The most recommended books about Minnesota

Who picked these books? Meet our 88 experts.

88 authors created a book list connected to Minnesota, and here are their favorite Minnesota books.
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Book cover of The Development of the Person: The Minnesota Study of Risk and Adaptation from Birth to Adulthood

Jay Belsky Author Of The Origins of You: How Childhood Shapes Later Life

From my list on development from childhood to middle age.

Why am I passionate about this?

It was almost by accident that I became who I turned out to be as a professional, a developmental scientist interested in how early-life experiences shape who we become. Had someone asked me when I graduated from high school what were the chances of me becoming a scientist and teacher, I would have answered “zero, zero”! During my now 40+ year academic career I've come to appreciate how complex the many forces are that shape who we become. There's no nature without nurture and no nurture without nature. This emergent realization led me to learn about and study many aspects of developmental experience, like parenting and peer relations, and the role of genetics and evolution.

Jay's book list on development from childhood to middle age

Jay Belsky Why did Jay love this book?

This book tells the story of the ground-breaking Minnesota Longitudinal Study, the first to document developmental effects of infant-mother attachment security/insecurity and so much more, a contribution to understanding that greatly shaped my own career.

The book shares discoveries which emerged in following more than 200 children growing up under high-risk conditions from birth to adulthood. In so doing it illuminates whether, how, and why early-life experiences foster problematic development or resilience in the face of adversity.

By L. Alan Sroufe, Byron Egeland, Elizabeth A. Carlson , W. Andrew Collins

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Development of the Person as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The definitive work on a groundbreaking study, this essential volume provides a coherent picture of the complexity of development from birth to adulthood. Explicated are both the methodology of the Minnesota study and its far-reaching contributions to understanding how we become who we are. The book marshals a vast body of data on the ways in which individuals' strengths and vulnerabilities are shaped by myriad influences, including early experiences, family and peer relationships throughout childhood and adolescence, variations in child characteristics and abilities, and socioeconomic conditions. Implications for clinical intervention and prevention are also addressed. Rigorously documented and clearly presented,…


Book cover of Iron Lake

Diane Fanning Author Of Bitter Remains

From Diane's 3 favorite reads in 2024.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author

Diane's 3 favorite reads in 2024

Diane Fanning Why did Diane love this book?

I can't believe I never noticed this series before. Dynamic book set in a rural town and an Indian Reservation with a main character who is a sheriff who is part white and part native american. The discord between the races sparks through the air as the sheriff finds that both groups are suspicious of him for the opposite reasons. I intend to read the entire series.

By William Kent Krueger,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Iron Lake as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The 20th anniversary edition of the first novel in William Kent Krueger's beloved and bestselling Cork O'Connor mystery series-includes an exclusive bonus short story!

"A brilliant achievement, and one every crime reader and writer needs to celebrate." -Louise Penny, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Glass Houses

"A master craftsman [and] a series of books written with a grace and precision so stunning that you'd swear the stories were your own." -Craig Johnson, author of the Walt Longmire series

"Among thoughtful readers, William Kent Krueger holds a very special place in the pantheon." -C.J. Box, #1 New York Times…


Book cover of Sherlock Holmes and the Rune Stone Mystery

Sybil Johnson Author Of Brush Up On Murder

From Sybil's 3 favorite reads in 2023.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Writer Lifelong learner Decorative painter Reader Puzzle fan

Sybil's 3 favorite reads in 2023

Sybil Johnson Why did Sybil love this book?

When I first heard about the Sherlock Holmes in Minnesota series, I was not only intrigued, but also curious to see how Holmes and Watson would do in a very different environment. I have to say they did very well.

I enjoyed this book partly because I like stories featuring Holmes and partly because it weaves a fictional mystery around a real event, the discovery of a rune stone in a field in Minnesota in the late 1800s. I’ve been to the museum dedicated to the Kensington Rune Stone and read about the controversy.

It was interesting to see how the author married fiction with reality. It was a fun read that I think most Sherlock fans will enjoy.

By Larry Millett,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Sherlock Holmes and the Rune Stone Mystery as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Sherlock Holmes is bored between cases at 221B Baker Street. So when King Oskar II of Sweden-who has heard of the discovery of the Kensington Rune Stone by a farmer in Minnesota-asks to engage his services, Holmes jumps at the chance to decipher the runes and determine whether the find is real or a hoax. With Dr. John H. Watson by his side, faithfully recording every detail, Holmes makes his way to Minnesota for a third time. But, in the first of many strange and unfortunate coincidences, the farmer who found the mysterious stone is murdered, and the stone itself…


Book cover of Mind Prey

Susan Fleet Author Of Guilty

From my list on crime with a quirky series character.

