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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. 

Talking Volumes: A conversation with writer N. Scott Momaday

Talking Volumes: A conversation with writer N. Scott Momaday

Award-winning novelist and poet N. Scott Momaday cultivated a boundless imagination as a boy exploring the vast landscape of the American Southwest on horseback. He joined host Kerri Miller for Talking Volumes: Talking Race, a collaboration between MPR and the Star Tribune.
by Kerri Miller

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'Shooting Midnight Cowboy' turns an eye to a dark, problematic masterpiece

'Shooting Midnight Cowboy' turns an eye to a dark, problematic masterpiece

John Schlesinger's flawed drama, the only X-rated film to win an Oscar for best picture, made Jon Voight a star and solidified Dustin Hoffman's status as one of his generation's greatest actors.
by Michael Schaub

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Kazuo Ishiguro draws on his songwriting past to write novels about the future

Kazuo Ishiguro draws on his songwriting past to write novels about the future

The Nobel Prize-winning novelist says he honed his skills earlier in his career "as a writer of songs." Ishiguro's new book, Klara And The Sun, is set in the future and has an A.I. narrator.
by Terry Gross

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We have much to learn from 'A Place Like Mississippi'

We have much to learn from 'A Place Like Mississippi'

W. Ralph Eubanks' new book examines Mississippi's mighty contributions to American literature, and what writers like Eudora Welty and Jesmyn Ward can teach us about broader national issues.
by Mary Louise Kelly

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In Amazon's shadow, an America divided in search of 'Fulfillment'

In Amazon's shadow, an America divided in search of 'Fulfillment'

ProPublica's Alec MacGillis has written an economic history of the country, shaped by stories of people living and working in Amazon's shadow as their home cities and states transform around them.
by Alina Selyukh

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The age of automation is now: Here's how to 'Futureproof' yourself

The age of automation is now: Here's how to 'Futureproof' yourself

New York Times tech columnist Kevin Roose says we've been approaching automation all wrong. "We should be teaching people ... to be more like humans, to do the things that machines can't do," he says.
by Dave Davies

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'Justice, Justice Thou Shalt Pursue' offers look at Ruth Bader Ginsburg's early work

'Justice, Justice Thou Shalt Pursue' offers look at Ruth Bader Ginsburg's early work

One of the justice's former clerks, Amanda Tyler, worked with her on the collection that includes historic opinions and arguments from earlier years when she appeared as a lawyer before the top court.
by Steve Inskeep

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Racial diversity in children's books grows, but slowly

Racial diversity in children's books grows, but slowly

Data suggests books about people of color stayed largely the same and there were only slight increases in books written by people of color. Experts say the true effect of 2020 on the children's book industry may be seen in the years to come.
by The Associated Press

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'The Jigsaw Man' presents a compelling puzzle

'The Jigsaw Man' presents a compelling puzzle

The debut novel from British criminal lawyer Nadine Matheson stars a Black homicide detective dealing with not only PTSD from a serial killer's attack, but also mistrust from her family and community.
by Swapna Krishna

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