Literary Travel – Northern Michigan Edition

Hi Everybody,

Last September, I wrote a blog about my travels to Wisconsin, Northern Michigan, and Canada. In that same month, I traveled to a different part of Northern Michigan to a town called Manistee, so I could celebrate my birthday with a dear friend. During that weekend, she took me to a Carnegie Library and a bookstore. Today, I’ll show them to you. All of the photos used were ones that I took.

First up is the Manistee Library in Manistee, Michigan.

As a part of the Manistee County Library, this public library is special because it’s housed in a 120-year-old Carnegie Library building. A group formed by Manistee society ladies called the Lakeside Club wanted to create such a place. In 1902, the Lakeside Club collaborated with city officials and the local literary society to successfully campaign for a public library that would be funded largely by The Andrew Carnegie Foundation. Construction commenced the following year, and the library officially opened on April 28, 1905.

When my friend and I went to the Manistee Library back in September, it was going through some renovations. Despite that, it was nice and compact. It was made up of two floors.

The first floor contained the main reference desk and shelves for adult fiction and nonfiction books. We even chatted with the librarian at the desk. She told us that the desk seen here was originally part of the library.

The first level had books, movies, and audiobooks organized in ways that patrons would expect from a library.

Good for the library to have DVD/Blu-Ray players for patrons to check out.

The library also had a couple good displays when we were there. Since we came during Banned Books week, they had a simple, but effective one near the reference desk. In addition, I liked how they had a Library of Things collection. It seems that the cases are used to mark when an actual Library of Thing gets checked out.

Before I get too off track, the other display was dedicated to James Earl Jones, who died earlier that month and grew up in Manistee County. Who knew!

The second floor in the main library consisted of computers. Some of them were on the main level, but most were on the top.

On this level, not only were there computers, but there were also a laminating machine, a 3-D printer, a charging station for those who need to charge their phones and other devices, and a computer equipped to read microfilm.

Back to the main floor, we came across a spacious reference room for those who like to study and read the newspaper. I especially loved the blue walls, which makes it calming. According to my friend, the library uses that room as a locked meeting space these days, so I’m happy I got to see it when I did.

Finally, while we were at the Manistee Library, we went up the elegant wooden staircase to find a Fine Feathered Fridays Display and a children’s room.

The Fine Feathered Fridays room contained all bird-related items, including an original Audubon book. They turn a page every first Friday of the month.

The other part of that floor held a Children’s room, which was fit for any child to play in!

It had everything that a child would want at a library. It contained a play area, where they can put on a puppet show and pretend to make food in a kitchen. Furthermore, the Children’s room held computers, a Wall of Fame, and backpack kits to enhance their learning. The latter was in collaboration with two other counties in the Northern Michigan area.

I’m glad that libraries like the Manistee Library are finding ways to strengthen children’s learning.

While the Manistee Library has a prestigious history, it has continuously found ways to keep patrons of all ages interested. It has good books and study spaces for adults as well as a nice play area for the kids. Along with their website, you can check them out on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Manistee is all about the past, present, and future.

The next and final place we’ll look at is not just any bookstore, it’s The Bookstore in Frankfort.

After our visit to the Manistee Library, we took a spontaneous trip to downtown Frankfort, which is about an hour away from Manistee. It was a bright sunny day with a ton of people out, and we happened to stumble upon The Bookstore.

With a name like “The Bookstore,” it must think highly of itself. Luckily, it kept customers in mind with its wide range of books, magazines, and other publications.

The building is divided into two rooms – one containing adult-related books and the other for kids. I went into the latter first. The children’s area looked super cozy. It had classic, popular, and Michigan-related titles. Additionally, it sold toys like puzzles and puppets. Maybe customers who buy the latter can donate them to a library like the Manistee Library.

There was also a nice seating area consisting of a futon. It gave off a simple, comforting mood.

Cards, journals, and planners were present in the children’s room as well. That was an unusual choice of place, but hey, they got some nice visuals. Anything to catch a customer’s eye. I especially like the “Reading is Magic” planner, for that message is what we need in the world right now.

Flags of all kinds, specifically the United States one in many of its iterations, were also at The Bookstore. They added that independent feel to the store.

On the adult side, the typical kinds of the books were available for sale like the bestsellers, genre novels, and nonfiction titles.

Furthermore, it had unique offerings like Native American history, books about Michigan and the Great Lakes, and ones by local authors. I actually bought one title from the local author collection called The Cut by John Wemlinger. It’s a historical fiction novel that takes place in Manistee County. I hope to read it some time.

Throughout the adult side, notes from various staff members gave customers ideas of what to purchase. For example, this one is from employee Carrie, who listed a few of her favorite books. I’ve read My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry and Dalva. Check out my reviews on those books to see how I feel.

My favorite thing about this bookshop was its sense of humor. For example, a raven was perched on top of the Literature/Classics shelves in the adult area, and it said this.

Right next to it was a Shakespeare mask and a drawing of Edgar Allan Poe and the raven from the iconic story.

The Bookstore is the bookshop in Frankfort, Michigan. It had a broad range of items that appealed to all types of readers from the bestsellers to anything Michigan-related. You can check them out on Facebook. That bookstore definitely kept readers in mind while making it a fun and comfortable place to stroll as well as sit and read.

And that concludes the seventh installment of “Literary Travel!” I hope all of you had a great time on this trip. There is another one down the pipeline, so stay tuned for that later this year!

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