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. 

How to say no: 'Anti-Guru' Sarah Knight suggests you do less and live more
Knight has written a series of books about "mental decluttering" — her latest is called “F*ck No!” "Most people will take no for an answer much more easily than you think they will," she says.
Love of literature — and Algeria — illuminates 'Our Riches'
Kaouther Adimi's novel tells the real-life story of Edmond Charlot, the Algerian bookseller and publisher who witnessed his country's independence struggle — and famously discovered Albert Camus.
A flying photographer looks down on Earth in awe and sorrow
In his new book, “The Human Planet: Earth at the Dawn of the Anthropocene,” George Steinmetz offers a bird's-eye view of the mark humans have made on the global landscape.
A big, complicated family — and their mistakes — in 'All Adults Here'
Emma Straub's new novel is about a woman who realizes, at age 68, that there are a lot of things she wishes she'd done differently in her life — and the choices and mistakes that shape her family.
The Thread: Armchair travels for when we’re stuck at home
Many of us have canceled spring getaways and are starting to wonder if we’ll be sticking close to home this summer too. Kerri Miller shares three books that will transport you far away from home.
'How To Feed A Dictator' spills the beans on 5 strongmen
For his new book, Witold Szablowski tracked down the chefs who fed autocrats like Pol Pot, Enver Hoxha and Idi Amin. He says the book isn't just about food, but about how dictatorships rise and grow.