Staff Directory 6370432

Laurie Hertzel

Senior Editor | Books

Freelance writer and former Star Tribune books editor Laurie Hertzel is at lauriehertzel@gmail.com.


She worked at the Star Tribune for more than two decades as an editor and writer before retiring. Previously, she was a writer and editor at Minnesota Monthly magazine and at the Duluth News-Tribune. Hertzel grew up in Duluth, earned an MFA from Queens University in Charlotte, N.C., has written two books, and served as the autobiography chairman of the National Book Critics Circle board of directors.
Recent content from Laurie Hertzel
photo of author Anna Montague

Review: A 70-ish woman takes off with an urn of ashes and a carload of feelings. Things take a turn.

Fiction: "How Does That Make You Feel, Magda Eklund?" is a debut novel about love and regret.
photo of author Charles Baxter

Minneapolis writer Charles Baxter's 'Blood Test' uses humor to get to the bottom of one family's issues

LOCAL FICTION: The "Feast of Love" author will discuss the novel this week at the Twin Cities Book Festival.
photo of author Roddy Doyle

Booker Prize-winning Irishman Roddy Doyle finds humor and pain in 'The Women Behind the Door'

FICTION: It's the third of his novels about Paula Spencer, who has finally found a measure of peace. It's temporary.
photo of author J. Courtney Sullivan

J. Courtney Sullivan's new novel is set in a house on 'The Cliffs,' where tales of prior residents linger

FICTION: The latest from the writer of best-selling "Friends and Strangers" finds a woman grappling with the past in a home in Maine.
photo of author Sally Franson

Minneapolis' Sally Franson competed on Swedish reality TV, cried a lot and wrote 'Big in Sweden' about it

FICTION: The novel is Franson's follow-up to the popular "A Lady's Guide to Selling Out."
photo of author Colm Toibin

Colm Toibin's 'Long Island' continues the Irish American story he began in 'Brooklyn'

FICTION: Heroine Eilis still isn't sure if America or Ireland is her home.
Two boys fly kites from the top of a lush tree in illustration from "The Mango Tree."

12 gorgeous new picture books for children this spring

Kao Kalia Yang, Edel Rodriguez and others cover subjects from immigration to fresh veggies to adventures at sea.
photo of author Leif Enger, with trees and a fence in background

Duluth's Leif Enger returns with stunning novel 'I Cheerfully Refuse'

FICTION: As civilization collapses, its characters hold onto hope any way they can.
Chantha Nguon's "Slow Noodles" is one of three new memoirs from women making bold moves.

Three new memoirs consider noodles, burnout, birds and life

NONFICTION: A trio of women inspire by taking important steps forward.
Claire Keegan est une femme de lettres irlandaise

Claire Keegan, author of 'So Late in the Day,' is a writer you should be reading

FICTION: Three "tight, potent" stories explore the bonds between men and women.
Matthew Batt

Prof's memoir shows how he juggled academia and working at Surly's

NONFICTION: A St. Thomas professor found he needed some extra dough while on sabbatical.
Lara Avery

Is there romance after grief? Yes, in Macalester grad's 'The Year of Second Chances'

FICTION: In a letter from the grave, her late husband urges a young widow to cannonball into the dating pool.
Review: 'Still Life at Eighty,' by Abigail Thomas

Review: 'Still Life at Eighty,' by Abigail Thomas

Don't miss
Norton Stillman

Public reading honors Norton Stillman's 90th birthday

Don't Miss
"The Hopkins Manuscript" by R.C. Sherriff

Review: 'The Hopkins Manuscript,' by R.C. Sherriff

Don't miss
August 13, 1958 Budding Novelist — Rona Jaffe, 26, having written her first novel, says her ambition is to be No.1 on the fiction list. She wrote he

Review: 'The Best of Everything,' by Rona Jaffe

Books in brief
Drew Brockington, in his space camp gear.

Go on the road with Talking Volumes

William Kent Krueger and Drew Brockington will do events in Duluth and Rochester
Sequoia Nagamatsu photo by Lauren B. Photography

PEN America awards long list includes many Minnesota writers, publishers

Finalists to be announced in February.
Angus in late August. Photo by Laurie Hertzel.

The Puppy Chronicles: Five years with Angus

The adorable puppy we adopted 5 years ago grew into a big, reactive dog. There were days when I despaired and days when I wept, but I never gave up on him.
Laura Zigman

Bookmark: Fiction to look forward to in 2023

Top novels and story collections for the first quarter of the year.
Shaun Bythell photo by Lena Bythell

Review: 'Remainders of the Day,' by Shaun Bythell

Don't miss
"The Sisters Sweet," by Elizabeth Weiss.

