Great books for summer reading 

A person holds a book in a bookstore
Strive Bookstore, pictured on July 15, is a new Black-owned bookstore at the IDS Center in downtown Minneapolis.
Drew Arrieta | Sahan Journal

Reading a good book is a way to step into another world, if only for a couple chapters. 

We read to escape daily routines and stress, to explore other people’s experiences and to better understand our own.

Many of us found more time to read during the pandemic. Sales of print books in 2021 were up almost nine percent.  

MPR News Host Angela Davis spoke to booksellers and listeners about what we’re reading for pleasure as we hit the middle of summer. 

Create a More Connected Minnesota

MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.

Guests: 

Book recommendations from the guests and our listeners:

“Be Frank with Me” by Julia Claiborne Johnson

"Brood" by Jackie Polzin

"Changing Planet, Changing Health" by Dan Ferber and Paul R. Epstein

“Chronicles of a Radical Hag” by Lorna Landvik

The Cork O’Connor Mysteries by William Kent Krueger

“The Dragon Keeper” by Mindy Mejia

The Emigrants series by William Moberg

“The Evening Hero” by Marie Myung-Ok Lee 

“Gratitude” by Oliver Sacks

“Inflamed: Deep Medicine and the Anatomy of Injustice” by Rupa Marya and Raj Patel

“Jayden’s Impossible Garden” (children) by Mélina Mangal

“Lessons in Chemistry” by Bonnie Garmus

“Life on the Mississippi” by Rinker Buck

"The Midnight Library" by Matt Hague

“Nightcrawling” by Leila Mottley

"A Psalm for the Wild-Built" by Becky Chambers

“Red and the Egg Pie” (children) by Donna Gingery

"The Sentence" by Louise Erdrich

“The Ski Jumpers” by Peter Geye

“The Tale of Halcyon Crane” by Wendy Webb

"Under the Whispering Door" by TJ Klune

"Uprooting Racism" by Paul Kivel

Subscribe to the MPR News with Angela Davis podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or RSS.

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.