Recent content from Laurie Hertzel
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Review: Cold got you down? 'We All Live Here' will warm you up
Fiction: Jojo Moyes' London-set novel is about a blended, complicated family.
Review: Life seems to have passed by Eddie Winston, but he gets another chance in 'delightful' novel
Fiction: A nonagenarian makes up for lost time in "Eddie Winston is Looking for Love."
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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.
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.
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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.
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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.
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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."
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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.
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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.
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Duluth's Leif Enger returns with stunning novel 'I Cheerfully Refuse'
FICTION: As civilization collapses, its characters hold onto hope any way they can.
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Three new memoirs consider noodles, burnout, birds and life
NONFICTION: A trio of women inspire by taking important steps forward.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Go on the road with Talking Volumes
William Kent Krueger and Drew Brockington will do events in Duluth and Rochester
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PEN America awards long list includes many Minnesota writers, publishers
Finalists to be announced in February.
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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.
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Bookmark: Fiction to look forward to in 2023
Top novels and story collections for the first quarter of the year.
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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.
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Bookmark: Life's too short for boring books
Readers confess how much they read before giving up on a book.
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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.
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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.
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Minneapolis poet Heid E. Erdrich wins Bobbitt Poetry Prize
The Library of Congress will honor her for "Little Big Bully" in December.
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Louise Erdrich wins Berresford Prize
The $50,000 prize goes to people who have worked to champion other artists and writers.
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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.
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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.
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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?
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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.
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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.
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Review: 'Where We Come From," by Diane Wilson, Sun Yung Shin, Shannon Gibney and John Coy
Don't Miss
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Minneapolis writer Anne Ursu named finalist for prestigious Kirkus Prize
Winners will be announced in October
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Bookmark: Cabin books are a real find
The books that cabin owners and guests leave behind can yield wonderful surprises.
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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.
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The Puppy Chronicles: Angus finds serenity Up North
On vacation near Lake Superior, anxious Angus learned to relax. And then he saw a bear.
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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](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/B4GPHDIDF4EYDBUOWW7DMLHWAI.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
William Kent Krueger's book chosen for One Book, One Minnesota
His first Cork O'Connor mystery, "Iron Lake," will be the autumn read.
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Bookmark: New online journal will highlight kids
Minnesota students from K through 12 are welcome to submit.