Review: 'The Sisters Sweet,' by Elizabeth Weiss

FICTION: When a vaudeville twins act is broken up, the remaining girl must figure out how to move on.
Stack of books.

Bookmark: Life's too short for boring books

Readers confess how much they read before giving up on a book.
Lorna Landvik

Review: 'Last Circle of Love,' by Lorna Landvik

Don't miss
Anthony Horowitz

Review: 'The Twist of a Knife,' by Anthony Horowitz

DONT MISS
2022 Holiday Books

56 great books to give as holiday gifts — or keep for yourself

Curl up somewhere cozy with these novels, books for kids and young adults, regional offerings, memoirs and histories.
Review: 'The Queen: Her Life,' by Andrew Morton

Review: 'The Queen: Her Life,' by Andrew Morton

Books in brief
10 tips for discussion at your book club, especially if you didn't like the book

10 tips for discussion at your book club, especially if you didn't like the book

Sometimes it's hard to talk about a book without alienating your friends.
Rabia Chaudry

Review: 'Fatty Fatty Boom Boom,' by Rabia Chaudry

Don't miss: Rabia Chaudry at Magers & Quinn
Heid E. Erdrich photo by Chris Felver

Minneapolis poet Heid E. Erdrich wins Bobbitt Poetry Prize

The Library of Congress will honor her for "Little Big Bully" in December.
Claire Alexander

Review: 'Meredith, Alone,' by Claire Alexander

Books in brief
Review: 'Still True,' by Maggie Ginsberg

Review: 'Still True,' by Maggie Ginsberg

Don't Miss
A portrait of Louise Erdrich at her bookstore, Birchbark Books, in Minneapolis, Minn., on Thursday, May 5, 2016. Her latest and 15th novel, "LaRose,"

Louise Erdrich wins Berresford Prize

The $50,000 prize goes to people who have worked to champion other artists and writers.
Alexandra Horowitz

Review: 'The Year of the Puppy,' by Alexandra Horowitz

Books in brief
Look at all this lovely nonfiction.

Bookmark: Striking a balance, over time

How do we choose the books to be reviewed?
Review: 'Cheap Land Colorado,' by Ted Conover

Review: 'Cheap Land Colorado,' by Ted Conover

NONFICTION: Journalist Ted Conover immerses himself in life off the grid in the San Luis Valley of Colorado.
Angus and Rosie have reduced our entire yard to mud, except for the little fenced-in area of new grass.

The Puppy Chronicles: Daring to travel

Between COVID lockdown and Angus' territorial behavior, I was afraid I would never be able to travel again. Then help arrived.
Dani Shapiro

For author and Talking Volumes guest Dani Shapiro, it's the small things that count

Her new novel owes its existence to a chance decision — which is also a major theme of the book.
iStockphoto.com

Is it wrong not to finish a book?

Do you give a book a certain amount of time, or a certain number of pages, before giving up? Do you never give up? How do you decide?
Jonathan Freedland

Review: 'The Escape Artist,' by Jonathan Freedland

NONFICTION: The harrowing true story of the first Jew to escape from Auschwitz, and his driving need to warn the world about the Holocaust.
Joy Harjo and Layli Long Soldier in conversation

Joy Harjo and Layli Long Soldier in conversation

Don't miss
Dessa Photo by Sam Gehrke

Rain Taxi book festival comes roaring back

Bookmark
Andrea Davis Pinkney

Children's writer Andrea Davis Pinkney to be honored by the U

Don't miss
Review: 'Where We Come From," by Diane Wilson, Sun Yung Shin, Shannon Gibney and John Coy

Review: 'Where We Come From," by Diane Wilson, Sun Yung Shin, Shannon Gibney and John Coy

Don't Miss
Readers line up to tout the mysteries they love

Readers line up to tout the mysteries they love

Bookmark
Elizabeth Strout photo by Leonardo Cendamo

Review: 'Lucy by the Sea,' by Elizabeth Strout

FICTION: In the third novel narrated by Lucy Barton, COVID hits and Lucy heads for Maine with her ex-husband, William.
Richard Osman

Review: 'The Bullet That Missed,' by Richard Osman

Don't miss
Writer and academic Rachael Hanel, on the campus of Mankato State University Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2022, Mankato, Minn. She is the author of a book coming

