This time, instead of ignoring or destroying it, she transforms it into the boy she’s always wanted to be—a brave, funny little guy named Mickey. Making him talk, Jess finally lets the boy in her express himself. But when Mickey evolves to become something more like an alter ego whose voice drowns out her own and the secret of him escapes the safety of her family, Jess realizes Mickey’s too limited and doesn’t allow the boy part of her a big enough presence in the world. She must find a way to blend him into her—so she can be that side of herself anywhere, around anyone. Jess tries to wean herself from the crutch of Mickey’s loud, comical persona, and to get her family to forget about him, but she struggles to do both. What will it take for her to stop hiding behind Mickey and get people to see her for who she truly is? Based on the author’s experience growing up on Michigan’s rural Leelanau Peninsula in the ’70s, North of Tomboy includes artwork throughout.
Off the Beaten path: a stones throw mystery, by Eloise Corvo (Level Best Books)
Stone’s Throw State Park Ranger Maudy Lorso spends her days playing cards and sipping drinks with her millennial gal pals, hiking steep sand dunes with her scruffy dog, Martin Short, and trying to ignore the pain of a recent, devastating breakup. After building a quiet life in the Lake Michigan coastal village of Stone’s Throw, Maudy’s emotional safety net is turned inside out when her boss informs her of looming budget cuts that threaten to permanently close the park-and eliminate her job. Determined to prove the park’s value, Maudy throws herself into organizing a successful campground opening weekend, just one week away. But when the body of a missing tourist is discovered in the park, her hope of saving Stone’s Throw State Park quickly begins to fade. In order to save her dream job and maintain her quirky, quiet life, Maudy jumps in to solve the murder of the dead man.
“Perfect Omena Day!” Selections from the Summer Diaries of Rebecca L. Richmond, 1907-1920, edited by Christine Byron (Leelanau Press)
Historian Christine Byron’s latest book explores early vacation life in Leelanau County. Diary excerpts along with vintage photos and postcards offer a fascinating window into a bygone era.
Stepping off the Boat, Stories from North Manitou, by Susan Hollister Wasserman (Leelanau Press)
The most recent release of the Leelanau Press Research Fellowship. Mirroring the history and settlement of Northern Michigan, Stepping Off the Boat: Stories from North Manitou Island describes the importance of the Great Lakes as the first “high-way” for indigenous peoples and French fur traders which paved the way for the settlement of the Manitou Islands, of Michigan and of the Midwest after the Civil War. The stories tell how back breaking labor felled virgin forests, then plowed and farmed the land that was cleared. How the island’s geological and historical development has been shaped by human habitation. And how a typical Michigan resort community (Cottage Row), established over 100 years ago, is a vestige of a bygone era when families left urban environments and spent the entire summer on this remote island. Using almost 400 historic photographs and images, this is a fascinating journey of immigrants, government surveyors, sailors, lumbermen, farmers, and fisherman. Island names on today’s map reflect the story of North manitou Island. In early days, everyone who came to the Island had to “step off the boat.”
The Lady’s Slipper: Murder in Harbor Springs, by Charles Cutter (Mission Point Press)
Thorne Swift is the biggest piece of undeveloped lakefront real estate in Harbor Springs—seventeen acres of pristine woods, ponds, creeks, and swamps with over a thousand feet of shoreline on Lake Michigan. It’s a nature preserve, but a real estate developer wants to turn it into million-dollar lakefront homes. It’s also home to the lady’s slipper, a beautiful pink and white orchid shaped like a moccasin, and the heart of an Ojibwe legend. Burr Lafayette, recently divorced, is the deposed head of the litigation department of a major Detroit law firm. A man at loose ends, he’s a brilliant but troubled lawyer. He prefers boats over courtrooms, dogs over clients, and martinis over just about everything else. Burr also likes Thorne Swift the way it is. He goes to court and argues that the lady’s slipper is endangered and Thorne Swift can’t be developed. But when Frank Slaughter, the caretaker at Thorne Swift, is found face down in the swamp, stabbed in the eye, Burr finds himself knee-deep in murder.
