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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.

Jack el-Hai pulls a true-crime saga from history in 'The Case of the Autographed Corpse'

Jack el-Hai pulls a true-crime saga from history in 'The Case of the Autographed Corpse'

Minneapolis author Jack el-Hai is back with another compelling story pulled from the history books. This time, it involves an Apache man falsely accused of killing his wife and the mystery writer who helped overturn his conviction.
by Kelly Gordon

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Nature writers choose wonder and resilience, even in the face of climate change

Nature writers choose wonder and resilience, even in the face of climate change

To mark the fall member drive, Kerri Miller dips back into three conversations she’s had this year with authors who write about nature — and thus, wrestle with how climate change is remaking our planet.
by Kerri Miller and Kelly Gordon

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A new book explores how the subculture of white Christian women shapes America

A new book explores how the subculture of white Christian women shapes America

In her new book, “Live Laugh Love: The Secret History of White Christian Women and the World They Made,” historian Kristin Kobes Du Mez reveals the often hidden world of white Christian women, which she says influences the country as a whole.
by Kelly Gordon

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New book explores Minnesota's vast peatland ecosystem and climate change

New book explores Minnesota's vast peatland ecosystem and climate change

Peatlands cover 10 percent of Minnesota, more than 7 million acres, making the state home to the most peatlands in the contiguous United States. Peatlands are a type of wetland that prevents plant material from fully decomposing and could help researchers learn about global warming.
by Nina Moini and Ngoc Bui

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How to build a career, start a business and succeed in a changing economy

How to build a career, start a business and succeed in a changing economy

MPR News host Angela Davis talks with journalist Lee Hawkins about how entrepreneurs turn ideas into businesses, find their way into new careers and make financial decisions along the way.
by Angela Davis and Cari Dwyer

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New novel set in Minneapolis imagines compassion during climate disaster

New novel set in Minneapolis imagines compassion during climate disaster

Kawai Strong Washburn's propulsive new novel “The Names of the New World” brings tornadoes to Minneapolis. That storm throws together three strangers whose lives will become entangled over the next 25 years.
by Emily Bright

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‘There is No Place for Us’ tests America's promise that hard work brings security

‘There is No Place for Us’ tests America's promise that hard work brings security

The Pulitzer Prize-winning nonfiction narrative “There Is No Place for Us: Working and Homeless in America” follows five families around Atlanta as they seek to keep a roof over their heads and their families together.
by Jon Collins

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