All About Books

“How Can I Help You” by Laura Sims

13 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It’s a psychological cat and mouse thriller set in an unexpected place- a small town public library. “How Can I Help You” by Laura Sims is chill...

“Portrait of a City: Lincoln, Nebraska" by Bruce Pauley

06 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Retired history Professor Bruce Pauley has written a readable history of his hometown, “Portrait of a City: Lincoln, Nebraska, at the Turn of the Tw...

“Chasing Bright Medusas” by Benjamin Taylor

28 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This new biography is aimed at readers of any level of familiarity with the Nebraska author, “Chasing Bright Medusas: A Life of Willa Cather” by B...

"Tell Me Everything" by Erika Krouse

21 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Erika Krouse has one of those faces that invite confessions from complete strangers. This led to her becoming a private investigator assisting law fir...

Guest reader Rev. Dr. Jim Keck on re reading religious texts

14 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The books most people come back to again and again are religious texts. This week “All About Books” welcomes Senior Minister of First Plymouth Con...

“The End of Drum Time” by Hanna Pylväinen

31 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A remote village in the Scandinavian tundra is not a place you’d expect a writer to tell an epic love story. This harsh environment, over 150 years ...

“Dinners with Ruth" by Nina Totenberg

24 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

NPR’s long-time legal correspondent Nina Totenberg has written a memoir of her personal successes, struggles, and close relationships, including her...

"The Mysteries" by Bill Watterson

17 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Cartoonist Bill Watterson has largely been out of the public eye for nearly 30 years, ever since retiring from his hugely popular "Calvin and Hobbes" ...

Part 2 of our conversation with UNL English Prof. Steve Buhler

10 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Part 2 of our conversation with of Aaron Douglas Professor of English at UNL, Stephen Buhler. He talks about why we re-read and teach certain books. H...

UNL Professor of English Stephen Buhler on why we re-read.

03 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

An English Literature class typically reads classic works as generations of students have before. Why do we re-read these books? We asked this questio...

"All My Knotted Up Life" by Beth Moore

29 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Not long ago, Beth Moore was filling arenas as a popular speaker and Bible teacher, especially to women in the Southern Baptist church. Her memoir, “...

Guest reader Eric Buchanan on his favorite books to read again

20 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Eric Buchanan is an avid reader who’s enjoyed introducing his reading group and his adult sons to books he’s passionate about. He gained new insig...

An introduction to Agatha Christie and her works by Scott Clark

13 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

She was one of the most successful novelists and playwrights of our times who inspired generations of writers. On this week’s “All About Books”,...

Leslie Huerta returns with book suggestions for holiday gifts.

06 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The annual guide to holiday gift giving for all the readers and pre-readers in your life. Leslie Huerta returns with book suggestions for every intere...

“Ted Kooser: More Than a Local Wonder" by C. Ketner & P. Wallace

29 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Carla Ketner’s son came up with the idea when she had difficulty choosing the subject for her first children’s book. Why not tell the life story o...

Guest reader Mary Kay Roth on sharing books with adult children.

15 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Reading to small children is a cherished part of family life, but introducing books to older children can also be a rewarding activity. Guest reader M...

An interview with John J Waters about his novel "River CIty One"

08 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Omaha writer John J. Waters is a former U.S. Marine and Afghanistan and Iraq veteran. His novel, “River City One” follows a former soldier adrift ...

Nebraska State Peot Matt Mason on re-reading his favorite books.

01 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

He travels to schools and libraries across the state presenting poetry, he teaches, writes and finds time to read too. Busy as he is, Nebraska State P...

“It Goes So Fast: the Year of No Do Overs.” by Mary Louise Kelly

25 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As co-host of NPR’s “All Things Considered”, Mary Louise Kelly finds herself in the common conflict between a demanding career and being present...

Author Tosca Lee on her favorite books she returns to.

18 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

New York Times best-selling author Tosca Lee is a Nebraska writer and avid reader. She joins host Pat Leach this week to share the books she keeps ret...

