Premium: Books News - Dakota County Star

LIVE A LITTLE BETTER: One Man’s Journey of Survival, Sobriety, and Success

(NewsUSA) - For anyone who’s ever felt crushed under the weight of family dysfunction, addiction or life-altering adversity, John Beyer offers something rare: proof that it’s possible to not only …

The Great Healthcare Disruption: Rewriting the Rules in the Face of Transformative Medicine

(NewsUSA) - In an era where medicine is being overhauled by innovation at a dizzying pace, few voices offer the clarity, conviction and insider perspective of Dr. Marschall Runge. His new book, …

When the will to live and to love finds a way

In Everything Alive, poems tell a compelling story of the lonely struggle after a horrible highway accident. It begins when two young women drive out of the city with big plans for a weekend with friends. Halfway there the car breaks down on a bridge, they are crushed in a collision that follows, and life holds its breath.

BookTrib’s Bites: Curl Up With These Four Captivating Reads

(NewsUSA) - “My Mountains” by Chris Smith“My Mountains” is a tender, soul-searching memoir about grief, faith and the quiet strength it takes to keep climbing. Set in the rugged beauty of the …

BookTrib’s Bites: Fall in Love with These Four Hypnotic Reads

(NewsUSA) - “The Lost Seigneur” by David LouxThis riveting sequel to the award-winning “Chateau Laux” unravels the story of the du Laux family’s patriarch, Jean-Pierre du Laux, in the late …

BookTrib’s Bites: Four Enthralling Autumn Reads

(NewsUSA) - “The Amalfi Secret” by Dean and Catherine Reineking When Gabe Roslo arrives in Amalfi, Italy, a long-awaited reunion with his grandparents takes a tragic turn. His beloved …

BookTrib’s Bites: Four Reads Perfect for Fall, from Cozy to Chilling

(NewsUSA) - “Cinematic Destinies” by Patricia LeavyLegendary actor Finn Forrester and his wife, philosopher Ella Sinclair Forrester, have captivated the world with their fairy-tale romance since …

BookTrib’s Bites: Sneak Peek Into the Year's Most Thrilling Reads

(NewsUSA) - “Animal Control” by Jonathan R. MillerA young woman in California inherits a power that begins in the body and echoes out to the edges of the world. It isn’t explained and doesn’t …

BookTrib’s Bites: Four Dazzling Reads to Close Out the Summer

(NewsUSA) - “A Magical Loveliness of Ladybugs” by Amy L. Stark, Ph.D.In a world filled with zany, fast-paced children’s books, “A Magical Loveliness of Ladybugs” offers a refreshing style …

Chimamanda’s Lagos homecoming wasn’t just a book launch, it was a cultural moment

This was a remarkable event because it defied the tired cliché that Africans do not read.

The AI Company Of The Future

(NAPSI)—Few people know it yet but in Silicon Valley, there’s a small company that may well reshape the future of technology, medicine, defense, and even how planes navigate the skies. …

New book honors 50th anniversary of Southeast Asian refugees arriving in WA

Fifty years ago, Washington welcomed the first of thousands of Southeast Asian refugees fleeing war and conflict in their home countries. A new book captures 15 stories of first-generation refugees and their descendants and how they rebuilt their lives in Washington state. “New Land: Southeast Asian Refugees Finding Home in Washington” touches upon topics such […]

From Alaska Capitol’s cafeteria, author and illustrator claims Pulitzer Prize

Tessa Hulls was making sandwiches in the Alaska Capitol when she learned she had won a Pulitzer Prize. Her book, “Feeding Ghosts,” is a nonfiction graphic novel that documents three generations of women in her family, starting with her grandmother, who was a journalist at the time of the Chinese Communist Revolution. It had already […]

Not all children learn to read in the same way, but schools tend to adopt a single approach to literacy.

How do children learn to read? This literacy expert says ‘there are as many ways as there are students’

US schools are going all in on phonics, but research shows that approach won’t work for every child. A blended literacy strategy can get more students reading.

A new memoir from acclaimed author and journalist Carolyn Dawn Flynn

In BOUNDLESS, Flynn reimagines the empty nest, turning her keen insight and signature poetic voice to the deeper questions about the “third stage” of women’s lives.

A single page from a book lies on the charred remains of a home that burned down in the 2025 Palisades fire in Los Angeles.

