The Thread® - Books and Literary News

The Thread from MPR News

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

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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.

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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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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.

Derek Thompson and Ezra Klein’s new book looks at ‘failed liberal policies‘
What if liberals’ penchant for scarcity has been holding America back from solving our most challenging problems? That’s the thesis of Derek Thompson and Ezra Klein’s provocative new book, “Abundance.”
‘Buffy’ podcasters built a community — and they didn’t let divorce break it
“Buffering the Vampire Slayer” podcasters Jenny Owen Youngs and Kristin Russo write about their community of fans, and how it help them keep working together after a split, in “Slayers, Every One of Us.”
Do what you can. A new kids’ book shows how even ‘The Littlest Drop’ helps
A brave hummingbird does what she can to fight a fire in Sascha Alper’s new book. It was one of the last projects illustrator Jerry Pinkney worked on before he died. His son Brian finished it for him.
5 buzzy books out this week that look inward
A number of books out this week — a tale of tribal politics, a close-focus mystery, measured criticism and a unique relationship — are tied up in answering the question: How do we define ourselves?
Most Americans want to read more books. We just don’t.
When we worry about the declining rates of literacy and a lack of reading skills, it’s often about children. But how often are adults reading these days? And what are we reading? A new NPR/Ipsos poll finds out.