This book "will start a lot of conversations. A lot."
Kerri Miller's Must-Read: What I Read When I'm Not Reading For Work
“The Second Girl"by David Swinson
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Don’t get me wrong — I read a lot of books that I love for interviews on MPR. That’s where I discovered Jessie Burton’s “The Miniaturist,” James McBride’s “The Good Lord Bird" and everything Louise Erdrich writes.
But when I’m reading for sheer pleasure, it’s spy thrillers, crime novels and a few classics. Since it's summer, here's one off my "just for fun" reading list.
I was pretty ambivalent when first I read the inside cover of David Swinson’s “The Second Girl.” I like my fictional cops and private eyes to be female, cynical and sassy. But Swinson’s Frank Marr drew me in.
He’s a former D.C. detective with a cocaine addiction who stumbles into a case that his up-close-and-personal knowledge of the city’s underbelly can help him solve. Along the way, he indulges in two-day drug binges and sips from his hip flask to keep himself going.
Yep, he’s flawed, and as real as any cop who shows up in contemporary crime fiction. Here’s Frank when he discovers a kidnapped girl in a drug house — which he’s broken into to steal the bad guys’ drugs: “For an instant I want to turn around and hightail it the hell outta here. I want to pretend like I never saw this s--t.” What a standup guy!
-K.M.
Think of this novel as Cormac McCarthy meets a canoe trip"Wintering" by Peter Geye
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Peter Geye's new literary thriller muses on loss and memory in northern Minnesota.
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Learning to use the library, circa 1962A series of retro posters unearthed by the Special Collections staff at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee capture the timeless value of the library.
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How to raise brilliant children, according to science"Becoming Brilliant" by Kathy Hirsh-Pasek and Roberta Golinkoff
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Two developmental psychologists break down 21st century skills and give everyday tips for parents on how to instill them.
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Adapting Roald Dahl: The good, the bad and the wondercrumpWith the release of "The B.F.G.", here's a look back at the ways Dahl's wacky tales have made it to the big screen.
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"This is no paradise": Author explores the side of Jamaica tourists don't see"Here Comes the Sun" by Nicole Dennis-Benn
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The characters in "Here Comes the Sun" are working class women, struggling with money, sexuality and the pressures of tourism. It is a debut novel for Jamaican author Nicole Dennis-Benn.
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Who's watching you?"I Am No One" by Patrick Flanery
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In Patrick Flanery's new novel, the border between mental illness and justified paranoia grows porous as average guy Jeremy begins to fear he's under surveillance. But is he? It's never quite clear.
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Talking Volumes 2016 season guideThe 16th season of Talking Volumes includes interviews with Elizabeth Alexander, Carl Hiaasen, Gloria Steinem, Ann Patchett and Colson Whitehead. Season tickets are now available.
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A scarily realistic alternate history"Underground Airlines" by Ben H. Winters
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Ben H. Winters' new novel is set in a modern-day America in which almost everything seems normal — except for the fact that the Civil War never happened, and slavery is still legal in four states.
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From "runt of the litter" to "liberal icon""Bobby Kennedy: The Making of a Liberal Icon" by Larry Tye
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Biographer Larry Tye says Kennedy wasn't always the "hot-blooded liberal" we remember today. The transformation wasn't a "flip-flop" he says; "he took things to heart in ways that few politicians do."
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How teachers can help "quiet kids" tap their superpowers"Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking" by Susan Cain
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Remember that quiet kid in class who never spoke up? In New York, teachers are learning how to make sure the ideas of introverts don't get overlooked.
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