Open Book: A Little Lake Reading for the Winter

Hey friends,

I first dipped my toes into Lake Michigan before I could walk, visiting my grandparents’ cottage with my cousins. Now, I’m grateful to go to a Lake Michigan cabin built by my father-in-law, where I might see hummingbirds and eagles on the same day, find some Petosky stones and marvel at how many ways a sun can set.

This week’s book mail contained a new find of old poems to read this winter: “The Lake Poets: An Anthology.” These are poems from the English “lake poets” William Wordsworth, Dorothy Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Robert Southey and Charles Lamb, whose work was inspired by the English Lake District.

And as I travel back more to our American Great Lakes, I’ll also be reading “The Living Great Lakes: Searching for the Heart of the Inland Seas” by Jerry Dennis, a book recently given to me by my friend Julia. It’s part history, climate story, adventure tale, and recognition of the terrifying power and breathtaking beauty of these waters.

–  Shannon