Recent content from Chris Hewitt
Augsburg professor's thriller asks why we need 'Monsters' and says they endanger us, for real
FICTION: Lindsay Starck's second novel is part family drama, part mystery.
Wanna see two titans of American fiction? They're coming to Minneapolis Central Library
Louise Erdrich and Debra Magpie Earling will discuss their work May 9.
Hollywood on the Mississippi? Comedy filming in West St. Paul is east metro's second movie this year
The Minnesota production will take advantage of spring break to film in the Heritage school gym.
A Diana Spencer impersonator gets in a casino full of trouble in 'Princess of Las Vegas'
FICTION: Chris Bohjalian's latest thriller features another screw-up who's in over her head.
The Oppenhomies triumph, winning 7 Oscars
"Oppenheimer" won best picture in an evening where the biggest surprise was Emma Stone taking her second best actress trophy for "Poor Things."
Writer Steve Almond wants you to know your story is important. He'll also teach you to tell it
NONFICTION: In "Truth Is the Arrow, Mercy Is the Bow" and in classes at the Loft, he gets to get to the root of storytelling.
Two Minnesotans are among the 19 new members of the American Academy of Arts and Letters
Composer Libby Larsen and author Charles Baxter have earned international reputations from their Minneapolis homes.
With debt under control, this gay, Black writer 'Finally Bought Some Jordans'
NONFICTION: Michael Arceneaux's essays about family are the best in his new collection.
Want to ace your Oscar pool? Here are our picks in all 23 categories
The short version? When in doubt, pick "Oppenheimer."
Will this year add to the beefs and screw-ups detailed in 'Oscar Wars?' Of course it will
NONFICTION: Now in paperback, it's a fun, informative look at the awards' rough history.
Minnesota writer Kate DiCamillo changes course to celebrate a family's love in her new book
She's built a wildly successful career writing about overcoming obstacles and dealing with loss. But "Ferris" is about a "happy, complete family."
With true crime podcasts and a tart heroine, 'Listen for the Lie' is a gas
FICTION: Amy Tintera's debut thriller stars a suspect who makes one bad decision after another.
6 terrific books you can read in one sitting
Coming in at about 100 pages (or less), each guarantees a satisfying but brief read.
Review: Two 'Drive-Away Dolls' are on a road trip to Goofytown
Margaret Qualley and Geraldine Viswanathan star as friends who get in over their heads when they tangle with gangsters.
Review: 'Dune: Part Two' delivers on the thrilling promise of 'Part One'
The humanity gets lost but the second half of the sci-fi epic is one triumphant scene after another.
Jewel thief and a death forced writer Sloane Crosley to wrestle with 'Grief'
NONFICTION: The "I Was Told There'd Be Cake" essayist juxtaposes two kinds of loss in new book.
Dennis Lehane fans should check out Thomas Mullen's gripping 'Rumor Game'
FICTION: Set in Boston during World War II, it finds a reporter and an FBI agent getting to the bottom of antiwar activities.
Ethan Coen's first solo feature film is a Coen brothers-y comedy
He wrote it with wife Tricia Cooke and will team with her again before rejoining brother Joel.
A town on the edge of colonial Massachusetts opens a door to history in 'Deerfield Massacre'
NONFICTION: "Manhunt" author James L. Swanson returns with an absorbing look at a pivotal moment for early America.
Leslie Jamison got married, had a baby and lived to tell about it in 'Splinters'
NONFICTION: Her essays are compassionate, insightful and hilarious.
Come for Bob, stay for Rita in 'Bob Marley: One Love'
Lashana Lynch is outstanding as the legendary musician's talented, principled wife.
At last, A.J. Finn has a new thriller for fans of his 'Woman in the Window'
FICTION: "End of Story" is the gothic tale of a novelist whose life is as mysterious as his books.
Pulitzer finalist Tommy Orange and Kiley Reid highlight author series
Events include both in-person and virtual appearances.
Review: Diablo Cody's 'Lisa Frankenstein' is assembled from parts of better films
It's an attempt at comedy and romance. Neither works.
