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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.

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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.

McCabe's 'The Threat' may be the darkest vision of Trump presidency yet

McCabe's 'The Threat' may be the darkest vision of Trump presidency yet

Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe said Thursday that top Justice Dept. officials discussed invoking the 25th Amendment. But his new book is about far more than that.
by Ron Elving

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'The Source of Self-Regard' speaks to today's social and political moment

'The Source of Self-Regard' speaks to today's social and political moment

Though the essays, speeches, and meditations in Toni Morrison's new nonfiction collection were written over the course of four decades, virtually every entry feels strikingly relevant now.
by Ericka Taylor

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'American Spy' is a unique spin on the Cold War thriller

'American Spy' is a unique spin on the Cold War thriller

Lauren Wilkinson's debut novel follows the life and career of an African American FBI agent who's recruited by the CIA to aid in the overthrow of a charismatic African leader.
by Michael Schaub

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Aspirations come up against economic hardship in 'Sounds Like Titanic'

Aspirations come up against economic hardship in 'Sounds Like Titanic'

In Jessica Chiccehitto Hindman's debut, she doesn't shrink from the systemic issues of an unfair economic system, but her personal story, with its unexpected twists, makes this memoir memorable.
by Martha Anne Toll

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Real life informs a tense trip in 'Lost Children Archive'

Real life informs a tense trip in 'Lost Children Archive'

Valeria Luiselli's twist on the great American road trip novel follows a family with two children on a grim odyssey through the Southwest, a vision of a country blighted by industry and prejudice.
by Heller McAlpin

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A neuroscientist explores the biology of addiction in 'Never Enough'

A neuroscientist explores the biology of addiction in 'Never Enough'

Growing up, Judith Grisel struggled with alcohol, marijuana and cocaine. Now as a neuroscientist, she's working to understand the biological basis of addiction. Her new book is "Never Enough."
by Terry Gross

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'How to Disappear' condemns online visibility without truly exploring it

'How to Disappear' condemns online visibility without truly exploring it

Akiko Busch sets out to argue against visibility, "the common currency of our time." But she neglects to expose why she dislikes social media and networked culture.
by Lily Meyer

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'Magical Negro' carries the weight of history

'Magical Negro' carries the weight of history

Morgan Parker's new poetry collection explores the ways African-American lives are affected by historical events, even though they may have happened decades or centuries ago.
by Mary Louise Kelly

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Lies are illegal in the 'Golden State' of Ben Winters

Lies are illegal in the 'Golden State' of Ben Winters

In his new book, the author imagines a world where officers known as Speculators track down liars, in a cross between a dystopian novel and a classic detective story.
by Lynn Neary

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'Enchantee' casts a delightful spell

'Enchantee' casts a delightful spell

Gita Trelease's new novel follows a young woman trying to support her family in Paris on the eve of the French Revolution, using trickery and a little real magic to disguise herself as an aristocrat.
by Caitlyn Paxson

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