Friends of the Montague Library is partnering with The Book Nook and Java Shop to bring four popular and award-winning Michigan authors to Montague. Each will speak in person at The Book Nook and Java Shop, and will talk about their books and their lives as authors. All presentations are free and begin at 7:00 p.m.
On July 10, Warren VanOverbeke will launch this year’s summer series with a presentation about his novel “Tholocco’s Wake.” This lyrical and moving love story opens in Bemidji, Minnesota with a budding high school romance, and chronicles two lives changed forever after the United States enters World War II. “Tholocco’s Wake” is the first in a three-part series.
VanOverbeke left his Minnesota hometown and enlisted in the United States Air Force after high school. He completed 29 years of military service, including several combat missions in Afghanistan and now lives in Michigan.
On July 17, Donald Levin, a favorite of West Michigan readers, will return to The Book Nook to talk about his Detroit trilogy, which includes his non-fiction thriller “The Arsenal of Deceit.”
The author’s books are woven with key moments in Detroit’s history, where Levin lived as a child. He will also read from his third book, which will be released this fall. Levin is a poet, a retired English professor and dean of faculty at the former Marygrove College in Detroit.
On July 24, Maureen Dunphy will talk about her award-winning book “Divining: A Memoir in Trees.” This collection of sixteen essays, each named after a species of tree, explores the nature of human-arboreal relationships and how trees can serve as emotional refuge, confidante, sources of intellectual enrichment, and a boon to our physical, mental, and spiritual health. The book is a 2024 selection by the Sierra Club and a finalist for the Midwest Book Awards.
Readers remember Dunphy, who has charmed audiences when she previously came to Montague and talked about her award-winning book “Great Lakes Island Escapes: Ferries and Bridges to Adventure.”
On July 31, Dana Precious will talk about her life working in the film industry in California and her move back to her beloved hometown of Muskegon. Returning to West Michigan gave Precious time to write books, including her first novel “Born Under a Lucky Moon,” which takes place in Muskegon and is peppered with perfectly-timed comedy. The story of family, love, murder, sex scandals and new beginnings has been described by critics as “intelligent, endearing and delightfully quirky.”
Precious will also talk about her book “Murder in Malibu: A Miss Merry Mac Mystery,” the first in a comedic murder mystery series.
For more information about the presentations, call the Montague Branch Library at 231-893-2675 or The Book Nook at 231-894-5333.
