Stay Curious. Stay Connected.
MailNewsletters♡Donate Now
Sign up
*Password must be at least 8 characters and contain one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter, one number and one symbol.
Already have an account?
By submitting, you consent that you are at least 18 years of age and to receive information about MPR's or APMG entities' programs and offerings. The personally identifying information you provide will not be sold, shared, or used for purposes other than to communicate with you about MPR, APMG entities, and its sponsors. You may opt-out at any time clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of any email communication. View our Privacy Policy.
Sign in to your profile
Forgot Password?
New to MPR News?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Reset Password

Enter the username on file and we'll send you a code to reset your password.

Still require assistance or not sure what your User Name is?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Email Verification

A verification code has been emailed to

Still awaiting the code?

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. 

'The Code For Love And Heartbreak' isn't 'Emma' — but it is charming

'The Code For Love And Heartbreak' isn't 'Emma' — but it is charming

Jillian Cantor's new YA novel lifts some of the elements of Jane Austen's classic — like character names — wholesale. But you'll enjoy it more if you don't expect the plot to follow exactly.
by Alethea Kontis

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
A bookseller recommends 'The City in the Middle of the Night'

A bookseller recommends 'The City in the Middle of the Night'

In the “The City in the Middle of the Night” by Charlie Jane Anders, there is a planet that is half in constant darkness and half in unending sunlight. Humans can only survive in the margin where the two halves meet. From two opposite cities — one autocratic, one lawless — come two girls whose lives intertwine.
by Emily Bright

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Ngũgĩ Wa Thiong'o says prison formed him as a writer

Ngũgĩ Wa Thiong'o says prison formed him as a writer

Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o is a perennial favorite for the Literature Nobel. He hasn't won yet — but he does have a new book out, a novel in verse that tells the origin story of Kenya's Gĩkũyũ people.
by Scott Simon

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
For poet Maggie Smith, an ending was the beginning of her new book

For poet Maggie Smith, an ending was the beginning of her new book

Smith says she started writing “Keep Moving” as her marriage was ending. It began as a series of affirmations she wrote for herself on Twitter; she found that the posts were helping other people too.
by Mary Louise Kelly

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Talking Volumes: A conversation with Claudia Rankine

Talking Volumes: A conversation with Claudia Rankine

Kerri Miller hosts a conversation with poet, playwright, bestselling author, MacArthur Fellow, and Yale professor Claudia Rankine about her new collection “Just Us: An American Conversation.”
by Kerri Miller

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Phil Klay's new 'Missionaries' is an ambitious novel of ideas

Phil Klay's new 'Missionaries' is an ambitious novel of ideas

Klay won acclaim for his debut story collection “Redeployment,” about the experiences of soldiers. His long awaited novel looks at how America has developed and exported the idea of a war on terror.
by Lily Meyer

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Nobel literature prize awarded to U.S. poet Louise Glück

Nobel literature prize awarded to U.S. poet Louise Glück

The 2020 Nobel Prize in literature was awarded to the U.S. poet Louise Glück "for her unmistakable poetic voice that with austere beauty makes individual existence universal."
by Petra Mayer and Mark Katkov

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
'Addie LaRue' is invisible — but memorable

'Addie LaRue' is invisible — but memorable

Addie LaRue was born in France 400 years ago — but nobody remembers that. She made a supernatural deal for immortality at the cost of permanent anonymity, so she tries to leave a mark however she can.
by Caitlyn Paxson

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
NPR's Tom Gjelten on America's immigration story

NPR's Tom Gjelten on America's immigration story

NPR reporter Tom Gjelten speaks about America’s immigration history, as part of the Peace and Justice Series hosted by the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth.

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!