Jonathan Franzen’s newest novel, “Purity,” is his most contemporary novel to date, dealing with subjects such as student debt, the Internet, hackers/leakers and murder. “Purity” is Franzen’s most worldly novel, with parts taking place in Germany and Bolivia, as well as Oakland and Denver. It is stylistically similar to his
Read More →Joseph Ellis has written a very readable history on the development of the Constitution of the United States, a process he termed the second American Revolution. He notes that the opening phrase of the Gettysburg address is in error — the nation was not brought forth at the Revolution. The
Read More →Ernest Cline’s first book, “Ready Player One,” became an instant classic in the speculative fiction world, winning awards and praise nearly across the board. His newest novel, “Armada,” takes the retro-futuristic vibe of his first book and adds in a more complex voice with an uncannily realistic near future. Once
Read More →Mary Kubica follows her debut novel, “The Good Girl,” with this psychological thriller about Heidi Wood. She is a charitable woman helping immigrants and refugees through the Chicago nonprofit for which she works. Her family didn’t expect Heidi to invite a homeless teen and her infant to live with them.
Read More →J. Ryan Stradal’s new novel is a unique story of family and food. Easily devoured by food lovers and literature lovers alike, the debut has ingredients inspired by Stradal’s Minnesota upbringing and his grandmother’s Lutheran church cookbook. Real family recipes are mixed among heartfelt, character-driven stories and a bit of
Read More →In her 30-plus years in the copy department of The New Yorker, Mary Norris has corrected the work of many of the finest writers of the time, dedicating herself to maintaining the magazine’s high standards for grammar, spelling and punctuation. It turns out Norris is a wonderful writer herself, and
Read More →Richard Flanagan’s Man Booker Prize winning novel “The Narrow Road to the Deep North” is a book that explores the atrocities of war. The novel starts out in Melbourne, Australia, as Dorrigo Evans reflects on his childhood in Tasmania and the time he spent as a surgeon in a Japanese
Read More →The Wright Brothers, Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, and an airplane. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? Not so, and David McCullough dispels that notion within the first few pages. Orville and Wilbur Wright were the sons of a bishop, lived in Dayton, Ohio, and owned a bicycle shop. With their time, funds
Read More →A rich collection of recipes from real-life foodies all over the Midwest, this collection is a tremendous mix of stories, advice and lessons from the people who know real food best — those who grow it, cook it and obsess over it. Farm-to-Table cooking has been a revolution in the
Read More →Featured as one of this month’s Midwest Connections picks, “The Cherry Harvest” is a coming-of-age novel and love story set in Door County, Wisconsin, during World War II, around the time of the cherry harvest. With food rationed and money scarce, Charlotte barters what she can to keep food on
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