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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.

'Mariam Sharma' nails the fun road-trip vibe

'Mariam Sharma' nails the fun road-trip vibe

Summer is the season for road-trips, and "Mariam Sharma Hits the Road" makes for a saucy, yet emotional ride, following three Pakistani-American teens on a journey through the Deep South.
by Caitlyn Paxson

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What it took to get to Pluto

What it took to get to Pluto

NASA launched the New Horizons mission to Pluto in January 2006. It was a long-anticipated project that almost didn't happen.
by Kerri Miller and Suzanne Pekow

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In Bill Clinton's new thriller, a (fictional) president faces impeachment

In Bill Clinton's new thriller, a (fictional) president faces impeachment

"The President Is Missing" follows a commander in chief trying to thwart a cyberattack -- and not lose his job. Bill Clinton co-wrote the book with best-selling author James Patterson.
by Mary Louise Kelly

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An epic conversation draws to a close in 'Kudos'

An epic conversation draws to a close in 'Kudos'

Rachel Cusk's trilogy about a peripatetic writer and her many conversational partners winds up with "Kudos." The books are essentially plotless -- but there's plenty of joy to be found just in talk.
by Heller McAlpin

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Obama staffer looks back on his White House years: 'It can take a real toll'

Obama staffer looks back on his White House years: 'It can take a real toll'

Former Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes was 24 when he saw the collapse of the first tower on 9/11. He says that moment was a "fork in the road" that eventually led to the White House.
by Dave Davies

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Southern gothic 'Florida' spins tales of hurricanes, humidity and humanity

Southern gothic 'Florida' spins tales of hurricanes, humidity and humanity

Lauren Groff sets her new story collection in what she calls the "sunniest and strangest of states." Critic Maureen Corrigan says the tales are "brooding, inventive -- and often moving."
by Maureen Corrigan

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Recipes for a good story

Recipes for a good story

Rick Bragg's new book is filled with family recipes -- but the stories behind those recipes are the main event.
by Tracy Mumford

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What does Shakespeare have to do with 'energy?' (Trust us, there's a link)

What does Shakespeare have to do with 'energy?' (Trust us, there's a link)

In his new book, Richard Rhodes lays out an accessible and surprisingly optimistic history of energy by exploring the lives of scientists and inventors -- and a few unlikely people, like the Bard of Avon.
by Michael Schaub

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