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.

'Finding My Voice': Hibbing native's YA novel reissue connects with new generation of readers
One of the first Asian American young adult novels, “Finding My Voice,” is getting a third run this year since its first publication in 1992. But, the messages about racism, identity and family continue to resonate with readers who remember picking up the book years ago.
'Halfway Home' makes case that the formerly incarcerated are never truly free
Sociologist, criminologist, and former jail chaplain Reuben Jonathan Miller says "no other marginalized group ... experience[s] [the] profound level of legal exclusion" that those once imprisoned do.
Ida. B Wells: The life and power of the pioneering journalist
Kerri Miller is here with her Thread Must-Read book recommendation.  This week she’s got the story of a pioneering journalist and often-overlooked crusader more Americans should know about.
'We Came, We Saw, We Left' takes us on one family's gap year adventure
Dartmouth's Charles Wheelan, author of “Naked Economics,” writes about his nine-month globetrot in 2016 with his wife and their teenagers — offering a refreshing escape during these isolating times.
Actor and author Ethan Hawke: Writing 'Forces You To Think Through Things'
Hawke's latest novel is called “A Bright Ray of Darkness.” It's about a famous young actor in a crumbling marriage who immerses himself in a Broadway production of Shakespeare's Henry IV.
The field of finalists is set for the 2021 Minnesota Book Awards. The winners will be announced at a online ceremony on April 29.
'She Persisted,' now in chapter book form, brings history to life
Chelsea Clinton has turned her “She Persisted” series of picture books into a new series of chapter books, written by prominent kids' authors. The new books really take readers inside historical lives.
Ask a Bookseller: A kids' graphic novel series — with unicorns
Theresa Woodward of CatTale’s Books and Gifts in Brainerd, Minn., recommends “Phoebe and her Unicorn” graphic novel series, which she has been loving reading with her 6-year-old daughter, Phoebe.
Amanda Gorman — and poetry — will be part of Super Bowl LV
Fresh from her burst into the literary stratosphere after her appearance at President Joe Biden's inauguration, poet Amanda Gorman will recite a new poem during the Super Bowl LV pre-show next Sunday.