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 back for its 25th season. Join us at the Fitzgerald Theater for four special events with renowned authors, celebrating our anniversary with a special $25 ticket price for MPR members and Star Tribune subscribers. Buy tickets here.

'Behind the Red Velvet Curtain'
Joy Womack is one of the few American ballet dancers to train and perform at Russia’s storied Bolshoi Academy. Her new memoir, as told to MPR News’ Elizabeth Shockman, is an intimate look at what it takes to become one of the best ballerinas in the world.
From Eiffel Tower to bistro chairs: Paris expos take center stage in new release by Minnesota author
After losing Minneapolis bid for Expo 2027, Charles Pappas took a dispirited walk in Paris that led him to realize how deeply the city’s iconic identity was shaped by its World Expos — an epiphany that inspired his new book, “Nobody Sits Like the French,” a historical exploration of Paris through its expos from 1855 to 1937.
In ‘Sleep,’ Honor Jones examines the paradox of parenthood
Can childhood trauma, once suffered, be kept from the next generation? That’s one of the many psychological questions at the a heart of Honor Jones’ debut novel, “Sleep,” one of the must-read books of the summer.
Dealing with traumatic grief after Minnesota’s recent political violence
MPR News host Cathy Wurzer spoke with Stacy Remke. She’s a clinical social worker, a teaching specialist at the University of Minnesota, and the author of the book, “The Insider’s Guide to Grief.”
Sexy & Spiteful: The best books to read this summer
Celebrated romance authors Bolu Babalola and Emily Henry return to the show to discuss with Brittany their summer reading recommendations, ranging from spiteful and salacious to sweet and spicy.
Looking for summertime suspense? Turn up the heat with these 4 mystery novels
Maureen Corrigan recommends four great reads: “El Dorado Drive,” by Megan Abbott; “The House on Buzzards Bay,” by Dwyer Murphy; “King of Ashes,” by S.A. Cosby; and “Murder Takes a Vacation,” by Laura Lippman.