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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.

'Here And Now And Then' is a perilous mix of parenthood and time travel

'Here And Now And Then' is a perilous mix of parenthood and time travel

In Mike Chen's debut novel, a time-traveling secret agent is stranded in the past and has to live out a normal life -- including a family -- that becomes a problem when he returns to his own time.
by Ilana Masad

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In 'Maid,' a single mother finds 'no way' to make it on minimum wage

In 'Maid,' a single mother finds 'no way' to make it on minimum wage

While raising her young daughter, Stephanie Land cleaned houses to scrape by. It was back-aching work and the pay -- $8.55 an hour to start, $9.25 an hour two years in -- just wasn't enough.
by Terry Gross

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In 'We Cast A Shadow,' the horrors are close to home

In 'We Cast A Shadow,' the horrors are close to home

Maurice Carlos Ruffin's razor-sharp new novel is set in a dystopian near future where race relations have deteriorated further and scientists have developed a procedure to "demelanize" black people.
by Michael Schaub

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'Merci Suarez' wins Newbery Medal, and 'Hello Lighthouse' draws Caldecott

'Merci Suarez' wins Newbery Medal, and 'Hello Lighthouse' draws Caldecott

The world of children's books gave out its most prestigious prizes Monday at the American Library Association's conference in Seattle. Works by Meg Medina and Sophie Blackall won the headline honors.
by Colin Dwyer

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'Team Human' stresses that the future lies in connection and cooperation

'Team Human' stresses that the future lies in connection and cooperation

Douglas Rushkoff's knowledge of digital technology shines in his new book, horrifying us with the capacities of the machines we've built -- and the ways they have been used against us.
by Adam Frank

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'99 Nights in Logar' is an Afghan adventure told in nested stories

'99 Nights in Logar' is an Afghan adventure told in nested stories

The novel is a coming-of-age journey, about a young boy chasing after a runaway dog. Author Jamil Jan Kochai says he hopes the book will counter some American misconceptions about Afghanistan.
by Lulu Garcia-Navarro

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Sulky, cynical 'Murderbot' is one of sci-fi's most human characters

Sulky, cynical 'Murderbot' is one of sci-fi's most human characters

In 'All Systems Red,' Martha Wells hides a delicate, nuanced, character-driven story under a veneer of robot fights and space murder -- and the titular Murderbot is the character doing the driving.
by Jason Sheehan

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