All About Books: Recent Episodes
Nebraska Public Media
“Killer Potential” by Hannah Deitch is a debut novel that’s being called the “Thelma and Louise” of our times. This combination thriller and murder mystery follows two young women fleeing a bloody murder scene in the Hollywood Hills who become a runaway media sensation.
Kate Marvel is a climate scientist with a PhD in theoretical physics from Cambridge. But she still has an emotional reaction to the climate models she runs. In her book “Human Nature: 9 Ways to Feel About Our Changing Planet” Marvel explores the different emotions evoked by climate change.
In the brief period of hope after the Civil War and Reconstruction, Edward McCabe, a Black businessman and rising political star had an audacious dream. His plan was to create a state governed by and for Black people in Oklahoma. This mostly forgotten history is found in the biography, “Black Moses” by Caleb Gayle.
Jill Blaine’s job is to comfort the dying and usher them into the afterlife- something she’s done hundreds of times since her own death. “Vigil” by George Saunders is a playfully imaginative novel dealing with corporate greed along and absolution
An accomplished actress meets a handsome young man at a restaurant who shares his suspicion that she may be his mother. The acclaimed novel “Audition” by Katie Kitamura explores the roles people play every day.
The family came from Afghanistan as refugees with nothing. They worked hard to become prosperous when a horrible tragedy struck them. “Good People”, a novel by Patmeena Sabit, presents a wealthy, happy family that may have been different behind closed doors.
Artie Dam teaches high school history, makes pleasant small talk with the neighbors, and sails his boat on the weekend. But the Artie no one sees is plagued by despair and isolation. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Elizabeth Strout’s latest novel “The Things We Do Not Say” is a compassionate look at the human condition.
It’s Summer growing season for Nebraska home gardeners. This week several titles to help gardeners embrace nature for a healthier home landscape. “Essential Guide to Ecological Gardening, from The American Horticultural Society” and “How Can I Help? Saving Nature with Your Yard” by Douglas Tallamy.
“The Lilac People” a novel by Milo Todd, begins in 1936 Berlin where a thriving queer community must first hide from Hitler’s concentration camps, then escape Allied forces who were arresting queer prisoners during the liberation.
One Book - One Lincoln has been a community reading project for 25 years. Alyssa Deal, the chair of their selection committee joins host Pat Leach this week to talk about the 3 books readers can vote for.
In her graphic novel, “This Beautiful, Ridiculous City” Kay Sohini tells her story as an immigrant and survivor of an abusive relationship. For her, New York City isn’t just a place of dreams but a source for healing and self-discovery.
Robert McFarland is a naturalist who is also a gifted writer. His latest book is joyful and mind-expanding journey towards an ancient idea- should we think of rivers as living beings? Hear a review of “Is a River Alive?”
Their high school hockey team is so bad, it probably won’t take the ice again next year. This uncertain future is where the main character, Tommy finds himself in the novel “Small Ceremonies” by Kyle Edwards. It’s story of friendships and struggles for a group of Native high students in Winnipeg
The vast American prairie is an ecological marvel- home to bison, elk, wolves and prairie dogs. The changes made on this environment by European settlers and their agricultural methods are the subject of “Sea of Grass: The Conquest, Ruin, and Redemption of Nature on the American Prairie.”
One hundred years in the future, a lonely British scholar longs for our time as he chases a poem written in 2014. He’s captivated by what he imagines were the freedoms and possibilities of human life at its zenith. It’s the carefully plotted literary novel, “What We Can Know” by Ian McEwan.
This 1925 novel deals with topics very relevant today: the value of a university education, and the costs of war. “The Professor’s House” by Willa Cather has been released for the Oxford World Classics series, authored by Cather scholar Dr. Melissa Holmstead of UNL. Dr. Holmstead will be the guest on this week's All About Books.
Smith is a queer Black Stanford graduate arrested for cocaine possession. In the novel “Great Black Hope”, author Rob Franklin shows a young man protected by his class but betrayed by his race.
In her new collection of personal essays, UNL Professor of English Lisa Knopp uses an older meaning of the verb ravel- to entangle. In Ravelings: Essays on Love, Loss, and Wonder, she contemplates loss, change as well as connection and joy.
The One Book One Nebraska selection for this year is “The Antidote” by Karen Russell. Set in a fictional Nebraska town during the Great Depression, the novel looks at a struggling rural community and what people choose to forget.
It’s a very unique biography of the famous Regency author. “Patchwork: A Graphic Biography of Jane Austen” by graphic artist Kate Evans combines drama, comedy, and historically immersive detail to bring Jane Austen’s story to life with dynamic artwork
Deep in the English countryside, two neighboring families find themselves in nearly identical situations- a baby on the way and the relationship beginning to fade. The harshest winter in living memory traps the families with their long-kept secret resentments. "The Land in Winter: a Novel" by Andrew Miller
A tightly written novella from the author of "Brooklyn" and "Long Island", “A Long Winter” by Colm Tobin describes an extraordinary bond between a mother and son and a haunting portrait of a family in crisis.
When Olivia Laing began the work of restoring a centuries-old garden in England, she had time to think about the history and legacy of gardens. Her book “The Garden Against Time”, is a beautiful account of gardens, not as a refuge from the world, but a place to encounter and discover.
The history of Nebraska can be told by its landscape. Larkin Powell, the Director of the School of Natural Resources at UNL has a new book called “The Best of Intentions.” It traces the transformation of the Nebraska landscape through historical photographs, personal narratives, and ecological research.
Many people find solace and understanding in reading literature, a few would also include writing and receiving letters. In the novel “The Correspondent” by Virginia Evans, we meet a woman who uses letters to make sense of the world and her place in it.
A PBS documentary called the “Librarians” follows the story of librarians on the front lines of the national battle over restricting access to books that have race-related and LGBTQIA+ content. “All About Books” host Pat Leach talked with the film’s director Kim Snyder and Martha Hickson a librarian featured in the show.
The mysterious circumstances around the disappearance of a young girl’s father begins Susan Choi’s novel, “Flashlight.” A story that spans decades and continents dealing with family, loss, and memory.
Award-winning chef and author Gabrielle Hamilton came from a family of unsentimental non-conformists. They had charisma, but there was brutality and deep rifts too. In her new memoir “Next of Kin”, Hamilton comes to terms with her family with intense honesty and raucous humor.
The writer Geraldine Brooks received the phone call from the ER doctor that her husband, journalist and author Tony Horwitz, had died walking down a sidewalk in Washington D.C. In the scramble to deal with the immediate demands of her husband’s death, Brooks had no chance to truly grieve. Her book "Memorial Day” is a memoir of sudden loss and the journey towards peace.
The writer Geraldine Brooks received a phone call from an ER doctor that her husband, journalist and author Tony Horwitz, had died walking down a sidewalk in Washington D.C. In the scramble to deal with the immediate demands of her husband’s death, Brooks had no chance to truly grieve. Her book "Memorial Day” is a memoir of sudden loss and the journey towards peace.
In the novel “Hard by a Great Forest” by Leo Vardiashvili, two brothers and their father struggle with the past and people they left behind after fleeing the former Soviet Republic of Georgia. Hear a review of this story about the collective trauma of war and the unbreakable spirit of the people who survive and remember those who did not.
It’s 1914 in England and all of Europe is on the brink of disaster. This is the setting for “Precipice”, a novel by Robert Harris. In it, an intelligence officer traces leaked documents back to the Prime Minister and his posh 26-year-old mistress. An affair that could topple the British Government.
Originally from Sydney Nebraska, author Dan Chaon is the guest this week. His latest novel “One of Us”, is a playfully dark thriller about orphaned twins on the run from their murderous uncle who find refuge in a bizarre traveling carnival.
Last week’s program featured gift ideas for adult readers, this week we’ll look at books for young people. Ali Bousquet, Youth Services and Outreach Coordinator for Lincoln City Libraries has suggestions for books perfect for early readers and their families.
