A monthly update from the Friends of Shorewood Public Library

The Friends would like to thank the more than 400 people who participated in last month's Shorewood Reads, a celebration of Shotgun Lovesongs by Nickolas Butler.

Butler spent April 16 in Shorewood speaking with aspiring writers, SHS students, and village residents. In an interview taped the following day for WUWM's "Lake Effect" with Mitch Teich, Butler said he was "overwhelmed" by Shorewood Reads.

"One of my hopes was that [the book] would be well received in Wisconsin, and to come to a place like Shorewood and have everyone really be excited about it was really cool," Butler told Teich. He added, "I've had a lot of cool experiences since the book has come out, but nothing quite like that." (Hear the whole interview here.) 

Butler noted how impressed he was with the music and artwork SHS students created in response to the novel, and the residents who had "read the book closely and came armed with good questions." Public feedback was also positive, noting organizers' success at involving the community, and Butler's charismatic and skilled storytelling even off the page.