An interview with Bison rancher and writer Dan O'Brien

11 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

South Dakota rancher Dan O’Brien knows a lot about bison. He’s operated a bison ranch for decades and was asked by the University Nebraska Press t...

“In Old God’s Time” by Sebastian Barry.

04 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

“In Old God’s Time” by Sebastian Barry is a novel of love, trauma, memory and loss set along the Irish Sea. Hear a review of this novel which wa...

Guest reader JoAnne Young talks about why she re-reads

27 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Are there books you return to again and again? “All About Books” is asking readers which ones they revisit, and why. Writer, reader… and re-read...

“His Name is George Floyd" by Robert Samuels & Toluse Olorunnipa

20 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for non-fiction, “His Name is George Floyd: One Man’s Life and Struggle for Social Justice” reveals the systemic ra...

“The Best Strangers in the World” by Ari Shapiro

13 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

He’s interviewed Presidents from Air Force One and followed Syrian refugees fleeing war, “All Things Considered” host Ari Shapiro shares the sto...

"The Mystery of Hunting's End" by Mignon Eberhart

06 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The One Book, One Nebraska selection has been named- “The Mystery of Hunting’s End” by Lincoln native Mignon Eberhart. “All About Books” wel...

“The Crane Wife: a Memoir in Essays” by C.J. Hauser

30 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

“The Crane Wife: a Memoir in Essays” by C.J. Hauser, are frank and funny reflections on love and intimacy. Incorporating friends, lovers, family a...

“Nebraska Volleyball: The Origin Story” by John Mabry

23 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The beginning was bleak. There was no dedicated practice space and they had to raise money themselves for uniforms. Nebraska Women’s Volleyball has ...

“Bitch: On the Female of the Species” by Lucy Cooke

16 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Since Darwin, evolutionary biologists have described the males of the animal kingdom as dominating and promiscuous, while females are dull, passive, a...

“Lessons in Chemistry” by Bonnie Garmus.

09 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Leading a team of chemists as woman in the corporate world of the 60’s was unusual. Elizabeth Zott is the unusual main character in the novel “Les...

“Birding While Indian: a Mixed Blood Memoir” by Thomas Gannon

02 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Bird watching is the starting point for UNL Professor Thomas Gannon to visit other important topics. Enduring childhood poverty and prejudice, Indian ...

“Horse” by Geraldine Brooks

26 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

“Horse” by Geraldine Brooks is a novel that leaps from 1850 to 1950 and finally to our time. It features an extraordinary race horse and the ensla...

An interview with Michael James about Alzheimer's caregiving.

19 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

When a Lincoln man and his wife realized they were about to deal with Alzheimer’s together, there wasn’t a book that adequately explained everythi...

“Trust” by Hernan Diaz

12 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The aptly named novel, “Trust” is about a man who accumulated a fortune in the early 20th century stock market. The flimflam nature of the stock m...

"Easy Beauty" by Chloe Cooper Jones

05 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

“Easy Beauty” is philosophy professor and Pulitzer Prize finalist, Chloe Cooper Jones memoir. It’s a frank depiction of her life with a congenit...

"Elsewhere: a Novel" by Alexis Shaitkin

28 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In a mysterious, isolated town, motherhood has a different dimension- mothers sometimes disappear. In the novel “Elsewhere” author Alexis Schaitki...

An interview with Nebraska author Tosca Lee

21 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Three good friends leave Alabama to join the Army, eventually they're stationed in the exotic paradise of Manila. Then Pearl Harbor happened. What fol...

“Take All to Nebraska” by Sophus Keith Winter

14 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It’s not often host Pat Leach reviews something other than a recently published book, but a novel from 1936 was mentioned to her that tells part of ...

"The Rabbit Hutch" by Tess Gunty

07 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

During a sweltering week in July, we learn about the people who live in the "Rabbit Hutch", a low-cost housing complex in a decaying Indiana town. The...

“Seeking Fortune Elsewhere: Stories” by Sindya Bhanoo.