This week it's the annual holiday gift giving guide for book lovers. Local bookseller Leslie Huerta returns with suggestions for every interest. She’ll introduce new fiction, biography, mysteries, and books about Nebraska. Listen before you shop!
Recently retired UNL English Professor Steve Buhler returns to All About Books with a guest review of “Somebody Is Walking on Your Grave: My Cemetery Journeys” by Mariana Enriquez. A book of essays looking at noteworthy cemetery’s history, architecture, saints and ghosts.
Making Art seems to be a universal human activity. Why is that, and what does Art actually do? This is explored by composer and music producer Brian Eno in his book “What Art Does: an Unfinished Theory”. It’s a playful and richly illustrated look at Art in our lives.
The book began with a trip to Buchenwald Memorial near Weimar, Germany. UNO English Professor John Price was inspired by a memorial at a massive oak stump- all that was left of a famous oak tree mentioned in German literature and music. “Goethe’s Oak: a Holocaust Memorial” imagines the history this famous tree experienced over the centuries of its long life. Hear an interview with author John Price
On Halloween week, All About Books welcomes UNL Professor of English Dr. Michael Page who will introduce a Gothic thriller and the era that created them. Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein.
In her memoir, Deborah Jackson Taffa traces how, as a mixed-tribe native girl growing up in the 70’s and 80’s she came to her own understanding of identity. Hear a review of “Whiskey Tender: A Memoir of Family and Survival on and off the Reservation.”
The Little House on the Prairie books by Laura Ingalls Wilder painted a vivid sense of place with the weather on the Great Plains playing an important role. Dr. Barbara Boustead is a meteorologist and Wilder scholar who researched the accuracy of these stories’ descriptions of blizzards, tornadoes and floods. Hear an interview with Dr. Boustead about her book “Wilder Weather”
On January 28, 1986, a little over a minute into flight, the space shuttle Challenger broke apart over the Atlantic Ocean, killing all seven people on board. The full story of what happened before and after that day is revealed in the new book, “Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space” by Adam Higginbotham.
Beginning with flight from post-World War II North Africa and Paris, right up to our own time; a multi-generational found-family struggles, lives and loves. Best-selling author Amy Bloom’s new novel is, “I’ll Be Right Here".
In mid-life, Jeff Chu left his job as a magazine writer for grad school at Princeton Theological Seminary. The school had a 21-acre farm, the “Farminary”, where Chu worked. Pat Leach talked to Jeff Chu about his experiences and his book “Good Soil: The Education of an Accidental Farmhand”
Winner of the 2025 Pulitzer Prize for Literature, “James” by Percival Everett is a retelling of Twain’s Huckelberry Finn from the perspective of the enslaved Jim. The river journey contains the same characters and adventures, but Jim’s intelligence and compassion show them in a radically new light.
No matter how long you’ve lived in your hometown, there's still more to learn. While some of the things you thought were local history, may in fact be myths. Fascinating history, lots of photos, and even some myth-busting are found in “The Unauthorized Biography of Lincoln, Nebraska” by Matt Steinhausen. The author joins host Pat Leach.
The backpacker’s journey from Istanbul to Kathmandu was once known as the “Hippie Trail” A 23-year old Rick Steves made that trip and documented everything- the adventures, getting lost, and the people he met. His journal is the basis for his new book “On the Hippie Trail: Istanbul to Kathmandu and the Making of a Travel Writer”
Having a job during school to help ends meet is pretty typical, but UNL PhD student Linda Pawlenty’s side job was on a different level of different. Pawlenty drove a concrete mixer truck while earning her PhD. Her experiences being a woman in construction, and a working-class laborer in academia, is the subject of her first book “Clutch” An Education at Work”
Peter Wohlleben is a forester and author whose book, "The Hidden Life of Trees" was a best-seller. Now, that title has been given a graphical makeover with all 240 pages having color illustrations in this new adaptation that honors the spirit of the original book.
The ancient idea that the world is alive was long ridiculed by some scientists, but that’s changing. The view of Earth as a vast interconnected living system is gaining acceptance. “Becoming Earth” by Ferris Jabr offers the idea that humans and all living things, are more than inhabitants of Earth—but are Earth.
Award-winning author Elizabeth Strout returns to Crosby, Maine in her latest novel about new friendships, old loves, and to ask the question- what does anyone’s life mean? Hear a review of “Tell Me Everything”.
Cyrus is a newly sober son of Iranian immigrants. Guided by the voices of artists, poets, and kings, he embarks on a quest to uncover a family secret. Hear a review of the New York Times best-selling novel “Martyr!” by Kaveh Akbar on this week’s “All About Books”
Nebraska was one of only 15 states that held primaries in 1968. Robert F. Kennedy and Eugene McCarthy campaigned hard in the state. “Robert F. Kennedy: The Road Not Taken” by Dennis and Laura Crawford is a new history of the ’68 Nebraska campaigns, Hear an interview with co-author Dennis Crawford on this week’s “All About Books”
In the graphic novel “Feeding Ghosts”, artist Tessa Hulls traces Chinese history across three generations of women in her family. Growing up, Hulls watched both her mother and grandmother struggle with unexamined trauma and mental illness. Hear a review of this Pulitzer Prize winning memoir on this week's "All About Books".
His writing combined keen scientific observation with mystery and wonder. This week on “All About Books” a look at the life and writing of Lincoln native Loren Eiseley. Tom Lynch, Emeritus Professor of English at UNL will introduce readers to this unique and influential writer.
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.
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.
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
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.
“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
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.”
It’s a day in the lives of a team of 6 international astronauts as they orbit the earth. There are mundane daily tasks, solitude, as well as profoundly moving vistas of the fragile earth below. “Orbital: a Novel” by Samantha Harvey, winner of the 2004 Booker Prize, is reviewed on this week's "All About Books."
Two women with opposite personalities share a house in the Dutch countryside during the summer of 1961. Suspicion between them becomes obsession in the novel “The Safe Keep” by Yael van der Wouden, a tale about the legacy of World War 2 and the darker corners of the past.
It’s 1921 in Panang Malaysia where the novel “The House of Doors” introduces real events and people, like the writer Somerset Maugham, along with fictional characters. The sunset of British Empire is the backdrop for this tale about the complicated nature of love and friendship.
“How to Read a Book: a Novel” by Monica Wood is an honest and hopeful story of struggling with guilt, second chances, and how books can change a life.
Most towns have a library of some sort, but did you know there’s a library at the South Pole? Some libraries are hidden in remote deserts, in phone booths and trees. “All About Books” host Pat Leach talked with author Diana Helmuth about her new book, “Hidden Libraries: The World’s Most Unusual Book Depositories”
Irish novelist Colm Toibin’s latest book is “Long Island” which continues the life story of Eilis Lacey, the complex and enigmatic heroine from his previous best-seller, “Brooklyn”
In her award-winning novel “The Wren, The Wren” author Anne Enright creates 3 generations of Irish women who contend with their inheritances- which includes charismatic, poetic men and sometimes ill treatment.
If you need gift ideas this holiday season, “All About Books” has great suggestions. Tory Hall of Sower Books has ideas for book lovers into history, nature, mysteries, romance and horror. It’s the annual gift guide for the holiday shopping season.
Nancy Hopkins began her career in science in the 1960s. By 1999, she and other female scientists at MIT gave detailed evidence of the college’s flagrant favoritism and discrimination. Their speaking out led to a historic admission by MIT and resulting changes. Their story is in the book “The Exceptions: Sixteen Brilliant Women at MIT and the Fight for Equality in Science” by Kate Zernike
John Stevens Berry is probably best known as a lawyer with a Lincoln practice since 1965. But he’s also a Vietnam veteran and poet. This week Pat Leach talked with Berry about his book, “Foot Soldier: New and Selected Poems”
Editorial cartoonist Darrin Bell was six years old when his mother had “the “talk” with him. For Darrin, who is mixed-race, the talk was about the reason he couldn’t have a realistic-looking water gun was for his own safety. Bell’s graphic novel, “The Talk” uses sharp humor to examine this talk that shaped his understanding going forward.
