Several years ago, I was in Wisconsin on vacation and stopped to see Kris and Lora. They were getting ready to move at the time. As I was leaving, Kris handed me a book that he thought I might enjoy, it was called Into the Wild. (It turned out to be my favorite book of all time. I'm not sure why, but there was something about a young man's journey that made a real impression on me.)
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I'm not sure if it was during that same visit, or on another occasion, that Kris and Lora and I had spent some time together and Kris asked me if I knew about Population 485.
I did not know about Population 485! My mind started racing trying to think if I had ever heard of Population 485. Kris and I have like views on many things political, so I was trying to remember if Population 485 was something I had heard about with regard to a bill in Congress? A women's health issue? A third world country concern? A grass roots movement of some kind? Why don't I know? In a matter of seconds I realized that I did not know anything about Population 485 and, much to my dismay, I was going to have to admit that to Kris. I try to stay current on events and political issues, so why didn't I know a single thing about Population 485?
So, I was very much relieved when he explained to me that Population 485 is the title of a book written by local author, Michael Perry.
Population 485, Meeting your neighbors one siren at a time.
He loaned me the book and introduced me to some of the most enjoyable reading ever.
The small town of New Auburn was the setting for my introduction to my love of Michael Perry's style and stories.
I went on to read Truck, A Love Story and then Coop.
I found Perry's very first book on eBay and purchased that as well.
Michael Perry writes about things common, about living in rural Wisconsin, about neighbors and friends and family. He uses wit and humor and has a vocabulary that challenges the reader to understand and maybe learn and does it in a comfortable, friendly way. Every book has it's own personality even though there is a strong common thread of simple living and Wisconsin small town charm.
Michael Perry has now published his 5th book.
He was in Rice Lake on Tuesday doing a reading / book signing. Michael read and chatted with us for about an hour. The audience of about 60 folks sat in the auditorium at Rice Lake High School.
As I listened to him tell us about his daughters, his neighbors, his wife, etc, I looked around at the crowd. Every face was wearing a smile.
I can't wait to read Visiting Tom.
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Thank you Kris for sharing these books with me and giving me the gift of a good read.
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