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The Thread® - Books and Literary 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. 

Keeping a famous theater's myth alive in 'Showtime at the Apollo'

Keeping a famous theater's myth alive in 'Showtime at the Apollo'

This new graphic adaptation of Ted Fox's history of the Apollo Theater captures countless electrifying performances, but goes easy on the grittier aspects of the fabled theater.
by Etelka Lehoczky

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Existential dread is deceptively simple in 'Mouthful of Birds'

Existential dread is deceptively simple in 'Mouthful of Birds'

Samanta Schweblin has a gift for treating the otherworldly with a matter-of-fact attitude; her new story collection proves that she's a master of elegant, uncanny fiction.
by Michael Schaub

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Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist explores flaws of the justice system

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist explores flaws of the justice system

In a new book, Edward Humes raises question after troubling question, pointing to frustrating subjectivity and the power of damning narratives that feed the ponderous process of criminal justice.
by Ilana Masad

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Childbirth injury led a new mom to start a parenting podcast 'to feel less alone'

Childbirth injury led a new mom to start a parenting podcast 'to feel less alone'

Hillary Frank struggled after a childbirth injury left her in chronic pain for months. Her podcast 'The Longest Shortest Time,' and her book 'Weird Parenting Wins' aim to give other parents a voice.
by Terry Gross

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Suspenseful 'Water Cure' dips into 2019's dystopian zeitgeist

Suspenseful 'Water Cure' dips into 2019's dystopian zeitgeist

Sophie Mackintosh's debut novel centers on four women living in a decrepit hotel on an isolated island. Critic Maureen Corrigan says the book is 'everything this age seems to be demanding.'
by Maureen Corrigan

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Freed from copyright, these classic works are yours to adapt

Freed from copyright, these classic works are yours to adapt

For the first time in 20 years, a large body of films, music, and books has entered the public domain. That means they can be reworked by new creators in conversation with the originals.
by Milton Guevara

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'Amsterdam Noir' finds its darkness inside us

'Amsterdam Noir' finds its darkness inside us

Akashic Books' Noir series continues with a visit to Amsterdam -- and finding the shadowy side of a peaceful city where crime is low proves a challenge for editors Rene Appel and Josh Pachter.
by Gabino Iglesias

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A new novel makes the 'Sugar Run' out of jail and back to West Virginia

A new novel makes the 'Sugar Run' out of jail and back to West Virginia

Mesha Maren's debut book follows a queer woman trying to restart her life and return to rural Appalachia. For the author, it's a place sometimes 'difficult to love,' but loved with 'extra fierceness.'

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The spirit tells the story in 'Orchestra of Minorities'

The spirit tells the story in 'Orchestra of Minorities'

Chigozie Obioma's latest novel is a love story, a story of exile, a mix of classical tragedy and Igbo folklore, narrated by a chi -- a guardian spirit that refers to Obioma's protagonist as its host.

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