They are an almost a mystical creature due to their rarity, size and beauty. The tallest bird in North America and rarest crane in the world. Nebraska photographer Michael Forsberg gives a rare glimpse into the world of the Whooping Crane.“Into Whooperland: A photographer's journey with whooping cranes by Michael Forsberg”
Molly Gray’s flair for cleaning and proper etiquette sees her excel at her job as a maid at the Regency Grand Hotel. It’s her remarkable eye for detail that helps her solve mysteries. That’s exactly what’s in store for Molly in the new Nita Prose novel, “The Mystery Guest”
The Roaring Twenties might be remembered for jazz, style and excitement, but it was also the decade that saw the rise of the hate group, the Ku Klux Klan. Their center of power was not the old Confederacy, but the Heartland and West. A new history of the group reveals the con man who rose as its leader, and the woman who stopped him. “A Fever in the Heartland” Timothy Eagans
“The Biography of X” by Catherine Lacey is a novel adventure. When a polarizing artist and writer known as “X” dies unexpectedly, her widow goes on a quest to write a biography only to discover a life filled with deceptions.
Ava Chin was confused that the stories her grandparents told her did not match the history she learned in school. Her research into family history and the father she never met, led to a single building in New York’s Chinatown where many of her ancestors lived. “Mott Street” by Ava Chin
Like others, author Amy Tan was becoming discouraged by a world filled with fear and strife. She turned to nature for relief, specifically the birds that visited her backyard. “All About Books” host Pat Leach talked with the author of the “Joy Luck Club” about her new book, “The Backyard Bird Chronicles” written and illustrated by Amy Tan
“The Berry Pickers” by Amanda Peters is a novel revealing the lives of migrant workers in Maine. It’s a harrowing story of Indigenous family separation and trauma.
Safiya Sinclair grew up in Jamaica with an oppressive Rastafarian father who thought women’s highest virtue was their obedience. She escaped this limited world through her mother’s gift of books, poetry, and education. Her memoir is “How to Say Babylon”
The Kaw River runs from the high plains of Colorado, through Nebraska, all the way to Kansas City. The prairie environment and the life the river sustains is the focus of the book “In the Country of the Kaw: A Personal Natural History of the American Plains” by James H. Locklear, director of conservation at Lauritzen Gardens.
A construction project uncovers a human skeleton in Pottstown Pennsylvania. The mystery of who this person was uncovers the history of a dilapidated neighborhood where immigrant Jews and African Americans lived together. Learn more about this New York Times bestseller, “The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store” by James McBride.
What can you learn from tapeworms and lice? A good deal according to Dr. John Janovy emeritus professor of biology at UNL. His new book, “Life Lessons from a Parasite” shows how these remarkable creatures can teach us how to deal with some of humanity’s most difficult problems.
A ready-to-retire CIA officer stationed in the Middle East has one final mission- which ends up going dangerously awry. That’s the plot of this year’s Edgar Award for Best First Novel, “The Peacock and the Sparrow” by J.S. Berry, who was herself a CIA officer.
This week “All About Books” welcomes Dylan Teut, Executive Director of the Plum Creek Literacy Festival to introduce the children’s picture book, “The Yellow Bus” by Loren Long. This New York Times #1 bestseller is about the long journey of a forgotten school bus that finds happiness and purpose in the most unexpected places.
Have you ever stopped to wonder who lived in your house before you or, who will inhabit it after you’ve moved on, that’s the idea behind the inventive novel, “North Woods” by Daniel Mason. Starting with a young couple fleeing a puritan colony, a humble cabin in the New England woods welcomes many inhabitants through the years.
Based on the history of the Black towns that rejected integration as a means of social advancement, the novel “Moonrise Over New Jessup” by Jamila Minnicks follows a family in one of these communities during the late 1950’s.
Last week on All About Books it was “The History of Mysteries”. This Thursday, our genre guide, Scott Clark from Lincoln City Libraries, suggests titles and authors for every mystery category.
An introduction to the Mystery genre with Scott Clark Lincoln City Libraries' resident mystery novel expert. In part 1, we look at origins and the many sub-genres of the mystery story.
For best-selling author Anne Lamott, “Love is our only hope”. That’s the subject of her 20th book, “Somehow: Thoughts on Love”. Drawing on her life and experience, it’s a tour through the many types of love: unexpected, bruised and sustaining. Hear a review this week on
It’s 1914, and World War I is destroying a generation of youth across Europe. For two young men safely at an idyllic boarding school in the English countryside, the war is heroic and far away. “In Memoriam” by Alice Winn is an epic story about the devastation of war and a forbidden romance that blooms in its midst.
In the winter of 1978, 14-year old Debora Harding was abducted from an Omaha church parking lot at knife point. “Dancing with the Octopus: A Memoir of a Crime” is her account of the assault and ransom. It’s this year's "One Book - One Nebraska” selection.
It’s a book born of the first complete cataloging of the Capitol’s Art. “Creative Genius: The Art of the Nebraska Capitol” reveals the themes driving the art and the people who created it. One of the book’s authors, Kevin Moser, joins host Pat Leach on this week’s program.
When there doesn’t seem to be a lot of promising news about our environment, data scientist Hannah Ritchie’s new book makes the case we’re positioned to achieve true sustainability. Hear a review of the book, “Not the End of the World: How We Can Be the First Generation to Build a Sustainable Planet” by Hannah Ritchie
"The Nebraska Sandhills” is an updated perspective on this extraordinary place. Writers, editors, scientists, and photographers all came together to assemble this photo-rich book. 3 of the creators talked with "All About Books" host Pat Leach about the unusual way this book was made.
Christoffer Carlsson joins the growing list of wildly successful Swedish Crime novelists. His book about serial murders in a small town, “Blaze Me a Sun” is already an international best seller. Hear what “All About Books” host Pat Leach thought about this young author’s work.
For an apprentice librarian working on the luxury liner Titanic, being late for work turned out to be fortunate indeed. In the novel “The Titanic Survivors Book Club” the lucky librarian opens a bookstore in Paris and is invited into a most unusual book club of fellow Titanic survivors. Learn more from the author, UNL Professor of English and Creative Writing, Timothy Schaffert
A new landmark biography of Martin Luther King Jr. reveals him as a deep thinker, a brilliant strategist, and a committed radical who led one of history’s greatest movements. This week a review of “King: a Life” by Jonathan Eig.
The mostly retired members of the “Thursday Murder Club” have a new mystery to solve. This adventure leads them into the antiques trade only to encounter drug dealers and art forgers. “The Last Devil to Die” is the latest in the very popular mystery series from Richard Osman.
Some readers give another chance to that novel which challenged them in school, for others it’s the comfort of the books they loved as a teenager. This week’s program wraps up our series on re-reading with Amy Mather Partnerships Manager for Omaha Public Libraries.
In the novel “Foster” by Claire Keegan, a small girl is sent to live with foster parents on a farm in rural Ireland, without knowing when she will return home. In the strangers' house, she finds a warmth and affection she has not known before. Then a secret is revealed. Hear a review on this week’s “All About Books”
Part memoir, part investigative journalism, “The Exvangelicals” is NPR reporter Sarah McCammon’s story of growing up in the evangelical church only to question these beliefs later in life. Host Pat Leach interviewed McCammon about her experience.
Dr. Dolores Simpson-Kirkland, a retired counselor for Lincoln Public Schools, is the guest on this week’s “All About Books”, she talked to host Pat Leach about what titles she rereads for comfort, inspiration, and meditation.
