The November 2024 book offerings from the Minnesota Radio Talking Book Network:
Monday – Friday 6:00 a.m.
The Sullivanians – Nonfiction by Alexander Stille, 2023. An intimate and engrossing look at the Sullivan Institute, and its devolution from psychoanalytic organization to insular, radical cult. Read by Carl Voss. 18 broadcasts; begins Monday, October 14. – L, S. Listen to The Sullivanians description.
The Reopening of the Western Mind – Nonfiction by Charles Freeman, 2023. A monumental and exhilarating history of European thought from the end of Antiquity to the beginning of the Enlightenment—500 to 1700 AD—tracing the arc of intellectual history as it evolved, setting the stage for the modern era. Read by Lannois Neely. 32 broadcasts; begins Thursday, November 7. Listen to The Reopening of the Western Mind description.
Monday - Friday 11:00 a.m.
Christendom – Nonfiction by Peter Heather, 2022. A major reinterpretation of the religious superstate that came to define both Europe and Christianity itself, by one of our foremost medieval historians. Read by William Heisley. 30 broadcasts; begins Thursday, September 26. Listen to Christendom description.
Under the Eye of Power – Nonfiction by Colin Dickey, 2023. A history of America's obsession with secret societies and the conspiracies of hidden power. Read by John Holden. 15 broadcasts; begins Thursday, November 7. Listen to Under the Eye of Power description.
Flight of the WASP – Nonfiction by Michael Gross, 2023. Fifteen families. Four hundred years. The complex saga of the White Anglo-Saxon Protestant elite in America's history. Read by Stuart Holland. 23 broadcasts; begins Thursday, November 28. Listen to Flight of the WASP description.
Monday – Friday 12:00 p.m.
Jellyfish Have No Ears – Fiction by Adèle Rosenfeld, 2024. A beguiling novel about a woman losing her hearing and an utterly original take on perception and self-perception. Read by Yelva Lynfield. 6 broadcasts; begins Tuesday, October 29. Listen to Jellyfish Have No Ears description.
The Wonders of the Little World – Fiction by Bill Meissner, 2024. Like the midway of a colorful carnival, this novel about a circus family is filled with mystery and magic, surprise and wonder. Read by Stuart Holland. 13 broadcasts; begins Tuesday, November 5. Listen to The Wonders of the Little World description.
I Cheerfully Refuse – Fiction by Leif Enger, 2024. Amid the dystopian collapse of the near future, a musician embarks on a quixotic voyage from the shore of Lake Superior. Read by Don Lee. 12 broadcasts; begins Monday, November 25. Listen to I Cheerfully Refuse description.
Monday - Friday 1:00 p.m.
White House by the Sea – Nonfiction by Kate Storey, 2023. The intimate, multigenerational story of the Kennedy family as seen through their Hyannis Port compound on Cape Cod. Read by Roger Sheldon. 14 broadcasts; begins Thursday, October 24. – L. Listen to White House by the Sea description.
True West – Nonfiction by Robert Greenfield, 2023. A revelatory biography of the world-famous playwright and actor Sam Shepard. Read by Dan Sadoff. 17 broadcasts; begins Wednesday, November 13. – L. Listen to True West description.
Monday - Friday 2:00 p.m.
Prophet Song – Fiction by Paul Lynch, 2023. A terrifying and shocking vision of a country sliding into authoritarianism and a deeply human portrait of a mother's fight to hold her family together. Read by Yelva Lynfield. 13 broadcasts; begins Monday, November 4. Listen to The Prophet Song description.
The Hidden Life of Cecily Larson – Fiction by Ellen Baker, 2024. A compelling multigenerational novel of survival, love, and the families we make, centered around one remarkable woman and her determination to survive. Read by Karen Ray. 8 broadcasts; begins Thursday, November 21. Listen to The Hidden Life of Cecily Larson description.
Monday – Friday 4:00 p.m.
Our Hidden Conversations – Nonfiction by Michele Norris, 2024. A transformative dialogue on race and identity in America, begun by six-word micro-essay submissions. Read by Holly Sylvester. 19 broadcasts; begins Tuesday, October 8. Listen to Our Hidden Conversations description.
Everyday Freedom – Nonfiction by Philip K. Howard, 2024. A powerful work of social analysis and radical vision for change in the tradition of Thomas Paine's Common Sense. Read by William Heisley. 3 broadcasts; begins Monday, November 4. Listen to Everyday Freedom description.
Making It in America – Nonfiction by Rachel Slade, 2024. A moving and eye-opening look at the story of manufacturing in America, whether it can ever successfully return to our shores, and why our nation depends on it. Read by Yelva Lynfield. 17 broadcasts; begins Thursday, November 7. Listen to Making It in America description.
