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PODCAST

Ask a Bookseller

Minnesota Public Radio

Looking for your next great read? Ask a bookseller! Join us to check in with independent bookstores across the U.S. to find out what books they’re excited about right now. One book, two minutes, every week. From the long-running series on MPR News, hosted by Emily Bright. Whether you read to escape, feel connected, seek self-improvement, or just discover something new, there is a book here for you.

arts books

All Episodes

00:02:20

Ask a Bookseller: ‘Brawler’ by Lauren Groff

Ask a Bookseller ·

2026/04/11

On The Thread’s Ask a Bookseller series, we talk to independent booksellers all over the country to find out what books they’re most excited about right now.Lauren Groff’s novels and short stories have been finalists three times for the National Book Award, and now she’s out with a new collection of short stories entitled “Brawler.” Maire Wilson of Huxley & Hiro Booksellers in Wilmington, Del., says this work is just as strong as her others. Unlike Groff's earlier short story

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00:02:18

Ask a Bookseller: ‘Crow Talk’ by Eileen Garvin

Ask a Bookseller ·

2026/04/04

On The Thread’s Ask a Bookseller series, we talk to independent booksellers all over the country to find out what books they’re most excited about right now.Charlotte Glover of Parnassus Books and Gifts in Ketchikan, Alaska, recommends a novel that will immerse you deeply in the Pacific Northwest. She appreciates the lovely characters, focus on nature, and beautiful writing of Eileen Garvin’s novel “Crow Talk.” Garvin gained national attention for her novel “The Music of Bees,” and her new

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00:02:10

Ask a Bookseller: ‘Theo of Golden’ by Allan Levi

Ask a Bookseller ·

2026/03/21

On The Thread’s Ask a Bookseller series, we talk to independent booksellers all over the country to find out what books they’re most excited about right now.A book can be a vehicle of empathy, inviting us to walk around in someone else’s world for a while. Elizabeth Mattson of Henry's Books in Spearfish, South Dakota, says her top pick for novels in this category is "Theo of Golden" by Allen Levi. Here’s the scenario: In the southern U.S. city of Golden, there’s a bustling coffee shop

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00:02:02

Ask a Bookseller: ‘Lady Tremaine’ by Rachel Hochhauser

Ask a Bookseller ·

2026/03/14

On The Thread’s Ask a Bookseller series, we talk to independent booksellers all over the country to find out what books they’re most excited about right now.Do you love a good villain story? Sarah DiMaria of Cavalier House Books in Denham Springs, Louisiana, does, and she’s raving about Rachel Hochhauser’s debut “Lady Tremaine.” This retelling of Cinderella from the point of view of the stepmother is being marketed as “Bridgerton” meets “Circe.” Lady Etheldreda Verity Isolde Tremaine

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00:02:19

Ask a Bookseller: ‘Witchcraft for Wayward Girls’ by...

Ask a Bookseller ·

2026/02/28

On The Thread’s Ask a Bookseller series, we talk to independent booksellers all over the country to find out what books they’re most excited about right now.Coco Casey of Buxton Books in Charleston, S.C., recommends a favorite author local to her store: horror master Grady Hendrix. His novel, “Witchcraft for Wayward Girls,” is out in paperback. The novel follows a group of pregnant teenage girls in a maternity home who discover a spell book that pulls them into the world of witchcraft and

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00:02:10

Ask a Bookseller: ‘If It Makes You Happy’ by Julie...

Ask a Bookseller ·

2026/02/21

On The Thread’s Ask a Bookseller series, we talk to independent booksellers all over the country to find out what books they’re most excited about right now.Sometimes, you just want to escape into a book. For those who enjoy a cozy romance, Marissa Mills of Luminary Books in Gardnerville, Nevada, says her recent favorite is the novel "If it Makes You Happy" by Julie Olivia. Think “Gilmore Girls” meets “When Harry Met Sally.” Set in a small town (of course!) in Vermont in 1997,

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00:02:28

Ask a Bookseller: ‘Read This When Things Fall Apart,’...