31 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

“Seeking Fortune Elsewhere: Stories” by Sindya Bhanoo. A collection of short stories featuring women who’ve emigrated from Southern India. The c...

Rachel Olsen talks about the 68th Annual Cather Conference

24 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Since it's the 150th Anniversary of Nebraska writer Willa Cather's birth, the guest on this week’s program is Rachel Olsen Director of Education and...

"The Maid" by Nita Prose

17 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Molly is a maid at a luxury hotel who struggles with social skills and understanding the intentions of others. She’s also the chief suspect of “Th...

“The Blue Window” by Suzanne Berne

10 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A therapist finds herself caught in the caregiver sandwich of trying to help her elderly mother as well as her college-age son. Both her mother and so...

“Under the Skin” by Linda Villarosa

03 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Linda Villarosa’s new book “Under the Skin” lays out the forces in American healthcare, and society, that cause Black people to “live sicker a...

An interview with history professor and author Jim Downs

24 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week on “All About Books” an interview with History Professor Jim Downs about his research into how modern disease research began and the uns...

“The Escape Artist" by Jonathan Freeland

19 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Only a handful of Jews ever managed to escape the Auschwitz concentration camp. Rudolph Vrba was the first in April of 1944. The remarkable story of h...

“The Furrows” by Namwali Serpell

12 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

12-year old Cassandra is unable to save her young brother from a tragic accident and his body is never found. This event rends the family apart and th...

"The Swimmers" by Julie Otsuka

05 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Alice is just one of the swimmers at the indoor pool who has a private, daily routine. When the pool is shut down for repairs, we learn how valuable t...

“Also a Poet” by Ada Calhoun

29 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

When Ada Calhoun came across research her father had collected 40 years ago in his unfinished quest to write a biography of his friend the poet Frank ...

"Bad Actors" by Mick Herron

22 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It’s an office of intelligence operatives that will never be mistaken for James Bond. This is the cynical and grubby world of best-selling author Mi...

An interview with "My Nebraska" author Bob Wirz

15 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It’s a journey back to small town life through memories, with Nebraska-native Bob Wirz (weerz). He's written a love-letter to the state he grew up i...

“Pickard County Atlas” by Chris Harding Thornton.

08 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Set in the Nebraska Sandhills, “Pickard County Atlas” is a slow-burning thriller of 6 fateful days that begin at a murdered boy's tombstone. "All ...

"The Memory of Souls" by Cliff Taylor

01 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Ponca tribal member Cliff Taylor wanted to give back to his community. He collected stories told to him by members of his family resulting in the book...

"Ducks" by Kate Deaton and "Acting Class" by Nick Drnaso.

22 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

You’ll find realistic and interesting lives in two new graphic novels introduced by Traci Glass Assistant Library Dir for Lincoln City Libraries. “...

“Constructing a Nervous System” by Margo Jefferson

15 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Combining cultural examination and autobiography, Pulitzer-Prize winning author Margo Jefferson’s new book pursues many threads at once- music, beau...

An inverview with Ladette Randolph,author of "Private Way"

08 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Online harassment forces a woman offline for a while. She heads to the place she felt safe as a child- to her late Grandmother’s city of Lincoln, Ne...

“Demon Copperhead” by Barbara Kingsolver

01 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This novel is Charles Dicken’s Victorian epic of grim poverty, cruelty and survival brought to the American rural south. “Demon Copperhead” by B...

“Prairie Up!” by Benjamin Vogt

25 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Because of extreme weather and drought, landscaping your home with native plants has gone from a niche area of gardening to the sustainable future. Be...

“Sea of Tranquility” by Emily St John Mandel

18 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

With characters from the past and the distant future, the best-selling novel “Sea of Tranquility” by Emily St John Mandel is a work of speculative...

“Field Guide to a Hybrid Landscape” by Dana Fritz

11 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Nebraska National Forest at Halsey is the largest hand-planted forest in the Western Hemisphere. UNL Professor of photography Dana Fritz joins Pat...