Two books dealing with similar themes are reviewed this week Host Pat Leach looks at two releases recognizing the importance of wonder and awe in our lives. “Enchantment: Awakening Wonder in an Anxious Age” by Katherine May and “Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life” by Dacher Keltner
Two women come to Paris in 1938 as foreign correspondents- a shy pacifist Mennonite, the other a brash, American journalist who is soon to become a fascist propagandist. This is the scene for Omaha author Ted Wheeler’s new novel “The War Begins in Paris”. Hear an interview with Wheeler
Like most people, host Pat Leach has a guilty list of important and influential books she’s never gotten around to reading. One of these she recently picked up- the landmark conservation book, “A Sand County Almanac” by Aldo Leopold. First published in 1949, this collection of essays vividly describes the land around the author’s home in Wisconsin.
It’s a psychological cat and mouse thriller set in an unexpected place- a small town public library. “How Can I Help You” by Laura Sims is chilling and darkly humorous. Hear a review from “All About Books” host, and retired librarian, Pat Leach.
Retired history Professor Bruce Pauley has written a readable history of his hometown, “Portrait of a City: Lincoln, Nebraska, at the Turn of the Twentieth Century” The book focuses on the everyday lives of people in Lincoln during an era that saw rapid change in technology and society.
This new biography is aimed at readers of any level of familiarity with the Nebraska author, “Chasing Bright Medusas: A Life of Willa Cather” by Benjamin Taylor, takes readers on an exploration of Cather’s life, poetry, stories, and letters.
Erika Krouse has one of those faces that invite confessions from complete strangers. This led to her becoming a private investigator assisting law firms with their cases. Her book “Tell Me Everything” combines autobiography with True Crime as she details her investigation of a college student’s sexual assault by football players at major university.
The books most people come back to again and again are religious texts. This week “All About Books” welcomes Senior Minister of First Plymouth Congregational Church in Lincoln, Reverend Dr. Jim Keck. He’ll speak to why people re read the Bible in ways similar, and yet different from other books.
A remote village in the Scandinavian tundra is not a place you’d expect a writer to tell an epic love story. This harsh environment, over 150 years ago, is the setting for the novel, “The End of Drum Time” by Hanna Pylväinen. Learn more about this story of a Lutheran minister trying to convert the native reindeer herders with their culture of age-old traditions.
NPR’s long-time legal correspondent Nina Totenberg has written a memoir of her personal successes, struggles, and close relationships, including her friendship of nearly fifty years with the lawyer who would become Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.“Dinners with Ruth: a Memoir on the Power of Friendships.”
Cartoonist Bill Watterson has largely been out of the public eye for nearly 30 years, ever since retiring from his hugely popular "Calvin and Hobbes" comic strip. He’s back with a new and completely different project, “The Mysteries.” described as a fable for grownups. UNL Professor Richard Graham, a graphic novel expert, introduces this mysterious and beautiful work,
Part 2 of our conversation with of Aaron Douglas Professor of English at UNL, Stephen Buhler. He talks about why we re-read and teach certain books. He’ll discuss Shakespeare, how time and age change our reading, and his favorite books to read again.
An English Literature class typically reads classic works as generations of students have before. Why do we re-read these books? We asked this question of Aaron Douglas Professor of English at UNL, Stephen Buhler. He’ll talk about re-reading to teach and how time changes the reader- if not the book.
Not long ago, Beth Moore was filling arenas as a popular speaker and Bible teacher, especially to women in the Southern Baptist church. Her memoir, “All My Knotted Up Life”, reveals her abusive childhood and how evangelicals embrace of Trump eventually led to her leaving the church.
Eric Buchanan is an avid reader who’s enjoyed introducing his reading group and his adult sons to books he’s passionate about. He gained new insight into his favorite books by the different things these readers picked up on.
She was one of the most successful novelists and playwrights of our times who inspired generations of writers. On this week’s “All About Books”, an overdue introduction to Agatha Christie from Scott Clark a Christie enthusiast and expert.
The annual guide to holiday gift giving for all the readers and pre-readers in your life. Leslie Huerta returns with book suggestions for every interest: fiction, non-fiction, history, cookbooks, sports, and titles for young adults and children.
Carla Ketner’s son came up with the idea when she had difficulty choosing the subject for her first children’s book. Why not tell the life story of fellow Seward resident and friend, Ted Kooser? Hear an interview with author Carla Ketner and Omaha artist Paula Wallace as they collaborated in the creation of “Ted Kooser: More Than a Local Wonder"
Reading to small children is a cherished part of family life, but introducing books to older children can also be a rewarding activity. Guest reader Mary Kay Roth joined host Pat Leach this week to talk about re-reading and discussing favorite books with adult children.
Omaha writer John J. Waters is a former U.S. Marine and Afghanistan and Iraq veteran. His novel, “River City One” follows a former soldier adrift who finds the hardest part of going to war might be coming home. Hear his conversation with host Pat Leach about the novel’s creation.
He travels to schools and libraries across the state presenting poetry, he teaches, writes and finds time to read too. Busy as he is, Nebraska State Poet Matt Mason keeps returning to certain books- find out what they are and how raising kids offeres another opportunity to re-read great books.
As co-host of NPR’s “All Things Considered”, Mary Louise Kelly finds herself in the common conflict between a demanding career and being present for her 2 teen-age children. Their time together before they leave home is running out. The story of this struggle is found in her book, “It Goes So Fast: the Year of No Do Overs.”
New York Times best-selling author Tosca Lee is a Nebraska writer and avid reader. She joins host Pat Leach this week to share the books she keeps returning to and her reasons for doing so.
South Dakota rancher Dan O’Brien knows a lot about bison. He’s operated a bison ranch for decades and was asked by the University Nebraska Press to write a book on the topic. Host Pat Leach talked to O’Brien about his book, "Great Plains Bison" and his appearance in the upcoming Ken Burn’s documentary, “The American Buffalo..”
“In Old God’s Time” by Sebastian Barry is a novel of love, trauma, memory and loss set along the Irish Sea. Hear a review of this novel which was short-listed for the Booker Prize.
Are there books you return to again and again? “All About Books” is asking readers which ones they revisit, and why. Writer, reader… and re-reader, Joanne Young joins host Pat Leach to talk about the books she keeps reaching for and what she’s learned from reading a good book again.
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for non-fiction, “His Name is George Floyd: One Man’s Life and Struggle for Social Justice” reveals the systemic racism that shaped Floyd’s life, his family history, and his tragic end.
He’s interviewed Presidents from Air Force One and followed Syrian refugees fleeing war, “All Things Considered” host Ari Shapiro shares the stories behind the reporting in his first book. “The Best Strangers in the World” Stories from a Life Spent Listening” Hear a review on this week’s “All About Books”
The One Book, One Nebraska selection has been named- “The Mystery of Hunting’s End” by Lincoln native Mignon Eberhart. “All About Books” welcomes Nebraska Wesleyan Professor Rick Cypert to introduce both the novel and life of this very popular early 20th century Nebraska author.
“The Crane Wife: a Memoir in Essays” by C.J. Hauser, are frank and funny reflections on love and intimacy. Incorporating friends, lovers, family and chosen family, it’s a new more expansive definition of love.
The beginning was bleak. There was no dedicated practice space and they had to raise money themselves for uniforms. Nebraska Women’s Volleyball has come a very long way. Hear an interview with journalist and author John Mabry about what happened behind the scenes in this rags to riches sports story. His new book is, “Nebraska Volleyball: The Origin Story”
Since Darwin, evolutionary biologists have described the males of the animal kingdom as dominating and promiscuous, while females are dull, passive, and devoted. A new book takes a fresh look at animal behavior with less bias. Hear a review of “Bitch: On the Female of the Species” by Lucy Cooke
Leading a team of chemists as woman in the corporate world of the 60’s was unusual. Elizabeth Zott is the unusual main character in the novel “Lessons in Chemistry” by Bonnie Garmus. In store for Zott are single motherhood and hosting the countries best-loved cooking show. It's a witty take on mid century feminism.
Bird watching is the starting point for UNL Professor Thomas Gannon to visit other important topics. Enduring childhood poverty and prejudice, Indian Boarding School in South Dakota, and transcendent moments encountering birds of the Great Plains. Hear an interview with Gannon about his new book, “Birding While Indian: a Mixed Blood Memoir”.
