Looking for your next great read? Ask a bookseller! Join us to check in with independent bookstores across the U.S. to find out what books they’re excited about right now. <br/> <br/>One book, two minutes, every week. <br/> <br/>From the long-running series on MPR News, hosted by Emily Bright. Whether you read to escape, feel connected, seek self-improvement, or just discover something new, there is a book here for you.
Ask a Bookseller
Claim This Podcastby Minnesota Public Radio
4.0(4 reviews)
393 episodes
Updated Daily
Accepts GuestsHas SponsorsLocation 🇺🇸
41
Podcast Authority
BetaFairBased on show quality, social media presence, reviews, charts, and more
Quality62
Social0
YouTube0
Engagement51
Podcast Overview
Looking for your next great read? Ask a bookseller! Join us to check in with independent bookstores across the U.S. to find out what books they’re excited about right now. <br/> <br/>One book, two minutes, every week. <br/> <br/>From the long-running series on MPR News, hosted by Emily Bright. Whether you read to escape, feel connected, seek self-improvement, or just discover something new, there is a book here for you.
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
8/12/2016
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41
Podcast Authority
BetaFairBased on show quality, social media presence, reviews, charts, and more
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Social0
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Engagement51
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Recent Episodes
July 21, 2026
Ask a Bookseller: ‘Dungeon Crawler Carl’ series by Matt Dinniman
<p>Looking to get lost in a fun series this summer? Elizabeth Foster of <a href="https://www.inkwellbooksellersco.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoqWEsEnEUROKi_0K_o810-W3X3OpkrXqTxmSE-K1qF9qZ0tkd8n" class="Hyperlink SCXW219156518 BCX8">Inkwell Booksellers Company</a> in Minneapolis says the books that keep flying off her shelves are the novel-meets-video-game series "Dungeon Crawler Carl" by Matt Dinniman. </p><br/><br/><p>Here's the scenario: Aliens have come to Earth and taken control. If you want to live on as a citizen of the universe, you must survive the levels of a video game they've created. </p><br/><div class="apm-related-list"><br/> <div class="apm-related-list-title"> </div><br/> <ul class="apm-related-list-body"><br/> <li class="apm-related-link default-related-link"><br/> <div class="apm-related-link default-related-link"><br/> <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/125236/9780593820254"><span class="apm-related-link-prefix">Want to add this book to your library?</span> Purchase it here and support MPR and a local bookstore of your choosing</a><br/> </div><br/> </li><br/> <li class="apm-related-link default-related-link"><br/> <div class="apm-related-link default-related-link"><br/> <a href="https://www.mprnews.org/the-thread-newsletter"><span class="apm-related-link-prefix">Get more in your inbox</span> Sign up for the book newsletter from MPR, the Thread</a><br/> </div><br/> </li><br/> </ul><br/></div><br/><br/><p>The novels themselves read like video games, with characters' stats at the start of each chapter, skills, quests, levels and prizes (which often contain Easter eggs and hints to the reader as to what is coming next).</p><br/><p>Our hero, Dungeon Crawler Carl, enters the video game with his ex-girlfriend's fluffy show cat, Princess Donut. Like other animals who enter the game, the cat becomes sentient and, naturally, has a great deal to say. </p><br/><p>"I am a Princess Donut posse fan for life," says Foster. "She's my favorite character because she's not written like a person in a cat's body. She's written like a sentient talking cat. So there are certain moments where she just goes off on this total rant — this tangent, hilarious moment [where it's clear] that this is a cat talking. This is a cat with a beef against cocker spaniels, and it is beautiful." </p><br/><p>You don't have to be a gamer to love these books. Along with the engaging characters, Foster says she was drawn in by the excellent world-building and bursts of dark humor that bring perfectly timed moments of relief from the end-of-the-world scenario. </p><br/><p>She first started reading the series in 2020 when Dinniman began publishing in e-book format. As the books grew in popularity, Penguin Random House picked them up and published them in hardcover. The eighth book came out in May, with books nine and 10 in the works. </p><br/><p>Foster's advice? Definitely start with book one, since the books build on one another as the characters level up. </p>
