The Thread® - Books and Literary News

The Thread from MPR News

The Thread® is your source for book recommendations and other literary news.

Ask a Bookseller

Ask a Bookseller is a weekly series where The Thread checks in with booksellers around the country about their favorite books of the moment. Listen to Ask a Bookseller to find your next favorite book.

Big Books and Bold Ideas

Big Books and Bold Ideas is a weekly series hosted by Kerri Miller every Friday at 11 a.m., featuring conversations about books and other literary ideas. Listen to Big Books and Bold Ideas here.

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Sign up for The Thread newsletter to get reading recommendations from Kerri Miller and other bookworms around the MPR newsroom. Find reviews for new releases, as well as hidden gems you may have missed.

Talking Volumes

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. 

Tickets are now available for our 26th season. Join award-winning journalist and MPR News host Kerri Miller (and special guest host Catharine Richart) as they talk with authors including Stacey Abrams, Patricia Lockwood, Misty Copeland, John Grisham, and Kate Baer. 

Looking for a chill? 'The Unveiling' is spooky, discomforting literary horror
There is no comfort or closure in Quan Barry’s latest novel, “The Unveiling,” which follows a group of tourists who get stranded off the coast of Antarctica after a kayaking expedition goes dreadfully wrong.
The art of movidas: New book looks at how Minnesota Latina/x artists resist oppression
A new book traces a decade of Latina/x arts activism in the Twin Cities, revealing the artists who have been quietly safeguarding their communities and reshaping the region’s cultural future.
Maureen Corrigan’s 10 favorite books of 2025 — with plenty for nonfiction lovers
Fresh Air’s book critic says her picks tilt a bit to nonfiction, but the novels that made the cut redress the imbalance by their sweep and intensity. Karen Russell’s “The Antidote” was her favorite.
Catherine Newman’s witty, warm and wary Rocky returns in ‘Wreck’
If you devoured Catherine Newman’s 2024 novel “Sandwich,” you’ll love her just released sequel, “Wreck.” Newman joins Kerri Miller on this week’s Big Books and Bold Ideas for a laughter-soaked conversation that covers parenthood, aging, mortality and the peculiarities of a long and enduring marriage.
Fargo chef on her perfect bagel, meshing Nordic-Jewish fare and her new cookbook
When Andrea Baumgardner opened BernBaum’s in downtown Fargo in 2016, she was inspired by classic lunch counter delis, like B&H Dairy in New York City. A new cookbook memorializes her recipes.
Jane Austen’s ‘Pride & Prejudice,’ a blueprint to the modern romance
This year, readers around the world are celebrating Jane Austen’s 250th birthday. Here’s how the novel has had a lasting impact over the years.