Mankato writer turned fascination with Minnesota revolutionary into a book

Part biography, part memoir, "Not the Camilla We Knew" explores the life of a woman who joined Symbionese Liberation Army.
David Rhodes

Fall preview: Top 10 books

Gwendoline Riley, British writer. Photographed at her home in London for Granta

Reviews: Two books by Gwendoline Riley

Don't miss
Readers suggest ways to climb out of book slump

Readers suggest ways to climb out of book slump

Bookmark
This promotional photo released by Miramax shows actress Dame Helen Mirren as Queen Elizabeth II in a scene from "The Queen." The consensus among Holl

24 favorite books, movies and songs that depict Queen Elizabeth II

The long life of the monarch inspired dozens of songs, movies, TV shows and books. Our critics cite these favorites.
Anne Ursu

Minneapolis writer Anne Ursu named finalist for prestigious Kirkus Prize

Winners will be announced in October
Books Up North.

What do you read at the cabin? Readers recall lakeside reading treasures

We asked if you've discovered great books or left any behind. Here's what you said.
Mohsin Hamid

Mohsin Hamid, Nick Hornby headline robust fall season of free Club Book library series

Eight writers are coming for in-person and virtual events this fall in the Twin Cities area.
A collection of lovely old books carries meaning if it is of books you intend to read.

Books for sale, by the pound

Bookmark
Review: 'Room and Board,' by Miriam Parker

Review: 'Room and Board,' by Miriam Parker

Books in brief
Daisy Lafarge

Review: 'Paul,' by Daisy Lafarge

DON'T MISS
At one time, there was nary a mystery to be found on my shelves.

The mystery of why we love reading mysteries

There are all kinds of mysteries — classic mysteries, police procedurals, cozies, spy thrillers, legal thrillers, psychological thrillers and detective novels.
Corporate Headshot

Review: 'The Making of Her,' by Bernadette Jiwa

FICTION: A teenage girl gets pregnant in 1960s Ireland and surrenders the baby against her will. Thirty years later, a letter arrives.
Rinker Buck

Escaping the ordinary: A Q&A with author and adventurer Rinker Buck

In his new book, Buck sails a flatboat down the Mississippi River and has all kinds of adventures.
Joanna Cannon

Review: 'A Tidy Ending,' by Joanna Cannon

Don't miss
Tons of books, but nothing to read?

Bookmark: 10 tips to get yourself out of a reading slump

Whether it's the weather or the season or something else, how to get yourself back reading.
Richard Terrill’s copy of “Walden” is falling to pieces, but he will not replace it.

Bookmark: Sentiment prompts readers to cherish their worn-out books

Readers say their old books are more than objects: They are physical reminders of love.
Bookmark:  Cabin books are a real find

Bookmark: Cabin books are a real find

The books that cabin owners and guests leave behind can yield wonderful surprises.
Author Celeste Ng photographed in Cambridge, MA. Kieran Kesner for Buzzfeed.

Four writers, including Celeste Ng and Dani Shapiro, coming for Talking Volumes

New season opens Sept. 14 with Karen Armstrong, concludes in November with poet Ross Gay.
Angus watched the lake endlessly, but he refused to put even one paw in the water.

The Puppy Chronicles: Angus finds serenity Up North

On vacation near Lake Superior, anxious Angus learned to relax. And then he saw a bear.
Ada Limón

Minneapolis-published Ada Limón is named U.S. Poet Laureate

The Guggenheim fellow has published four books of poetry with Minneapolis' Milkweed Editions.
Portrait of author William Kent Krueger outside his home in St. Paul. ] LEILA NAVIDI • leila.navidi@startribune.com

William Kent Krueger's book chosen for One Book, One Minnesota

His first Cork O'Connor mystery, "Iron Lake," will be the autumn read.
Notepad and pencil macro shot.

Bookmark: New online journal will highlight kids

Minnesota students from K through 12 are welcome to submit.
Clare Pooley

Review: 'Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting,' by Clare Pooley

Books in brief
Victoria Romanoff, photo by Sarah Adams

Review: 'Mushroom Feasting and Foraging,' by Victoria Romanoff

Don't miss
Jill Kandel

Review: 'The Clean Daughter: A Cross-Continental Memoir,' by Jill Kandel

Books in brief
Bookmark: One book at a time? Many say yes

Bookmark: One book at a time? Many say yes

But others have as many as 10 books going at once.
Charles McGrath

Review: 'The Summer Friend,' by Charles McGrath

Books in brief