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The Thread® - Books and Literary 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.

Sign Up for The Thread® Newsletter

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. 

In the future of 'Here Lies,' the mourning can't bury their dead

In the future of 'Here Lies,' the mourning can't bury their dead

Olivia Clare Friedman's “Here Lies” provides a poignant portrait of the way grief can bring people together, uniting even strangers through a common pain and commitment to keep memories alive.
by Kristen Martin

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After a stroke blinded one eye, Frank Bruni focused on the future

After a stroke blinded one eye, Frank Bruni focused on the future

The New York Times columnist says the stroke forced him to make a decision: He could focus on what had been lost or on what remained. He chose the latter. Bruni's new memoir is “The Beauty of Dusk.”
by Terry Gross

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From the archives: Novelist Yaa Gyasi explores addiction, immigration and family ties

From the archives: Novelist Yaa Gyasi explores addiction, immigration and family ties

As we await Friday’s show, which dives into a book about life at the southern U.S. border, enjoy a discussion Kerri Miller had in 2020 with author Yaa Gyasi which also touches on themes of identity and culture.
by Kerri Miller and Kelly Gordon

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Ask a Bookseller: 'American War,' set in the future, reflects aspects of today

Ask a Bookseller: 'American War,' set in the future, reflects aspects of today

Sometimes setting a novel in a different time or place gives an author permission to reflect our contemporary world in a new way. That’s the case for journalist-turned-author Omar El-Akkad’s first novel “American War.”
by Emily Bright

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'Like A Sister' is noir for the media-struck generation

'Like A Sister' is noir for the media-struck generation

In Kellye Garrett's thriller, a beautiful Black reality TV star is found dead on a playground in the Bronx; the tabloid headlines and the police scream overdose, but the woman's sister is unconvinced.
by Carole V. Bell

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'Secret Identity' is a masterful 1970s literary mystery

'Secret Identity' is a masterful 1970s literary mystery

Alex Segura's mystery-thriller features a queer Cuban American artist fighting against the patriarchy and dodging bullets in the desperate, male-dominated world of comics.
by Carole V. Bell

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