“Horse” by Geraldine Brooks is a novel that leaps from 1850 to 1950 and finally to our time. It features an extraordinary race horse and the enslaved groom who helps him win and a painting of them both which haunts a modern art historian.
When a Lincoln man and his wife realized they were about to deal with Alzheimer’s together, there wasn’t a book that adequately explained everything they were to face. “Dear Judy: a Love Story Rewritten by Alzheimer’s” is the book Michael James wrote to help others make this journey.
The aptly named novel, “Trust” is about a man who accumulated a fortune in the early 20th century stock market. The flimflam nature of the stock market, its collapse in ’29 and even the unreliable nature of the story the author tells, are elements of this book that won the Noble Prize for Literature. “Trust” by Hernan Diaz
“Easy Beauty” is philosophy professor and Pulitzer Prize finalist, Chloe Cooper Jones memoir. It’s a frank depiction of her life with a congenital condition that affects her height, how she moves and her life with continuous pain- both physical, and always being seen as lesser.
In a mysterious, isolated town, motherhood has a different dimension- mothers sometimes disappear. In the novel “Elsewhere” author Alexis Schaitkin has written an allegory exploring motherhood, individual and community identity.
Three good friends leave Alabama to join the Army, eventually they're stationed in the exotic paradise of Manila. Then Pearl Harbor happened. What followed for U.S. servicemen in the Pacific was horrific. Nebraska author Tosca Lee has co-written a work of historical fiction about this time and place, “The Long March Home: A World War II Novel of the Pacific” by Marcus Brotherton and Tosca Lee.
It’s not often host Pat Leach reviews something other than a recently published book, but a novel from 1936 was mentioned to her that tells part of Nebraska’s story “Take All to Nebraska” by Sophus Keith Winter is the first in a trilogy about a family from Denmark who settled in Nebraska and struggled to adjust to a new land and culture.
During a sweltering week in July, we learn about the people who live in the "Rabbit Hutch", a low-cost housing complex in a decaying Indiana town. The novel “The Rabbit Hutch" by Tess Gunty is a beautiful and funny snapshot of contemporary America.
“Seeking Fortune Elsewhere: Stories” by Sindya Bhanoo. A collection of short stories featuring women who’ve emigrated from Southern India. The collection contains themes universal to the immigrant experience- the cost of staying or leaving your home.
Since it's the 150th Anniversary of Nebraska writer Willa Cather's birth, the guest on this week’s program is Rachel Olsen Director of Education and Outreach at the Cather Center. She’ll talk about their upcoming Spring conference which will spotlight both Cather’s story “A Lost Lady” and her essay "Nebraska: The End of the First Cycle."
Molly is a maid at a luxury hotel who struggles with social skills and understanding the intentions of others. She’s also the chief suspect of “The Maid” by Nita Prose, an uplifting murder mystery.
A therapist finds herself caught in the caregiver sandwich of trying to help her elderly mother as well as her college-age son. Both her mother and son refuse to communicate for their own hidden reasons. The novel is “The Blue Window” by Suzanne Berne.
Linda Villarosa’s new book “Under the Skin” lays out the forces in American healthcare, and society, that cause Black people to “live sicker and die quicker” compared to white Americans.
This week on “All About Books” an interview with History Professor Jim Downs about his research into how modern disease research began and the unsuspected factors that played a role. His book is, “Maladies of Empire: How Colonialism, Slavery, and War Transformed Medicine.”
Only a handful of Jews ever managed to escape the Auschwitz concentration camp. Rudolph Vrba was the first in April of 1944. The remarkable story of how Vrba planned and carried it out is told in the book, “The Escape Artist: The Man Who Broke Out of Auschwitz to Warn the World” by Jonathan Freeland. It’s reviewed this week on
12-year old Cassandra is unable to save her young brother from a tragic accident and his body is never found. This event rends the family apart and the grown Cassandra sees her missing brother everywhere in the faces of strangers. “The Furrows” by Namwali Serpell is a noel as elegy dealing with memories and grief.
Alice is just one of the swimmers at the indoor pool who has a private, daily routine. When the pool is shut down for repairs, we learn how valuable this comforting routine was in holding off Alice’s encroaching dementia.,“The Swimmers” a novel by Julie Otsuka.
When Ada Calhoun came across research her father had collected 40 years ago in his unfinished quest to write a biography of his friend the poet Frank O’Hara, she resolved to finish it herself. The book Calhoun wrote, “Also a Poet” combines literary history, memoir and an honest appraisal of her complicated relationship with her father.
It’s an office of intelligence operatives that will never be mistaken for James Bond. This is the cynical and grubby world of best-selling author Mick Herron. His latest installment in the Slough House spy series is called “Bad Actors”
It’s a journey back to small town life through memories, with Nebraska-native Bob Wirz (weerz). He's written a love-letter to the state he grew up in, “My Nebraska: Rich Memories of Growing Up in Rural Nebraska Decades Ago”. Join "All About Books" host Pat Leach for a conversation with the author,
Set in the Nebraska Sandhills, “Pickard County Atlas” is a slow-burning thriller of 6 fateful days that begin at a murdered boy's tombstone. "All About Books" host Pat Leach has a review of this debut novel by Nebraska author Chris Harding Thornton.
Ponca tribal member Cliff Taylor wanted to give back to his community. He collected stories told to him by members of his family resulting in the book, “The Memory of Souls". Cliff joins “All About Books” to share his motivation for writing and his thoughts on the books that best describe Nebraska to him.
You’ll find realistic and interesting lives in two new graphic novels introduced by Traci Glass Assistant Library Dir for Lincoln City Libraries. “Ducks: 2 Years in the Oil Sands” by Kate Deaton and “Acting Class” by Nick Drnaso
Combining cultural examination and autobiography, Pulitzer-Prize winning author Margo Jefferson’s new book pursues many threads at once- music, beauty, celebrity. Hear a review of her new book, “Constructing a Nervous System”
Online harassment forces a woman offline for a while. She heads to the place she felt safe as a child- to her late Grandmother’s city of Lincoln, Nebraska. This week’s “All About Books” features an interview with Nebraska author Ladette Randolph, she talks to host Pat Leach about her new novel, “Private Way”
This novel is Charles Dicken’s Victorian epic of grim poverty, cruelty and survival brought to the American rural south. “Demon Copperhead” by Barbara Kingsolver is a page turner of a story which follows a resilient boy born into systemic poverty.
Because of extreme weather and drought, landscaping your home with native plants has gone from a niche area of gardening to the sustainable future. Benjamin Vogt, a master gardener and writer here in Nebraska, has just published, “Prairie Up!: an Introduction to Natural Garden Design” It’s a photo-rich guide to reviving plant and wildlife diversity in the neighborhood.
With characters from the past and the distant future, the best-selling novel “Sea of Tranquility” by Emily St John Mandel is a work of speculative fiction playful and puzzling.
The Nebraska National Forest at Halsey is the largest hand-planted forest in the Western Hemisphere. UNL Professor of photography Dana Fritz joins Pat Leach to talk about her new book about this unique ecosystem. “Field Guide to a Hybrid Landscape” is filled with environmental essays, maps as well as historical and contemporary photographs.
Many of the books suggested by listeners which describe Nebraska best for them have been literature or history. This week Don Macke joins host Pat Leach to suggest titles that offer a sociopolitical description of our state as part of the series, "This is Nebraska - Books That Tell Our Story"
If you’ve wondered why some people find pleasure in sad songs, this week’s program offers some insight. Host Pat Leach talks about the New York Times best-seller, “Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole” by Susan Cain.
Take a trip back to Renaissance Italy and into the family at the center of everything. A new novel by best-selling author Maggie O’Farrell offers a fictional take on a teenage girl who married into the d’Medici family- “The Marriage Portrait”
Pat Leach talks with Clark Whitehorn, Senior Editor with the University of Nebraska Press about which books he thinks best describe our state.