Guest Don Macke offers his ideas for the This is Nebraska series

04 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Many of the books suggested by listeners which describe Nebraska best for them have been literature or history. This week Don Macke joins host Pat Lea...

“Bittersweet" by Susan Cain

29 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

If you’ve wondered why some people find pleasure in sad songs, this week’s program offers some insight. Host Pat Leach talks about the New York Ti...

"The Marriage Portrait" by Maggie O’Farrell

21 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Take a trip back to Renaissance Italy and into the family at the center of everything. A new novel by best-selling author Maggie O’Farrell offers a ...

Clark Whitehorn of UNL Press on books that tell Nebraska's story

14 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Pat Leach talks with Clark Whitehorn, Senior Editor with the University of Nebraska Press about which books he thinks best describe our state.

Holiday gift suggestions for younger readers

07 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

More holiday gift suggestions but this time aimed at younger readers. Vicky Wood, Youth Services Coordinator at Lincoln City Libraries brings suggesti...

The annual Holiday Gift Guide for book lovers

30 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The annual Holiday Gift Guide for book lovers airs this week on "All About Books." Special guest Leslie Huerta of "Francie and Finch" book store has s...

"Confluence" a biography of John Gottschalk by George Ayoub

16 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Nebraska journalist, George Ayoub, has written a biography of Omaha World Herald CEO John Gottschalk. Hear an interview with the author about the rese...

A History / True Crime book, "Hell's Half Acre" by Susan Jonusas

09 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In 1873, a small community in south eastern Kansas made a grisly discovery. Buried in the cabin cellar and property of a family of homesteaders, were ...

“The Evening Hero” by Marie Myung-Ok Lee

02 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

After the Korean War a medical doctor leaves his homeland for rural Minnesota where he works at a hospital living the quiet, American dream for 50 yea...

Dan Nieman offers suggestions for One Book - One Nebraska

26 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week’s guest isn’t an author or reviewer but a listener. Dan Nieman from South Sioux City wrote in with good suggestions for the “One Book ...

“The Sweet Remnants of Summer” by Alexander McCall Smith

19 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A good portion of the reading world always looks forward to the next novel from Alexander McCall Smith. You can also count as a fan this week’s gues...

"Sleepwalk" by Dan Chaon

12 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In the novel “Sleepwalk” the main character is a man who exists off the grid with no significant relationships. His life of wandering doing shady ...

“How the Word is Passed” by Clint Smith

05 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Named the best book of 2021 by almost every outlet, “How the Word is Passed” by Clint Smith is a tour of the landmarks that tell the story of how ...

"Accelerated" by Brian Ardinger

28 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week Pat Leach looks into the world of business innovation with guest Brian Ardinger Director of Innovation at Nelnet and the author of a new boo...

"French Braid" by Anne Tyler

21 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In the summer of 1959 a Baltimore family take their first and last family vacation. Best-selling author Anne Tyler’s new novel “French Braid” is...

“Lucy by the Sea” by Elizabeth Strout

09 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Early in the Pandemic a woman leaves Manhattan to shelter in a small Maine town with her ex-husband. The couple’s complex past is forced upon them t...

“Cloud Cuckoo Land” by Anthony Doerr

07 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Pulitzer Prize–winning author of “All the Light We Cannot See”, Anthony Doerr’s new novel is “Cloud Cuckoo Land” An inventive and upliftin...

“Trailed" by Kathryn Miles

31 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In 1996 two women who were experienced outdoor leaders didn’t return from a week’s remote camping in Virginia. Park rangers found them brutally mu...

Omaha writer Ted Wheeler on contemporary Nebraska authors

23 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Ted Wheeler- writer, bookseller and college professor from Omaha joins “All About Books” host Pat Leach to talk about contemporary writers and how...

"Rebel with a Clause" by Ellen Jovin

17 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

If you have a grammar question, Ellen Jovin is the person to ask. She’s traveled to every state where she sets up a card table on the street, inviti...

