The May 2024 book offerings from the Minnesota Radio Talking Book Network:
Monday – Friday 6:00 a.m.
Ultra-Processed People – Nonfiction by Chris Van Tulleken, 2023. A manifesto to change how you eat and how you think about the human body. Read by Carol McPherson. 15 broadcasts; began Monday, April 22. Listen to Ultra-Processed People description.
The Deepest Map – Nonfiction by Laura Trethewey, 2023. The dramatic story of the last mysterious place on earth—the world's seafloor—and the marine biologists, entrepreneurs, and adventurers involved in the historic push to chart it. Read by Julia Brown. 11 broadcasts; begins Monday, May 13. Listen to The Deepest Map description.
Where We Meet the World – Nonfiction by Ashley Ward, 2023. The thrilling story of how our senses evolved and how they shape our encounters with the world. Read by Karen Ray. 14 broadcasts; begins Tuesday, May 28. Listen to Where We Meet the World description.
Monday – Friday 11:00 a.m.
And There Was Light – (re-broadcast) Nonfiction by Jon Meacham, 2022. A chronicle of the life of Abraham Lincoln, charting how—and why—he confronted secession, threats to democracy, and the tragedy of slavery to expand the possibilities of America. Read by Jack Rossmann. 20 broadcasts; began Monday, April 15. Listen to And There Was Light description.
When Winter Came – Nonfiction by Mary Beth Sartor Obermeyer, 2023. A country doctor's journey to fight the flu pandemic of 1918 in Iowa. Read by Bonnie Swenby. 10 broadcasts; begins Monday, May 13. Listen to When Winter Came description.
Wilhelm's Way – Nonfiction by Teresa Wilhelm Waldof, 2022. The untold story of the humble man whose scientific innovation helped end World War II. Read by Andrea Bell. 12 broadcasts; begins Monday, May 27. Listen to Wilhem's Way description.
Monday – Friday 12:00 p.m.
Tom Lake – Fiction by Ann Patchett, 2023. A beautiful and moving novel about youthful love, married love, and the lives parents have led before their children were born. Read by Yelva Lynfield. 14 broadcasts; began Monday, April 22. Listen to Tom Lake description.
The End of Drum-Time – Fiction by Hanna Pylväinen, 2023. An epic love story about a young reindeer herder and a minister's daughter in the nineteenth century Arctic Circle. Read by Jeffrey Weihe. 15 broadcasts; begins Monday, May 13. Listen to The End of Drum Time description.
Monday – Friday 1:00 p.m.
Empress of the Nile – Nonfiction by Lynne Olson, 2023. The remarkable story of the intrepid French archaeologist who led the international effort to save ancient Egyptian temples from the floodwaters of the Aswan Dam. Read by Michelle Juntunen. 17 broadcasts; began Tuesday, April 16. Listen to Empress of the Nile description.
The Book of Charlie – Nonfiction by David Von Drehle, 2023. One of our nation's most prominent writers discovers the truth about how to live a long and happy life from the centenarian next door in this original and highly readable account of a splendid American life. Read by Bonnie Swenby. 7 broadcasts; begins Thursday, May 9. Listen toThe Book of Charlie description.
Farewell Transmission – Nonfiction by Will McGrath, 2022. Memoir essays about the concealed lives we encounter every day, and the hidden worlds that exist within our own. Read by Jim Ahrens. 6 broadcasts; begins Monday, May 20. Listen to Farewell Transmission description.
Quietly Hostile – Nonfiction by Samantha Irby, 2023. A hilarious new essay collection with a combination of laugh-out-loud moments, heartfelt passages, and plenty of awkward experiences. Read by Dan Sadoff. 10 broadcasts; begins Tuesday, May 28. – L, S. Listen to Quietly Hostile description.
Monday – Friday 2:00 p.m.
Close To Home – Fiction by Michael Magee, 2023. A complex and compassionate portrait of class and masculinity in modern Belfast. Read by Jim Tarbox. 10 broadcasts; begins Wednesday, May 1. – L, S. Listen to Close to Home description.
Small World – Fiction by Laura Zigman, 2023. A heartfelt novel about two offbeat and newly divorced sisters who move in together as adults—and finally reckon with their childhood. Read by Lisa Bromer. 9 broadcasts; begins Wednesday, May 15. – L. Listen to Small World description.
A Council of Dolls –Fiction by Mona Susan Power, 2023. A profoundly moving novel spanning three generations of Yanktonai Dakota women from the 19th century to the present day. Read by Pat Muir. 12 broadcasts; begins Tuesday, May 28. Listen to A Council of Dolls description.
