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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.

George R.R. Martin really does know you want him to write faster

George R.R. Martin really does know you want him to write faster

Martin, who's working on the long-awaited sixth volume of his series A Song of Ice and Fire, rarely gives interviews — but NPR's Scott Simon recently caught up with him onstage at an awards ceremony.
by Scott Simon

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A story of the kidnapped children of Spain

A story of the kidnapped children of Spain

Bookseller Shirley Mullin recommends a deeply research novel about the children stolen from their parents under the Franco regime in Spain.

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The war on terrorism, through the eyes of 3 women at the CIA

The war on terrorism, through the eyes of 3 women at the CIA

After the 2001 al-Qaida attacks, the CIA ramped up counterterrorism operations. This included a surge in young, female recruits. Three have written new books about their secretive work.
by Greg Myre

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Alice Hoffman on love, loss and family in ‘The World That We Knew’

Alice Hoffman on love, loss and family in ‘The World That We Knew’

MPR News host Kerri Miller spoke with author Alice Hoffman as part of her Talking Volumes series at the Fitzgerald Theater. They discussed love and loss, what makes a family, and how we are shaped by those we cherish.
by Kerri Miller and Jeffrey Bissoy

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Edna O'Brien bears witness to horror in 'Girl'

Edna O'Brien bears witness to horror in 'Girl'

O'Brien's 19th novel is based on the real story of the Nigerian schoolgirls kidnapped by jihadist group Boko Haram in 2014. It's a painful and essential read that ends on a hopeful yet realistic note.
by Michael Schaub

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In 'Olive, Again,' Elizabeth Strout revisits an old friend

In 'Olive, Again,' Elizabeth Strout revisits an old friend

Ten years after her Pulitzer Prize-winning Olive Kitteridge, Elizabeth Strout returns to the town of Crosby, Maine, where ornery Olive is learning about compassion, connection, and her own self.
by Heller McAlpin

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