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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.

In 'Funny Boy,' a young Sri Lankan gay man comes of age as ethnic tensions explode

In 'Funny Boy,' a young Sri Lankan gay man comes of age as ethnic tensions explode

Deepa Mehta's new film, “Funny Boy,” is Canada's Oscar submission. It's being distributed by Ava DuVernay's company and premieres on Netflix. It's based on the novel by Shyam Selvadurai.
by Bilal Qureshi

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'He makes us love George Smiley:' Robert Harris on the legacy of John Le Carré

'He makes us love George Smiley:' Robert Harris on the legacy of John Le Carré

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with British writer Robert Harris about the legacy of John le Carré, whom he's called "one of the great post-war British novelists" and who died Saturday at age 89.
by Mary Louise Kelly

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Women and burnout: 2020 was in a league of its own. How can we make 2021 better? 

Women and burnout: 2020 was in a league of its own. How can we make 2021 better? 

In their groundbreaking 2019 book, “Burnout,” Emily and Amelia Nagoski outlined how women can fight the burnout that’s pervasive in American culture. But 2020 takes burnout to a whole new level. How can women prevent the burnout from worsening in 2021?
by Kerri Miller and Kelly Gordon

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Three recommendations to add a bit more poetry to your collection

Three recommendations to add a bit more poetry to your collection

Kerri Miller brings us books we might have overlooked in this topsy-turvy year. This week she has poetry for even the most poetry-skeptic people you know.
by Kerri Miller

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Master spy writer John le Carré dies at 89

Master spy writer John le Carré dies at 89

John le Carré, the spy-turned-novelist whose elegant and intricate narratives defined the Cold War espionage thriller and brought acclaim to a genre critics had once ignored, has died. He was 89.
by The Associated Press

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Ask a Bookseller: 'Fresh Water for Flowers'

Ask a Bookseller: 'Fresh Water for Flowers'

The story follows the very likeable Violette Toussaint, caretaker of a cemetery, whose days are punctuated by cemetery visitors.
by Emily Bright

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In new picture book, family adds a 'ninth night of Hanukkah'

In new picture book, family adds a 'ninth night of Hanukkah'

In Erica Perl's new children's book, a family's box of Hanukkah items are misplaced during a move. Their neighbors help them to make their holiday a success — so they add a ninth night to thank them.
by Ari Shapiro and Sam Gringlas

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Denver's Tattered Cover becomes nation's largest Black-owned indie bookstore

Denver's Tattered Cover becomes nation's largest Black-owned indie bookstore

The beloved local chain, founded in 1971, has had a rough year, including severe revenue losses during the pandemic. Its new owners are led by two Denver natives and self-described high school rivals.
by Petra Mayer

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Is America living up to its ideals?

Is America living up to its ideals?

Journalist and author Thomas Ricks wrote “First Principles” to answer the question he asked himself: Is this what the nation’s founders intended?
by Kerri Miller and Kelly Gordon

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