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.

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. 

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. 

Lindsey Vonn memoir 'Rise: My Story' coming next year
The retired alpine skiing champion will describe her "epic journey" from childhood in Minnesota to international fame; her achievements, including 82 World Cup wins and three Olympic medals; and the injuries ranging from fractures near her left knee joint to a broken arm, that made her decide to quit.
'All The Rage' isn't about moms having it all -- it's about moms doing it all
Psychologist Darcy Lockman says there's been progress since the 1950s, but equal partnerships are a long way off. Her book All the Rage explores the uneven distribution of childcare and domestic labor.
Take a breath and dive into 'Exhalation'
Ted Chiang's new collection is jammed with brilliant ideas -- but it also makes time to take one single fascinating notion and examine it in depth, in stories that are never too long or too short.
In 'Upheaval,' Jared Diamond examines crisis resolution through a personal lens
The Pulitzer prize-winning author draws from history and psychology, theorizing that nations in crisis can learn from the experiences of people in crisis -- and looks for a path forward for the U.S.