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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.

The best fantasy book ever published?

The best fantasy book ever published?

Bookseller Corey Mesler doesn't usually pick up fantasy novels -- but John Crowley's "Little, Big" won him over.
by Tracy Mumford

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The kids are alright: 'Youthquake' is Oxford word of 2017

Oxford Dictionaries is recognizing the power of the millennial generation with its 2017 word of the year: "youthquake." It's defined as "a significant cultural, political, or social change arising from the actions or influence of young people."
by The Associated Press

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'Stephen Florida' is a study in obsession -- and college wrestling

'Stephen Florida' is a study in obsession -- and college wrestling

Danilo Thomas recommends a novel about a hyper-focused college wrestler, which gives insight into "fringe, marginal sports and what drives people to commit their whole lives to accomplishing these things."
by Tracy Mumford

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A father's cruel mission to create 'The Only Girl in the World'

A father's cruel mission to create 'The Only Girl in the World'

Maude Julien's new memoir chronicles her extraordinary -- and awful -- childhood with fanatical parents determined to turn her into the ultimate survivor through deprivation, violence and endless tests.

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In a new novel, the 'Lost Prayers' of a teen bullied to death

In a new novel, the 'Lost Prayers' of a teen bullied to death

James Han Mattson's debut book, inspired by the real-life suicide of an outed young man, treats the Internet as both lifeline and paper trail of a tormented, small-town adolescence.

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'Wicked' author Gregory Maguire gets under the shell of 'The Nutcracker'

'Wicked' author Gregory Maguire gets under the shell of 'The Nutcracker'

Author Gregory Maguire made his name rewriting fairy tales. Now, he's taken on "The Nutcracker" -- a beloved holiday classic, yes, but one that Maguire says makes no sense as it's usually performed.
by Lulu Garcia-Navarro

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