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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.

A bill to make every American bear arms, in the novel 'Big Guns'

A bill to make every American bear arms, in the novel 'Big Guns'

Steve Israel's new satire imagines a world where the gun lobby holds enough sway to pass such legislation through Congress. As a former Democratic congressman, he knows the subject intimately.
by Michel Martin

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When Teddy Roosevelt went to the Amazon

When Teddy Roosevelt went to the Amazon

Bookseller Jinny Amundson pulls a good read from the backlist with a tale of adventure and Teddy Roosevelt.
by Tracy Mumford

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Poetry Friday: Three doses

Poetry Friday: Three doses

To celebrate National Poetry Month, The Thread is showcasing three poems from local independent publishing houses every Friday.
by Tracy Mumford

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Indie Bookstore Day: Where to go, what to read

Indie Bookstore Day: Where to go, what to read

We've compiled reading recommendations from 29 Minnesota bookstores. Bookstores around the state will be celebrating Saturday with sales, signings and other bookish treats.
by Tracy Mumford

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In 'You Think It, I'll Say It,' middle-aged moms get some respect

In 'You Think It, I'll Say It,' middle-aged moms get some respect

Curtis Sittenfeld's new collection gives sustained, compassionate attention to the inner lives of women -- middle-aged, middle-American, moms -- who are often dismissed and devalued in fiction.
by Annalisa Quinn

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A story of apathy in 'Red Clocks'

A story of apathy in 'Red Clocks'

Author Leni Zumas explores what it would be like if everyone gave up the fight for reproductive rights.
by Kerri Miller

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'Beneath a Ruthless Sun,' cruelty and injustice burn hot

'Beneath a Ruthless Sun,' cruelty and injustice burn hot

Gilbert King returns to Lake County, Fla., in his new book, which tells the tangled story of a rape accusation, a racist sheriff, and a mentally disabled white man railroaded and stuck in an asylum.
by Jean Zimmerman

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Asylum-seeking student says nothing can stand between him and poetry

Asylum-seeking student says nothing can stand between him and poetry

Allan Monga of Portland, Maine recently won the right to compete in the national Poetry Out Loud festival. He was initially barred because he's an asylum seeker and not a U.S. citizen.
by Ari Shapiro

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Autonomous weapons would take warfare to a new domain, without humans

Autonomous weapons would take warfare to a new domain, without humans

Former special operations agent Paul Scharre helped create U.S. military guidelines on autonomous weapons. His new book Army of None, looks at the advances in technology, and the questions they raise.
by Ari Shapiro

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