Dive Into Festive Local Reads
Seeking a holiday book or two? Look no further than these local authors
Whether you’re searching for a gift for a reader on your list or you just want a seasonal book to curl up with this Christmas season, here are a few books by local authors you may enjoy. You can find them online or at The Local Store, 205 N. Dewey St., Eau Claire.
Calvin the Cookie Maker by Caroline Akervik
Wisconsin youngster Calvin is met with the holiday blues. A cooking show on TV inspires Calvin to create a delicious Christmas cookie book of his own. He tries to show his parents his creation, but they are too wrapped up in the craziness of the Christmas season to pay any attention. Will Calvin be able to enjoy the holidays – and maybe a cookie or two?
Secret Santa Series by David Tank
In “Secret Santa: The Mystery of the Stereoscope,” when Sam and his younger sister, Abby, find a mysterious stereoscope and 3D images of Santa Claus, they begin to question the man behind the beard. Suddenly trapped in 1893, the siblings discover “The Night Before Christmas” is part of an elaborate plan to conceal the true identity of Santa Claus. Will they be able to return to the present and solve the mystery? Tank, a Menomonie writer, has penned two sequels, Secret Santa: The Mystery of the Magic Watch, which finds the kids visiting the Roaring Twenties, and Secret Santa: The Mystery of the Lost Guitar, in which they travel to 1968 in search of their grandfather’s long-lost guitar.
Christmas Comeback (To Me) by Caroline Akervik
International Hockey League goalie Erik Engen has returned to his hometown in Noelle, Wisconsin, for the annual Nutcracker Festival. Erik soon learns his former lover, artist Stella Larson, has returned to Noelle as well. The two quickly realize the feelings between them haven’t changed.
Starr Tree Farm by Ellen Parker
Mystery, romance, and Christmas cross paths in this holiday thriller! Devastated by the lack of progress in the police investigation of her husband’s murder almost one year earlier, Laura Tanner retreats to her relative’s Christmas tree farm in Crystal Springs, Wisconsin, hoping her private investigator uncle will be able to crack the case.