Staff Directory 6370432

Laurie Hertzel

Senior Editor | Books
Phone: 612-673-7302

Laurie Hertzel has worked at the Star Tribune for more than two decades as an editor and writer. 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 currently serves as the autobiography chairman of the National Book Critics Circle board of directors.
Recent content from Laurie Hertzel
Beth O’Leary

Will they or won't they? 'Wake-Up Call' is a romcom so, yeah, they will

FICTION: It may be formulaic but Beth O'Leary's latest is fun, funny and sexy.
Claire Keegan

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.
Liz Nugent

Review: 'Riveting' novel 'Strange Sally Diamond' takes an extreme look at nature vs. nurture

FICTION: Laurie Hertzel writes that the new psychological thriller provokes powerful feelings.
Review: 'My Husband,' by Maud Ventura, translated from French by Emma Ramadan

Review: 'My Husband,' by Maud Ventura, translated from French by Emma Ramadan

Don't Miss
Jonathan Rosen

Review: A friend descends into violence, madness in riveting 'Best Minds'

NONFICTION: Jonathan Rosen writes about a fellow Yale student and his battles with schizophrenia.
Review: Between the spies and the class struggles, something's amiss in 'The Beach at Summerly'

Review: Between the spies and the class struggles, something's amiss in 'The Beach at Summerly'

FICTION: Young Emilia Winthrop enjoys glamorous island life. Until she doesn't.
From “Sam and the Incredible African and American Food Fight,” by Shannon Gibney, illustrated by Charly Palmer

8 picture books by Minnesota writers take young readers into a diverse world

These lovely books are a great addition to bookshelves.
Frieda Hughes

Review: 'George: A Magpie Memoir,' by Frieda Hughes

NONFICTION: A poet rescues a young magpie chick, which proceeds to take over her life.
Torbjørn Ekelund

Review: 'The Boy and the Mountain,' by Torbjørn Ekelund, translated by Becky L. Crook

Don't miss
Review: 'Under the Henfluence,' by Tove Danovich

Review: 'Under the Henfluence,' by Tove Danovich

Don't Miss
Review: 'Still Life at Eighty,' by Abigail Thomas

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

Don't miss
Lee Smith

Review: 'Silver Alert,' by Lee Smith

Don't miss
Laurie Hertzel live-tweets the Minnesota Book Awards in 2016.

Our longtime books editor says goodbye — and keep reading

Books editor Laurie Hertzel says goodbye to the best job she's ever had.
James McBride

Bookmark: The joy of reading by author

No matter what they write, you know you will read it.
Jack Zipes

Review: 'Buried Treasures: The Power of Political Fairy Tales,' by Jack Zipes

Don't Miss
Alexander Chee

Minneapolis writing fest Wordplay features Alexander Chee, Rebecca Makkai and 33 others

The summertime celebration of reading, writing and all things book moves from May to July.
Norton Stillman

Public reading honors Norton Stillman's 90th birthday

Don't Miss
Daily medication has made Angus a more relaxed dog, but has affected his appetite.

The Puppy Chronicles: The clean plate club

Angus' behavior meds improved his behavior — but killed his appetite. What to do?
“The Hopkins Manuscript” by R.C. Sherriff

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

Don't miss
Henry Sotheran Ltd., a London antiquarian bookstore.

Looking for something great to read? Here are 5 new books to tempt you

Your choices include novels, poetry and memoir.
Stu Abraham

Stu Abraham is Kay Sexton Award winner

He'll be honored May 2 at the Minnesota Book Awards in St. Paul.
Curtis Sittenfeld

Serious Minneapolis author writes a comedy, and it's LOL funny

Bestselling Minneapolis author Curtis Sittenfeld realized during the pandemic that her next book needed to be fun. And it is.
Is there anything more appealing than a full bookshelf?

Readers have a multitude of reasons why they keep the books they love

Bookmark: 'Miles of individual, wonderful words'
Julia Boyd

Review: 'A Village in the Third Reich,' by Julia Boyd and Angelika Patel

NONFICTION: An illuminating look at Hitler's rise to power and how it played out in one Bavarian village.
Ari Shapiro

Ari Shapiro at Westminster Town Hall

Don't Miss
Rona Jaffe

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

Books in brief
Christine Kenneally

Review: 'Ghosts of the Orphanage,' by Christine Kenneally

NONFICTION: A harrowing exposé of child abuse and torture in Catholic orphanages of the 20th century.
Will Schwalbe

Will Schwalbe (virtually) at Club Book

Don't Miss
Autumn along the Superior Hiking Trail.

