Firewood Happens: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness in Minnesota’s Northwoods

TLDR: “Lovely collection of essays on cabin life. Peaceful read.”

Book review by Deane Barker tags: essays, local
An image of the cover of the book "Firewood Happens: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness in Minnesota’s Northwoods"

This is a lovely, contemplative book of essays about cabin life in the Detroit Lake area of Minnesota. I bought up there at a gift store. The author is apparently a local, and this is his first collection of essays.

The author owns a one-room cabin with no plumbing. He spends a lot of time up there. He hunts and fishes and… reflects, then he writes about it.

I couldn’t really relate to the outdoors aspect of it (I’m not much of an outdoorsman), but I bought it after spending a weekend in the area, and I totally get the vibe. There’s a peacefulness to it that’s hard to beat.

This book isn’t going to change your life. But I read one essay a day (they’re 2-3 pages), and I always enjoyed picking it up.

Book Info

Author
Mike Lein
Year
Pages
195
Acquired
  • I have read this book. According to my records, I completed it on .
  • A softcover copy of this book is currently in my home library.

Here are some notes I took on the acquisition of this book:

Bought it at a gift shop in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, where the author is a local.

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