A new kind of slavery traps Black women in futuristic (or not?) 'The Blueprint'
FICTION: Rae Giana Rashad's first novel recalls "The Handmaid's Tale" with its chilling depiction of injustice.
Review: 'Argylle' socks it to audiences with too many twists
Bryce Dallas Howard and Sam Rockwell star in the shaky spy spoof.
'The Bishop and the Butterfly' brought New York City to its knees in the 1930s
NONFICTION: There's a murder, but expect to learn more about the end of a political machine.
Keith Ellison, TD Mischke and Kate DiCamillo among Minnesota Book Award nominees
The trophies will be handed out in nine categories May 7.
'Gunflint Falling,' a gripping book about the BWCA blowdown, highlights mysteries of nature
Cary J. Griffith checks in with dozens of campers, rangers and others who grappled with the 1999 storm.
Emmy and Tony Award winner Jodie Comer tackles an audiobook
She narrates "Prima Facie," based on material she performed on Broadway.
Who will win this year's Oscars? Who should win?
Let's just say things are looking for good for "Oppenheimer" and "The Holdovers."
Full of likably flawed characters, 'Road from Belhaven' is a book to cherish
FICTION: Margot Livesey's latest, set in 19th-century Scotland, features a girl with a supernatural gift.
Review: Like 'British Baking Show'? You'll eat up 'Mrs. Quinn's Rise to Fame'
FICTION: The English cakes-and-cookies competition may have a different name in Olivia Ford's novel, but the inspiration is clear.
Land of 10,000 Maniacs: Why Minnesota produces so many top mystery writers
Jess Lourey, William Kent Krueger, Marcie Rendon, Mary Logue and many more live — and invent crimes — here.
Review: It's nice to have the 'Mean Girls' back, but about those songs...
Turning Tina Fey's comedy into a musical adds nothing, but it's still an entertaining story.
The thrills in 'Only If You're Lucky' take too long to materialize
FICTION: Stacy Willingham's college-set novel isn't as gripping as its predecessors.
Graywolf Press celebrates 50 years and plans for 50 more
The small, adventurous Minneapolis firm is a big success in the publishing world, and plans to stay that way.
Review: Jeffrey Wright grounds the satire in wobbly 'American Fiction'
The veteran character actor has a terrific role as a novelist whose books aren't selling.
19 new books to get you through a Minnesota winter
Baby, it's cold outside, but it's nice and warm in the pages of upcoming fiction and nonfiction from Kao Kalia Yang, Erik Larson, Chris Bohjalian and more.
Minneapolis' Tropes and Trifles aims to bring more bodice-ripping romance to your life
When the permanent space opens in March, it'll be the only romance book store in the Twin Cities.
In Stephen McCauley's comic novel, a gay man tires of fixing his family's problems
FICTION: Sharp "You Only Call When You're in Trouble" brings together three people with a lot of issues.
Time-travel to the past with vintage interviews of Minnesota writers, from Hassler to Krueger
Other subjects include William Kent Krueger and Bill Holm.
Told a masterwork is a fake, one man tries to prove his Andy Warhol is real
NONFICTION: Art critic Richard Dorment spent more than a decade helping his friend fight Andy Warhol's protectors.
Missing family? Mysterious calls? 'This Plague of Souls' is full of suspense
FICTION: Booker Prize-shortlisted Mike McCormack crafts another Irish gem.
What were the best movies you saw in 2023? Our critic names his top 10
Hollywood got its weird on — mostly in a good way.
Review: 'The Boys in the Boat' is handsome but you may want to read the book first
George Clooney's film version omits the setbacks that made this true story so inspiring.
Have you missed out on Catherine Ryan Howard, whose thrillers are genuinely thrilling?
FICTION: A woman tries to find her sister's murderer. Will she be the next victim?
Love bookstores? Get a load of these novels set in scenic bookshops around the world
Dozens of titles include new "Midnight at the Christmas Bookshop" and upcoming "Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop."
Heid E. Erdrich selected as Minneapolis' first poet laureate
The author of "Little Big Bully" will be the city's poetry advocate throughout 2024.
