What’s better than a good book? A good book written by your neighbor. Grab your favorite cup of tea or coffee and get ready to meet your next read, because we’re talking about locally written books in Madison.
Fiction
- “Godspeed” by Nickolas Butler | Release date: July 27, 2021 | Follow three troubled construction workers on a dangerous journey against an impossible deadline.
- “Stealing Away: Stories” by Kevin Revolinski | Release date: Jan. 19, 2021 | This collection tells the 12 stories of characters struggling to find purpose + choosing between escape and making peace with their circumstances.
- “Still True” by Maggie Ginsberg | Release date: Sept. 27, 2022 | What happens when the long-lost adult son of a fiercely independent woman shows up at her doorstep? Find out in this novel from a Madison Magazine editor.
For the family
- “Chrysanthemum” by Kevin Henkes | Release date: Sept. 16, 1991 | From a nationally-celebrated local author, this book tells a silly yet charming story of self-love and acceptance.
- “The Women’s March” by Jennifer Chiaverini | Release date: July 27, 2021 | This historical novel from the New York Times bestselling author recounts the 1913 Woman Suffrage Procession.
- “The Fastest Girl on Earth” by Dean Robbins | Release date: Aug. 10, 2021 | An exciting tale that proves no dream is too big to achieve — great for younger readers.
Learn something new
- “Manna Cafe and Bakery” by Barb Pratzel | Release date: Oct. 21, 2021 | This combination cookbook-memoir tells of the shared career of a wife and husband with talents for cooking + hospitality.
- “Shape: The Hidden Geometry of Information, Biology, Strategy Democracy, and Everything Else” by Jordan Ellenberg | Release date: June 1, 2022 | Written by a mathematics professor from UW-Madison, this book reveals how geometry ties into some of the most important scientific, political, and philosophical problems we face.
- “The United States of Cocktails” by Brian Bartels | Release date: Sept. 8, 2020 | Learn new recipes, tales, and traditions from all 50 states in this book written by Settle Down Tavern’s co-owner.
Part of a series
- “Fiddling with Fate” by Kathleen Ernst | Release date: Jan. 1, 2019 | This tenth and latest release from the Chloe Ellefson Mystery Series follows a sleuth who uses family antiques to answer questions left in the wake of her mother’s death.
- “Death Stalks Door County” by Patricia Skalka | Release date: Jan. 1, 2014 | David Cubiak is the main character in Skalka’s mystery thriller series. During a series of adventures in Door County, this novel observes Dave, a homicide detective turned park ranger.
- “Billy Miller Makes a Wish” by Kevin Henkes | Release date: April 6, 2021 | This sequel to “The Year of Billy Miller” is a kid-friendly, hilarious story of wishful thinking + regrets.
Personal stories
- “Dead Lines: Slices of Life From the Obit Beat” by George Hesselberg | Release date: Nov. 2, 2021 | A longtime journalist at the Wisconsin State Journal shares intriguing stories from the obit and public safety beats that spotlight how extraordinary the stories of the seemingly ordinary can be.
- “The Right Thing to Do” by Doug Moe | Release date: March 21, 2022 | A historical recount of Kit Saunders-Nordeen and the rise of women’s intercollegiate athletics at the University of Wisconsin and beyond.
- “The Quiet Season” by Jerry Apps | Release date: June 22, 2013 | Jerry Apps, who you may have seen on PBS Wisconsin, recalls growing up on a farm in central WI not only during winter but during the later years of the Depression through World War II.
Need more recommendations? Stop by Mystery to Me, Kismet Books, and Paul’s Book Store to get expert advice from 608’s local booksellers. 📚
