Kerri's picks
 
 
Book of the week

We are in a golden age of research on the brain.

With advanced tools and ever more sensitive instruments, scientists are learning the nuances of how the brain’s neurons make billions of connections.

Understanding those “coalitions” of neurons is essential to comprehending the complexity of memory, University of California Davis neuroscientist Charan Ranganath writes in his new book, "Why We Remember: Unlocking Memory's Power to Hold on to What Matters."

Ranganath writes: “Memory is more than just who we were, it’s who we are and what we have the potential to become, as individuals and as a society.”

He explains how our neurons create a sense of familiarity and how imagination can intervene to convince us we’re remembering something.

Listen for my interview with him on Big Books, Bold Ideas in mid-March.

Last week's mystery character: Anna Karenina


— Kerri Miller | MPR News
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This week on The Thread
Family lore becomes rich historical fiction in 'The Storm We Made'

Vanessa Chan is making waves with her debut novel, which was inspired by stories of her home country of Malaysia grappling with Japanese occupation during WWII.
Ask a Bookseller: ‘The Black Queen’

Louisiana author Jumata Emill is a journalist whose work covering crime led him to writing YA thrillers. His debut novel, “The Black Queen,” came out in paperback in January, and his second book, “Wander in the Dark,” was released this week.
Pregame the Super Bowl with our favorite football fiction

Of course, leave it to the gigantic nerds at NPR to throw a literary tailgate ... but to thine own self be true, even if it means getting stuffed into your locker later this afternoon.
Is Bigfoot real? A new book dives deep into the legend

“The Secret History of Bigfoot” is a smart, hilarious, and wonderfully immersive journey into the history of Bigfoot, the culture around it, the people who obsess about it and the psychology behind it.
Books from Mexico, Netherlands and Japan bring rewrites of history, teen tales

Books from writers Álvaro Enrigue, Simone Atangana Bekono and Kiyoko Murata may not come from the same place — but they still work in conversation with each other.
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