Recent content from Laurie Hertzel
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.
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.
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.
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."
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.
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.
Duluth's Leif Enger returns with stunning novel 'I Cheerfully Refuse'
FICTION: As civilization collapses, its characters hold onto hope any way they can.
Three new memoirs consider noodles, burnout, birds and life
NONFICTION: A trio of women inspire by taking important steps forward.
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.
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.
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.
Go on the road with Talking Volumes
William Kent Krueger and Drew Brockington will do events in Duluth and Rochester
PEN America awards long list includes many Minnesota writers, publishers
Finalists to be announced in February.
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.
Bookmark: Fiction to look forward to in 2023
Top novels and story collections for the first quarter of the year.
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.
Bookmark: Life's too short for boring books
Readers confess how much they read before giving up on a book.
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.
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.
Minneapolis poet Heid E. Erdrich wins Bobbitt Poetry Prize
The Library of Congress will honor her for "Little Big Bully" in December.
Louise Erdrich wins Berresford Prize
The $50,000 prize goes to people who have worked to champion other artists and writers.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
Review: 'Where We Come From," by Diane Wilson, Sun Yung Shin, Shannon Gibney and John Coy
Don't Miss
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.
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.
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.
Minneapolis writer Anne Ursu named finalist for prestigious Kirkus Prize
Winners will be announced in October
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, 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
The books that cabin owners and guests leave behind can yield wonderful surprises.
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.
The Puppy Chronicles: Angus finds serenity Up North
On vacation near Lake Superior, anxious Angus learned to relax. And then he saw a bear.
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.
Bookmark: New online journal will highlight kids
Minnesota students from K through 12 are welcome to submit.
