Stay Curious. Stay Connected.
MailNewsletters♡Donate Now

The Thread® - Books and Literary News

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

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. 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.

Secrets of a teenage WWII spy in 'Transcription'

Secrets of a teenage WWII spy in 'Transcription'

The young protagonist of Kate Atkinson's latest historical novel finds herself working for British intelligence during the war -- and suddenly confronting that experience years later.
by Renee Montagne

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
How the Myers-Briggs personality test began in a living room laboratory

How the Myers-Briggs personality test began in a living room laboratory

"The language of type can be immensely clarifying," says author Merve Emre. In The Personality Brokers she describes how a mother-daughter duo started a multi-million dollar "people sorting" industry.
by Melissa Block

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
A 'fresh, unpredictable' Western with a strong female lead

A 'fresh, unpredictable' Western with a strong female lead

A powerful female character can be hard to find in Western fiction, but bookseller Aaron Cance recommends a novel which delivers just that.
by Tracy Mumford

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Javier Cercas uncovers the truth behind Spain's 'Impostor'

Javier Cercas uncovers the truth behind Spain's 'Impostor'

In his new book, Javier Cercas unravels the lies that created the life of Enric Marco -- a man who for years portrayed himself as a Holocaust survivor and Spanish Civil War hero.
by Ari Shapiro

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Investigative journalist aims to expose ills of privately run prisons

Investigative journalist aims to expose ills of privately run prisons

"American Prison" is the remarkable story of a journalist who spent four months working as a corrections officer -- and a horrifying exposé of how prisoners are treated by a profiting corporation.
by Michael Schaub

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
This rapper tried to use neuroscience to get over her ex

This rapper tried to use neuroscience to get over her ex

Dessa is a singer and writer from Minneapolis who spent years trying to fall out of love and get over her ex. Nothing seemed to help -- until she visited a research lab for a brain scan.
by Adam Cole and Ryan Kellman

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
'These Truths' looks at America through the promises of its beginning

'These Truths' looks at America through the promises of its beginning

By engaging with our country's past -- and present -- in an intellectually honest way, Jill Lepore has created a book that truly does encapsulate the American story in all its pain and triumph.
by Michael Schaub

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
'Accessory to War' is an uncomfortable wake-up call for some

'Accessory to War' is an uncomfortable wake-up call for some

An "unspoken alliance" between scientists and the military had been brewing for millennia prior to Hiroshima. Neil deGrasse Tyson and Avis Lang excel at detailing this union and its possible future.
by Marcelo Gleiser

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Activist DeRay McKesson on why he's making 'The Case for Hope'

Activist DeRay McKesson on why he's making 'The Case for Hope'

In his new book,"On the Other Side of Freedom: The Case for Hope," activist and author Deray McKesson tells his personal story and shares his thinking about activism.
by Michel Martin

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!