Bookmark: 10 books set on the North Shore and elsewhere in northern Minnesota

Mid-March might not be the best time to go Up North, but it's a great time to read about being Up North.
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
Sara Read

Review: 'Johanna Porter Is Not Sorry,' by Sara Read

Books in brief
How realistic to AI narrators sound?

Readers are dubious about AI audiobooks

"Human readers, unite!" wrote a New Brighton reader.
Sarah Gilmartin

Review: 'Dinner Party,' by Sarah Gilmartin

Books in brief
Arctic explorer Peter Freuchen during the Fifth Thule Expedition in northern Canada in the early 1920s.

Stuck inside? Here are three new books to make you feel like you're outdoors. Dogsledding, foraging, taking in the wonders of nature.

Bookmark: From tender to tough, thoughtful to dramatic, these books are steeped in nature in very different ways.
Poets in conversation at Moon Palace Books

Poets in conversation at Moon Palace Books

Don't miss
“James and the Giant Peach” is among the Roald Dahl books that have been modified.

The Roald Dahl problem: Is it right to remove disturbing language from works of literature?

Once again, the books of Roald Dahl have been rewritten to remove words and phrases that might offend.
William Kent Krueger

Review: 'The Levee,' by William Kent Krueger

Don't miss
Review: 'Me and the Boss,' by Michelle Edwards and April Harrison

Review: 'Me and the Boss,' by Michelle Edwards and April Harrison

Don't miss
Oksana Masters

Review: 'The Hard Parts,' by Oksana Masters, with Cassidy Randall

NONFICTION: Born with a multitude of physical anamolies — including no thumbs or shinbones — Oksana Masters became an enormously successful athlete.
Jason Reynolds

10 great books to read during Black History Month

These titles are great to read this month — and any month. Every month.
A smug, middle-class bookshelf in the Hertzel household.

Is owning a lot of books a mark of middle-class smugness?

Bookmark: A columnist for the Guardian suggests it is, and she is getting rid of her own books.
Daisy Alpert Florin

Review: 'My Last Innocent Year,' by Daisy Alpert Florin

FICTION: An impressionable student falls into an affair with her college professor during the time of Clinton and Lewinsky.
Riad Sattouf

Review: 'Esther's Notebooks,' by Riad Sattouf, translated from the French by Sam Taylor

Don't Miss
Rachel Joyce

Review: 'Maureen,' by Rachel Joyce

FICTION: The wife of the peripatetic Harold Fry goes on a pilgrimage in this sequel to Rachel Joyce's bestseller.
Donte Collins

Bookmark: Poet Donte Collins reflects on 5 years of darkness and light

St. Paul's first Youth Poet Laureate is all grown up, and still creating moving poetry.
Sun Yung Shin

Finalists for the Minnesota Book Awards announced

Poet Sun Yung Shin is a finalist in two categories.
Kao Kalia Yang

Minnesota writers, illustrator win awards

The annual American Library Association Youth Media Awards were announced Monday.
Fishing for a great audiobook

Bookmark: AI voices for audiobooks is a strange new trend

Siri, read me a story!
Deborah Appleman

Carleton College professor ponders culture wars in the classroom

Deborah Appleman's new book is "Literature and the New Culture Wars: Triggers, Cancel Culture and the Teacher's Dilemma."
Review: 'Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone,' by Benjamin Stevenson

Review: 'Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone,' by Benjamin Stevenson

Books in brief
Sequoia Nagamatsu

PEN America awards long list includes many Minnesota writers, publishers

Finalists to be announced in February.
Peggy Orenstein

Review: 'Unraveling,' by Peggy Orenstein

NONFICTION: Making a sweater from scratch — from shearing a sheep to dyeing the wool to knitting it up — is a project filled with lessons.
Ada Limón

Ada Limón and Krista Tippett in conversation

Don't miss
Angus, full-grown.

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.
Antonia Angress

Fireside Reading Series gears up for February

Don't Miss
Henry Marsh

Review: 'And Finally,' by Henry Marsh

NONFICTION: In his third memoir, Henry Marsh moves from being a doctor to becoming a patient. It's a difficult transition.
Poets and writers event supports Ukraine

Poets and writers event supports Ukraine

Don't Miss
David Mura

Bookmark: Nonfiction to watch for in 2023

Top history, memoir and other nonfiction for the first quarter of the year.
Laura Zigman

Bookmark: Fiction to look forward to in 2023

Top novels and story collections for the first quarter of the year.
Shaun 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.
Lorna Landvik

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

Don't miss
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Bookmark: Life's too short for boring books

Readers confess how much they read before giving up on a book.
Anthony Horowitz

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

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

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

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
Louise Erdrich

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