More holiday gift suggestions but this time aimed at younger readers. Vicky Wood, Youth Services Coordinator at Lincoln City Libraries brings suggestions for kids of different ages.
The annual Holiday Gift Guide for book lovers airs this week on "All About Books." Special guest Leslie Huerta of "Francie and Finch" book store has suggestions in many categories including: novels, memoirs and history as well as titles for people with an interest in birds, engines or ancient Egypt.
Nebraska journalist, George Ayoub, has written a biography of Omaha World Herald CEO John Gottschalk. Hear an interview with the author about the research and writing of “Confluence: John Gottschalk’s Life or Duty, Service and the Business of News.”
In 1873, a small community in south eastern Kansas made a grisly discovery. Buried in the cabin cellar and property of a family of homesteaders, were the remains of countless bodies. The book, “Hell’s Half Acre: The Untold Story of the Benders, a Serial Killer Family on the American Frontier” traces the mystery that fascinated the nation after the Civil War.
After the Korean War a medical doctor leaves his homeland for rural Minnesota where he works at a hospital living the quiet, American dream for 50 years. Then, a letter arrives from Korea which may expose the lie the doctor’s life was built upon. “The Evening Hero” is a new novel by Marie Myung-Ok Lee.
This week’s guest isn’t an author or reviewer but a listener. Dan Nieman from South Sioux City wrote in with good suggestions for the “One Book – One Nebraska" series. He’ll be on this week offering several contemporary novels which capture Nebraska best for him.
A good portion of the reading world always looks forward to the next novel from Alexander McCall Smith. You can also count as a fan this week’s guest reviewer, Vicky Wood. She and host Pat Leach have both read his latest Isabel Dalhousie story called, “The Sweet Remnants of Summer”
In the novel “Sleepwalk” the main character is a man who exists off the grid with no significant relationships. His life of wandering doing shady jobs for a ruthless organization is interrupted by a call on his burner phone from a young woman claiming to be his daughter. A review of this novel of intrigue by Dan Chaon..
Named the best book of 2021 by almost every outlet, “How the Word is Passed” by Clint Smith is a tour of the landmarks that tell the story of how slavery has been central in shaping this nations collective history and identity.
This week Pat Leach looks into the world of business innovation with guest Brian Ardinger Director of Innovation at Nelnet and the author of a new book on navigating disruption, "Accelerated: a Guide to Innovating at the Speed of Change."
In the summer of 1959 a Baltimore family take their first and last family vacation. Best-selling author Anne Tyler’s new novel “French Braid” is both heartbreaking and hilarious.
Early in the Pandemic a woman leaves Manhattan to shelter in a small Maine town with her ex-husband. The couple’s complex past is forced upon them trapped in a small house by the swirling sea. “Lucy by the Sea” by Elizabeth Strout
Pulitzer Prize–winning author of “All the Light We Cannot See”, Anthony Doerr’s new novel is “Cloud Cuckoo Land” An inventive and uplifting novel about children becoming young adults in times of peril.
In 1996 two women who were experienced outdoor leaders didn’t return from a week’s remote camping in Virginia. Park rangers found them brutally murdered in their sleeping bags. Journalist and outdoor expert Kathryn Miles discovered many problems with the investigation. “All About Books” has a review of her book “Trailed: One Woman’s Quest to Solve the Shenandoah Murders”
Ted Wheeler- writer, bookseller and college professor from Omaha joins “All About Books” host Pat Leach to talk about contemporary writers and how they describe this region. As part of the ongoing series, “This is Nebraska- Book That Tell Our Story” Wheeler will discuss contemporary authors writing about Nebraska today.
If you have a grammar question, Ellen Jovin is the person to ask. She’s traveled to every state where she sets up a card table on the street, inviting people to bring her their grammar questions. These language adventures became a book, "Rebel with a Clause: Tales and Tips from a Roving Grammarian” Hear an interview with the author
It’s opening day of deer season for a small farming community in Nebraska and a teenage girl goes missing. That’s the setting for this year’s winner of the Edgar Award for best new mystery novel, “Deer Season” by Erin Flanagan published by the University of Nebraska Press.
What book would you suggest to someone who’s never visited Nebraska to help them understand our state and its people? This week’s “All About Books” explores that question with special guest Ron Hull, Senior Advisor to Nebraska Public Media. It’s the first in a series called “This is Nebraska – Books that Tell Our Story”
100 years ago, Willa Cather wrote the novel “One of Ours” which won the Pulitzer Prize for Literature. This week “All About Books” welcomes Cather scholar Becky Faber to discuss the significance of the novel in its era and how modern readers might relate to it today.
Joy Harjo, the first Native American to serve as U.S. poet laureate. Her new memoir “Poet Warrior” reveals how she came to write poetry of compassion and healing while finding truth and demanding justice.
What’s the difference between a city and a community? What makes a place home? These topics are explored through the stories of people living in the Capitol City. It's all in a new book written by longtime Lincoln resident Randy Bretz. He’s the guest on this week’s “All About Books” where he introduces his book, “The People of Lincoln: The Framework of Community.”
Several generations of a family in rural New Mexico have both deeply layered relationships as well as their struggles. In the novel “The Five Wounds” by Kirstin Valdez-Quade shows the fragility and resilience of family.
Best-selling Nebraska author Mary Pipher didn’t plan on writing another book, until the Covid lock down forced an inspiration upon her. All About Books host Pat Leach sat down with Pipher to learn about her latest work which deals with loss and change over time while always seeking the light. Learn about “A Life in Light: Meditations on Impermanence” with Lincoln author Mary Pipher.
He was a self-taught musician from Syria who astonished the music world with his innovative technique on the double bass. With his new style, Francois Rabbath could play with ease what should have been impossible. UNL Professor of Double Bass and Jazz Studies Hans Sturm is the guest on this week’s All About Books where he’ll talk about his biography of Rabbath “75 Years on 4 Strings”
James Rebanks and his family have been farmers in England’s Lake District for generations. In his book “Pastoral Song” he tells how the global transformation of agriculture has impacted the environment and even the human relationship to the land. Learn about how this farmer is trying to restore the life that vanished from his small farm on
Nebraska State Poet Matt Mason joins “All About Books” host Pat Leach this week to introduce his new collection “At the Corner of Fantasy and Main” Disneyland is the touchstone for these poems where midlife and memories come together.
The 3 finalists for this year’s community reading event “One Book- One Lincoln” were announced this week. David Smith, the facilitator for the selection committee, joins Pat Leach to introduce each title and share why it’s a book definitely worth reading with others this summer.
Based on the life of a real woman cast out of the court of Eleanor of Aquitaine, Marie de France winds up in England in charge of an impoverished abbey. Lauren Groff’s latest novel, “Matrix” reveals the power of female creativity in a corrupted 12th century.
Suzanne Ohlmann was raised in Seward Nebraska, then traveled far away only to keep returning during her careers in singing and then nursing. As an adopted newborn, she had a shadow she needed to deal with. Hear an interview with Suzanne Ohlmann about this lifelong journey detailed in her book, “Shadow Migration: Mapping a Life.”
Winner of this year’s Pen/Faulkner award for Fiction, author Rabih Alameddine’s latest novel sees a Lebanese doctor arriving at a Syrian refugee camp to help. It's a portrait of ordinary people trapped in horrific circumstances. Hear a review of “The Wrong End of the Telescope”
In 1849 Elizabeth Blackwell became the first woman in America to receive a medical degree. A few years later her younger sister Emily also earned her M.D. Together, the sisters started the first hospital staffed entirely by women. A new biography details these and other accomplishments, “The Doctors Blackwell.” Author Janice Nimura joins host Pat Leach.
