MARQUETTE — The Upper Peninsula Publishers & Authors Association announces the 6th Annual U.P. Notable Books List this week. UPPAA Notable Books chairman Mikel Classen (Sault Ste. Marie) initiated the effort in 2019 as a response to the lack of representation of U.P. writers in other Michigan state literary circles.

Classen said, “Traditionally, recognition of Michigan books has been dominated by the university presses downstate and we would like to take this opportunity to highlight literature that focuses closer to home for us.”

Evelyn Gathu, director of the Crystal Falls District Community Library, will continue the library’s alliance with UPPAA to co-sponsor the U.P. Notable Book Club.

The club is available to any interested reader and features monthly Zoom meetups with national bestselling U.P. Notable authors such as Karen Dionne (The Wicked Sister), Sue Harrison (The Midwife’s Touch), and Steve Lehto (Death’s Door). Members borrow the books from their local libraries or purchase them at local stores prior to discussions.

Presentations include author readings, a conversation on the making of the book, and a live Q&A with the audience. The next meeting is February 13th, 2025 and the full year-long calendar will be announced shortly.

To build this sixth annual list, UPPAA consulted with Upper Michigan booksellers, book reviewers, writers, and publishers to winnow down the notable books to a bare ten titles.

These titles demonstrate the wide reach of U.P. literature as they span juvenile, middle-grade, YA, and adult audiences. You can find reviews of many of these books on the UP Book Review.

The award committee emphasizes that the list is unranked, each title deserves equal merit as a U.P. Notable Book.

These 10 books have been deemed essential reading for every U.P. lover and we highly recommend you ask your local librarian or booksellers for them today.

Librarians may request a list annotated with ISBNs from president@UPPAA.org.

≤ To Be Marquette: A Novel by Sharon Dilworth

≤ Animals Out-There W-I-L-D: A Bestiary in English and ASL Gloss by Raymond Luczak

≤ Make It Go in the Snow: People and Ideas in the History of Snowmobiles by Larry Jorgensen

≤ Limpy’s Adult Lexicon: Raw, Politically Incorrect, Improper & Unexpurgated As Overheard & Noodled by Joseph Heywood

≤ Memories of a Mackinac Island Native: Life on the Island from 1940s to 2020s by Tom Chambers

≤ How to Hike the North Country Trail: Not Quite a Guide by Joan H. Young

≤ The Story of Journey: The Great Horned Owl by Carol L. Schultz

≤ The Last Huck: A Novel by J.D. Austin

≤ Ellie and the Midwest Goodbye by Nikki Mitchell

≤ Michigan Indian Boarding School Survivors Speak Out: A Narrative History by Sharon Marie Brunner

This Year’s U.P. Notable Classics

The U.P. Notable Books Committee continues its initiative called U.P. Notable Classics which highlights significant U.P.-themed literature that has remained essential for at least 10 years. The committee hopes that these books can bring enjoyment to a new generation of readers.

≤ Lumberjack: Inside an Era in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan – 70th Anniversary Edition by William S. Crowe

≤ A Face in the Rock: the Tale of a Grand Island Chippewa by Loren Graham.