The Winter Bees

by Jill Kalz

Behind each door of each small place in this collection of ten short stories, people mind their duties to keep a small town humming. The Winter Bees: Fiction introduces seemingly mundane lives lived in a rural Minnesota town and reveals journeys of personal discovery, meaning, love, and hope.

Ana, the bartender, hosts Christmas parties for children and raises money for charity, all the while storing memories of her lonely past. Bachelor Herman pines for his best friend’s wife, makes messes to attract her over and clean up after him. The bookstore owner, Shirley, who neatly shelves the stacks while longing for her dead husband, surprises herself in an act of cruelty.

These intertwined stories draw readers into the everyday lives of people whose duties often mean personal restraint and heartbreak.

Genres: Fiction

182 pages, Hardcover

Published November 13, 2018

About the author

Jill Kalz is the author of The Winter Bees (November 2018, Minneopa Valley Press) — a collection of short fiction — and more than 70 titles for children, including the Tuckerbean beginning-reader series and the picture book Farmer Cap (Pfeffernut County series), finalist for a 2008 Minnesota Book Award and winner of the Readers' Choice Award and an AEP Distinguished Achievement Award. Kalz has also published poetry in the Nebraska Review, the Ohio Review, Cream City Review, and other magazines. She works as a children's book editor and lives in Minnesota.

Reviews

[Rachael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kalz expertly captures the voice, mannerisms and inner thoughts and emotions of upper Midwesterners, specifically those who live in rural Minnesota. Her portraits of these characters are spot-on. Though they are fictional characters, you can find any one of them in small towns in the upper Midwest -- probably small-towns anywhere, just change the dialect.

The stories ring true-to-life. You're not going to find a lot of bunnies and unicorns here, but you will find the reality of heartbreak, loneliness and death, and how everyday people deal with life.

[Charmaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

After attending an author reading where three excerpts from different stories were shared, I let my fresh copy of the book sit untouched for weeks, not for lack of desire but lack of discipline. Then in a 24-hour window of time, I devoured the entire 10-story book, lives on the pages dancing into and filling my heart. Both melancholy and sweetness in these souls drew me in, bringing tears and laughter. The Winter Bees is worth savoring, and I’ll be rereading about these new friends again.

[Tess Mertens-Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a compilation of short stories about a small town in MN. There are stories od dreams no fulfilled due to family obligations. Loves lost and the grief for years that follows, and alcoholism. This could be any small town anywhere. How you get in a rut and can’t get out, obligations and feeling this is the plight of your life. Each story followed the townspeople and how their stories interacted.
You don’t need to b e from a small town to appreciate this book. It is a slice of Americana anyone would enjoy.

[Sonja · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this felt deeply personal, given my family originates from this area. The stories hung heavy with disappointment, and of lost opportunities...but I found a beautiful strength throughout each tale. I deeply admire people that can recognize and come to terms with lost dreams and still find small joys and hope within their daily lives; there were lots of examples here. The characters felt very real, and very flawed, and in that way, oddly comforting.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book as a part of the New Prague Community Read Program. It is made up of short stories with main characters like you would find in small town USA. The author lives in New Ulm, MN and her stories revolve around that area but I could transport her characters and their stories to western ND where I grew up, too. It is a thoughtful book with lots of history and "what-if's" in life revealed through the choices her characters made. Overall, I thought it was sad.

[Betsy Lasch · Rating 5 out of 5]

This a beautifully crafted book. Everyone will find some aspect of themselves or someone they know in the stories, especially those of us who grew up in small towns. Ms. Kalz has a talent for connecting us emotionally to her characters.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent read. Kudos to this Minnesota author. The stories are unique, sad, at times, intense.

[Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a collection of beautifully written stories of people who could be your everyday Midwestern neighbors. I enjoyed reading this quick read on a cold January day.

[Mitzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kudos to a hometown gal!

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like short stories you will like these well written stories about a little town MInnesota.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic exploration of small town life. LOVED!