What We're Reading

Host and staff librarian Tammy Bobrowsky interviews authors and talks books with community members. Be a part of our online What We're Reading Community on Facebook where you can get great book recommendations from other community members and let us know what you're reading!

Episodes

'How to Draw a Tree' teaches us to slow down and observe

August 5, 2025 • 11 mins

Minnesota writer and illustrators David LaRochelle and Colleen Muske's lovely and vibrant new picture book "How to Draw a Tree" teaches us to slow down and observe every part of a tree.

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Hayley Krischer's young adult thriller highlights dark side of wellness industry

June 30, 2025 • 20 mins

Hayley Krischer ("The Falling Girls"; "Something Happened to Ali Greenleaf") returns with a thrilling story exploring class and the dark side of the wellness and beauty industry in "You Belong to Me."

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'Crossing Fifty-One' reveals family secrets, tense family dynamics

June 23, 2025 • 13 mins

Minnesota lawyer-turned-writer Debbie Russell shares her experiences discovering family secrets while struggling with dysfunctional family dynamics in "Crossing Fifty-One: Not Quite a Memoir."

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'Kitchens of Hope' celebrates immigrant stories and recipes from home

June 16, 2025 • 13 mins

"Kitchens of Hope" tells Minnesota immigrants culinary journeys and is as rich in recipes as it is in stories.

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Kent Nerburn takes us on a redemptive journey in ‘Lone Dog Road’

June 2, 2025 • 13 mins

Minnesota author of “Neither Wolf nor Dog,” Kent Nerburn celebrates his new novel “Lone Dog Road.” Two young Lakota boys in the 1950s run from boarding school government agents while searching for pipestone for their great-grandfather’s sacred pipe. A redemptive journey set in the sometimes harsh but beautiful South Dakota prairies.

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Mini Book Club: Erin Entrada Kelly’s ‘The First State of Being’

May 27, 2025 • 9 mins

Erin Entrada Kelly’s “The First State of Being” is an exciting and meaningful story with well-crafted twists. Staff librarian Tammy Bobrowsky and children’s librarian Tracy Kampa dive into the Newbery Award winning novel in their latest Mini Book Club conversation.

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Bures’ ‘Pushing the River’ is full of adventure

May 19, 2025 • 12 mins

Writer Frank Bures thrills us with a collection of true stories about canoeing our Minnesota waterways in “Pushing the River.”

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Lili Taylor’s ‘Turning to Birds’ reminds us to engage with the world

May 12, 2025 • 11 mins

Actor Lili Taylor’s rediscovery of birds helped her to be more present and engaged with the world. She shares her experiences in her new book “Turning to Birds: The Power and Beauty of Noticing.”

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Tracy Kampa recommends children's books

May 5, 2025 • 10 mins

Children's Librarian Tracy Kampa reviews new children's books by Amy Alznauer, Annie Barrows, Jose Pimienta and Andrea Beatriz Arango.

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Amor Towles' 'Table for Two' shines with short stories, Hollywood noir novella

April 28, 2025 • 12 mins

"Table for Two" is the latest book from New York Times bestselling writer Amor Towles—a fantastic collection of stories, each told with Towles’ signature wit and sophisticated writing.

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New anthology celebrates epic and ordinary moments between women

April 21, 2025 • 12 mins

Co-editors Michelle Filkins and Margret Aldrich look to reframe the traditional sense of locker room talk and celebrate the privates spaces where women are often at their best in “Locker Room Talk: Women in Private Spaces.”

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El-Mohtar's 'The River Has Roots' revamps the two sister ballad

April 15, 2025 • 12 mins

Amal El-Mohtar's novella "The River Has Roots" is steeped in folklore and brims with magic, with elements as a direct consequence of grief.

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Librarian Tracy Kampa recommends new children's books

March 31, 2025 • 9 mins

New book recommendations from Grand Rapids Area Library children's librarian Tracy Kampa include stories from Sarah Kurpiel, Gordan Korman, Jewell Parker Rhodes and more.

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Nash's new novel asks: What if you could hold on to time?

March 24, 2025 • 12 mins

David Nash's latest novel "In Wells' Time" will have you thinking about how you spend your time. The La Crescent, Minnesota singer/songwriter and author has recently been named a Minnesota Book Award finalist.

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A dark force haunts a Minnesota casino in Staples' new novel

March 17, 2025 • 9 mins

Dennis E. Staples' new novel "Passing Through a Prairie Country" is a spine-chilling and darkly humorous thriller taking place in a Northern Minnesota casino.

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Willa Hammitt Brown takes on the lumberjack lore in new book

March 10, 2025 • 13 mins

Writer and historian Willa Hammitt Brown separates truth from folklore for a new understanding of the American lumberjack in her new book “Gentlemen of the Woods.”

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Minnesota writer Schultz wraps up supernatural thriller series

March 3, 2025 • 8 mins

Writer Jennifer Schultz takes readers on a wild ride from the shores of Lake Superior to Yellowstone National Park and to the deserts of Arizona in the Shaka Reed Series of supernatural thrillers.

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NPR correspondent Linda Holmes' new novel smart and romantic

February 27, 2025 • 7 mins

Writer and NPR podcast host Linda Holmes' new novel "Back After This" is a romantic comedy with an insider's view into the world of podcasting.

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Female monsters, free will at odds in Barker's 'Old Soul'

February 19, 2025 • 9 mins

Susan Barker's new novel "Old Soul" is thrilling and chilling. Beautifully crafted, this is an elevated horror story that will keep you turning the page.

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Lived experiences of Minnesota climate scientist, policy advisor

February 10, 2025 • 20 mins

Anna Farro Henderson's new book "Core Samples" highlights personal stories behind her science and political advisory roles and motherhood—a unique and compelling work of creative non-fiction.

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What We're Reading

Episodes

.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}'How to Draw a Tree' teaches us to slow down and observe

.css-r6mb8g{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:1;overflow:hidden;}Hayley Krischer's young adult thriller highlights dark side of wellness industry

'Crossing Fifty-One' reveals family secrets, tense family dynamics

'Kitchens of Hope' celebrates immigrant stories and recipes from home

Kent Nerburn takes us on a redemptive journey in ‘Lone Dog Road’

Mini Book Club: Erin Entrada Kelly’s ‘The First State of Being’

Bures’ ‘Pushing the River’ is full of adventure

Lili Taylor’s ‘Turning to Birds’ reminds us to engage with the world

Tracy Kampa recommends children's books

Amor Towles' 'Table for Two' shines with short stories, Hollywood noir novella

New anthology celebrates epic and ordinary moments between women

El-Mohtar's 'The River Has Roots' revamps the two sister ballad

Librarian Tracy Kampa recommends new children's books

Nash's new novel asks: What if you could hold on to time?

A dark force haunts a Minnesota casino in Staples' new novel

Willa Hammitt Brown takes on the lumberjack lore in new book

Minnesota writer Schultz wraps up supernatural thriller series

NPR correspondent Linda Holmes' new novel smart and romantic

Female monsters, free will at odds in Barker's 'Old Soul'

Lived experiences of Minnesota climate scientist, policy advisor

Popular Podcasts

'How to Draw a Tree' teaches us to slow down and observe

Hayley Krischer's young adult thriller highlights dark side of wellness industry