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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. 

'Free Love' puts a '60s spin on a Jane Austen-style novel of manners

'Free Love' puts a '60s spin on a Jane Austen-style novel of manners

Tessa Hadley's sharp new novel centers on a middle-aged wife and mother who falls for a much younger musician. “Free Love” is a domestic novel that's as eclectic and alive as the times it captures.
by Maureen Corrigan

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Two-time Minnesota Book Award winner back with a new fantasy world to get lost in

Two-time Minnesota Book Award winner back with a new fantasy world to get lost in

If you have family members — especially kids — who like to read fantasy, take heed: Two-time Minnesota Book Award winner Brian Farrey is publishing a new novel on Tuesday. He told host Cathy Wurzer about "The Counterclockwise Heart" and his writing process.
by Cathy Wurzer and Kelly Gordon

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Two books about music that go beyond the notes

Two books about music that go beyond the notes

Kerri Miller recommends a fictional account of a Black violinist with unexpected gifts, and a biography of a legendary musician who left a deep influence on the jazz scene.
by Kerri Miller

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Theater stars spring to life on the pages of 'B is for Broadway'

Theater stars spring to life on the pages of 'B is for Broadway'

A few years ago, a children's book called “A is for Audra” celebrated musical theater divas. Its creators have written a new book, “B is for Broadway,” celebrating theater from auditions to Ziegfeld.
by Jeff Lunden

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Sales soar for 'Maus' after its banning in Tennessee school district

Sales soar for 'Maus' after its banning in Tennessee school district

Just days after the banning of “Maus” by a Tennessee school district made national news, two editions of Art Spiegelman's Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel about the Holocaust have reached the top 20 on Amazon.com and are in limited supply.
by The Associated Press

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Newbery Honor book 'A Snake Falls to Earth' is infused with 'unwavering optimism'

Newbery Honor book 'A Snake Falls to Earth' is infused with 'unwavering optimism'

 "I just I found myself smiling a lot and, and kind of feeling like I was in this daydream or, like all of a sudden my imagination was sparked to life,” says Darcie Shultz, owner of Books and Burrow in Pittsburg, Kan., of "A Snake Falls to Earth."
by Emily Bright

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The golden age of animation

The golden age of animation

Steamboat Willie might be the first thing that springs to mind when you think of early cartoons. But the golden age of animation was far from simple and saccharine. Join Kerri Miller for a conversation about the history of animation.
by Kerri Miller and Kelly Gordon

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'Anatomy' is a gothic love story stirring up mystery and medicine

'Anatomy' is a gothic love story stirring up mystery and medicine

In Dana Schwartz's novel, it's 1817 and Lady Hazel, set to marry a cousin, just wants to study medicine. She meets a boy who helps her — and the journey is an adventure from there.
by Ilana Masad

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