Why am I passionate about this?

My print-journalist father covered the crime beat. He often took me with him to the police station and I got hooked on crime. My background is eclectic, a professional trumpet player with a BA in Mathematics and a Masters in Fine Arts. While teaching at Berklee College of Music in Boston, I discovered my dark side and began writing crime thrillers. Most are inspired by actual events or news reports about stalkers, domestic homicides, or serial killers. In 2001, I moved to New Orleans. My crime thriller series features NOPD Homicide Detective Frank Renzi. I'm fortunate to be able to consult three former NOPD homicide detectives who advise me on police procedures and investigations.

Susan's book list on crime with a quirky series character

Susan Fleet Why did Susan love this book?

Even while pursuing the nastiest criminals Detective Lucas Davenport and his sardonic sense of humor make me laugh. A deranged man wants to punish the female psychiatrist who once put him in a mental hospital. When he kidnaps the woman and her two young daughters, Lucas focuses on who stands to benefit. The combative resentful husband she's divorcing, her business partner, and her elderly father's trophy wife who will inherit his fortune if his daughter dies. 

The kidnapper inflicts harsh punishment on the psychiatrist and plays mind games with Lucas. He telephones Lucas, taunts him and threatens to kill his captives. Lucas has no idea where they are, but he can play mind games too. An emotional roller-coaster ride until the last page of this gritty suspense thriller.

By John Sandford,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Mind Prey as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

**Don't miss John Sandford's brand-new thriller Ocean Prey - out now**

A LUCAS DAVENPORT THIRLLER BY GLOBAL BESTSELLING AUTHOR JOHN SANDFORD

He knows how killers think. But what if this killer knows more?

It's raining when psychiatrist Andi Manette leaves the parent-teacher meeting with her two daughters. She's tired and distracted, so she doesn't notice the red van parked beside her, or the van door slide open. The last thing she does notice is the hand reaching out for her and her girls . . .

Hours later, deputy chief Lucas Davenport stands in the car park holding a blood-stained…


Book cover of Cracking the Bell

Sharon Michalove Author Of Dead in the Alley

From my list on mysteries to give you that Great Lakes feeling.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a Chicago native, the Great Lakes area is part of my identity. My family spent summers in Michigan and, one year even went up to Sault St. Marie on the border between Michigan and Canada to spend a week on Lake Superior. A knitting retreat in Petosky was another Michigan adventure I enjoyed. The idea of writing about Northern Michigan turned out to be a fascinating exploration of an area I barely knew. And I’ve been able to meet other writers from there and enjoy their varied mysteries set in the region. From Minnesota to Ohio, I hope you enjoy the many faces of the Great Lakes.

Sharon's book list on mysteries to give you that Great Lakes feeling

Sharon Michalove Why did Sharon love this book?

Geoff Herbach is the award-winning author of YA books. His latest, Cracking the Bell, deals with a major issue in contact sports—concussion. After several years of online writing with him, we met in person at a big mystery convention. A college professor in Minnesota, Land of a Thousand Lakes, he has produced radio comedy shows and toured rock clubs telling weird stories. 

When the main character, Isaiah, is knocked out on the field, the consequences reach far beyond his ability to play, forcing him to think about life with football. He has to consider tough decisions that will have an impact on his family, his team, and his future. How do you decide your path to the future when none of your choices are good?

By Geoff Herbach,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Cracking the Bell as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 12, 13, 14, and 15.

What is this book about?

Friday Night Lights meets Concussion in this powerful and important novel by Geoff Herbach, author of the Stupid Fast series, exploring the dangerous concussion crisis in football through the eyes of a high school team captain.

Isaiah loves football. In fact, football saved Isaiah’s life, giving him structure and discipline after his sister’s death tore his family apart. But when Isaiah gets knocked out cold on the field, he learns there’s a lot more to lose than football.

While recovering from a concussion, Isaiah wonders what his life would look like without the game. All his friends are on the…


Book cover of Dirty Copper

Marcie R. Rendon Author Of Girl Gone Missing

From my list on deadliest crime novels by Native American authors.

Why am I passionate about this?

