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The Thread® - Books and Literary News

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

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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.

Talking Volumes 27th season announced for fall 2026

Talking Volumes 27th season announced for fall 2026

Talking Volumes, a collaboration between MPR News and the Minnesota Star Tribune, returns for a landmark 27th season at a new location, the O’Shaughnessy Auditorium at St. Catherine University in St. Paul.
by MPR News Staff

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Big Books and Bold Ideas hits the road. First stop: 'The Road to Tender Hearts'

Big Books and Bold Ideas hits the road. First stop: 'The Road to Tender Hearts'

Big Books and Bold Ideas is embarking on a three-week virtual road trip, talking with authors who’ve written about this scenic, sometimes quirky and often eye-opening way to see America.
by Kerri Miller and Kelly Gordon

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Hamline Midway Library grand opening Saturday after three years of litigation, construction

Hamline Midway Library grand opening Saturday after three years of litigation, construction

The new one-story library replaced a more than 90-year-old building that was demolished in 2025. Construction was delayed after a community group sued to preserve the historic building. The new library includes some original elements from the previous structure.
by Nina Moini and Aleesa Kuznetsov

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Ask a Bookseller: ‘Astronaut’ by Oana Aristide

Ask a Bookseller: ‘Astronaut’ by Oana Aristide

It’s part detective novel, part coming-of-age, set in a political environment where official lies are proclaimed as truth.
by Emily Bright

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The extraordinary American history behind the very first baseball All-Star Game

The extraordinary American history behind the very first baseball All-Star Game

When MLB’s All Stars take the field in Philadelphia next week, they’ll be carrying on the legacy of the very first “game of the century.” This week, Big Books and Bold Ideas continues its celebration of American history and culture with a look back at the extraordinary history surrounding the first All-Star Game, chronicled in journalist Randall Sullivan’s new book.
by Kerri Miller and Kelly Gordon

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Skateboarding, snowboarding: New magazine builds Ojibwe vocabulary, highlighting contemporary hobbies

Skateboarding, snowboarding: New magazine builds Ojibwe vocabulary, highlighting contemporary hobbies

A monolingual magazine written in the Ojibwe recently published its first volume. The magazine is expanding Ojibwe vocabulary through narratives, poems and other works which focus on topics not typically associated with the Ojibwe culture.
by Chandra Colvin

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Aired grievances: Robert Parkinson on forefathers' frustrations in 'Tyrants and Rogues'

Aired grievances: Robert Parkinson on forefathers' frustrations in 'Tyrants and Rogues'

If you think we’re living in the age of grievance politics, have you seen the Declaration of Independence? Historian and professor Robert Parkinson takes a deep dive into the grievances of America’s forefathers, which he says gives us unique insight into who we were — and who we are today.
by Kerri Miller and Kelly Gordon

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