Big Books & Bold Ideas with Kerri Miller Podcast Por Minnesota Public Radio arte de portada

Big Books & Bold Ideas with Kerri Miller

Big Books & Bold Ideas with Kerri Miller

De: Minnesota Public Radio
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Where Readers Meet Writers. Conversations on books and ideas, Fridays at 11 a.m.Copyright 2025 Minnesota Public Radio Arte Historia y Crítica Literaria
Episodios
  • ‘A Marriage at Sea’ by Sophie Elmhirst

    ‘A Marriage at Sea’ by Sophie Elmhirst
    Aug 15 2025
    Maralyn and Maurice Bailey were always a little unconventional. Maurice was a loner, precise. Maralyn was extroverted and energetic. But when they married in the 1960s, they both felt they had found their person. Together, they dreamed of running away from their ordinary lives — of selling everything and sailing the world. And in 1972, they made it happen. They set course for a fresh start in New Zealand and left England in a 31-foot yacht. All went well until they reached the Pacific, where a chance encounter with a whale sank their boat. They managed to get a few supplies onto their life raft, where they waited for help to come. And waited.And waited. Exhausted, starving, struggling to survive and get along, their marriage was put to the ultimate test. But when they were finally rescued after more than 100 days adrift at sea, they were a stronger couple than before. Author Sophie Elmhirst discovered the Bailey’s true story on a message board and knew she had to bring it to a new generation — with the added twist that this isn’t just a personal survival story. It’s a marital survival story. She joins host Kerri Miller on this week’s Big Books and Bold Ideas to talk all about “A Marriage at Sea.” Guest: Sophie Elmhirst writes regularly for the Guardian Long Read. In 2020, she won the British Press Award for Feature Writer of the Year. Her book, “A Marriage at Sea,” was published in the U.S. in July 2025. Subscribe to the Thread newsletter for the latest book and author news and must-read recommendations.Subscribe to Big Books and Bold Ideas with Kerri Miller on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS or anywhere you get your podcasts.
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    55 m
  • Vampires and a happy ending: Three Minnesota romance buffs discuss how the genre is changing

    Vampires and a happy ending: Three Minnesota romance buffs discuss how the genre is changing
    Aug 8 2025
    If you’re a romance reader, you won’t be surprised to hear that romance is the biggest genre in publishing. Nearly 40 million romance novels were sold in 2024. Books range from flirty (fade to black) to downright steamy (open door), with myriads of subgenres and tropes to choose from. (Rom-com! Paranormal romance! Historical fiction!)So this week, Big Books and Bold Ideas host Kerri Miller sits down with three Minnesota romance experts to talk about romance writing and reading today. She brings some quizlets and challenges, and each author shares an excerpt of a romance novel that has stuck with them. Big Books and Bold Ideas Romance Roundtable Along the way, they discuss the rules of romance (happy endings are nonnegotiable), what differentiates a love story from a romance novel and how the industry is starting to adapt to the diversity readers want.They also recommend romance novels that have maybe slipped through the cracks but deserve attention. For Richards, that was the book she chose to feature in her excerpt: the historical queer romance “A Shore Thing” by Joanna Lowell. She also recommended anything by writer Cat Sebastian, particularly “It Takes Two to Tumble.” Tschida said readers should check out the wit and charm inherent in any Nikki Payne novel, who is best know for her rewrites of Jane Austen. “Start with ‘Pride and Protest,’” Tschida recommended, “and then move on to ‘Sex, Lies and Sensibility.’” She also prescribed Carly Bloom, who writes books broader than the cowboy romance genre she is often stuck in. Palmer said she’ll “never stop talking” about Naina Kumar. Her most recent book, “Flirting with Disaster,” is similar to the movie “Sweet Home Alabama” — but in this case, a hurricane traps a couple headed toward divorce in the home they built together when their love was young. Guests: Ellie Palmer is the author of “Four Weekends and a Funeral” and the just published “Anywhere With You,” which is set in the north woods of Minnesota. Sam Tschida’s newest romance novel follows a vampire determined to get her own Hallmark movie ending. “Undead and Unwed” comes out in in late October. Sam’s past books include “Siri, Who Am I?” and “Errands and Espionage.” Lauren Richards is the co-owner of Tropes & Trifles, Minnesota’s first romance-only bookstore. Subscribe to the Thread newsletter for the latest book and author news and must-read recommendations.Subscribe to Big Books and Bold Ideas with Kerri Miller on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS or anywhere you get your podcasts.
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    58 m
  • Lonely people find connection in ‘The Satisfaction Café’

    Lonely people find connection in ‘The Satisfaction Café’
    Aug 1 2025
    Is loneliness something that happens when you’re not looking? And if so, could meaningful connection be found in a simple but purposeful café, where the lonesome are paired with the perfect partners for deep conversation? That’s the fantasy at the heart of Kathy Wang’s new novel, “The Satisfaction Café.” It follows Joan who starts the book as a Chinese graduate students in California in the 1970s. But her life quickly turns, as revealed on page one, when Wang writes: “Joan had not thought she would stab her husband.”From there, Joan is off to the races, marrying an older white man as a second husband, navigating his wealthy world, all while trying to find her own purpose and place.“The Satisfaction Café.” is one of the must-reads of the summer — and this week, Wang joins Kerri Miller on Big Books and Bold Ideas to talk about loneliness, the curse (or blessing) of small talk, why some cultures are OK with brazenly talking about money (and some aren’t) and why she truly believes a third place like the Satisfaction Café could benefit us all. Guest: Kathy Wang is the author of “Family Trust,” “Imposter Syndrome” and “The Satisfaction Café.” She is a graduate of UC Berkeley and Harvard Business School, and lives in the Bay Area. Subscribe to the Thread newsletter for the latest book and author news and must-read recommendations.Subscribe to Big Books and Bold Ideas with Kerri Miller on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, RSS or anywhere you get your podcasts.
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    52 m
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