On this edition of The Weekly Reader, we review two books, one a new novel and the other a re-issue of a somewhat overlooked classic about some of the larger issues facing the denizens of small town America: The Mighty Red, by Louise Erdrich, and Broke Heart Blues, by Joyce Carol Oates.

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, we review two books, one a new novel and the other a re-issue of a somewhat overlooked classic about some of the larger issues facing the denizens of small town America: <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-mighty-red-louise-erdrich/21153993?ean=9780063277052">The Mighty Red</a>, by Louise Erdrich, and <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/broke-heart-blues-joyce-carol-oates/21014447?ean=9781636141145">Broke Heart Blues</a>, by Joyce Carol Oates.

----What should I read next?---- Book critic and longtime NPR commentator Marion Winik answers this question in four opinionated, book-loving minutes. With reviews of new releases and older titles you may have missed, it’s like having a new best friend with very good taste to guide you in your literary adventures. The Weekly Reader is produced by WYPR and hosted by Lisa Morgan.

The Weekly Reader

What should I read next?---- Book critic and longtime NPR commentator Marion Winik answers this question in four opinionated, book-loving minutes. With reviews of new releases and older titles you may have missed, it’s like having a new best friend with very good taste to guide you in your literary adventures. The Weekly Reader is produced by WYPR and hosted by Lisa Morgan.

What should I read next?---- Book critic and longtime NPR commentator Marion Winik answers this question in four opinionated, book-loving minutes. With reviews of new releases and older titles you may have missed, it&rsquo;s like having a new best friend with very good taste to guide you in your literary adventures. The Weekly Reader is produced by WYPR and hosted by Lisa Morgan.

Small Towns, Big Stories

To the casual outside observer, middle class suburbia can look like a fairly boring place, but what’s really going on behind those well-tended gardens, long driveways and screened porches?  I’m Lisa Morgan and today on The Weekly Reader, our book critic Marion Winik reviews two new novels, each with a unique take on sex and drugs and rock-n-roll. But mostly, sex: We Were the Universe, by Kimberly King Parsons, and Olive Days, by Jessica Elisheva Emerson.

To the casual outside observer, middle class suburbia can look like a fairly boring place, but what’s really going on behind those well-tended gardens, long driveways and screened porches?  I’m Lisa Morgan and today on The Weekly Reader, our book critic Marion Winik reviews two new novels, each with a unique take on sex and drugs and rock-n-roll. But mostly, sex: <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/we-were-the-universe-kimberly-king-parsons/20449422?ean=9780525521853">We Were the Universe</a>, by Kimberly King Parsons, and <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/olive-days-jessica-elisheva-emerson/21049064?ean=9781640096530">Olive Days</a>, by Jessica Elisheva Emerson.

For Mature Audiences: "We Were the Universe" by Kimberly King Parsons and "Olive Days" by Jessica Elisheva Emerson

On this edition of The Weekly Reader we review two new novels that blur the lines between what's real and what's not: Colored Television, by Danzy Senna, and Small Rain, by Garth Greenwell. 

On this edition of The Weekly Reader we review two new novels that blur the lines between what's real and what's not: <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/colored-television-danzy-senna/20908768?ean=9780593544372">Colored Television</a>, by Danzy Senna, and <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/small-rain-garth-greenwell/21127652?ean=9780374279547">Small Rain</a>, by Garth Greenwell.

Reality Adjacent: "Colored Television" by Danzy Senna and "Small Rain" by Garth Greenwell

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, we review two new novels about the powerful, mysterious bonds we form with others throughout our lives and the ways they influence the people we become: Mina's Matchbox, by Yoko Ogawa, and Tell Me Everything, by Elizabeth Strout.

On this edition of The Weekly Reader, we review two new novels about the powerful, mysterious bonds we form with others throughout our lives and the ways they influence the people we become: <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/mina-s-matchbox-yoko-ogawa/20889848?ean=9780593316085">Mina's Matchbox</a>, by Yoko Ogawa, and <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/tell-me-everything-elizabeth-strout/21003025?ean=9780593446096">Tell Me Everything</a>, by Elizabeth Strout.

Small Towns, Big Stories

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