May 2, 2017 • Page 8 shop online at www.missourivalleyshopper.com The Bookworm ‘Beartown’ Never Slips Up “Beartown: A Novel” by Fredrik Backman; © 2017, Atria, 418 pages hardcover; © 2017, Simon & Schuster,336 pages paperback ——— BY TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER Your favorite team cannot be beat. As soon as they hit the court, field or rink, they play their hearts out to win. And win. And win. The competition is… well, there really isn’t much competition but, as in the new book “Beartown” by Fredrik Backman, trouble may come from within. Hockey, for Beartown, wasn’t just a game. It was life. Little boys learned to play hockey almost as soon as they walked. Everyone supported the team, tickets were dear and local businesses were fierce sponsors. Hockey was life, and with a bigger city just down the road, it had become the only reason Beartown hadn’t disappeared altogether. This, Peter Andersson knew. Once, Peter had been a Bear: a star in juniors, the A-team and then the NHL, where he was injured enough to retire, move back to Beartown and become the teams’ General Manager. It was a good move for Peter but maybe not so much for his wife, Kira, or his children, 15-yearold Maya and 12-year-old Leo. And for that, Peter secondguessed himself often. Boys like Kevin Erdahl made the guilt bearable. At 17, Kevin had a rosy future ahead: junior team, A-team, then pro in short order. He was one of the finest players Peter had ever seen, and everybody in Beartown agreed — coaches, parents, girls and Kevin’s best friend, Benji. They were a team, Benjamin and Kevin — mostly because Benji was fearless. He didn’t seem to feel pain, never worried, never lost sleep; he never missed a good donnybrook, either, just as he never let his coaches or his best friend down. On the ice, Benji kept the opposition away from Kevin. Off-rink, he kept away trouble. It was his job. Everybody in Beartown knew what was riding on the junior semifinals match. Virtually nobody in town was even thinking of missing what would promise to be a hockey game they’d talk about for decades. It could be the game of the century. But “There’s a storm brewing.” And if author Fredrik Backman just stopped his story right there, “Beartown” would still be a first-rate, don’t-dare-miss novel. Instead, just after that Big Game scene, there’s a proper explosion, as is promised in a very short Chapter One, and it’s a ka-boom that’ll have your fingernails buried in this books’ cover. Indeed, Backman’s exciting leadup to the game is only a fraction of this story, which gives readers time to cultivate a good feel for who the characters are and how they jigsaw together in this small town in the woods. Knowing them and the baggage that keeps them in Beartown will keep you breathless as the fallout rains down and as you race toward the Perfect-with-a-Capital-P ending inside this book. You don’t have to know hockey to enjoy this story; in fact, you might like it a little better if you don’t. You may even love it if you’re a fan of keeps-you-guessing novels of exquisite storytelling. Undoubtedly, if you’re a big Backman fan, you need this book because “Beartown” cannot be beat. New At The Library Here’s what’s new at the Yankton Community Library this week: ADULT BOOKS • Fast and Loose by Stuart Woods; Fiction • The Fix by David Baldacci; Fiction • The Horse Dancer by Jojo Moyes; Fiction • The Shadow Sister by Lucinda Riley; Fiction • Sweet Little Thing by Renee Carlino; Fiction • The Blue Book of Gun Values by S.P. Fjestad; Nonfiction • How to Hygge: The Nordic Secrets to a Happy Life by Signe Johansen; Nonfiction • You Are a Badass at Making Money by Jen Sincero; Nonfiction LARGE PRINT FICTION • The Horse Dancer by Jojo Moyes; Fiction • Hallelujah Anyway by Anne Lamott; Nonfiction • Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann; Nonfiction ADULT DVDS • All Things Fall Apart • Brimstone • Eddie the Eagle • The Founder • Hidden Figures • Lion • Monster Trucks • Sleepless • 20th Century Women ——— Did you know that you can reserve an item from home? Staff will then notify you as soon as the item is available! Spring Square Dance Festival To Be Held In Sioux Falls SIOUX FALLS — The South Dakota State Square, Folk and Round Dance Association is sponsoring the Spring State Square Dance Festival in Sioux Falls May 5-6. The event will be hosted by the Spares N Pairs Square Dance Club of Sioux Falls. The theme of the festival is “Follow Your Neighbor to Sioux Falls.” All sessions will be held at the Y.E.S. Eastside Learning Center at 700 South Sneve, Sioux Falls. The Spring Festival activities will begin with a Trail-In Dance Friday evening, May 5, 2017, with Bryan Bush, Cleghorn, Iowa, calling. The dance begins at 8 p.m. On Saturday, May 6, there will be a Plus Dance beginning at 9:30 a.m. with Lurita Fugier, Hermosa and Elaine Peacock, Elk Point, calling. The Spring Festival begins at 1:30 p.m. on May 6. The South Dakota Square Dance Association callers will do the calling for the afternoon. Peacock will be the afternoon Master of Ceremonies and Cal Brown, Watertown, will be the round dance cuer. There will be business sessions before the 7:30 p.m. Grand March. Chuck Veldhuizen, Sioux City, Iowa, will be the evening Master of Ceremonies, and Fugier will be the evening round dance cuer. The public is invited to view any and all sessions. MV Shopper MV Shopper M I S S O U R I VA L L E Y In Print and Online! • 665-5884 M I S S O U R I VA L L E Y Change What You Eat Change How You Feel Participating Businesses Are… Prices Good May 2 through May 15 OW W FRITO-LAY SIMPLY CHIPS 2 $ 99 All Varieties Farmhouse Culture gut shots 6 $ 7th Generation toilet paper 6 $ 99 variety of flavors great probiotic drink! Performance Inspired Pre-workout 48 $ 99 12 rolls 10% Off 99 HEATH MARKET ON WEDNESDAY EARN 5¢ N P E R OFF G A L LO Personal Nutrition Counseling Come to Hy-Vee for individual nutrition counseling when you need a special diet or your physician recommends you make diet changes. EARN 2 ¢ N P E R OFF G A L LO Elizabeth Volzke RD LN, Hy-Vee Dietitian • Weight Loss • Heart Disease • Diabetes • Gluten-free and other food intolerances • Other Nutrition concerns Seth Brooks Hy-Vee Health Market Manager 7 J&H Cleaning Services YANKTON WORKS Want your REAL-TIME MESSAGE on the most visited media website in the Yankton area? 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