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The Thread® - Books and Literary News

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

Here are the winners of the 2025 National Book Awards

Here are the winners of the 2025 National Book Awards

Author Rabih Alameddine won for his novel The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother). Other winners include a book for young people about orphans on the run in Iran during World War II.
by Andrew Limbong

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Minnesota’s second romance-only bookstore brings the small-town charm

Minnesota’s second romance-only bookstore brings the small-town charm

Hey Darling opened in October 2024 on Main Street in Austin. Owner Trish Marin said she wants small town residents of the state to experience the sense of belonging a romance bookstore can bring.
by Sam Stroozas

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Ask a Bookseller: ‘Burner: And Other Stories’ by Katrina Denza

Ask a Bookseller: ‘Burner: And Other Stories’ by Katrina Denza

Kimberly Daniels of The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines, North Carolina, recommends Katrina Denza’s new collection "Burner: And Other Stories.”
by Emily Bright

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Out to Lunch: Activist T Williams shares lessons from an ‘oversized’ table

Out to Lunch: Activist T Williams shares lessons from an ‘oversized’ table

We have all been witnesses to moments in history. But there are people in every community who go a step further by working to shape what happens next. MPR News host Nina Moini recently met up with longtime activist T Williams at Soul Bowl.
by Nina Moini and Alanna Elder

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How did the Edmund Fitzgerald sink? A new book looks into the theories

How did the Edmund Fitzgerald sink? A new book looks into the theories

“The Gales of November: The Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald” digs into the mystery of the ship’s sinking and also shares interviews with family members of the crew.
by Dan Kraker, Aleesa Kuznetsov and Alanna Elder

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Ask a Bookseller: ‘I See You’ve Called in Dead’ by John Kenney 

Ask a Bookseller: ‘I See You’ve Called in Dead’ by John Kenney 

Christina Tabereaux of The Snail on the Wall, a bookstore in Huntsville, Ala., recommends the novel “I See You’ve Called in Dead” by John Kenney. 
by Emily Bright

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The Minnesota author whose book inspired the movie 'Nuremberg'

The Minnesota author whose book inspired the movie 'Nuremberg'

Minnesota author Jack el-Hai’s book “The Nazi and the Psychiatrist” inspired “Nuremberg,” one of the fall’s buzziest movies. It’s a film set in history with questions for the present.
by Kerri Miller and Kelly Gordon

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