Variety
Reviews: 'The Twelve Dates of Christmas,' by Jenny Bayliss
The Twelve Dates of ChristmasBy Jenny Bayliss. (G.P. Putnam, 368 pages, $16.)Here it is, almost New Year's Eve, and nobody has ever been happier to…
Variety
Audiobooks: The best audiobooks of the year
"Deacon King Kong," by James McBride. (Penguin Audio, unabridged, 14 hours.)"Sportcoat" is a 71-year-old deacon who lives in a Brooklyn housing project in 1969. His…
Variety
Review: 'That Time of Year: A Minnesota Life,' by Garrison Keillor
NONFICTION: In his memoir, Garrison Keillor waxes nostalgic for heroes of the past but saves his vitriol for his former employer.
Variety
Review: 'From These Broken Streets,' by Roland Merullo
FICTION: A terrific novel about the Neapolitan revolt against the Germans during World War II.
Variety
Review: 'Lord the One You Love Is Sick,' by Kasey Thornton
FICTION: Through eight linked stories, Kasey Thornton examines small-town mores.
Variety
Review: 'Big Girl, Small Town,' by Michelle Gallen
FICTION: Michelle Gallen's debut novel is both funny and sad as our heroine tries to make sense of a confusing world.
Variety
Review: 'Crosshairs,' by Catherine Hernandez
FICTION: In this dystopian novel, white people enslave those who are marginalized.
Variety
Quarantine Read: Readers recommend 'The Talented Mr. Varg'
"The Talented Mr. Varg," by Alexander McCall SmithThe latest novel from prolific author Alexander McCall Smith ("The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency" series and many…
Books
New York Times bestsellers
FICTION1. Ready Player Two, by Ernest Cline. (Ballantine) In a sequel to "Ready Player One," Wade Watts discovers a technological advancement and goes on a…
Variety
Mpls. photographer offered free porch portraits to connect isolated neighbors
The photographer's pandemic project is now collected in a self-published book.
Twin Cities librarians fielding more questions about race, social justice in year of George Floyd
Tasha Nins, a children's librarian with Ramsey County Library, said more parents are asking for books on race and social justice.
Variety
Review: 'Why Fish Don't Exist,' by Lulu Miller and 'Before the Coffee Gets Cold,' by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
Why Fish Don't ExistBy Lulu Miller. (Simon & Schuster, 240 pages, $26.)National Public Radio contributor Lulu Miller charts her rebound from a breakup in a…
Variety
Review: 'The Mason House,' by T. Marie Bertineau
NONFICTION: Heritage and sense of place are the touchstones for a Michigan Ojibwe family.
Variety
Bookmark: Books and chocolates for a long winter's night
For the past four or five years, my Facebook and Twitter feeds have been bombarded each winter with links to heartwarming articles about Jólabókaflód, the…
Variety
Review: 'Wagnerism: Art and Politics in the Shadow of Music,' by Alex Ross
NONFICTION: Alex Ross' sweeping study of Richard Wagner's cultural influence is an intellectual triumph.
Variety
Review: 'The River Within,' by Karen Powell
FICTION: A beautiful debut novel about a mysterious drowning in a Yorkshire village.
Variety
Review: 'Girl, Gurl, Grrrl' by Kenya Hunt
NONFICTION: Essays by Black women explore issues of hair, identity and raising Black children.
Variety
Review: 'Metropolis,' by Ben Wilson
NONFICTION: "Metropolis" is an ambitious attempt to document the history of the world's cities.
Variety
Quarantine Read: 'The Time of Our Singing,' by Richard Powers
Two of my heroes are getting me through this pandemic — Dr. Fauci and Richard Powers. Following the doctor's orders to shelter in place, I…
Variety
Reviews: Mysteries from Brian Freeman, Ian K. Smith and Ruth Ware
Funeral for a FriendBy Brian Freeman. (Blackstone, 336 pages, $27.99.)Duluth detective Jonathan Stride's latest investigation is "seriously messed up." Stride's a suspect in an investigation…
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Around the Region
- Obama, Patti Smith among PEN America honorees
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- Author Tracey Davis, daughter of Sammy Davis Jr., dies at 59
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