All About Books

All About Books

A weekly book review and discussion program hosted by Pat Leach. Updated on Thursdays.

Episodes

“A Refiner’s Fire” by Donna Leon

July 2, 2025 • 8 mins
Set in Venice, the popular detective series featuring Commissario Guido Brunetti has a new mystery to solve. In “A Refiner’s Fire” by Donna Leon, Brunetti confronts the present-day menace of teenage street gangs.
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“Mrs Dalloway” by Virginia Woolf

June 25, 2025 • 20 mins
Pat Leach invited her good friend Susan Millar to talk about the classic novel, “Mrs Dalloway” by Virginia Woolf. It’s one of Susan’s favorite novels and Pat’s first time reading it. Hear their conversation about what makes this book a classic and if it’s a good introduction to Woolf.
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“Inside Nebraska Courthouses" by Settle & Grossbart

June 18, 2025 • 15 mins
Dean Settle and his wife Harriet Grossbart, went on an 11-month, 28-thousand mile journey across Nebraska documenting the interiors of all 93 county courthouses. The result of their travels is the book “Inside Nebraska Courthouses.” He joined “All About Books” host Pat Leach to share some of the history and local lore surrounding these symbols of local pride
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Guest reviewer Richard Graham on new graphic novels

June 4, 2025 • 16 mins
Graphic novels expert, UNL professor Richard Graham joins host Pat Leach to talk about two new titles, “Insectopolis: A Natural History” by Peter Kuper and “Belonging: A German Reckons with History and Home” by Nora Krug.
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“Wandering Stars” by Tommy Orange

May 28, 2025 • 9 mins
“Wandering Stars” by Tommy Orange is a follow up to his acclaimed debut novel, “There There”. Orange traces the legacies of the Sand Creek Massacre in Colorado, and the Industrial Schools that tried to eradicate Native culture and identity
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Guest reviewer Kiersten Hill on the current Romance genre.

May 21, 2025 • 14 mins
Kiersten Hill dropped by “All About Books” this week to help host Pat Leach catch up on current trends in Romance fiction. She recommended the new release, “Story of My Life” by Lucy Score.
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Bill Kelly on the "Once Again" podcast series

May 14, 2025 • 19 mins
Nebraska Public Media’s senior producer Bill Kelly joins Pat Leach this week’s on “All About Books” to talk about his adventures in researching Nebraska history. The new podcast series “Once Again” sent Kelly diving into dusty archives to uncover stories of Nebraska’s past and present.
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“Why We Remember” by Dr. Charan Ranganath

May 7, 2025 • 10 mins
From recalling names and faces to trauma and healing- memory plays an important role in nearly every aspect of life. Dr. Charan Ranganath is a leading memory research scientist and psychologist, his bestselling book “Why We Remember” is reviewed on this week’s
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“1999: The Year Low Culture Conquered America" by Ross Benes

April 30, 2025 • 17 mins
From pro wrestling and Pokémon to Insane Clown Posse and Jerry Springer, a new book looks at the low culture of the late ’90s revealing a continuing impact on current American culture and society. “1999: The Year Low Culture Conquered America and Kickstarted Our Bizarre Times”, hear an interview with the author, Nebraska journalist Ross Benes.
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PBS documentary film maker Dawn Logsdon on "Free for All"

April 23, 2025 • 14 mins
An interview with Dawn Logsdon, one of the film makers behind the new PBS documentary, “Free For All: The Public Library”. A films exploring how libraries are deeply woven into the fabric of American communities large and small.
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“Meditations for Mortals" by Oliver Burkeman

April 16, 2025 • 9 mins
There are only so many hours in a day, as the saying goes. That’s the focus of a new book that addresses fundamental questions about how we live. On this week’s “All About Books” a look at, “Meditations for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts” by Oliver Burkeman.
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“Anita de Monte Laughs Last: a Novel” by Xochitl Gonzalez

April 9, 2025 • 7 mins
A Latina woman attending an ivy league college feels a connection to an artist who died under mysterious circumstances in New York years before. “Anita de Monte Laughs Last: a Novel” by Xochitl Gonzalez is a witty look at power, love and art. Hear a review on
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The AI technology race. "Supremacy" by Parmy Olson.

April 2, 2025 • 11 mins
Two pioneering tech companies and their CEOs are competing over the development of artificial intelligence: Sam Altman of OpenAI and Demis Hassabis of DeepMind. Lost in this race for control are the threats their creators are ignoring. That’s the story found in “Supremacy: AI, ChatGPT, and the Race that Will Change the World” by Parmy Olson.
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“Black Woods, Blue Sky" by Eowyn Ivey

March 26, 2025 • 8 mins
A mother struggling with sobriety moves herself and young daughter to live with a reclusive mountain man of Alaska’s wilds. Author Eowyn Ivey’s new novel “Black Woods, Blue Sky” is about love, the lure of wild places and the dangers found there.
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“The Golden Gate” by Amy Chua

March 19, 2025 • 6 mins
A presidential candidate is assassinated at San Francisco’s swanky Claremont Hotel in 1944. Homicide detective Al Sullivan was having a drink in the bar downstairs. This begins the historical thriller “The Golden Gate” by Amy Chua. Hear a review of this best-selling author’s debut novel.
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“Reagan: His Life and Legend” by Max Boot

March 12, 2025 • 9 mins
Political columnist Max Boot took on the task of writing a monumental biography of conservative icon Ronald Regan. Combining interviews with the President’s aides, friends and family as well as newly available documents, this new biography details Regan’s life beyond just the political years. Hear a review of “Reagan: His Life and Legend” by Max Boot
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“Whale Fall” by Elizabeth O’Connor

March 5, 2025 • 7 mins
On a harsh but beautiful island off the coast of Wales, a young woman looks after the home for her father and younger sister after their mother dies. In the novel “Whale Fall” by Elizabeth O’Connor, the dreams of venturing out into a bigger world come into conflict with community obligations.
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“Book and Dagger” by Elyse Graham.

February 26, 2025 • 8 mins
At the start of WWII, the U.S. found itself in desperate need of an intelligence agency. To hire the experts needed,the government looked to academia for recruits. English professors, librarians, and historians were suddenly pulled into spy craft. This history is detailed in the new book “Book and Dagger” by Elyse Graham.
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“The Mighty Red”, a novel by Louise Erdrich,

February 19, 2025 • 7 mins
Set in a starkly beautiful North Dakota community, “The Mighty Red”, a novel by Louise Erdrich, reveals ordinary people who are complicated and contradictory as they struggle, dream, and love.
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“A Different Metaphor” by Kevin Shinn

February 12, 2025 • 17 mins
This week on All About Books” Pat Leach talks with author Kevin Shinn a former collegiate pastor, chef and restaurateur. His lifelong spiritual journey eventually led him to his typewriter where he worked out his latest book, “A Different Metaphor: Faith That Imagines The Impossible.”
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