October, also known as the spooky season, is upon us. I often look for ghost stories when picking out books during Halloween time. Here are a couple...
novel
Topical Page-Turner
Does a trip back in time change the present? It’s the age of influencers, and Natalie Heller Mills posts daily to her 8 million...
“Lost Time” Penned by Local Author
Minnetonka’s Holly Trost dreamed of being an author. Prior to writing her first novel, she was early in her content marketing career and enjoyed...
A New Chapter at Excelsior Bay Books
A local author’s latest business venture makes perfect sense. Amanda Pesek knows the thrill of seeing your own book featured on bookstore shelves....
“Ready or Not”
While the title and book cover suggest lighthearted reading, Cara Bastone’s romance novel is beautifully written with plenty of emotional depth...
Open up a World of Experiential Gifting
Make gift giving easier this season by leaning into a specialty theme or carefully curated focus. With experiential gifting maintaining its holiday...
“The Lager Queen of Minnesota”
The Lager Queen of Minnesota by J. Ryan Stradal might just be the ideal novel to read during this holiday season as it’s filled with familial ties....
“The Small and the Mighty”
From Sharon McMahon comes The Small and the Mighty: Twelve Unsung Americans Who Changed the Course of History, From the Founding to the Civil Rights...
2024 National Book Award Winner
What happens when a literary icon reimagines a classic? You get James: A Novel, a bold retelling of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn...
Top Book Picks From 2005
In celebration of our 20th anniversary, walk down memory lane with us to revisit some of 2005’s top titles. In no particular order, these books and...
“The Rehearsals”
In celebration of this special wedding issue, The Rehearsals by Annette Christie is my pick for this month. Tom and Megan have been together for...
“We Begin at the End”
With highly memorable characters, deep emotion and a story that stays with you, We Begin at the End tells the tale of several residents of a coastal...
Maddie, Max and the Magic of Lake Minnetonka
Author’s debut novel is set in 1990s Excelsior. Romance readers searching for a story that feels like home are in luck. Mound’s Megan Effertz’s...
Celebrate Romance with “A Holly Jolly Diwali”
A Holly Jolly Diwali by Sonya Lalli introduces readers to the practical and level-headed 29-year-old Niki Randhawa who typically does what is...
Debut Novel Tackles the “Irony of the Iron Range”
Debut novel explores an exciting discovery and the tumult that follows. Timothy Duff remembers it well. “November 2010, a couple days before...
“The Phoenix Crown”
Kate Quinn and Janie Chang are both highly-regarded historical novelists in their own right, and this cowritten novel is an excellent reading choice...
“How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water: A Novel” by Angie Cruz
CIara Romero is a 58-year-old Dominican, struggling to keep her apartment in a gentrifying Washington Heights neighborhood. At the height of the...
“Warrior Girl Unearthed” Explores Native History
Angeline Boulley brings Warrior Girl Unearthed as teenager Perry Firekeeper-Birch plans to spend her summer doing nothing until her aunt makes her...
Hennepin County Library’s Top Reads of 2023
Each year, the Hennepin County Library reviews the list of most checked out books. Across the system, more than 10.7 million books were checked out...
“Freewater” Shares Homer’s History
Freewater by Amina Luqman-Dawson, a Newbery and Coretta Scott King award-winning book, is officially a middle grade novel (ages 8–12), but it makes...
