Michigan's motto declares: "If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you." With that in mind,  take some time to explore the natural beauty and wonder of our great state with the resources listed below. For more ideas explore the Pure Michigan website.

Of woods and water: a photographic journey across Michigan by Ron Leonetti and Christopher Jordan ; foreword by Dave Dempsey

The paddler's guide to Michigan by Jeff Counts

Hiking Michigan by Roger E. Storm, Susan M. Wedzel

Belle Isle to 8 Mile: an insider's guide to Detroit by edited by Andy Linn, Emily Linn and Rob Linn

Twelve classic trout streams in Michigan: a handbook for fly anglers by Gerth E. Hendrickson ; fully revised by Jim DuFresne

Michigan remembered: photographs from the Farm Security Administration and the Office of War Information, 1936- 1943 by edited by Constance B. Schulz ; with introductory essays by Constance B. Schulz and William H. Mulligan, Jr

Father Abraham's children: Michigan episodes in the Civil War by Frank B. Woodford ; new foreword by Arthur M. Woodford

A drive down memory lane: the named state and federal highways of Michigan by LeRoy Barnett

The Potawatomis, keepers of the fire by R. David Edmunds

Picturing Hemingway's Michigan by Michael R. Federspiel

Lumberjack: inside an era in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan by William S.

Michigan herb cookbook by Suzanne Breckenridge & Marjorie Snyder

Guide to Michigan vegetable gardening by James A. Fizzell

The Midwest fruit and vegetable book by James A. Fizzell

Our Michigan: ethnic tales & recipes by edited by Carole Eberly ; cover by Toni Gorkin, ill. by Beverly Woodard

The history of Michigan wines: 150 years of winemaking along the Great Lakes by Lorri Hathaway & Sharon Kegerreis

The feast nearby: how I lost my job, buried a marriage, and found my way by keeping chickens, foraging, preserving, bartering, and eating locally (all on $40 a week) by Robin Mather

History is full of days and years which have special meaning. 1492? Columbus discovered America. 1776? America declared its independence. 1929? The stock market crashed. We all learned about these significant dates in school. However, these are just some of the years in history worth remembering - for better or for worse. Check out the following list for more:

69 A.D.: the year of four emperors by Gwyn Morgan

The year 1000: what life was like at the turn of the first millennium: an Englishman's world by Robert Lacey, Danny Danziger

1066: the year of the conquest by David Howarth; illustrations to chapter headings by Gareth Floyd