Trees are not only beautiful, they help keep our homes cool in the summer and improve air quality. They’re key to fighting the negative effects of climate change. Dan Lambe, CEO of the Arbor Day Foundation joins Pat Leach this week to talk about the book, “Now Is the Time for Trees: Make an Impact by Planting the Earth’s Most Valuable Resource”
From the unbelievable to the barely digestible, Nebraska author and illustrator James Solheim’s upcoming book is a treat for young readers hungry for something fun. “Eat Your Woolly Mammoths!: Two Million Years of the World's Most Amazing Food Facts, from the Stone Age to the Future” Hear an interview with the author.
B.J. Hollars and his six-year-old son, Henry, struck out on a 2,500-mile road trip retracing the Oregon Trail. They ate at truck stops, camped out in a tent and leaned about the country, our history and each other. B.J. and his son Henry stopped by the studio to tell All About Books host Pat Leach about their adventures and their book, Go West, Young Man”
Something you can readily find in the largest urban cities as well as the smallest rural towns- is loneliness. Writer and illustrator Kristen Radtke looks at the silent epidemic and the friction between people’s inner lives and public selves. It's in her new book, “Seek You”.
Long before cameras were found in every cell phone, if you wanted show your friends what you were up to, you mailed a penny postcard. The post card may be disappearing but two local historians have put together a book featuring Nebraska’s capital city from their large collection old postcards. Ed Zimmer and Jim McKee talk about their new book, “Lincoln” from the Postcard History Series
Thanks to recent advances in research, our understanding of the navigation and physical feats performed by migratory birds has exploded. These amazing far-traveling birds from around the world are showcased in the book, “A World on the Wing: the Global Odyssey of Migratory Birds” by Scott Weidensaul.
Paula is a young artist enrolled at a famous school in Brussels where students learn the painstaking techniques to paint realistically the grain of wood or the look of old marble. This week a review of the novel, “Painting Time” by Maylis de Kerengal. A story of technical painting and a young woman who brings her skills and craft to unique jobs around the world.
A successful writer agrees to help her ex-husband on a road trip to deal with a family secret. “Oh William!:a Novel” by Elizabeth Strout confronts the mystery of people even in our close relationships.
Nebraska author Lisa Tschauner (shawn ur) joins Pat Leach to talk about her novel “Reclamation.” It’s the story of two Nebraska college students who take a gap year to travel overseas only to be caught up in crime abuse and human trafficking.
“The Future We Choose: the Stubborn Optimist’s Guide to the Climate Crisis.” The book offers two scenarios for the planet’s destination in 30 years. One, should we fail to meet the Paris Agreement’s climate targets, and the other the transformation of the world to have net-zero emissions. Contained is an argument to meet the climate crisis head-on and what needs to happen.
A secretary in 1970’s Mexico City leads a dull life compared to the beautiful art student who lives next door. The novel “Velvet Was the Night” moves into classic noir territory when the neighbor goes missing under mysterious circumstances. Hear a review of the new work by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Annette Gordon-Reed grew up in Texas. In her book “On Juneteenth” she brings together American history, her family chronicle and a historian’s view of the path for the nation that started in Galveston Texas on June 19th, 1865.
This week on “All About Books” a monumental biography of the writer Sylvia Plath that focuses on her literary and intellectual achievements. “Red Comet: the Short Life and Blazing Art of Sylvia Plath” by Heather Clark
Inspired by her work at the University of Nebraska State Museum, Dr. Alison Pearce Stevens has written a book about the Ashfall Fossil Beds suitable for younger readers. Hear an interview with the author of “Rhinos in Nebraska” a new book of engaging science writing interesting to older readers too.
A novel based on the life of one of the first female African American doctors in the country, “Libertie” by Kaitlyn Greenidge. It’s the story of a young girl born in Reconstruction-era Brooklyn attempting to find a place where she can fully be herself.
17-year old Lilly is a Chinese American girl growing up in San Francisco’s China Town. In the novel “Last Night at the Telegraph Club” 1950’s America during the Red Scare is not a safe place for a Chinese girl like Lily to fall in love with another girl. Hear a review of Malinda Lo’s new novel
Each of the 3 characters is in a different stage of life and each is struggling with loss. “A Town Called Solace” by Mary Lawson is a novel that patiently follows small-town lives.
A finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, it’s the true story of a murder on a South Dakota Indian reservation, and the unforgettable native woman who becomes obsessed with solving it. “Yellow Bird: Oil, Murder, and a Woman's Search for Justice in Indian Country” by Sierra Crane Murdoch
It’s a poetic novel of rural, small town life. “Zorrie” by Laird Hunt, is the life story of woman born in Depression-era Indiana and a powerful portrait of longing and community of the American Midwest
Last week we presented book suggestions for kids, this Thursday it’s gift ideas for adult readers. Special guest Leslie Huerta of "Francie & Finch" book store has recommendations for:history, fiction, detective, science and cook books.
The gift of books to children can have a lasting positive impact. This week's program welcomes Youth Services Coordinator for Lincoln Public Libraries, Vicky Wood, who returns with book recommendations for young people. Learn about great holiday gifts ideas for toddlers to middle schoolers.
In the summer of, 1954, 18-year-old Emmett Watson is driven home to Nebraska by the warden of the juvenile work farm where he served fifteen months. With only a younger brother left, he plans for them to go to California and start over. Fate and friends from the work farm have other plans for Emmett. “The Lincoln Highway: a Novel” by Amor Towles
The novel tells the story of family connections across time and place- from 1929 rural India to modern Britain. How a place, or objects in a room, can hold stories of the past waiting to be discovered by a new generation. Hear a review of “China Room” by Sunjeev Sahota
Cokie Roberts was a fixture on NPR and television for 40 years. She was author of 5 bestselling books and inspiration for generations of young female journalists. On “All About Books.” Host Pat Leach talks with Steve Roberts, Cokie's husband of 53 years about his book remembering her friendships and daily acts of generosity. “Cokie: A Life Well Lived.”
Winston Churchill leading the British through the German blitz is well-known history, but a new book uses Churchill’s diaries to offer a fresh perspective of those dark days. Guest reviewer Carl Eskridge looks at, “The Splendid and the Vile” by Erik Larsen.
Artist and writer Alison Bechdel has had a life-long obsession with every exercise craze of the last 50 years. In her new book, “The Secret to Super Human Strength” she examines physical self-improvement, ageing and transcendence.
The setting of this novel is as strange as any you’ll find- a labyrinth of countless statues where sea tides fill rooms and then retreat. This is the otherworldly home of a solitary man. A look at the New York Times best-selling fantasy novel “Piranesi” by Susanna Clarke
If you can spare just a few minutes, you can learn something interesting about Nebraska history. That’s the idea behind a new release from the University of Nebraska Press. “Nebraska History Moments” a photo-filled book meant to be browsed. Author David Bristow is the guest on this week’s program.
It’s a story of crime in an unlikely place- the high fashion world of Nazi occupied Paris. UNL English Professor Timothy Schaffert is the guest on this week’s "All About Books" as he talks with host Pat Leach about his new novel, ‘The Perfume Thief”
In the novel “The Vanishing Half” by Brit Bennett, twin sisters fleeing their small town life, head to New Orleans where one sister discovers she can pass as white. Here begins a fracture that will separate them in this story of sisterhood and black personal identity.
Most Nebraskans are familiar with Willa Cather’s novels, but a new book by UNL Professor of English Melissa Homestead reveals new information on how Cather wrote her stories. Her book is, “The Only Wonderful Things: The Creative Partnership of Willa Cather & Edith Lewis”
With Labor Day past, there’s little time left for summer reading. This week’s program features guest reviewer Kiersten Hill who looks at 3 modern Romance novels which are both funny and innovative. The “Friend Zone” series by Abby Jimenez.
In rural Louisiana was a place locals called simply, Carville. It was the only Leprosy colony in the United States. There, for generations, afflicted people were isolated, often against their will. A review of, “Carville's Cure: Leprosy, Stigma, and the Fight for Justice” by Pam Fessler”
Preparing food is the time-honored way to help young people learn about their family and culture. Guest reviewer Dylan Teut Executive Director of the Plum Creek Literacy Festival, shares a children’s title, “Tomatoes for Neela” by Padma Lakshmi from TV's “Top Chef”
A playful satire on life and work in the gig economy. The novel, “Temporary” by Hillary Leichter is a surreal trip through the anxieties of late-stage capitalism.
