The Thread® - Books and Literary News

The Thread® is your source for book recommendations and other literary news.

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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. 

'The Only Plane In The Sky' offers a powerful, graphic narrative of 9/11
When today's children someday ask "What was 9/11 really like?," Garrett Graff's book will be the answer: He vividly recounts the most upsetting and totemic moments — and critical, little-told others.
Smart, snarky 'Gideon The Ninth' swears her way through the stars
Tamsyn Muir's new novel is a sci-fi-horror-fantasy-romance mashup that's entirely its own thing, full of snark and darkness, sometimes deep and sometimes shallow, and unexpectedly heartbreaking.
On Mondays, MPR News host Kerri Miller shares her latest book recommendations on MPR’s Morning Edition. This summer, she’s been catching up on thrillers, and passed along a list of six favorites – both old and new.
2 women and a magical cat hit the road in 'Are You Listening?'
Magical realism can be tricky, but Tillie Walden gets it right in a spare yet powerful tale of two women on a road trip through West Texas who pick up a possibly magical cat.
“I rarely use the word ‘beautiful’ for fiction,” said bookseller Lillian Schmid. “But this is just really a beautiful novel.”
In 'Dear Haiti, Love Alaine,' Haiti comes alive as a character
Sisters Maika and Maritza Moulite tackle heavy issues in this novel about a girl who gets sent to live with her aunt in Haiti, and discovers more than she bargained for about the women of her family.