How the literature of fire can help readers find hope among the ashes

Reading and maintaining a human connection have a vital role to play as extreme events that have long served as the stuff of dystopian fiction simply become a part of everyday life.

The mystery of human choices, even when circumstances are known, occupied writers like Henry James.

The Gilded Age novel that helps explain our fascination with Luigi Mangione

Henry James’ ‘The Princess Casamassima’ tells a story of political radicalism in a time of economic inequality. But even James ran up against the limits of putting himself in the mind of a killer.

Your next favorite story won’t be written by AI – but it could be someday

Good storytelling relies on sound writing, believability, creativity and lived experience. AI has become skilled at the first two but still falls short on the second two.

5 books to help you better understand today’s campus protests

Every so often, a cause ignites a sustained fury on college campuses across the nation. In 2020, it was Black Lives Matter. In 2011, it was Occupy Wall Street. In the 1980s, it was apartheid in South Africa. Right now, it’s the Israeli military campaign in Gaza. …

How ‘Dune’ became a beacon for the fledgling environmental movement − and a rallying cry for the new science of ecology

“Dune,” widely considered one of the best sci-fi novels of all time, continues to influence how writers, artists and inventors envision the future. Of course, there are Denis Villeneuve’s visually stunning films, “Dune: Part One” (2021) and “Dune: Part Two” (2024). …

W.E.B. Du Bois’ study ‘The Philadelphia Negro’ at 125 still explains roots of the urban Black experience – sociologist Elijah Anderson tells why it should be on more reading lists

W.E.B. Du Bois is widely known for his civil rights activism, but many sociologists argue that he has yet to receive due recognition as the founding father of American sociology. His groundbreaking study, “The Philadelphia Negro: A Social Study,” …

Betty Smith enchanted a generation of readers with ‘A Tree Grows in Brooklyn’ − even as she groused that she hoped Williamsburg would be flattened

Eighty years ago, in the winter and spring of 1944, Brooklyn-born author Betty Smith was entering a new chapter of life. A year earlier, she was an unknown writer, negotiating with her publisher about manuscript edits and the date of publication for her first book, “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn,” …

How We Have Fallen Short in Teaching Literacy -- And What To Do About It

(NewsUSA) - This may be difficult to read, but did you know:In the last 15 years, 15 million students graduated from high schools testing below the basic reading level.One in five college students …

Humorous, Poetic & Allegorical Tale Reminiscent of Dante’s Inferno

(NewsUSA) - Theatrical essence, we know, relies upon a shared experience of space and time. How else does one describe the crescendo between the stage and stalls during a curtain call?In Presence, …

Twin Sisters at the Core of Dark Coming-of-Age Psycho Thriller By Debut Author

(NewsUSA) - Most good thriller novels keep readers guessing until the end. Then there are some that cause jaws to drop.TKO Rogue has launched debut author Janet Porter’s intriguing, intricate and …

BookTrib’s Bites: True Crime Inspirations, Dystopian Gem, Making Great Factories

(NewsUSA) - Reef Road by Deborah Goodrich RoyceWhen a severed hand washes ashore in the wealthy enclave of Palm Beach, FL, the lives of two women—a lonely writer obsessed with the unsolved …

LIVE A LITTLE BETTER: One Man’s Journey of Survival, Sobriety, and Success

The Great Healthcare Disruption: Rewriting the Rules in the Face of Transformative Medicine

When the will to live and to love finds a way

BookTrib’s Bites: Curl Up With These Four Captivating Reads

BookTrib’s Bites: Fall in Love with These Four Hypnotic Reads

BookTrib’s Bites: Four Enthralling Autumn Reads

BookTrib’s Bites: Four Reads Perfect for Fall, from Cozy to Chilling

BookTrib’s Bites: Sneak Peek Into the Year's Most Thrilling Reads

BookTrib’s Bites: Four Dazzling Reads to Close Out the Summer

Chimamanda’s Lagos homecoming wasn’t just a book launch, it was a cultural moment

The AI Company Of The Future

“Chicken Soup for the Soul” Man Provides Great Inspiration for Biographer

“UN/Reconciled:” Passionate, Powerful Poems On a Delicate Love Gone Off

Stories for Kids with Wholesome Fun, Culture, Imagination and Learning

Stories about short stories

Interviews with authors

Revisit older books