ANN ARBOR—When the notion to get into motion just isn’t there, relax in the shade and read all about it?Michigan, that is. By boning up on Michigan’s history and becoming acquainted with its wilds in the Upper Peninsula or the concrete sprawl of Detroit, newcomers and natives will be prepared when that notion to get into motion strikes.

The University of Michigan Press suggests a number of books from its Michigan Series that will pique the readers’ curiosity and satisfy their inquiring mind. What could possibly stir more curiosity and provide more satisfaction at the same time than something that is free. “Michigan Free: Free Travel, Recreation, and Entertainment” by Eric Freedman provides detailed information about free or inexpensive concerts, plays, museums, wildlife preserves, national parks and forests, live theater and dance, musical performances, nature centers, festivals, walking tours, and more. It also gives historical and background information about the places and events it covers. From fishing to theater, this book is a guide to Michigan for all ages, all seasons, and all interests.

A 10-year slice of life on the state’s Leelanau Peninsula rises from the pages of “Letters from the Leelanau: Essays of People and Place” by Kathleen Stocking. From discussing government action and evicting homeowners to create a national park to reminiscences of one man’s attempts to raise wild chickens, the author combines a series of stories that enable the reader to truly understand the experience of life on the northern part of Michigan’s lower peninsula.

From the same author comes “Lake Country: A Series of Journeys,” a collection of stories/essays about life in Michigan, from growing up in the Upper Peninsula to studying in Ann Arbor. This book encompasses the whole of human experience in times of change. For anyone who has grown up in Michigan, reading “Lake Country” is like reliving the past.

Beyond wars and warriors, “Rites of Conquest: The History and Culture of Michigan’s Native Americans” by Charles Cleland is also about diplomacy and negotiation, mythology and magic, birth and death, and the joys and trials of daily life in the native villages of the Great Lakes region. Valuable both as a tool for research and as fascinating leisure reading, the maps, photographs and biographical sketches complement the text while presenting comprehensive yet readily readable information on the region’s Native American population.

Cast off the Upper Peninsula’s northwestern shores, Isle Royale is unique in its isolation from the rest of Michigan and the rest of the world. So for a biologist like Durward Allen, this portion of the state was an ideal area in which to study the relationships between native flora and fauna, especially the moose herds and wolf packs that dominate the island. With numerous maps and a number of photographs, “Wolves in Minong” gives readers an insight into the ecology of northern Michigan’s most northern reach.

University of Michigan