As an Anishinaabe writer, my award-winning/nominated books, Murder on the Red River and Girl Gone Missing, feature Cash Blackbear; a young, Native woman, who solves crimes for the county sheriff. Oprah Magazine 2020 listed me as a Native American Author to read. I received Minnesota's 2020 McKnight Distinguished Artist Award. My script, Say Their Names, had a staged reading with Out of Hand Theater, Atlanta, 2021. Vazquez and I received the Loft’s 2017 Spoken Word Immersion Fellowship for work with incarcerated women. I have been a friend, colleague, and peer with the authors recommended. We might currently be a small crew writing but we are a mighty, award-winning crew.

Marcie's book list on deadliest crime novels by Native American authors

Marcie R. Rendon Why did Marcie love this book?

Jim Northrup, Fond du lac Ojibwe author, was my writing mentor from the time I met him in 1991 until he passed away in 2015. He would always ask, “What are you writing today?” That was his way of encouraging me to keep writing. His crime novel, Dirty Copper is the story of Luke Warmwater, who returns to the Reservation after serving in Vietnam. Luke becomes a deputy sheriff on the Rez and sees firsthand the war raging below the appearance of peace.

I would listen to Jim talk about his writing and the progress he was making on his story as he wrote it. Listening to him encouraged me to keep going with my writing. Jim’s way of storytelling through the written word is something I have tried to emulate.

By Jim Northrup,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Dirty Copper as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Dirty Copper, the prequel to Walking the Rez Road, tells the story of Luke Warmwater, an Anishinaabe soldier, as he returns to the Reservation after serving in Vietnam. Once again, Luke is torn between duty and morality as he becomes a deputy sheriff on the Rez and sees firsthand the war raging below the appearance of peace.


Book cover of Hudson Bay Bound

Rick Van Noy Author Of Borne by the River

From my list on river travel for your next journey.

Why am I passionate about this?

I grew up on the Delaware River and took my first canoe trip around 12. Later, in my teens, I worked for a canoe outfitter. During college, I took several longer trips with friends. When a father, I would bring my kids and family along, often with a dog. Later, I would paddle the whole stretch of it, 200 miles from the headwaters to my boyhood home, which I wrote about in my book. To write it, I reread many of these books, including Powell and Graves, who also paddled with his dog. Mine, Sully, joined me on my 9-day trip. 

Rick's book list on river travel for your next journey

Rick Van Noy Why did Rick love this book?

Shortly after graduating college in 2011, Warren and friend Ann recreated the historic wilderness voyage of Eric Sevareid and Walter C. Port, whose 1935 classic, Canoeing with the Cree, chronicled their 2,000-mile trip from Minneapolis to the Hudson Bay.

Using the best equipment they could scrounge, the pair begin their adventure on the heavily flooded Minnesota River. There are plenty of other obstacles, including stretches of dangerous river, run-ins with black bears, and “help” from both generous and suspicious strangers.

During a visit with the Cree people, the adventurers take on a new companion, Myhan, the wolf-dog. In addition to some friendly friction, the book captures how naïve excitement smacks into the realities of such a daunting expedition, which is more than merely camping.

By Natalie Warren,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Hudson Bay Bound as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The remarkable eighty-five-day journey of the first two women to canoe the 2,000-mile route from Minneapolis to Hudson Bay

Unrelenting winds, carnivorous polar bears, snake nests, sweltering heat, and constant hunger. Paddling from Minneapolis to Hudson Bay, following the 2,000-mile route made famous by Eric Sevareid in his 1935 classic Canoeing with the Cree, Natalie Warren and Ann Raiho faced unexpected trials, some harrowing, some simply odd. But for the two friends-the first women to make this expedition-there was one timeless challenge: the occasional pitfalls that test character and friendship. Warren's spellbinding account retraces the women's journey from inspiration to…


Book cover of Betsy-Tacy

Dana Fredsti Author Of Plague Town

From my list on series that I’ve re-read at least a half dozen times.

Why am I passionate about this?

There are books and series I’ve loved that I’ve only read once, with no need to re-open those particular pages. There are other books that I can re-read every year or so without exactly remembering the details of the plot and enjoy them just as much the second (sometimes tenth) time around. They all inspired me to write, plus they all provided me with awesome entertainment.  So, in no particular order…. Five books/series that I’ve re-read at least a half dozen times!

Dana's book list on series that I’ve re-read at least a half dozen times

Dana Fredsti Why did Dana love this book?