Monday – Friday 4:00 p.m.
The Fourth Turning Is Here – Nonfiction by Neil Howe, 2023. A startling and hopeful prophecy for how our present era of civil unrest will resolve over the next ten years—and what our lives will look like once it has. Read by MaryBeth Redmond. 23 broadcasts; began Thursday, April 11. Listen to The Fourth Turning is Here description.
The Crisis of Democratic Capitalism – Nonfiction by Martin Wolf, 2023. A magnificent reckoning with how and why the marriage between democracy and capitalism is coming undone, and what can be done to reverse this terrifying dynamic. Read by Anna Pliner. 14 broadcasts; begins Tuesday, May 14. Listen to The Crisis of Democratic Capitalism description.
Monday – Friday 7:00 p.m.
Killing Moon – Fiction by Jo Nesbø, 2023. Brilliant rogue police investigator Harry Hole is back, this time as an outsider assembling his own team to help find a serial killer who is murdering young women in Oslo in the next novel in the internationally best-selling series. Read by John Potts. 18 broadcasts; begins Wednesday, May 1. – L, S, G. Listen to Killing Moon description.
Lowdown Road – Fiction by Scott Von Doviak, 2023. A heart-racing road trip across 1970s America as two cousins make the heist of their lives and must avoid the cops and criminals hot on their tails. Read by John Gunter. 9 broadcasts; begins Monday, May 27. – L. Listen to Lowdown Road description.
Monday – Friday 8:00 p.m.
Big Swiss – Fiction by Jen Beagin, 2023. A love story about a sex therapist's transcriptionist having an affair with one of the patients, as well as an examination of infidelity, mental health, and sexual stereotypes. Read by Jodi Lindskog. 14 broadcasts; began Tuesday, April 23. – L, S, V. Listen to Big Swiss description.
In Memoriam – Fiction by Alice Winn, 2023. A haunting, virtuosic debut novel about two young men who fall in love during World War I. Read by Holland Richner. 15 broadcasts; begins Monday, May 13. – L, S, V, G. Listen to In Memoriam description.
Monday – Friday 9:00 p.m.
Hollywood: The Oral History – Nonfiction by Jeanine Basinger & Sam Wasson, 2022. The real story of Hollywood as told by such luminaries from the American Film Institute's treasure trove of interviews, reveals a fresh history of the American movie industry from its beginnings to today. Read by John Gunter. 35 broadcasts; began Thursday, April 4. Listen to Hollywood: The Oral History description.
The History of Sketch Comedy – Nonfiction by Keegan-Michael Key & Elle Key, 2023. A detailed journey through the art and craft of humor from a master comedian. Read by Stevie Ray. 9 broadcasts; begins Thursday, May 23. Listen to The Historty of Sketch Comedy description.
Monday – Friday 10:00 p.m.
Critical Mass – Fiction by Daniel Suarez, 2023. A space-tech thriller where a group of pioneering astropreneurs must overcome never-before-attempted engineering challenges to rescue colleagues stranded at a distant asteroid. Read by Stuart Holland. 21 broadcasts; began Monday, April 22. Listen to Critical Mass description.
Godzilla and Godzilla Raids Again – Fiction by Shigeru Kayama, 2023. The first English translations of the original 1955 novellas about the iconic kaijū, Godzilla. Read by Gary Rodgers. 9 broadcasts; begins Tuesday, May 21. Listen to Godzilla and Godzilla Raids Again description.
Monday – Friday 11:00 p.m.
The Duchess Takes a Husband – Fiction by Harper St. George, 2023. A scandalous arrangement between a London rogue and an American duchess leads to lavish stakes in this period romance. Read by Holly Sylvester. 11 broadcasts; began Tuesday, April 23. – L, S. Listen to The Duchess Takes a Husband description.
Georgie, All Along – (re-broadcast) Fiction by Kate Clayborn, 2023. A wise and witty novel that echoes with timely questions about love, career, reconciling with the past, and finding your path while knowing your true worth. Read by Carol McPherson. 14 broadcasts; begins Wednesday, May 8. – L, S. Listen to Georgie, All Along description.
Native Love Jams –Fiction by Tashia Hart, 2023. A Minnesota Book Award finalist romance set in a Native American community. Read by MaryBeth Redmond. 4 broadcasts; begins Tuesday, May 28. – L, S. Listen to Native Love Jams description.
V – Violent content
R – Racial epithets
L – Strong language
G – Gory descriptions
S – Sexual situations
All listings are US Central Standard Time (CST)