Monday – Friday 7:00 p.m.
Bright Young Women – Fiction by Jessica Knoll, 2023. A breakneck thriller that follows two women on the pursuit of justice against all odds, while examining our culture's obsession with serial killers and true crime. Read by Holland Richner. 15 broadcasts; begins Wednesday, October 30. – L, S, V. Listen to Bright Young Women description.
The Secret Hours – Fiction by Mick Herron, 2023. A gripping spy thriller about a disastrous MI5 mission in Cold War Berlin. Read by Tom Speich. 14 broadcasts; begins Wednesday, November 20. – L. Listen to The Secret Hours description.
Monday – Friday 8:00 p.m.
Brooklyn Crime Novel – Fiction by Jonathan Letham, 2023. A sweeping story of community, crime, and gentrification, tracing more than fifty years of life in one Brooklyn neighborhood. Read by Don Lee. 14 broadcasts; begins Tuesday, October 29. – L, S, V. Listen to Brooklyn Crime Novel description.
The Maniac – Fiction by Benjamín Labatut, 2023. A haunting story centered on the Hungarian polymath John von Neumann, tracing the impact of his singular legacy on the dreams and nightmares of the twentieth century and the nascent age of AI. Read by Stuart Holland. 12 broadcasts; begins Monday, November 18. Listen to The Maniac description.
Monday – Friday 9:00 p.m.
The Worlds of Sherlock Holmes – Nonfiction by Andrew Lycett, 2023. A deep dive into the contemporary world of Holmes – tracing the infamous character's own interests, personality, and mythologised biography. Read by Jim Ahrens. 6 broadcasts; begins Monday, October 28. Listen to The Worlds of Sherlock Holmes description.
Love and Let Die – Nonfiction by John Higgs, 2023. A deep-dive into the unique connections between the two titans of the British cultural psyche—the Beatles and the Bond films—and what they tell us about class, sexuality, and our aspirations over sixty dramatic years. Read by Michelle Juntunen. 18 broadcasts; begins Tuesday, November 5. Listen to Love and Let Die description.
Monday – Friday 10:00 p.m.
Holly – Fiction by Stephen King, 2023. One of King's most compelling characters returns in this chilling novel to solve the gruesome truth behind multiple disappearances in a midwestern town. Read by Cintra Godfrey. 19 broadcasts; begins Monday, October 21. – L, S, G, R. Listen to Holly description.
Just Stay Away – Fiction by Tony Wirt, 2023. When a mysterious neighborhood boy befriends his young daughter, stay-at-home dad Craig considers him a godsend―until it becomes clear that there's nothing angelic about him at all. Read by Andrea Bell. 11 broadcasts; begins Monday, November 18. – L. Listen to Just Stay Away description.
Monday – Friday 11:00 p.m.
Bride – Fiction by Ali Hazelwood, 2024. A dangerous alliance between a Vampyre bride and an Alpha Werewolf becomes a love deep enough to sink your teeth into in this new paranormal romance. Read by Holland Richner. 14 broadcasts; begins Monday, October 21. – L, S. Listen to Bride description.
The Wake-Up Call – Fiction by Beth O'Leary, 2023. Two hotel receptionists—and arch-rivals—find a collection of old wedding rings and compete to return them to their owners, discovering their own love story along the way. Read by Laura Young. 13 broadcasts; begins Monday, November 11. – L. Listen to The Wake-Up Call description.
Until It Was Love – Fiction by Pippa Grant, 2024. A banter-filled rom-com featuring an overgrown snack of a man with a soft spot for his purse dog and a normally optimistic life coach trying to live her best life. Read by Carol McPherson. 12 broadcasts; begins Thursday, November 28. – L, S. Listen to Until It Was Love description.
Your Personal World (Saturdays at 1:00 p.m.) presents Anatomy of a Breakthrough by Adam Alter, read by Cintra Godfrey.
For the Younger Set (Sundays at 11:00 a.m.) presents The Puppets of Spelhorst by Kate DiCamillio, read by Carl Voss; followed by Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow, read by Pat Muir.
Poetic Reflections (Sundays at noon) presents Bright Dead Things by Ada Limón, read by Mary Beth Redmond – L, S; followed by Bluest Nude by Ama Codjoe, read by Mary Beth Redmond.
The Great North (Sundays at 4:00 p.m.) presents Tales from the Minnesota Sports Beat by Patrick Reusse, read by Jim Gregorich.
V – Violent content
R – Racial epithets
L – Strong language
G – Gory descriptions
S – Sexual situations
All listings are US Central Standard Time (CST)
