The Thread® - Books and 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.

In 'Tastes Like War,' a daughter reckons with her mother's schizophrenia
Cho was a teenager when her mother began to exhibit signs of mental illness. Later, as an adult, she learned more about the trauma her mom experienced, both during and after the Korean War.
Author Ann Patchett on friendship, time and the idea of 'enoughness'
Ann Patchett is out with a new collection of essays. Join Kerri Miller this Friday for a wide-ranging conversation with Patchett about being present, the gift of friendship, and how the pandemic can reveal what matters most.
Anne Rice, author of gothic novels, dead at 80
Anne Rice, the gothic novelist widely known for her bestselling novel “Interview With the Vampire,” died Saturday at the age of 80.
Return to a world of caring and kindness, in 'Amos McGee Misses the Bus'
In Erin and Philip Stead's follow-up to 2010's “A Sick Day for Amos McGee,” the fastidious zookeeper gets help from his animal friends to finish his chores, so they can go on an exciting outing.
Phil Klay's new book examines the globalization of violence
Phil Klay’s much-anticipated second book is out. On Friday, he joined Kerri Miller to talk about his debut novel, the meaning of war, and how patriotism has become a loaded concept.
Two poets chronicle their friendship and isolation during the pandemic
Marilyn Hacker and Karthika Nair were under lockdown in Paris only miles apart from each other. “A Different Distance” compiles the almost daily poems they wrote from March 2020 to March 2021.
Mel Brooks says his only regret as a comedian is the jokes he didn't tell
Brooks wrote countless edgy jokes over the years, but he doesn't regret any of them. He calls comedy his "delicious refuge" from the world. "I hide in humor," he says. His new memoir is “All About Me!”
Ask a Student: Book series elementary school kids love
Usually every week for Ask a Bookseller, MPR News’ Emily Bright checks in with indie booksellers all over the country for recommendations. But this week, we’re changing it up with an Ask a Student edition, courtesy of some of the readers at Gatewood Elementary School in Minnetonka, Minn.
Midtown Global Market celebrates its 15th anniversary — with a cookbook
The Midtown Global Market in Minneapolis is celebrating its 15th anniversary, and for the first time ever, the chefs and business owners who fill the bustling market are putting together a cookbook. Trung Pham, one of the original vendors at the market, joined host Cathy Wurzer to talk about his story and the story of the market.