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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. 

Take 'The Unadoptables' home for a rollicking adventure

Take 'The Unadoptables' home for a rollicking adventure

Hana Tooke creates a memorable villain, Matron Gassbeek, who menaces the feisty orphans of The Unadoptables in the grand tradition of awful authority figures like Miss Trunchbull and Viola Swamp.
by Juanita Giles

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'Utopia Avenue,' the greatest sixties band that never was

'Utopia Avenue,' the greatest sixties band that never was

David Mitchell's new novel chronicles the rise and fall of fictional 1960s psychedelic rock band. He says he was drawn to both the music and the "dark magic that was in the air" in that era.
by Scott Simon

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You know how 'Survivor Song' will end. It's still horrifying.

You know how 'Survivor Song' will end. It's still horrifying.

Paul Tremblay's new novel, about a viral outbreak that locks down New England, hits close to home. Taking place over just a few hours, it's both a zombie horror tale and a focused, personal drama.
by Jason Sheehan

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Asian American girls saw pivotal icon in 'Baby-Sitters Club'

Asian American girls saw pivotal icon in 'Baby-Sitters Club'

Claudia Kishi happened to be everything the "model minority" stereotype wasn't. She got bad grades. She thrived in art and fashion. She wasn't struggling to belong. For those reasons and more, Asian American girls in the '80s and '90s idolized Claudia and felt seen in teen fiction.
by The Associated Press

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Dana Canedy is 1st Black person to head major publishing imprint

Dana Canedy is 1st Black person to head major publishing imprint

Simon & Schuster has named Dana Canedy executive vice president and publisher of its namesake imprint. She is the first Black person and the third woman to hold that position.
by Rachel Martin

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If surprise makes a great novel, 'Antkind' is a great novel

If surprise makes a great novel, 'Antkind' is a great novel

Charlie Kaufman's doorstopper new novel could only have been written by Charlie Kaufman — which may seem vague, but we promise it fits the unapologetic, overstuffed “Antkind” perfectly.
by Gabino Iglesias

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2020 Aspen Ideas Festival: Erik Larson on 'The Splendid and the Vile' and Walter Isaacson on 'The Code Breaker'

2020 Aspen Ideas Festival: Erik Larson on 'The Splendid and the Vile' and Walter Isaacson on 'The Code Breaker'

Erik Larson and Walter Isaacson speak at the 2020 Aspen Ideas Festival about their books, “The Splendid and the Vile” and “The Code Breaker: The Tale of Jennifer Doudna, CRISPR and the Future of the Human Race.” Mitt Romney speaks about the U.S.-China relations.
by MPR News Staff

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Regardless of what you think, 'irregardless' is a word

Regardless of what you think, 'irregardless' is a word

Grammarians are up in arms over dictionaries including "irregardless." The Merriam-Webster dictionary responds: "We do not make the English language, we merely record it."
by James Doubek

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