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Talking Volumes is an annual event series featuring notable authors in conversation about their new books. Presented by MPR News and The Minnesota Star Tribune.

July 12, 2016 3:48 AM

Darkness and magic abound in 'Natural History of Hell'

Jeffrey Ford's new story collection is packed with fairies, demons, historical figures and death personified: not always the freshest concepts, but when the stories work, they're enthrallingly eerie.

by Jason Heller

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July 11, 2016 2:59 PM

Moon Palace Books moves with the help of a 60-person book brigade

The independent bookstore in Minneapolis recruited its customers to help them move 10,000 books by hand on a muggy Sunday afternoon.

by Tracy Mumford

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July 11, 2016 1:07 PM

Two brilliantly written novels from Mexico head up a wave of literary talent

Critic John Powers says there's a boom in good fiction emerging from Mexico. He recommends "Among Strange Victims," by Daniel Saldaña París, and "The Transmigration of Bodies," by Yuri Herrera.

by John Powers

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July 10, 2016 7:29 AM

'I write about awful people,' says Gay Talese

"I'm a little bit drawn to what is forbidden," Talese adds, and he draws readers along with him in his latest book, "The Voyeur's Motel," based on the journals of an innkeeper who spied on his guests.

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July 7, 2016 9:44 AM

'I Am No One:' Feels like somebody's watching me

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.

by Annalisa Quinn

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July 7, 2016 12:00 AM

'Underground Airlines' presents a scarily realistic alternate history

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.

by Bethanne Patrick

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July 6, 2016 9:32 AM

From 'runt of the litter' to 'liberal icon,' the story of Robert Kennedy

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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July 6, 2016 6:46 AM

How teachers can help 'quiet kids' tap their superpowers

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.