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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. 

'The Shades' is both psychological study and taut thriller

'The Shades' is both psychological study and taut thriller

Evgenia Citkowitz's new novel follows a family attempting to put their lives back together after a loss. The Halls hope their newly purchased country retreat will help -- but things soon go awry.
by Michael Schaub

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Raising kids who want to read -- even during the summer

Raising kids who want to read -- even during the summer

Long summer days leave lots of time for books. What's the best way to encourage kids to take advantage of that time?
by Cory Turner

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In Sauk Centre, moving 'Main Street' to Main Street

In Sauk Centre, moving 'Main Street' to Main Street

Nearly 100 years after the publication of "Main Street," some residents are working to preserve Nobel Prize-winning writer Sinclair Lewis' place in the town's history.
by Kirsti Marohn

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In 'Summerland,' spies take secrets to the grave -- and beyond

In 'Summerland,' spies take secrets to the grave -- and beyond

Hannu Rajaniemi's new book imagines an alternate 1930s in which ghosts are real, the afterlife is real -- and the disembodied mind of V.I. Lenin is trying to expand Communism from beyond the grave.
by Jason Sheehan

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Harlan Ellison, award-winning science fiction author, dies at 84

Harlan Ellison, award-winning science fiction author, dies at 84

The famous, and famously cantankerous, science fiction writer Harlan Ellison has died. Over a 6-decade career, he won multiple awards for his fiction and television writing.
by Linda Holmes

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Thread Book Hour: Gordon Marino on 'The Existentialist's Survival Guide'

Gordon Marino, author of "The Existentialist's Survival Guide: How to Live Authentically in an Inauthentic Age."

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On the 'Bad Blood' of Theranos

On the 'Bad Blood' of Theranos

Elizabeth Holmes, founder of the supposedly revolutionary blood-testing company Theranos, has been indicted for wire fraud and conspiracy. Reporter John Carreyrou tells the story in his new book.

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