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The Thread® - Books and Literary News

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

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. 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.

Granddaughter of cult leader tells her story of escape in 'Sex Cult Nun'

Granddaughter of cult leader tells her story of escape in 'Sex Cult Nun'

Faith Jones, a successful lawyer, is the granddaughter of David Berg, founder of The Family. She tells of how she was raised in the cult from infancy until managing to leave it in her early 20s.
by Ilana Masad

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2 cousins celebrate their childhood neighborhood in 'Dream Street'

2 cousins celebrate their childhood neighborhood in 'Dream Street'

Meet Mr. Sidney, who's always sharply dressed. Belle, who catches butterflies in jar. And the Hat Lady, Ms. Sarah. They're just some of the residents of Dream Street, the best street in the world.
by Samantha Balaban

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Cookbook author and cancer survivor finds soup is a balm

Cookbook author and cancer survivor finds soup is a balm

Caroline Wright was so touched by offerings of soup when she was fighting a brain tumor that she’s become a de facto soup lady. It inspired her most recent cookbook, “Soup Club,” which features all plant-based soups.
by Cathy Wurzer and Kelly Gordon

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A political thriller about sexual misconduct in the #MeToo era

A political thriller about sexual misconduct in the #MeToo era

On this week’s show about big books and bold ideas — what a lawyer who investigates sex crimes says about the state of #MeToo and writing a novel about his experience. 
by Kerri Miller and Kelly Gordon

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Famed author Jodi Picoult novelizes the pandemic in new book 'Wish You Were Here'

Famed author Jodi Picoult novelizes the pandemic in new book 'Wish You Were Here'

Picoult's pandemic-inspired story focusing on a character stranded in the Galápagos Islands highlights how events can change us — and offer perspective.
by Scott Simon, Mia Estrada, Ian Stewart and Melissa Gray

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'From Staircase to Stage': Raekwon on growing up in N.Y. and the Wu-Tang Clan

'From Staircase to Stage': Raekwon on growing up in N.Y. and the Wu-Tang Clan

In his new memoir, From Staircase to Stage, rapper Raekwon recalls watching as that relatively serene New York City neighborhood rapidly declined, succumbing to the wildfires of the crack epidemic.
by Steve Inskeep and Vince Pearson

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Answering today's problems with yesterday's fairy tales

Answering today's problems with yesterday's fairy tales

Jack Zipes thinks that answers to the major cultural and political quandaries of today can be found in the fairy tales of the past. Host Cathy Wurzer spoke with the celebrated University of Minnesota professor and “cultural excavator” about the history of fairy tales and his new press, Little Mole and Honey Bear.
by Cathy Wurzer and Kelly Gordon

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Mario Vargas Llosa explores 1954 Guatemalan coup in new novel

Mario Vargas Llosa explores 1954 Guatemalan coup in new novel

Harsh Times, set in the 1950s, is historical fiction centering on events of a CIA-backed coup to overthrow Guatemala's democratically-elected government led by Jacobo Árbenz.
by Scott Simon, Isabella Gomez Sarmiento and Mia Estrada

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Merriam-Webster chooses vaccine as the 2021 word of the year

Merriam-Webster chooses vaccine as the 2021 word of the year

The selection follows "vax" as word of the year from the folks who publish the Oxford English Dictionary. And it comes after Merriam-Webster chose "pandemic" as tops in lookups last year on its online site.
by The Associated Press

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