Ask a Bookseller ·

2026/02/14

On The Thread’s Ask a Bookseller series, we talk to independent booksellers all over the country to find out what books they’re most excited about right now.More than 10 weeks after the federal immigration enforcement surge began in Minnesota, Border Czar Tom Homan announced this week that federal agents would be drawing down and Operation Metro Surge was coming to an end, though he stressed that immigration enforcement would continue. In that environment, Minnesota’s indie

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00:02:57

Ask a Bookseller: A few books for understanding how...

Ask a Bookseller ·

2026/02/07

On The Thread’s Ask a Bookseller series, we talk to independent booksellers all over the country to find out what books they’re most excited about right now.With the surge of ICE operations in Minnesota now in its third month, indie bookstore owners in the Twin Cities and beyond say that customers are coming in looking for three things: community, books to help them understand what's happening and books to help them escape. Rima Parikh, owner of the science-first bookstore The Thinking

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00:02:26

Ask a Bookseller: ‘Begin Again’ by Oliver Jeffers

Ask a Bookseller ·

2026/01/31

On The Thread’s Ask a Bookseller series, we talk to independent booksellers all over the country to find out what books they’re most excited about right now.Minnesota is in the national spotlight as the massive federal ICE operation continues. It can be a challenge to know how to talk to children about this issue, and books can be conversation starters for families, as well as sources of comfort. Timothy Otte of Wild Rumpus Books in Minneapolis says his bookstore, which focuses on books for

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00:02:13

Ask a Bookseller: ‘The Elsewhere Express’ by Samantha...

Ask a Bookseller ·

2026/01/24

On The Thread’s Ask a Bookseller series, we talk to independent booksellers all over the country to find out what books they’re most excited about right now.Need something kind and cozy to sink into this weekend?Allie Cesmat of Changing Hands Bookstore in Tempe, Ariz., recommends hopping aboard “The Elsewhere Express.” It’s the new cozy fantasy by Samantha Sotto Yambao, who drew national attention for her novel “Water Moon,” about a pawn shop where people go to sell regrets. Cesmat compares

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00:02:20

Ask a Bookseller: ‘To the Moon and Back’ by Eliana...

Ask a Bookseller ·

2026/01/17

On The Thread’s Ask a Bookseller series, we talk to independent booksellers all over the country to find out what books they’re most excited about right now.Angel Horne of Two Friends Bookstore in Bentonville, Arkansas, recommends the novel “To the Moon and Back” by Eliana Ramage. It’s a debut novel about a young woman’s quest to become the first Cherokee astronaut.From a young age, Steph Harper is driven to get to space. She throws herself into education and training, determined to get out

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00:02:13

Ask a Bookseller: ‘Lightbreakers’ by Aja Gabel

Ask a Bookseller ·

2026/01/10

On The Thread’s Ask a Bookseller series, we talk to independent booksellers all over the country to find out what books they’re most excited about right now.Shannon Guinn-Collins of Bookworks in Albuquerque, New Mexico says she's still thinking about the novel "Lightbreakers" by Aja Gabel. Guinn-Collins recommends this novel for fans of literary time travel, as well as for readers of Jennifer Egan and Emily St. John Mandel. “Lightbreakers” centers on a married couple: Noah, who is a

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00:02:19

Ask a Bookseller: ‘The Road to Tender Hearts’ by...

