Premier Independent Bookseller/Coffeehouse in Sauk Valley
COVID-19 2021
COVID-19 fight update:
We are open for indoor sitting and sipping (and shopping, of course) with increased capacity allowance!
Congratulations and thanks to all of you who are fully vaccinated. This has made a big difference in the fight.
HOWEVER, the State of Illinois has been experiencing a surge in positive cases and hospital utilization. As of 30 August 2021, all patrons, whether fully vaccinated or not, and including children older than age 2 must cover nose and mouth when not seated and eating or drinking.
(If you must shout at your adjoining table, put your mask on!)
Please do not be offended when we ask you to have a mask. We will respect your decision to leave the premises if you do not want to "mask up" to help all of us stay safe and stay open.
When journalist Josh Wittmore moves from the Illinois bureau of Farm Country News to the newspaper’s national office in Wisconsin, he encounters the biggest story of his young career—just as the paper’s finances may lead to its closure. Josh’s big story is that a corporation that plans to establish an enormous hog farm has bought a lot of land along the Tamarack River in bucolic Ames County. Some of the local residents and officials are excited about the jobs and tax revenues that the big farm will bring, while others worry about truck traffic, porcine aromas, and manure runoff polluting the river. And how would the arrival of a large agribusiness affect life and traditions in this tightly knit rural community of family farmers? Josh strives to provide impartial agricultural reporting, even as his newspaper is replaced by a new Internet-only version owned by a former New York investment banker. And it seems that there may be another force in play: the vengeful ghost of a drowned logger who locals say haunts the valley of the Tamarack River.
About the Author
Jerry Apps was born and raised on a Wisconsin farm. A former agricultural extension agent, he is professor emeritus at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. His other novels in the Ames County series are The Travels of Increase Joseph, In a Pickle, Blue Shadows Farm, and Cranberry Red. His many nonfiction books include Garden Wisdom, Barns of Wisconsin, Breweries of Wisconsin, Every Farm Tells a Story, Old Farm, and One-Room Country Schools. Apps received the 2007 Major Achievement Award from the Council for Wisconsin Writers and the 2010 Distinguished Service Award from the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences.
Praise For…
“Jerry Apps scores another bull’s-eye in his Ames County fiction series with Tamarack River Ghost. The book raises the main issues of land stewardship and community development in an interesting story filled with compelling characters.”—Dennis Boyer, author of Listen to the Land: Conservation Conversations
“Contributes to a deeper understanding of midwestern farm life in transition in the twenty-first century.”—Jerry Minnich, author of The Wisconsin Garden Guide
Thank you for your support!
For those of you not interested in ordering from that largest river in South America that rivals the Mississippi and the Nile, but BoF is out of stock at the warehouse, try our new affiliate, Bookshop, started by a Columbia University MFA who just wants to help the Indies out a bit while being able to put a meal on the table for himself and others.
We Now Are Affiliated with Hummingbird, a Great eBook Resource!
You can still buy titles in other formats (hardcover, paperback, audio CDs) with a Books on First gift card as well as buy a Books on First giftcard which we will send especially to that lucky recipient (free postage!).
More than a card.
More value than many other store-bought surprises (except a book!)
Put a 3D paper sculpture in a loved one's hands and see the spontaneous delight.
That's a lovepop.
Tim's Bees Have Been Busy and the Honey is Back!
For Sale at Books on First
From Tim Benedict's Orion Artisinal Honey & Garlic Farm
HONEY from Tim's BEES flying around FRANKLIN GROVE, IL
Two types of honey now available in beautiful 12-oz jars:
Prairie Wildflowers -- unadulterally whatever the bees are inclined to like and Echinaea -- from Tim's special stash
It's been said that local honey is great for warding off bad germs and aiding in the relief of sinus/breathing difficulties. Regardless, it tastes great!
And What a Great Gift Idea!
Stock Up Now!
Based on the Book ...
We are always delighted when someone sees a movie in the book, because now, millions of more people know about the book! It might have been a great film or it might have been a total dud.
But, read the book yourself to see just how good or different the original is!