July 14, 2026
Ask a Bookseller: ‘Astronaut’ by Oana Aristide
<p>Sarah Brown of Zenith Bookstore in Duluth read an early review copy of Oana Aristide’s novel <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/125236/9781324123897" class="default">“Astronaut!”</a> and she has eagerly been awaiting its official release Tuesday. She called it her favorite book of the year so far, hands down. </p><br/><p>It’s part detective novel, part coming-of-age, set in a political environment where official lies are proclaimed as truth. </p><br/><div class="apm-related-list"><br/> <div class="apm-related-list-title"> </div><br/> <ul class="apm-related-list-body"><br/> <li class="apm-related-link default-related-link"><br/> <div class="apm-related-link default-related-link"><br/> <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/125236/9781324123897"><span class="apm-related-link-prefix">Want to add this book to your library?</span> Purchase it here and support MPR and a local bookstore of your choosing</a><br/> </div><br/> </li><br/> </ul><br/></div><br/><br/><br/><p>The year is 1989; the place: communist Romania, under the authoritarian rule of Nicolae Ceaușescu. Detective Constantine is tasked with chasing down a serial killer plaguing the city. According to the official line, though, there is no serial killer in Romania. The deaths are blamed on rogue bear attacks. </p><br/><p>The second storyline follows Lia, an elementary school girl whose inquisitive, creative spirit is constantly getting her in trouble with the officials. By a fluke, she wins an opportunity to recite a poem before Ceaușescu. Lia’s parents, Brown said, are very worried about this. </p><br/><p>“What is she going to say to him? What’s going to happen? Meanwhile, her crusty old neighbor starts planning a little surprise for Ceaușescu. You, as the reader, know this might not be a good thing,” Brown said. “These two plotlines come together in a wild, very satisfying conclusion. It’s just a great, amazingly written book. And I’ve read it twice already. I will probably read it again.”</p>
July 7, 2026
Ask a Bookseller: The Raiders of the Arcana series by Jacquelyn Benson
<p>Maria Lockwood of <a href="https://www.foxesfirefliesbooksellers.com/" class="Hyperlink SCXW79115441 BCX8">Foxes and Fireflies Booksellers</a> in Superior, Wis., has a suggestion for a great historical fantasy series that will appeal to fans of “The Mummy” movies. She recommends the Raiders of the Arcana series, which starts with "Empire of Shadows," written by Jacquelyn Benson. </p><br/><div class="apm-related-list"><br/> <div class="apm-related-list-title"> </div><br/> <ul class="apm-related-list-body"><br/> <li class="apm-related-link default-related-link"><br/> <div class="apm-related-link default-related-link"><br/> <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/125236/9781959050209"><span class="apm-related-link-prefix">Want to add this book to your library?</span> Purchase it here and support MPR and a local bookstore of your choosing</a><br/> </div><br/> </li><br/> </ul><br/></div><br/><br/><br/><p>The series begins in 1898 in England, but archaeologist Ellie Mallory and dashing adventurer Adam Bates soon travel to Central America in search of a lost city. </p><br/><p>Naturally, there’s a ruthless villain determined to beat them to the discovery and a mythical artifact buried within the ruins. The series has a slow-burn romance with fun, flirty banter. </p><br/><p>Lockwood loves the characters. She describes Ellie as “a woman suffragette, so she's very opinionated. She jumps in there and takes control, and I love that about her! The characters are so real, they just jump out of the page at you. You feel like you're carrying around your best buddies in your handbag when you want to read a book; these are great buddies to have along on any kind of excursion,” said Lockwood. </p><br/><p>There are three books in the series, plus a prequel novella, with a fourth book coming in January. </p>
393 total episodes available
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