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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. 

What happens when two enemies fall in love?

What happens when two enemies fall in love?

A love story between a black Army nurse and a German POW during World War II? You couldn't make that story up -- and Alexis Clark, author of the upcoming book, "Enemies in Love," didn't.
by Karen Grigsby Bates

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What's going on in your child's brain when you read them a story?

What's going on in your child's brain when you read them a story?

There are many ways young children encounter stories. A new study finds a "Goldilocks effect," where a cartoon may be "too hot" and audiobooks "too cold" for learning readers.
by Anya Kamenetz

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In '84K,' every life -- and every death -- has a price

In '84K,' every life -- and every death -- has a price

Claire North's new gut-punch of a novel takes place in a dystopian world where one monster corporation controls England, every service is privatized, and every life has been assigned a monetary value.
by Jason Sheehan

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American novelist Philip Roth, author of 'Portnoy's Complaint,' dies at 85

American novelist Philip Roth, author of 'Portnoy's Complaint,' dies at 85

Roth, one of the most influential novelists of the later part of the 20th century, is the author of "American Pastoral," which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, and 1969's "Portnoy's Complaint."
by Scott Neuman

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Rest in peace, Philip Roth, and thank you

Rest in peace, Philip Roth, and thank you

NPR's Susan Stamberg shares her favorite conversation with the writer, and what she did after she heard the news of his death.
by Susan Stamberg

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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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In 'Facts and Fears,' ex-spy boss Clapper comes in from the cold, badly chilled

In 'Facts and Fears,' ex-spy boss Clapper comes in from the cold, badly chilled

Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper recalls a lifetime of service in the spy business as he perceives Washington, D.C., crumbling around him.

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The vast and violent rural Northwest, in 'Come West And See'

The vast and violent rural Northwest, in 'Come West And See'

Maxim Loskutoff's collection of short stories picks at the tensions between city and country among everyday Westerners -- who find themselves living among heavily-armed separatist militias.
by Ari Shapiro

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