Ask a Bookseller ·

2025/12/20

On The Thread’s Ask a Bookseller series, we talk to independent booksellers all over the country to find out what books they’re most excited about right now.Becky Schlosser of Cherry Street Books in Alexandria recommends the novel "The Road to Tender Hearts" by Annie Hartnett. Schlosser calls it “darkly funny and heartwarming” — a “perfect” story about imperfect people. This story involves a road trip like no other. 63-year-old PJ Halliday — survivor of three heart attacks, million-dollar

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00:02:21

Ask a Bookseller: ‘Wilder Weather’ by Barbara Boustead

Ask a Bookseller ·

2025/12/13

On The Thread’s Ask a Bookseller series, we talk to independent booksellers all over the country to find out what books they’re most excited about right now.Alena Bruzas of Francie & Finch Bookshop in Lincoln, Neb., has a recommendation sure to appeal to weather heads and fans of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s “Little House” series alike. It’s called “Wilder Weather: What Laura Ingalls Wilder Teaches Us About the Weather, Climate, and Protecting What We Cherish.” Author Barbara Boustead is a

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00:02:08

Ask a Bookseller: ‘Mona’s Eyes’ by Thomas Schlesser

Ask a Bookseller ·

2025/12/06

On The Thread’s Ask a Bookseller series, we talk to independent booksellers all over the country to find out what books they’re most excited about right now.It’s that time of year when readers start to catalogue their favorite books of 2025, and for bookseller Kelly Evert, that book is “Mona’s Eyes” by Thomas Schlesser. Evert works at Village Books and Paper Dreams, with locations in Bellingham and Lynden, Washington. When a young girl named Mona, living in Paris, learns she’s going to go

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00:02:17

Ask a Bookseller: ‘Poppy State’ by Myriam Gurba

Ask a Bookseller ·

2025/11/29

On The Thread’s Ask a Bookseller series, we talk to independent booksellers all over the country to find out what books they’re most excited about right now.Mary Williams of Skylight Books in Los Angeles, Calif., recommends a nonfiction book that will appeal to readers who find joy in the natural world, including the plants growing on their window sills. It’s called “Poppy State: A Labyrinth of Plants and a Story of Beginnings” by Myriam Gurba. It’s a book that’s deeply rooted in the

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00:02:14

Ask a Bookseller: ‘The Red Notebook’ by Antoine Laurain

Ask a Bookseller ·

2025/11/22

On The Thread’s Ask a Bookseller series, we talk to independent booksellers all over the country to find out what books they’re most excited about right now.What would the contents of your purse or backpack say about you? Bev Newton of Innisfree Bookshop in Meredith, N.H., recommends a novel about a Parisian bookseller who is so taken by the contents of an abandoned purse, he sets off on a quest to find its owner. Newton calls it “the biggest little book you’ll read this year — a delightful

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00:02:10

Ask a Bookseller: ‘Burner: And Other Stories’ by...

Ask a Bookseller ·

2025/11/15

On The Thread’s Ask a Bookseller series, we talk to independent booksellers all over the country to find out what books they’re most excited about right now.Feeling too busy lately to finish a book? Kimberly Daniels of The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines, North Carolina, would like to make an argument for reading short story collections. Specifically, Katrina Denza’s new collection "Burner: And Other Stories.” Daniels raves about these tightly crafted contemporary short stories, in

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00:02:22

Ask a Bookseller: ‘I See You’ve Called in Dead’ by...

Ask a Bookseller ·

2025/11/08

Christina Tabereaux of The Snail on the Wall, a bookstore in Huntsville, Ala., recommends the novel “I See You’ve Called in Dead” by John Kenney. The book's dark humor evokes Richard Russo’s “Straight Man” or Fredrik Backman’s “A Man Called Ove,” and Tabereaux says the story, with its well-developed characters, drew her to both laughter and tears. Bud writes obituaries for a living. With his own life down-in-the-dumps, personally and professionally, he drinks too much one night and writes —

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00:02:12

Ask a Bookseller: ‘Dominion’ by Addie E. Citchens

Ask a Bookseller ·

2025/11/01

On The Thread’s Ask a Bookseller series, we talk to independent booksellers all over the country to find out what books they’re most excited about right now.Sarah Gregg of Lemuria Book Store in Jackson, Miss., recommends a novel that delves deep into a family drama in a small Mississippi Delta town.The debut novel “Dominion” by Addie E. Citchens takes on themes of power, patriarchy and sexual repression. Gregg calls it a character-driven novel, and it was the connection between the two main

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