Our March 2025 Literary Road Trip Box takes us to the "Land of 10,000 Lakes"and place where, not surprising, the sport of waterskiing was invented-Minnesota! Did you know that the state motto, L'Étoile du Nord, is the only state motto in French. It translates to "The Star of the North." Authors from Minnesota include F. Scott Fitzgerald, Louise Erdrich, Anne Tyler, Garrison Keillor, and Sinclair Lewis. Spam was invented in Minnesota and you can even visit the Spam museum. I've not had the opportunity to visit Minnesota, but it is where my mom and aunt were born, and so I was raised with a huge dose of love for the state.
The featured book for March is J. Ryan Stradal's Kitchens of the Great Midwest. This story follows Eva, a girl with an extraordinary palate, raised by her father, who is a chef. Stradal uses a unique method of storytelling, allowing us to see Eva through the eyes of multiple characters. The story is strongly rooted in midwestern culture and has amazing, mouthwatering food descriptions.
Moon Palace Books is our March indie bookstore partner. Moon Palace Books opened in Minneapolis in 2012. We've included their holographic sloth sticker in the March box. A longer post about this fabulous indie bookstore will be coming in a few weeks.
Hotdish is a midwest type of casserole and in Minnesota, wild rice is a popular hotdish component. Try a Wild Rice Hotdish with Almonds and Apricot from The Secret Garden. The Secret Garden is a family farm business from Park Rapids, Minnesota that opened in 1985.
A library card themed set of sticky notes from Wildly Enough. Wildly Enough is a company from Storrs, Connecticut that began in 2021. They specialize in book lover merchandise and the company started in a workshop environment that helps women launch buisnesses. They give a portion of their profits to literary and equity charities.
A "Book Lover" pen from Public School Paper Co.. Founded in 2018, this female owned buisness is located in Denver, Colorado. They are currently donating a portion of their profits to local schools, and exploring additional ways to branch out to help students and teachers on a bigger scale.
The Minnesota Box Includes:
-One Paperback Copy of J. Ryan Stradal's Kitchens of the Great Midwest
-Holographic Sloth Sticker from Indie Bookstore Partner Moon Palace Books
-Package of Wild Rice Hotdish with Almonds and Apricots from The Secret Garden
-Library Card Sticky Note Set from Wildly Enough
-Book Lover Pen from Public School Paper Co
-March Box Letter
-Shipping within the United States is included in the purchase price