The Thread® - Books and Literary News

The Thread from MPR 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.

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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. 

Tickets are now available for our 26th season. Join award-winning journalist and MPR News host Kerri Miller (and special guest host Catharine Richart) as they talk with authors including Stacey Abrams, Patricia Lockwood, Misty Copeland, John Grisham, and Kate Baer. 

How the 'lost art' of breathing can impact sleep and resilience
While researching his book, “Breath,” James Nestor participated in a study in which his nose was completely plugged for 10 days, forcing him to breathe solely through his mouth. "I felt awful," he says.
'A Burning' has booksellers talking
“This is a novel of modern India that should be required reading for anyone who reads to seek a greater understanding of the world,” said bookseller Emilie Sommer.
Pandemic makes evident 'grotesque' gender inequality in household work
With more people staying home due to COVID-19, journalist Brigid Schulte says it's impossible to ignore "the fact that women bear so much more of the burden of child care and housework."
Author Curtis Sittenfeld explores ‘what-if’ in ‘Rodham’
What if Hillary Clinton hadn’t married Bill Clinton? In her newest novel, “Rodham,” author Curtis Sittenfeld explores an alternate life for the former presidential candidate and secretary of state.
In 'Dark Mirror,' reporter concludes: 'Snowden did substantially more good than harm'
Edward Snowden handpicked Barton Gellman as one of three journalists he would work with to reveal government secrets. Gellman's book is an in-depth look at where he agreed and disagreed with Snowden.
'The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes' is a lackluster prequel to 'The Hunger Games'
While Suzanne Collins leaves readers uncertain of the answer to the question she poses in “The Hunger Games” — how much of character is innate, how much formed — it becomes painfully obvious here.