The Thread® - Books and Literary News

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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.

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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 David Yoon's new novel, resetting the internet to 'Version Zero'
David Yoon draws on his own experience working in tech for his new novel, about a disillusioned data whiz who decides to, literally, reboot the internet — with some catastrophic consequences.
Ask a Bookseller: A novel celebrating everyday beauty
Stephanie Hochschild of The Book Stall in Winnetka, Illinois, knows the book that she is recommending sounds quiet and simple, but that doesn’t mean it should be overlooked. Far from it. The novel is “Leonard and Hungry Paul” by debut Irish author and musician Rónán Heston, and it recently came out in paperback. 
'Unsettled Ground' lets its oddballs stay defiantly odd
Claire Fuller's beautifully written new novel follows 51-year-old twins who never left home, forced finally to cope with the outside world and some unpleasant family secrets after their mother dies.
How myths undermine the nations that build on them
Author Nesrine Malik says the stories we collectively tell ourselves might feel good, but they could ultimately destroy the foundation of our society.
Seth Rogen on the comedy advice he got at 12 that he still thinks about
Rogen's first comedy teacher taught him to write material based on conflict, so he focused his first stand-up routine on his grandparents. His new book of personal essays is “Yearbook.”
Questions for Zen Cho, author of 'Black Water Sister'
In Zen Cho's new novel, a young woman begins to hear a voice in her head: It's the dead, estranged grandmother she never knew. Wronged in life, the grandmother wants revenge after death.