Guest reviewer Shirley Sneve introduces "The Seed Keeper” by Diane Wilson, a novel told through the voices of 4 generations of native women of the Northern Great Plains. It tells of the preservation of family and culture through hardships, aided by the safekeeping of traditional seeds.
In her day job she moved billion-dollar deals. At night, she worked pro bono in near hopeless legal battles. As a successful young black-professional, Brittany Barnett used her talents and time to help those caught in the racial injustice of the courts. Her life story is told in "A Knock at Midnight: A Story of Hope, Justice, and Freedom.”
Students growing up in Nebraska, may have read Mari Sandoz, but not everyone knows her books. This week on All About Books, special guest Lynn Roper from the Mari Sandoz Historical Society will introduce the life and works of the Nebraska author.
A high elevation mesa in Arizona is a battleground between Apache people, the United States government and 2 of the world’s largest mining firms.The story is told in “Oak Flat: A Fight for Sacred Land in the American West” by Lauren Redniss.
On this week's program part 2 of UNL English Professor Stephen Buhler's summer reading list which features, "Hamnet: the Story of a Plague" by Maggie O'Farrell. A novel imagining William Shakespeare’s marriage, family and the death of one of his sons.
What does an English professor read during summer vacation? As you’d expect, a variety of very good books. UNL’s Stephen Buhler is the guest on this week’s program sharing his summer reading list which includes travel, poetry, song, and of course something on Shakespeare.
A family renting a home in remote Long Island are startled by the return of the owners fleeing a black out in New York City. The novel “Leave the World Behind” by Rumaan Alam keeps readers off balance while dealing with family, race and home.
They were recruited, trained and they worked completely in secret. More than 10 thousand young women worked for the US Army and Navy breaking enemy codes during World War 2. On this week’s “All About Books’ guest reviewer Lynn Roper shares a book that reveals the untold history of young women who quietly helped win the war, “Code Girls” by Liza Mundy.
By the 1890s, Wilmington North Carolina was that states largest city and a shining example of a mixed-race community. But white supremacist Democrats plotted to take back the state legislature “by the ballot or bullet or both.” This week on Nebraska Public Media’s “All About Books” a review of the Pulizer Prize winning book "Wilmington's Lie: The Murderous Coup of 1898 and the Rise of White Supremacy” by David Zucchino
An irritable, old church deacon shoots a drug dealer in broad daylight. This begins the action of the novel, “Deacon King Kong” by James McBride. The story reveals the reasons behind the shooting and the consequences to the 1960's New York neighborhood.
Three Japanese women living in a tiny Tokyo apartments struggle to find peace in their lives as they deal with issues of partners, children and appearance. Hear a review of the novel “Breasts and Eggs” by best-selling Japanese author Mieko Kawakami.
The city-wide reading project, "One Book- One Lincoln" has announced the 3 finalists. On this week's "All About Books" David Smith from the selection committee will introduce one of the 3, "Transcendent Kingdom" by Yaa Gyasi.
He and his family lived by hiding in plain sight, hoping never to be truly seen. In his memoir, “Children of the Land”, Marcelo Hernandez Castillo tells of their survival in a system that treated them like criminals for seeking safe, normal lives.
Brainard, Nebraska native Ross Benes found himself trying to explain to his New York City friends what the people of rural American were really like. His thoughts and experiences bridging rural and urban America led to his new book, “Rural Rebellion: How Nebraska Became a Republican Stronghold.” On this week’s “All About Books” he talks about growing up in Nebraska as it politically moved to the right and why that happened.
An Asian actor stuck generic roles longs to move his career forward. With this character, novelist Charles Yu skewers cultural stereotypes with humor and insight in his novel, “Interior Chinatown”
A boy from the Nebraska Sandhills was murdered decades ago but his body was never found. In the suspense novel, “Pickard County Atlas.” UNL Lecturer Chris Harding Thorton has written a book combining menace and dark humor. On this week’s "All About Books” the author shares her Nebraska background and influences that helped shape the novel
If forests, mountains and oceans are extroverted environments that demand our attention- the prairie has a more quiet voice. Photographer, author and the Nature Conservancy’s Director of Science in Nebraska, Chris Helzer, has written, “Hidden Prairie: Photographing Life in One Square Meter.” It explores the diversity and activity of plants and animals on just a small patch of the prairie.
To their neighbors in Colorado Springs, the Galvins seemed to be a large, happy, baby boom family. Over the years 6 of the 12 children would be diagnosed with schizophrenia. How this could have happened this happened is the subject of the new book “Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family” by Robert Kolker.
It may be the first of its kind: a coffee-table book of Nebraska photographs designed, written, published and even printed entirely in Nebraska. Amateur photographer and self-published author, Matt Steinhousen joins host Pat Leach to talk about his book, "The Least Interesting Place."
Beginning in 1960’s Laos, “Run Me to Earth” by Paul Yoon is a novel spanning decades. It tells the story of 3 orphans who risk their lives collecting medical supplies across a nightmare landscape of unexploded bombs.
He’s been awarded a Pulitzer Prize, named U.S. Poet Laureate twice, and now Nebraska poet Ted Kooser has a tribute from his colleagues and students in a new book. “More in Time” from the University of Nebraska Press is a celebration of Ted Kooser as teacher, mentor and friend. All About Books host Pat Leach is joined by one of the book’s editors, Timothy Schaffert.
Humans have traditions and cultures, but is it possible that animals do too? A new book explores the animal world from a fresh perspective. On this week’s “All About Books” a review of “Becoming Wild” by Carl Safina. A revelatory look at how animals function beyond our typical assumptions.
This novel presents a Montana woman who seems to have much going for her. But throughout her life she struggles to define herself while others seek to possess her in relationships that often contain violence. “The Lives of Edie Pritchard” by Larry Watson
Scientist are coming to understand that birds have intelligence for activities we previously considered uniquely human. Behaviors like deception, manipulation, as well as collaboration and play. This week’s All About Books presents, "The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent, and Think” by Jennifer Ackerman.
The University of Nebraska Press has just published South Dakota writer, Steven Wingate’s new novel, “The Leave-Takers.” On this week’s “All About Books”, host Pat Leach talks with Wingate about the book and his patient style of writing.
Anotonia Vega is a professor of English and an immigrant, she confronts the loss of her husband in the novel, “Afterlife” by Julia Alvarez. The story follows Vega as she continues to seek inspiration from literature to guide her though new challenges.
A technology expert who enjoys a dependably quiet routine is upended by a suddenly homeless girlfriend and a teenage boy claiming to be his son. It's all in, "Redhead by the Side of the Road: a Novel" by Anne Tyler.
A mixed-race woman born into slavery on a Jamaican plantation ends up in London at the center of a murder case. “The Confessions of Frannie Langton” by Sara Collins is a mystery written with careful attention to the history of the novel's setting..
“Minor Feelings” is a collection of essays described as honest, funny, and provocative. A look at poet and essayist Cathy Park Hong's cultural observations involving everything from racial identity to art and family.
In the summer of 1959, three young performers come together for a variety show in sea side town of Brighton England. “All About Books” reviews the short novel “Here We Are” by Graham Swift, which delves into the love, family and memory of all the characters.
Two women of the Paris Avant Garde art world were living on the British Channel Island of Jersey when the Nazis invaded. A new book tells how these artists resisted the occupation and imprisonment in their own unique way. “Paper Bullets” by Jeffrey Jackson
In the early 1990’s, an average Indiana family had their identities stolen, crippling the couple and their young daughter’s life. That young girl became a professor and expert on identity theft, eventually discovering the culprit. "All About Books" reviews this true-crime story, “The Less You Know About Us” by Axton Betz-Hamilton.