Tackle your summer reading challenge with these books with local ties, recommended by Lake Geneva Public Library Community Engagement Librarian Ellen Ward-Packard.
THE BARK RIVER CHRONICLES: STORIES FROM A WISCONSIN WATERSHED
BY MILTON J. BATES
The author and his wife, Puck, paddle down the Bark River, a tributary of the Rock, in this sundry collection of Wisconsin tales. Journeying from Bark Lake to Lake Koshkonong, Bates touches on glacial landscapes, the Blackhawk War, Milwaukee’s brewing industry and other fascinating tidbits of southern Wisconsin’s history.
THIMBLE SUMMER
BY ELIZABETH ENRIGHT
Growing up on a farm in Depression-era Wisconsin, nine-year old Garnet discovers a silver thimble in a dry riverbed. Shortly afterward, a long drought ends, marking the start of Garnet’s lucky “thimble summer.” Kids and adults will both love this charming classic of children’s literature.
STEAM TRAINS TO GENEVA LAKE: C&NW’S ELGIN-WILLIAMS BAY BRANCH
BY P.L. BEHRENS
Longtime visitors to Lake Geneva will recall the days when a visit to Geneva beaches did not require fighting for a parking spot. Passenger lines from Illinois to Lake Geneva operated from 1871 until 1975, and were key to making Lake Geneva a tourist destination in the late 19th century. Behrens’s history of the Elgin-Williams Bay line adds an oft-forgotten layer to local lore.