They’re the fictionalized account of the author’s childhood growing up in Deep Valley, Minnesota, and my mom introduced me to these books when I was about nine or so. She’d read them growing up and I reread them constantly into my teens and then every few years as an adult whenever I needed the literary equivalent of hot chocolate and fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies. I realize these books are not in the genres I write, but inspiration doesn’t always come from obvious places. 

By Maud Hart Lovelace, Lois Lenski (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Betsy-Tacy as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 7, 8, and 9.

What is this book about?

Best Friends Forever

There are lots of children on Hill Street, but no little girls Betsy's age. So when a new family moves into the house across the street, Betsy hopes they will have a little girl she can play with. Sure enough, they do—a little girl named Tacy. And from the moment they meet at Betsy's fifth birthday party, Betsy and Tacy becoms such good friends that everyone starts to think of them as one person—Betsy-Tacy.

Betsy and Tacy have lots of fun together. They make a playhouse from a piano box, have a sand store, and dress up…


Book cover of War for the Oaks: The Screenplay

Nancy M. Bell Author Of Laurel's Quest

From my list on magic and myth in our everyday lives.

Why am I passionate about this?

I love horses and I love the magic that exists in the world. I have always been drawn to both. My maternal grandmother had the ‘second sight’ as they called it, and I have inherited that from her. My books and poetry reflect my sincere belief that magic and wonder are alive and well and that we need to nourish them by acknowledging their existence in our everyday lives. The miracle of life, the sun rising and setting every day, the dance of the stars and moon across the sky, the glory of the northern lights—who can claim that isn’t magic? 

Nancy's book list on magic and myth in our everyday lives

Nancy M. Bell Why did Nancy love this book?

While in a style all her own, Emma Bull’s War for the Oaks mirrors de Lint’s ability to bring the thrill of magic and danger into our world against the backdrop of our mundane reality. I love the idea that magic exists alongside the reality most think is the be all and end all. To believe that the things we see out of the corner of our eye actually exist, perhaps just in an alternate realm that lies beside ours. I have to say I believe in magic. I thoroughly enjoy this book and have read it more than once.

By Emma Bull, Will Shetterly,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked War for the Oaks as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Eddi McCandry has just left her boyfriend and their band when she finds herself drafted against her will in a faerie war between the Summer and Winter Courts, the WAR FOR THE OAKS. While trying to cope with her new otherworldly bodyguyard, the Pooka, Eddi also struggles to build a new life, a new band, survive the schemes of the Queen of Air and Darkness -- and discover the magic that is truly her own. Emma Bull and Will Shetterly write novels, short stories, screenplays, comic books, poetry and essays. Emma was a finalist for the Hugo, Nebula and World…


Book cover of Till the Stars Fall

Liz Flaherty Author Of A Soft Place to Fall

From my list on romance and women’s fiction on marriages resurrected.

Why am I passionate about this?

My passion for this theme comes from my own long marriage and my passion for it. Having heard the phrase “I wouldn’t put up with that” so many times, it’s a relief to me to read that yes, many people do. Instead of giving up on something as important to them as a life partnership, they don’t give up until all hope is gone. Marriage resurrected is all about hope.

Liz's book list on romance and women’s fiction on marriages resurrected

Liz Flaherty Why did Liz love this book?

I could cheerfully “pick” any one of Kathleen Gilles Seidel’s books as a recommendation.

I have read, loved, and reread them all. In my reading mind, she has the purest voice in both romantic fiction and women’s fiction. Her characters are all fascinating, all different, and all relatable. They make you care.

Within this writer’s voice lies tenderness that is never wordy, never sappy, never tired. I don’t have enough words to explain it, so by all means, read hers for yourself. 

By Kathleen Gilles Seidel,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Till the Stars Fall as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In a small Minnesota mining town, young Krissa is sheltered from her violent father by Danny, the brother she idolizes. Danny, a budding musician, is determined to escape with his sister in tow.

When the pair finally succeed, they meet Quinn, a privileged and wealthy college student. Drawn together by a passion for music, Danny and Quinn set up a successful pop group. As their stars begin to rise, Danny falls in love with fame, and Quinn and Krissa fall in love with each other. But the higher Danny, Quinn and Krissa climb, the faster their worlds crumble, until they…


Book cover of The Development of the Person: The Minnesota Study of Risk and Adaptation from Birth to Adulthood
Book cover of Iron Lake
Book cover of Sherlock Holmes and the Rune Stone Mystery

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