Stay Curious. Stay Connected.
MailNewsletters♡Donate Now
Sign up
*Password must be at least 8 characters and contain one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter, one number and one symbol.
Already have an account?
By submitting, you consent that you are at least 18 years of age and to receive information about MPR's or APMG entities' programs and offerings. The personally identifying information you provide will not be sold, shared, or used for purposes other than to communicate with you about MPR, APMG entities, and its sponsors. You may opt-out at any time clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of any email communication. View our Privacy Policy.
Sign in to your profile
Forgot Password?
New to MPR News?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Reset Password

Enter the username on file and we'll send you a code to reset your password.

Still require assistance or not sure what your User Name is?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Email Verification

A verification code has been emailed to

Still awaiting the code?

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. 

Minnesota's Gretchen Carlson on how to confront, report and end sexual harassment

Minnesota's Gretchen Carlson on how to confront, report and end sexual harassment

Anoka native Gretchen Carlson found fame as Miss America 1989. Her name filled headlines again last summer when she sued Fox for sexual harassment. Her new book, "Be Fierce," offers practical advice for women dealing with workplace harassment.
by Tom Weber, MPR News Staff and Tracy Mumford

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Log inCreate a free Account

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Dan Buettner on the happiest places in the world

Dan Buettner on the happiest places in the world

Pleasure, purpose and pride: Those are three paths to a happy life, the author says. In his latest book, Buettner examines the places where people live the happiest lives -- Denmark, Singapore and Costa Rica -- and what sets them apart.
by MPR News Staff

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Log inCreate a free Account

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
'Death in the Air' revisits 5 days when London was choked by poisonous smog

'Death in the Air' revisits 5 days when London was choked by poisonous smog

Kate Winkler Dawson's new book chronicles The Great Smog of 1952, when moist air from the Gulf Stream stalled for days over London, mixing with poisonous gases and causing more than 12,000 deaths.
by Maureen Corrigan

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Log inCreate a free Account

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
A mortician travels the world to 'find the good death'

A mortician travels the world to 'find the good death'

Caitlin Doughty, whose Los Angeles funeral home specializes in alternative ceremonies, traveled the world to collect stories about how different peoples send loved ones off to the great beyond.
by Renee Montagne and Samantha Balaban

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Log inCreate a free Account

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
'Quackery' chronicles our love of miracle cures -- and how it leads us astray

'Quackery' chronicles our love of miracle cures -- and how it leads us astray

Tobacco enemas? Mercury pills? Ice pick lobotomies? A new book explains how throughout history, miracle "cures" often didn't just fail to improve people's health, they maimed and killed.
by April Fulton

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Log inCreate a free Account

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Aspen Ideas Festival: The creative genius of Leonardo da Vinci

Aspen Ideas Festival: The creative genius of Leonardo da Vinci

Best-selling biographer Walter Isaacson has written a new book about a man who he says takes the cake as the "world's most creative genius": Leonardo da Vinci. He says "we can't be Newton. We can't be Einstein. But we can try to be more like Leonardo."
by MPR News Staff

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Log inCreate a free Account

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!