The Thread® - Books and Literary News

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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.

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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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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. 

Ghosts, murder, forbidden love roam northern MN in Ojibwe writer's new novel
Dennis Staples' debut novel "This Town Sleeps" depicts the struggle of a gay Ojibwe man to accept a Native tradition where he rarely felt at home, while escaping a reservation he could never quite leave. Staples is a member of the Red Lake Nation.
Fast, complex and funny, 'Deacon King Kong' is a love letter to New York City
James McBride's latest novel starts with a shooting: A broken down preacher shoots the local drug dealer, who dodges at the last minute, losing an ear — and kicking off a chain of consequences.
Publisher drops Woody Allen's book after Ronan Farrow objects, employees walk out
On Friday afternoon, Hachette Book Group announced that it would no longer be publishing Allen's memoir. The decision comes after Farrow, who is Allen's son, said he could no longer work with HBG.
'Woman on the Edge of Time' still captivates
Gwen Danfelt recommends a speculative fiction novel first published in 1976 that remains starkly relevant for modern readers.
Minnesota's high school hockey tournament finally gets its own history book
“We wanted to fill a need that we thought the tournament deserved,” said “Tourney Time” co-author David La Vaque. The book highlights the 75-year tournament's memorable moments and great Minnesota players, including Herb Brooks, John Mayasich and Neal Broten.
Within a legacy of colonization, 'Postcolonial Love Poem' empowers Native voice
Poet Natalie Diaz returns, interrogating the lasting effects of colonization asking: If a colonizer's influence can't be eradicated from a culture, how can you push back against violence and erasure?
Droll wit and delightful details make 'Writers & Lovers' a winning read
Lily King's latest novel — about a young woman choosing between two loves while trying to live a creative life — proves literature doesn't have to be groundbreaking to be absolutely compelling.