The Thread® - Books and Literary News

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

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Sign up for The Thread newsletter to get reading recommendations from Kerri Miller and other bookworms around the MPR newsroom. Sam Stroozas rounds up local events and Minnesota book news you may have missed.

Ask a Bookseller

Ask a Bookseller is a weekly series where host Emily Bright 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 and produced by Kelly Gordon every Friday at 11 a.m., featuring conversations about books and other literary ideas. Listen to Big Books and Bold Ideas here.

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.

July 31, 2026 11:00 AM

Our road trip series concludes with 'The Last American Road Trip'

Sarah Kendzior wanted to show America to her young children. So she and her husband crisscrossed the country to visit national parks and historical sites, even as political upheaval and the pandemic remade the landscape. Her memoir, “The Last American Road Trip,” is the finale to our July road trip series.

by Kerri Miller and Kelly Gordon

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July 28, 2026 4:00 AM

Ask a Bookseller: 'Die for Me' by Shirlene Obuobi

“Die for Me” is a paranormal age-gap romance with a twist recommended by Tropes & Trifles in Minneapolis.

by Emily Bright

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July 24, 2026 11:00 AM

Lauren Hough road trips across America and finds a 'Monster of a Land'

If you don’t have an epic road trip planned this summer, come along with Lauren Hough. She drove 14,000 miles across America with her dog Woody Guthrie and wrote about what she saw in her new book, “Monster of a Land: On the Road in Search of a Modern America.”

by Kerri Miller and Kelly Gordon

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July 21, 2026 9:00 AM

Why Americans are reading less — and how to pull out of the reading slump

MPR News guest host Kerri Miller talks about what’s behind the decline in reading and why some people say it points to a fundamental shift in how we entertain ourselves, learn and think. Plus listeners share their summer “reach” books.

by Kerri Miller and Maja Beckstrom

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July 21, 2026 4:00 AM

Ask a Bookseller: ‘Dungeon Crawler Carl’ series by Matt Dinniman

A Minneapolis bookseller recommends Matt Dinniman's bestselling "Dungeon Crawler Carl" series for readers looking to dive into an immersive summer read.

by Emily Bright

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July 20, 2026 1:18 PM

As wildfires burn, Minnesota writer reflects on grief from seeing impacts of flames

Duluth-based nature writer Stephanie Pearson has just published a new essay in Outside Magazine on what it feels like to see the Boundary Waters Canoe Area up in flames.

by Nina Moini and Ellen Finn

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July 17, 2026 12:00 PM

Talking Volumes 27th season announced for fall 2026

Talking Volumes, a collaboration between MPR News and the Minnesota Star Tribune, returns for a landmark 27th season at a new location, the O’Shaughnessy Auditorium at St. Catherine University in St. Paul.

by MPR News Staff

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July 17, 2026 11:00 AM

Big Books and Bold Ideas hits the road. First stop: 'The Road to Tender Hearts'

Big Books and Bold Ideas is embarking on a three-week virtual road trip, talking with authors who’ve written about this scenic, sometimes quirky and often eye-opening way to see America.

by Kerri Miller and Kelly Gordon

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July 14, 2026 2:59 PM

Hamline Midway Library grand opening Saturday after three years of litigation, construction

The new one-story library replaced a more than 90-year-old building that was demolished in 2025. Construction was delayed after a community group sued to preserve the historic building. The new library includes some original elements from the previous structure.

by Nina Moini and Aleesa Kuznetsov