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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. 

Murder is minimal in spooky 'Sabrina'

Murder is minimal in spooky 'Sabrina'

Graphic novelist Nick Drnaso's new book chronicles the aftermath of a murder in tightly-controlled, almost miserly panels that still manage to convey the horror of a senseless killing.
by Etelka Lehoczky

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The string quartet as chosen family in 'The Ensemble'

The string quartet as chosen family in 'The Ensemble'

In her debut novel, former cellist Aja Gabel follows four musicians as they come together and entertain ambitions to strike out on their own -- on and off stage.

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In 'Rock Steady,' Ellen Forney combines mental health advice, artistry and wit

In 'Rock Steady,' Ellen Forney combines mental health advice, artistry and wit

Following up on her instant-classic "Marbles" -- about her experiences with bipolar disorder -- cartoonist Ellen Forney lays out her coping strategies in warm, deftly-rendered and densely informative style.
by Etelka Lehoczky

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'A Shout in the Ruins' probes the lasting infections of war and slavery

'A Shout in the Ruins' probes the lasting infections of war and slavery

Kevin Powers' bleak, stunning new book is set in both the 1950s and the Civil War era. It's an intricately plotted look at the ways violence can shape a nation in ways that may not be recoverable.
by Michael Schaub

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'Reluctant Psychonaut' Michael Pollan embraces the 'new science' of psychedelics

'Reluctant Psychonaut' Michael Pollan embraces the 'new science' of psychedelics

Author Michael Pollan, who experimented with mushrooms, LSD and other psychedelics while researching his latest book, says: "I had an experience that was by turns frightening and ecstatic and weird."
by Terry Gross

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