Animals and us
 
 
Looking toward April, animal month

Erica Berry argues in her new book, “Wolfish” that wolves exert a special kind of “psychic pressure point” on the human imagination.

That may be why among all of the predator animals in the world wolves seem to inspire a particular fear and fascination.

She writes: “Many of our stories about wolves have been inflated for so long, it’s a challenge to separate the being from the belief.”

Dr. Karen Fine believes that one of the most fulfilling things about being a veterinarian is the gift of being able to heal animals with a gentle and receptive touch.

Fine writes in her new book, “The Other Family Doctor,” that slowing down, touching and listening allowed her to bring mindfulness to her work.

If you’ve long listened for the sounds of insects at work and play, the buzzing of bees, the song of crickets, you may’ve noticed that those sounds have dimmed over time.

Environmental journalist Oliver Milman writes in a new book, “The Insect Crisis:”  

“Insects are the most accessible animals in our lives, beyond our cats and dogs. But they are also the most otherworldly and, arguably, most impressively tenacious beings we share this planet with.”

And yet, that tenacity hasn’t prevented an alarming collapse in the insect kingdom. 


— Kerri Miller | MPR News

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This week on The Thread
Talking Volumes hits the road this spring

We've all endured a long, snowy winter in Minnesota, so Minnesota Public Radio and The Star Tribune are celebrating with two esteemed Minnesota authors at two special Talking Volumes events this spring. First, on May 6, Kerri Miller will interview CatStronauts author Drew Brockington. Brockington’s books about space-traveling cats and kittens are beloved by kids worldwide. Join us as he discusses the newest book in CatStronauts series, "Waffles and Pancake: Failure to Lunch." Kerri and, Drew will take the stage at the Dr. Charles H. Mayo Presentation Hall at the Mayo Civic Center in Rochester at 2 p.m. on May 6. Get your tickets today.

We head north to Duluth for our second spring Talking Volumes event. Kerri will interview William Kent Krueger at Mitchell Auditorium at the College of St. Scholastica. Krueger has just published a new novella, "The Levee," which he will discuss alongside his long, Minnesota-based backlist of great novels on May 18 at 7 p.m. Get your tickets today.
Ask a Bookseller: 'Here Goes Nothin'

The novel that Emily Bennett has been recommending to her customers at Sundance Books and Music in Reno, Nev., is "Here Goes Nothing" by Steve Toltz. As Bennett describes it, the story has whispers of the 1990 film "Ghost" and the NBC comedy "The Good Place" rolled up in an original and humorous tale.
'Like a living scrapbook': 'My Powerful Hair' is a celebration of Native culture

Author Carole Lindstrom follows Caldecott-winning "We Are Water Protectors" with another children's book featuring Native culture. She says she hopes it helps kids "see themselves in a positive way."
Paul Harding explores the archetype of displacement in 'This Other Eden'

In his latest novel, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Paul Harding reimagines the history of a small interracial community’s devastating eviction from their isolated, island home.
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