Melanie and I headed into Saint Paul last Sunday to see Olivia, Minnesota author Chuck Brown read from his new novel, Barn Dance, at Nina's Coffee Cafe. We country mice need to stick together and I was happy to see the event was being hosted by Common Good Books. 

It is a story about a bachelor farmer from Hayesboro, Minnesota whose life is significantly altered when a plane carrying celebrities crashes into his barn.  I know I shouldn't let the cat out of the bag, but I want to be the first to tell you that in the first chapter, pigs die.  Sad, right?

I can tell you from what I've read so far, Chuck Brown is the real deal.  This guy is no city-slicker.  He knows his crops and livestock and small-town culture, and describes them in that downhome tone that fans of the stories of Garrison Keillor or the prose of Dave Etter would appreciate.  But my favorite part of this novel, is the designation of the main character as a bachelor farmer.  I grew up on a farm and I can tell you, bachelor farmers are a whole subset of the rural community.

My good friend Patrick Wells  co-produced a movie about the real life tiny community of Herman, Minnesota, where bachelor farmers garnered national attention by holding a town celebration to attract women to the community in 1994.  I believe there were some romantic hook-ups as a result of their efforts and lots of fun-loving publicity.

But back to Chuck Brown and Barn Dance.  It's a wonderful novel with endearing characters.  Read it!