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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.

Thread Book Hour: David Grann, 'Killers of the Flower Moon'

Thread Book Hour: David Grann, 'Killers of the Flower Moon'

Best-selling author David Grann tells the story of a little-remembered crime that modernized investigative procedure in the United States.
by MPR News Staff

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In 'A State of Freedom,' be careful what you wish for

In 'A State of Freedom,' be careful what you wish for

The characters Neel Mukherjee's new novel all want better lives, and -- to say the least -- they're seldom rewarded. 'A State of Freedom' is a dark, brutal read, but also surprisingly beautiful.
by Michael Schaub

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'He lost his mind,' Trump says after Bannon reportedly slammed Russian meeting

'He lost his mind,' Trump says after Bannon reportedly slammed Russian meeting

"Even if you thought that this was not treasonous," President Trump's former chief strategist is quoted as saying, "... you should have called the FBI immediately."

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Minnesota teen's book explores injustice of India's caste system

The self-published book, "Free Birds," takes place in India in the 1750s, where the caste system divides people into social categories. It follows a young girl named Navya who is born into an upper rank.
by Kirsti Marohn

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A is for appreciation: How Sue Grafton helped transform the mystery genre

A is for appreciation: How Sue Grafton helped transform the mystery genre

Grafton revolutionized what had become fossilized formula fiction. She tossed out the genre's sexist, racist and nativist cliches and helped make the detective novel matter again.
by Maureen Corrigan

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That time you fell in love with a mutant potato

That time you fell in love with a mutant potato

Rot is a super confident and very friendly mutant potato who is bound and determined to win "The Cutest in the World" contest. Bookseller Moira Koskey said Rot's story is one of her favorite picture books of the year.
by Tracy Mumford

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Sue Grafton, writer of popular 'alphabet' mysteries, dies

Sue Grafton, writer of popular 'alphabet' mysteries, dies

Grafton was the author of the so-called Kinsey Millhone Alphabet Series in which each book title begins with a letter from the alphabet.
by Associated Press

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Definition mission: A rhyming limerick for each English word

Definition mission: A rhyming limerick for each English word

The Omnificent English Dictionary in Limerick Form (or OEDILF for short) has published more than 97,000 rhyming definitions since Chris Strolin started it in 2004.
by The Associated Press

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