Stay Curious. Stay Connected.
MailNewsletters♡Donate Now
Sign up
*Password must be at least 8 characters and contain one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter, one number and one symbol.
Already have an account?
By submitting, you consent that you are at least 18 years of age and to receive information about MPR's or APMG entities' programs and offerings. The personally identifying information you provide will not be sold, shared, or used for purposes other than to communicate with you about MPR, APMG entities, and its sponsors. You may opt-out at any time clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of any email communication. View our Privacy Policy.
Sign in to your profile
Forgot Password?
New to MPR News?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Reset Password

Enter the username on file and we'll send you a code to reset your password.

Still require assistance or not sure what your User Name is?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Email Verification

A verification code has been emailed to

Still awaiting the code?

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. 

This book introduces you to the people doing your 'Dirty Work'

This book introduces you to the people doing your 'Dirty Work'

Author Eyal Press calls them "jobs of last resort" — slaughtering animals, working in prisons, engaging in remote drone combat. Society needs them but doesn't want to talk about them.
by Dave Davies

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
'Against White Feminism' is an urgent call to action for solidarity and justice

'Against White Feminism' is an urgent call to action for solidarity and justice

Although personal anecdotes are included throughout, Rafia Zakaria's aim is not to explore her own pain but to retrace the history of how white feminism has caused unending trauma through centuries.
by Jenny Bhatt

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
The town that inspired John Steinbeck has a new literary star

The town that inspired John Steinbeck has a new literary star

Jaime Cortez's debut collection, “Gordo,” is set in and around the same dusty California town that inspired John Steinbeck. It's a lovely portrait of a time and place that still manages to be universal.
by Michael Schaub

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Kaveh Akbar pits the self against the sacred in his new poems

Kaveh Akbar pits the self against the sacred in his new poems

Words can seem infinite — but language has limits. In his new poetry collection, “Pilgrim Bell,” Kaveh Akbar shapes language into prayer, into body, into patchwork — but only into what can be known.
by Jeevika Verma

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
If a Russian Doll looked into a Black Mirror ... you'd have this novel

If a Russian Doll looked into a Black Mirror ... you'd have this novel

In Sarah Zachrich Jeng's debut thriller “The Other Me,” a young woman wanders away from a boring birthday party and finds herself in a different life, with a husband and family she didn't have before.
by Bethanne Patrick

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!

'The Lorax' warned us 50 years ago, but we didn't listen

Call it fate or an unfortunate coincidence that Dr. Seuss' eco-parable marks its 50th anniversary just as the United Nations releases a report on the dire consequences of human-induced climate change.
by Elizabeth Blair

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!