The Lost Woman, by Karen Mulvahill (EnvelopeBooks)
When the Nazis arrest Nicole Cassin’s parents and seize their art gallery in Paris in 1941, Nicole vows revenge and joins the Resistance. Years later, in New York, she is haunted by her past and hires an art historian to find the stolen paintings, among them a portrait of her mother by Matisse. The paintings’ whereabouts prove elusive, but the search for them leads to another, more unexpected discovery. A moving story of courage, determination, and redemption.
The Soul of Sleeping Bear, prose and photography by Mark Lindsay
The Soul of Sleeping Bear is a testament to the power of photography and prose to evoke emotion, inspire wonder, and deepen our understanding of the world around us. It is a book to be savored, and to be returned to again and again, each time revealing new layers of meaning and beauty. Lindsay invites you to turn every page of this gorgeous 32 page book and embark on this visual and deeply poetic journey to experience the Soul of Sleeping Bear. “A deeply personal book of world-class photography and prose that will touch your soul.” ~Leelanau.com
The Vacation: A Teenage Migrant Farmworker’s Experience Picking Cherries in Michigan, self-published by Robert “Carlos” Fuentes
The Vacation: A Teenage Migrant Farmworker’s Experience Picking Cherries in Michigan is a coming-of-age story that intertwines the bonds of family and friends, emphasizes the importance of heritage, captures the sweetness of first love, and showcases the quiet dignity of hard work. As Bob learns to navigate the crossroads between his past and an uncertain future, he discovers the true value of family, friendship, identity, taking risks, and dreams that extend beyond the orchard. It is ideal for young adult readers and adults alike.
The Sun published an excerpt of Fuentes’ book in August.
This Magnetic North: Candid Conversations on a Changing Northern Michigan, by Tim Mulherin (Michigan State University Press)
What happens when a place is so beautiful that everyone wants to go there—and then they stay? This book explores a phenomenon occurring around Michigan’s Great Lakes and other high-demand scenic locations across the country: natural landscapes are undergoing profound human and climatological change as people pick up their lives and move to bucolic locations. The Grand Traverse region in northwest lower Michigan has been one of the most impacted regions in the state, with the population increase accelerated by the pandemic and climate change. The impact of this growth is explored through field observations and interviews involving dozens of born-and-raised locals, “boomerangers” (those who grew up, left, then returned), and relocators. The author explores the tensions between newcomers and “natives.” Interviewees include tourist industry leaders, conservationists, business owners, public safety officials, tribal members, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore officials, and more. These voices characterize the region’s diverse views, providing insight into how one of the most popular vacation destinations in the country is attempting to balance environmental preservation with an influx of people. Northwest lower Michigan’s story of transformation, as tradition collides with progress, holds many lessons and will resonate with everyone who has ever lived in or visited such an enchanting place and dreams of calling it home.
Worm makes A sandwich, by Brianne Farley (G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers)
A sweetly humorous picture book about composting, told from the point of view of a worm. Meet Worm. He might be little. He might have no hands. But Worm would love to make a sandwich, just for you! To get started he’ll need just one thing: garbage! Delicious, delectable garbage like apple cores and mushy grapes, broccoli bottoms and carrot tops, sad celery, and drippy cucumbers. Worm and his friends eat the garbage. And then they do what everyone does after they eat garbage. They poop! The poop goes in the compost and the compost goes in your garden, which is where the vegetables for your sandwich come from! Simple, right? Worm thought you’d agree. He might just need a bit of assistance along the way . . . This hilarious, engaging picture book is the perfect introduction to the process of composting from start to finish, told from the perspective of one little worm who is very eager to help.
Burned by Billionaires: How Concentrated Wealth and Power Are Ruining Our Lives and the Planet, by Chuck Collins (The New Press).
A nationally published book by Chuck Collins of the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, D.C., where he directs the Program on Inequality and the Common Good. Chuck’s father Ed Collins of Leland started the Leelanau Conservancy with his wife Bobbie.