"Deer Season" by Erin Flanagan

10 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It’s opening day of deer season for a small farming community in Nebraska and a teenage girl goes missing. That’s the setting for this year’s wi...

“This is Nebraska – Books that Tell Our Story”

03 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What book would you suggest to someone who’s never visited Nebraska to help them understand our state and its people? This week’s “All About Boo...

A look back at Willa Cather's 1922 novel "One of Ours"

27 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

100 years ago, Willa Cather wrote the novel “One of Ours” which won the Pulitzer Prize for Literature. This week “All About Books” welcomes Ca...

"Poet Warrior: A Memoir" by Joy Harjo

20 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Joy Harjo, the first Native American to serve as U.S. poet laureate. Her new memoir “Poet Warrior” reveals how she came to write poetry of compass...

“The People of Lincoln” by Randy Bretz

13 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What’s the difference between a city and a community? What makes a place home? These topics are explored through the stories of people living in the...

“The Five Wounds” by Kirstin Valdez-Quade

06 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Several generations of a family in rural New Mexico have both deeply layered relationships as well as their struggles. In the novel “The Five Wounds...

“A Life in Light: Meditations on Impermanence” by Mary Pipher

29 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Best-selling Nebraska author Mary Pipher didn’t plan on writing another book, until the Covid lock down forced an inspiration upon her. All About Bo...

“75 Years on 4 Strings” by UNL Professor Hans Sturm

22 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

He was a self-taught musician from Syria who astonished the music world with his innovative technique on the double bass. With his new style, Francois...

“Pastoral Song” by James Rebanks

15 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

James Rebanks and his family have been farmers in England’s Lake District for generations. In his book “Pastoral Song” he tells how the global t...

“At the Corner of Fantasy and Main” by Matt Mason

08 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Nebraska State Poet Matt Mason joins “All About Books” host Pat Leach this week to introduce his new collection “At the Corner of Fantasy and Ma...

The One Book-One Lincoln finalists.

01 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The 3 finalists for this year’s community reading event “One Book- One Lincoln” were announced this week. David Smith, the facilitator for the s...

“Matrix” by Lauren Groff

25 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Based on the life of a real woman cast out of the court of Eleanor of Aquitaine, Marie de France winds up in England in charge of an impoverished abbe...

“Shadow Migration: Mapping a Life.” by Suzanne Ohlmann

18 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Suzanne Ohlmann was raised in Seward Nebraska, then traveled far away only to keep returning during her careers in singing and then nursing. As an ado...

"The Wrong End of the Telescope" by Rabih Alameddine

11 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Winner of this year’s Pen/Faulkner award for Fiction, author Rabih Alameddine’s latest novel sees a Lebanese doctor arriving at a Syrian refugee c...

“The Doctors Blackwell" by Janice Nimura

04 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In 1849 Elizabeth Blackwell became the first woman in America to receive a medical degree. A few years later her younger sister Emily also earned her ...

“Now Is the Time for Trees" by Dan Lambe

27 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Trees are not only beautiful, they help keep our homes cool in the summer and improve air quality. They’re key to fighting the negative effects of c...

“Eat Your Woolly Mammoths!" by James Solheim

20 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

From the unbelievable to the barely digestible, Nebraska author and illustrator James Solheim’s upcoming book is a treat for young readers hungry fo...

An interview with author B.J. Hollars and his son Henry.

13 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

B.J. Hollars and his six-year-old son, Henry, struck out on a 2,500-mile road trip retracing the Oregon Trail. They ate at truck stops, camped out in ...

A look at the epidemic of loneliness“Seek You” by Kristen Radtke

06 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Something you can readily find in the largest urban cities as well as the smallest rural towns- is loneliness. Writer and illustrator Kristen Radtke l...

"Lincoln" from the Postcard History Series. E. Zimmer & J. McKee

30 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Long before cameras were found in every cell phone, if you wanted show your friends what you were up to, you mailed a penny postcard. The post card ma...