Looking for a great book to read while you’re waiting for that last bit of snow to melt? Come to the Peter White Public Library and check out our selection of new books about the history and culture of the Upper Peninsula!

“Sundstrom’s Store 1909” by Ruth W. Smith is a series of stories, based on historical invoices, about life in and around a general store in Michigamme, Michigan at the beginning of the 20th century. Researched in our local archives, this book gives us a great feel for our ancestors’ day-to-day lives.

Do you want to make a strong showing at your local trivia night? Do you need a new ice breaker for your next dinner party? “The (even) Greater, Great Lakes Trivia Test” by Michael J. Thorp can help you! Learn why muskrat counts as a fish for Michigan Catholics, about Detroit’s first millionaire, where Michigan’s first historical marker can be found, and many more fun Michigan facts.

For readers concerned about Great Lakes conservation, we can recommend “Sustaining Lake Superior” by Nancy Langston, an environmental history professor at Michigan Tech. Langston details Lake Superior’s recovery from the effects deforestation and toxic waste dumping, and what we can do to face the threats of today. Follow it up with “Uncharted Waters” by Mary McKSchmidt, a memoir detailing one woman’s love of sailing the Great Lakes, and her fight to save them from ecological disaster.

Can’t wait to get back out on the lake? Try “White Squall: Sailing the Great Lakes” by Victoria Breham. From early canoe travel to the great bulk freighters, this history combines the stories of the men and women of the lakes with photographs and technical explanations.

It’s only six months until Halloween — time to get in the spooky frame of mind with “Ghosts of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula” by Jennifer Billock. From the lingering screams of the victims of the 1893 Mansfield Mine disaster to the more than one hundred ghosts inhabiting Mackinac Island will send chills down your spine.

For all these and more, come see us at the Peter White Public Library today!

By Emily Wros

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