Review: After a shaky start, 'The Color Purple' keeps getting better
Fantasia Barrino, Taraji P. Henson and Danielle Brooks shine in the musical adaptation of Alice Walker's book.
Review: Emma Stone swings for the fences in bonkers comedy/drama 'Poor Things'
She re-teams with "Favourite" director Yorgos Lanthimos on a Frankenstein comedy.
Writer of Hinckley fire book is psyched about George Clooney's 'Boys in the Boat' film
NONFICTION: Daniel James Brown debuted with "Under a Flaming Sky" but "Boys" made him a publishing star.
St. Paul laundry guru Patric Richardson's new book argues 'House Love' is self-care
NONFICTION: The follow-up to "Laundry Love" is a room-by-room guide to loving your house.
Review: Timothée Chalamet is ideal in excellent, crowd-pleasing 'Wonka'
From the director of the "Paddington" movies comes the origins story of a chocolate icon.
A theater critic is the victim of very bad reviews in thriller 'Here In the Dark'
FICTION: The debut novel is by New York Times theater writer Alexis Soloski.
6 plus-sized books for holiday gift giving, for fans of art, Minnesota and Willie Nelson
There's a coffee table book for every taste this season.
You can have a copy of Shakespeare's First Folio, millions not required
The new book is a facsimile of the 400-year-old collection that helped keep the Bard's work alive.
'The Lost Tomb' may be the true crime book you've been waiting for
NONFICTION: Murder, cannibalism and lost civilizations are subjects in Douglas Preston's collection.
Review: If you're looking for something old and new in animation, here's your 'Wish'
The Disney movie is a contemporary fairy tale with great songs.
Review: Trip to 'Saltburn' is chaotic, confusing
Barry Keoghan's enigmatic performance is electrifying.
Review: Bradley Cooper's 'Maestro' is a bold movie about a man for whom music came first
Composer/conductor Leonard Bernstein is the subject of the unconventional biopic.
40 great books to get you — or someone on your gift list — through the winter
Do the folks on your holiday list want something to read? Of course, they do! We recommend 40 books that will thrill you, warm your heart, make you laugh and maybe change the way you see the world.
Record a heart-to-heart chat this Thanksgiving and be a part of history
StoryCorps's Great Thanksgiving Listen wants to add your story to its national oral history.
Review: Rachel Zegler stuns in 'Hunger Games' prequel — too bad she's not the star
The "West Side Story" star sings, romances and kills in "Songbirds & Snakes."
Barbra Streisand's 900-page memoir offers family drama, career analysis and score-settling
NONFICTION: The 3-pound book is a must-read for fans.
Jim Brandenburg documentary explores 'secrets' from a forest that makes beautiful music
The film, which blends art and nature, runs at the Bell Museum through Feb. 16, 2024.
An exciting new novelist falters at the end of dazzling 'Naturals'
FICTION: Gabriel Bump's second novel proves again that he is a writer to watch.
An undercover agent chomps down on alligator poaching in true crime 'Gator Country'
NONFICTION: He spent a year spying on farmers who swiped gators and gator eggs.
Da'Vine Joy Randolph is an Oscar frontrunner for 'The Holdovers'
She joins Paul Giamatti and Dominic Sessa in the bittersweet, 1970-set film.
Around Hennepin County in 41 libraries: What one couple found on a 'tour de library'
What they discovered — from fine art and spectacular views to Arabic DVDs — surprised them.
C'mon, 'Get Happy' at free movie/reading with writers of Judy Garland book
In addition to the discussion, the musical "Summer Stock" will be screened.
Review: Don't expect to learn much about the title character in 'Priscilla'
Newcomer Cailee Spaeny is intriguing as Priscilla Presley but the script doesn't give her much to work with.
Review: Memoirist should look closer at herself in 'Call You When I Land'
NONFICTION: Nikki Vargas' travel writing is invigorating, but her memoir has some lapses.
Three books reckon with lynching, including Mamie Till's and the new 'In the Pines'
NONFICTION: Books about lynching grapple with family legacies and world-changing choices.