Skip to main content

100 Things To Do In Holland Before You Die: #84 - Get Lost In A Book At Reader's World

This entry is where the whole inspiration behind "Tulip City Dispatch Does The 100 Things To Do In Holland Before You Die," came from.  Since I started this blog in 2019, I've spent an inordinate amount of time at secondhand stores, bookstores, antique stores, and the library trying to find books on local history and culture. I've got a pretty good pulse on what's out there, and the types of books on the market right now.  There are a few specific authors who have written many books on local history, of which, I own several.

100 Things To Do came across my dashboard sometime in 2023; I don't remember if it was a targeted ad on Instagram or a post or what.  I do remember that I became aware of the book through Instagram, but details aren't important here.  Point is, I was oot and aboot on a Saturday (hitting up the aforementioned thrift stores and antique stores), when I happened to duck into the Barnes & Noble in Holland and walked to the "Local Interest" section.  I saw 100 Things To Do, and got STOKED!  I picked it up and began flipping through the pages as I walked to the register.  I opened to page 114 (entry #84, the one I'm writing about) and a lightbulb went off - why was I buying a local interest book from a nationwide chain, when I know several other local bookstores that could very easily use my purchase better?

I set the book back on the shelf at B&N, got in my car, and drove to Downtown Holland, to Reader's World.  They've got their Local Interest/Michigan Authors section immediately to the right when you walk in the door, and New Releases on a table in the center of the entryway.  100 Things To Do was situated on that New Releases table, front and center.  So, I bought it and immediately walked down the street to Our Brewing Company and began highlighting, dog-earing pages, and making notes in the margins.  I contacted the author on Instagram and got her blessing to share my experiences with the things to do in her book.  I was feeling uninspired about writing at that time, so I thought "Great, I've got a year's worth of content here!"

I became aware of Reader's World in 2007 or thereabouts, in my peak Board Life era - Reader's World was one of the only bookstores in Michigan that sold Concrete Wave magazine.  As the issues were released quarterly, I was able to swing by Holland during school breaks to pick up the latest issue.  As I was there, I'd also pick up a few odd books throughout the years.  But, Reader's World has been a staple of my Downtown Holland experience for almost 18 years now - holy cow!

In addition to the crew at Reader's World, I'd like to throw a shout-out to Bluestocking Bookstore on Holland's north side.  While they weren't specifically mentioned in 100 Things To Do, they're good people - I've made several book purchases there, history related and otherwise.  I have yet to stop at The Next Chapter, but hey, they're located pretty much here.

Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Junk Food Review: Chocolatey Payday.

 I saw an ad on my Instagram page for a chocolate-covered Payday bar.  Jokingly, I took a screenshot, and posted it on my stories asking the question "Isn't this just a Baby Ruth?"  A friend responded by saying that no, a Baby Ruth is peanuts surrounding caramel and chocolate-flavored nougat; the chocolate-covered Payday is peanuts in caramel-flavored nougat, dipped in chocolate. Now, candy bars are made from a few common ingredients:  Chocolate, peanuts, nougat, and caramel.  Chocolate and nougat is something like a 3 Musketeers.  Chocolate, nougat, and caramel is something like a Milky Way.  All 4 makes a Snickers bar.  Chocolate and Peanuts is a Mr. Goodbar.  Chocolate and caramel is either a Caramello or a type of Milky Way.  Peanuts and caramel (no chocolate) is a Payday.  And, chocolate, peanuts, and caramel led to the confusion that took me down the road to writing this article in the first place. I did what any sane person w...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Eddie Bentz Bank Robbery

Prohibition is one of the most storied periods in American history. Urban myths and legends abound nationwide, with tales of folk heroes like Al Capone, Babyface Nelson, and John Dillinger. Tall tales are woven around organized crime, wild bootleggers, underground saloons, and well-dressed gangsters. There's something uniquely American about the DIY ethos of taking matters into your own hands, making illegal alcohol, and selling it through clandestine channels; stickin' it to the man like those in the illegal alcohol industry did. These stories are immortalized in movies like The Road To Perdition and Public Enemies, as well as TV series like HBO's Boardwalk Empire and, well, PBS's Prohibition. Many lakeshore towns in Western Michigan have tales of organized crime and bootlegging. Easy access to Lake Michigan meant that bootleggers had easy access to boat routes, safely out of reach of authorities. Booze was funneled in from Canada, then taken by boat to cities all aro...
Post a Comment
Read more

Merry Christmas from Tulip City!

I don't have a full article this week, but here's a little bit of trivia for you: While Holland is a predominantly Christian Reformed city, it was the early Methodists that sprung the Christmas spirit. While an 1867 Sunday School Christmas Program drew nearly 150 youngsters to Hope Church, it was several generations before the Reformed church allowed even Christmas trees into their sanctuaries, as Christmas trees were seen as Pagan symbols. Early Methodists adopted the 19th Century American spirit, and welcomed things like Christmas trees and even Santa Claus into their sanctuaries. I tried to determine exactly how long "several generations" were using Dr. Swierenga's book (and the sources he cites), but could not ascertain the exact time. It's almost certainly somewhere in the vicinity of 50 years (before the Christian Reformed Churches allowed 'pagan' Christmas symbols), which would put their allowing of such things into the early 20th century, but ...
Post a Comment
Read more