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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. 

Photographer Pete Souza reflects on 8 years (and 1.9 million photos) of Obama

Photographer Pete Souza reflects on 8 years (and 1.9 million photos) of Obama

As the chief official White House photographer for President Obama, Souza sometimes shot more than 2,000 photos a day. "I was there all the time," he says. His new book is "Obama: An Intimate Portrait."
by Terry Gross

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'Radio Free Vermont' offers a modest proposal for resistance

'Radio Free Vermont' offers a modest proposal for resistance

Activist Bill McKibben answers his own call for topical fiction with "Radio Free Vermont," a gently surreal tale about a septuagenarian troublemaker who inadvertently sparks a secession movement.
by Jason Heller

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Baby's got mail: Free books boost early literacy

Baby's got mail: Free books boost early literacy

A simple, scalable way to reach kids before they enter school: You sign up and get a free book in the mail every month until your child turns 5.
by Maureen Pao

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'Invisible No More' examines police violence against minority women

'Invisible No More' examines police violence against minority women

Author Andrea Ritchie wants the incidents of police violence involving women of color and transgender women to get as much attention as black men and boys have received in recent years.
by Cheryl Corley

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In 'Bonfire,' Krysten Ritter digs up dirt both environmental and emotional

In 'Bonfire,' Krysten Ritter digs up dirt both environmental and emotional

The heroine of Ritter's new novel doesn't want to come home and face her dark secrets. Ritter says putting "messy women" on screen and on the page can help real women deal with their own issues.
by Lulu Garcia-Navarro

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'Mad Men' creator says writing a novel is nothing like TV writing

'Mad Men' creator says writing a novel is nothing like TV writing

Matthew Weiner's first novel is "Heather, the Totality." It's a character study of a well-to-do New York family -- and a violence-prone construction worker who becomes obsessed with their daughter.
by Lynn Neary

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A cookbook made for tiny, unconventional kitchens

A cookbook made for tiny, unconventional kitchens

Bookseller Katharine Nevins recommends a cookbook that features recipes dreamed up in the tiniest of spaces.
by Tracy Mumford

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'Beasts Made of Night' is the beginning of a great saga

'Beasts Made of Night' is the beginning of a great saga

Fantastic worldbuilding sets the stage in Tochi Onyebuchi's new novel, set in a bustling market city inspired by his Nigerian heritage. While the storytelling can be indecisive, the setting triumphs.
by Caitlyn Paxson

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Read beyond your comfort zone: Titles to stretch your mind

Read beyond your comfort zone: Titles to stretch your mind

Writer Gene Luen Yang tours the country encouraging kids to read beyond their comfort zones -- but adults can try that, too. Here are a few titles to get started.
by Kerri Miller and MPR News Staff

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