Wining, Traveling, Reading

On October 18, Cranesbill Books hosts an event that is really special. Never mind that the 16th is our 4th anniversary of opening the new store at 108 East Middle Street, although there will be some joy on my part that this milestone has been reached. The occasion is the publication of From the Vine: Exploring Michigan Wineries, a new book that is co-authored by Chelsea author Sharon Kegerreis and Lorri Hathaway of nearby East Lansing.

The evening will be a bit glitzy, with tastes of four Michigan wines and a bit of food to complement them. The authors will be in attendance to sign books, and we hope that everyone will find a new vintage that can be found within our state. Because of strict laws about this type of event, we can’t admit those too young to legally imbibe, and yes, we will check.

Yes, I do admit, I have the occasional glass of wine. For a person of a certain age, the heart healthy benefits seem to make this a no-brainer. Otherwise, I’m not much of a drinker. But as a college kid of legal drinking age, I was an enthusiast, scooping up bottle after $5 bottle of imported German wines with alluring names like Piesporter and Liebfraumilch, and the occasional bottle of a Portuguese wine called Mateus, which seems to have vanished from the face of the earth, along with Annie Green Springs and Boone Farm. But my first experience with Michigan wine came much later, when I was a freelancer in 1980 for the Detroit News, assigned to visit PawPaw, Michigan to write a story about Michigan’s fledgling wine industry. In a box in my attic somewhere, I have the clippings from the story that the News eventually published.

Suffice it to say that since then, the Michigan wine industry has grown exponentially. Who could have known that a quarter of a century later there would be enough places to visit and vintages to sample that the new book features four separate touring routes through our state, with vintages that compete internationally.

As luck would have it, I am also somewhat familiar with the wine country in the Grand Traverse region, and know that for one trip up north, you can visit many tasting rooms in some of the most beautiful landscape on earth. The whole area could be the perfect getaway for an ideal combination of great views, fancy to funky cuisine, and many chances to get close to nature. Or, you could create your personal version of the movie Sideways, perhaps minus the obnoxious friend. As long as there was a designated driver, who would know what the heck you were up to? But let me state clearly that the roads up there are tricky and no one should think that I’m suggesting you drink and drive anywhere. I wouldn’t, and I am far too familiar with most of the roads, even the gravel ones and a two-track or two, to be so stupid.

We are lucky to have authors with such expertise in our little neck of Washtenaw County. Please join us in greeting them and their fine book next Thursday, October 18th from 6:30 to 9 pm. From the Vine has really got the same combination of beauty and substance as the Mitten State, despite hard times and a bit of a morale problem.

When Booksellers Converge

The week that has passed since I returned from the annual meeting of the Great Lakes Booksellers Association has flown by. Now trade shows are usually of greatest interest to those in the profession being served; the jargon in any profession can be off-putting; what passes for hilarious humor can more often than not fall flat among the “civilian” population. And what could be more expected from a large group of book nerds milling about, talking to publishers, trying to pick up on next winter’s soon-to-be phenomenal novels and authors? Of course, if you are as nutty about books as most booksellers are, then the scenario becomes quite thrilling. At each meal, either a well-received author, a publisher’s representative, or even a legendary bookseller makes the hotel’s rubber chicken entrée seem like the meal of a lifetime.

So over the three days of the GLBA meeting, I met some very interesting folks:

• Dorothea Benton Frank, speaking about how she finds characters and stories, including some really great material on what life’s like for a Southern woman living in New Jersey.
• Chris Crutcher, whose teen novels reflect his years working with kids and families, who told the story of the young girl who had most affected him with her miraculous spirit, which in turn inspired his new novel about a high school senior who learns that he only has one year to live.
• Nancy Horan, author of the bestseller Loving Frank, who explained how her study of Frank Lloyd Wright’s mistress led her to pursue the question of how a woman leaves children behind to follow her heart.
• Sherman Alexie, whose adult novels about Native American life have been widely praised, giving insight into his own thought about identity and his new teen novel, which is partly autobiographical.
• Simms Taback, explaining that a long career in graphic design led him to writing and illustrating picture books, with the same meticulous process that results in colorful drawings and carefully written text, for which he has won praise and at least one big award.
• Ann Martin, author of the series The Babysitter’s Club that was a mainstay of my daughter’s grade school years, talking about how her success was the result of a childhood in which she was encouraged to use as many materials and methods as possible to develop her own imaginative life and creativity.
• Elizabeth Berg, whose new novel is about the homefront in Chicago during World War II, talking about time traveling back to the 1940s, trying to summon that world in order to create her characters and story.

None of this might have interested another professional group’s members, but I hope that you will take my word for it that hearing from these writers made me remember why selling books is part calling and part profession.