'Chapter A Day' summer reads from the Wisconsin Northwoods

Here we are, mid-July, and you still haven’t had the chance to take a summer vacation? Don’t worry. WPR’s “Chapter A Day” has got you covered with two great books that will take you to the beautiful Northwoods and offer a bit of romance as a bonus — because, let’s face it, all great summer reads need some romance.

‘Star Lake Saloon and Housekeeping Cottages’

Nothing says summer more than the Northwoods, and “Star Lake Saloon and Housekeeping Cottages” by Sara Rath is one that’s personally close to my heart.

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A middle-aged woman, Hannah, who lives in Madison, inherits a run-down resort up north from an uncle she’s never met. Hannah intends to immediately sell the inheritance and return to her life in the city, until she learns from her deceased uncle’s pistol of a girlfriend and a handsome local guide that the buyer is a mining company that intends to strip mine the area. This information leaves her no other choice than to try and save the flailing business.

I first heard this book when it originally aired on “Chapter A Day” in 2006. I was living in Minocqua. And, in fact, I was there because I had inherited a business that had left me with no other choice but to stay in the Northwoods.

It was so bizarrely coincidental that I thought it was a sign. Granted, I had been living in Chicago, not Madison — no chemical company was trying to buy our business and my handsome local was not a guide. But let’s not quibble over minor details.

A woman with short brown hair and red glasses speaks at a podium, wearing a patterned jacket and a black turtleneck, with colorful art displayed in the background. — Author Sara Rath at a reading in Wisconsin Rapids. *Photo from author website*

The book will speak to you, too, if you’ve ever vacationed in the Northwoods. If you’ve never been up north, you’ll want to go. And if you live there, you’ll feel seen with how well this special place is captured on the page.

Rath lovingly describes the stillness of the lake, the call of the loons, the musty cabin smells, the pristine beauty. When Hannah and Dan, the handsome guide, go fishing and have a shore lunch, it made me homesick. It’s just like you’re there.

Plus, “Star Lake Saloon and Housekeeping Cottages” is simply an enjoyable read. It’s got humor, intrigue, bad guys, environmentalism. And of course, romance, (although to be fair, it’s more of a side plot than a focal point).

The book, at its heart, is really about a person trying to figure out what to do with their life, set in the perfect summer destination.

Person with light-colored espadrilles resting their feet on a boat, floating on a calm lake, surrounded by trees and lily pads under a partly cloudy sky. — Michele Good “fishing” in the Northwoods in summer 2024. *Photo courtesy of Michele Good*

‘Truck: A Love Story’

Whereas our first book explores the place that is the Northwoods, our second book, “Truck: A Love Story,” explores the people of the Northwoods through the eyes of New York Times’ best-selling author Michael Perry.

The memoir is about exactly what you’d think from the title, plus another love story altogether. Perry has an old, no-longer-running International Harvester pick-up truck that he’s enamored with. He sets about restoring the truck over the course of the book. In the midst of that obsession, he meets a woman. As Perry rebuilds the truck, he also rebuilds his (love) life.

As with any Michael Perry book, it isn’t just about a guy fixing a truck and falling in love. He takes a meandering path through both projects with thoughtful, humorous reflections on family, community, the land and just getting through the day. Deep thoughts on life intermingled with gardening tips, automotive history and a celebrity shout-out to make it spicy.

Much like “Star Lake Saloon and Housekeeping Cottages” transports you to the dock of a Northwoods’ lake, “Truck: A Love Story” gives you an authentic sense of the people who live there. Perry revels in the joys (and annoyances) of living in a rural area and has a deep appreciation for the characters, including himself, that inhabit it.

Reading it, I couldn’t help but recognize some people I know from up north. The volunteer fire department’s annual chicken BBQ fundraiser where everyone knows your business was dead-on. And, I mean, don’t we all have a guy in the neighborhood whose “pet” squirrels are digging up our garden, driving us crazy — rural or urban?

“Truck: A Love Story” is warm, witty and profound storytelling. Like sitting around a cozy campfire on the first cool August night with your neighbor: the funniest, most down-to-earth guy you know who can tell one hell of a story.