The Thread® - Books and Literary News

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

'The Voice Of Sheila Chandra' echoes through time and space
Kazim Ali's new poetry collection was inspired by the story of Sheila Chandra, a well-known singer rendered voiceless by an incurable neurological condition.
'The Once And Future Witches' will have you spellbound
Alix Harrow's new book is set in an alternate 19th-century America where the suffragette movement exists alongside a quest to restore magic and end the banishment of witches and witchcraft.
'Piranesi,' a perfect fall read leading up to Halloween
Chloe Deblois of Sherman’s Maine Coast Book Shop in Damariscotta, Maine, recommended the novel “Piranesi” by Susanna Clarke, the bestselling author of “Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell.”
Talking Volumes: A conversation with Helen Macdonald
Kerri Miller hosts a conversation with bestselling author Helen Macdonald about her new book “Vesper Flights.”
Novel by Yaa Gyasi explores addiction, immigration and family ties
Kerri Miller talked with writer Yaa Gyasi about growing up in Alabama, sibling relationships and her new book “Transcendent Kingdom.”
Underestimating these 'Maids' is a fatal mistake
Katie Skelly's uncanny new graphic novel retells the real-life story of sisters Christine and Léa Papin, who were working as maids when they brutally murdered their employers.
'This is an opportunity': Fareed Zakaria on 'Lessons For A Post-Pandemic World'
The CNN host and author says COVID-19 has widened the inequality gap. "The most important piece of what the federal government can do is to stabilize these people's lives with direct aid," he says.
'Shelter In Place' is an ill-mannered comedy of manners
David Leavitt's new novel “Shelter in Place” aims for sparkling social comedy — but it's let down by a cast of privileged, shallow characters you wouldn't want to spend your lockdown with.