Rural Route Bookstore

Books about Farm Life, Small Town Life, the Midwest, and Scandinavian-Americans

Featuring the Heartwarming Humor of "Those Lutheran Ladies"

Especially for Lauraine Snelling Groupies:

Books in the Dakotah Treasurers Series by Lauraine Snelling

If you missed one of the four in this series, maybe Rural Route Bookstore can help. We overstocked on three of them, and offer these at a discount. We'll even throw in some Snelling bookmarks with each of these paperback books.

LS - 01 Ruby

$12.98 $9.00 Four copies remaining

LS - 02 Pearl

$12.98 $9.00 Two copies remaining

LS - 03 Opal

$12.98 $9.00 One copy remaining

Especially for Children and Elementary Teachers

The Gift by Marcia S. Freeman; illus. by Patrice Kennedy Four copies remaining

Written for ages 9 - 12, this heartwarming story about a Norwegian immigrant family in Dakota Territory in the 1800s, appeals to readers of all ages. A story of the generosity, hope and love that sustains a family is balanced against the reality of isolation and loneliness on the prairie.

Authored by an internationally recognized writing education consultant, this book is getting hard to find. (One place on the Internet is charging $32 per copy.) The publisher of the book is offering the copyrighted Teachers' Guide for this book. The guide — which can be duplicated for classroom work only — is found at: http://www.maupinhouse.com/pdf/giftguide.pdf

However, one doesn't need to be an educator to enjoy this story. Anyone with an interest in immigration, or older family members who are asked to explain to children about long gone immigrant relatives and their lives, will enjoy both the realistic story and the art work in this heartwarming book.

CH - 9 Hardcover $14.95 Now $11.00

A Field Guide to Blueberries: Poetry by Jim Johnson

Johnson, who also authored Finns in Minnesota Midwinter, incorporated blueberries into the title of this — his second book of poetry — because blueberries are as "blue as Finland."

FN - 18 Paperback $9.95 Now $5.00

Especially for Folks who Grew up on a Farm

The Lay of the Land: A View from the Prairie by Brent Olson Four copies remaining

Olson combines a keen sense of humor with prairie wisdom in a series of essays about the land, lutefisk, duck hunting, Girl Scout cookies, skunks, diversity and Prozac! Olson has farmed in Western Minnesota for a quarter of a century on a farm his Norwegian great-grandparents homesteaded 120 years ago, and sometimes it is hard to tell if things are better than they were in the 1880s, or just different. If more people read this kind of writing, there'd soon be no need for Prozac -- or lutefisk!

FA - 01 Paperback $11.95 Now $8.50

Especially for History Buffs or Those with North Dakota Connections

North Dakota Postcards, 1900 –– 1930 Compiled by Larry Aasen One copy remaining

From the 1890s through the 1920s, the postcard was a very popular means of communication, and many of the postcards produced during this "golden age" are now considered works of art. This book contains surviving images of North Dakota's history.

Aasen's mother (from rural Hillsboro, ND), saved 488 postcards in a big leather album, and they document her life and love; tell about crops, politics and parties; and show fashions of the day, street scenes, and the general culture. As part of the Arcadia Postcard Series, this book contains black and white scans of over 200 cards in the Aasen collection.

Some are cartoon sketches, some are paintings, and many are photographs. All appear in black and white, and are not perforated for removal to be resent. They are historical photos, in book form portraying an important era in both North Dakota's and America's history.

ND - 01 Paperback $18.99 Now $14.00

Notecards - Photography by Doug Ohman

Each box contains 12 cards and 12 envelopes. You can order a box with 12 of one style, or a box with 4 cards of the 3 styles. The inside is blank for your message. Cards measure 4 x 5.5 inches.

Notecards $6.95 per box of 12 Now $4.50 per box of 12

SL - 04a Fish Lake Lutheran at Stark, MN

Order by using the 'Place an Order' form or you may order by phone (800 494-9124). For payment and shipping charges, see 'Place an Order.'

Scandinavian-American and Rural Humor Books

Notecards - Photography by Doug Ohman