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® 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. 

Sleep scientist warns against walking through 'in an underslept state'

Sleep scientist warns against walking through 'in an underslept state'

"Human beings are the only species that deliberately deprive themselves of sleep for no apparent gain," says sleep scientist Matthew Walker. His new book is "Why We Sleep."
by Terry Gross

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

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

Show me!
Tom Hanks is obsessed with typewriters (so he wrote a book about them)

Tom Hanks is obsessed with typewriters (so he wrote a book about them)

The actor's new collection of short fiction -- his debut book as an author -- is called "Uncommon Type," and each story has something to do with the machine close to his heart.
by David Greene

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

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.

Like this?

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

Show me!
'Lady Killers:' Cherchez la femme fatale

'Lady Killers:' Cherchez la femme fatale

An FBI investigator once famously said "There are no female serial killers," but Tori Telfer sets out to prove him wrong with this gruesome new account of multiply-murderous women throughout history.
by Jean Zimmerman

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

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

Show me!
Exclusive first read: Philip Pullman's 'The Book Of Dust'

Exclusive first read: Philip Pullman's 'The Book Of Dust'

Philip Pullman returns to the world of his beloved Dark Materials trilogy in "The Book of Dust." We have an exclusive first peek at young protagonist Malcolm, his canoe, and the day his life changes.
by Petra Mayer

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

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

Show me!
How living in a library gave one man 'the thirst of learning'

How living in a library gave one man 'the thirst of learning'

Ronald Clark's father was a live-in custodian at a New York City library. Clark tells his daughter about growing up surrounded by stacks of books -- and how that shaped the man he would become.
by Heidi Glenn and Liyna Anwar

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

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

Show me!
Electrifying 'Power' flips the gender script to unsettling effect

Electrifying 'Power' flips the gender script to unsettling effect

For most of recorded history, men have held power over women. Naomi Alderman's new novel imagines a world where women suddenly have power -- actual electrical power -- to oppress, hurt and kill men.
by Michael Schaub

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

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

Show me!
Chris Jackson and the book industry's attempts to diversify

Chris Jackson and the book industry's attempts to diversify

Chris Jackson is revitalizing One World, a division of Random House known for publishing black authors. To celebrate, it's releasing Ta-Nehisi Coates' new book, "We Were Eight Years in Power."
by Lynn Neary

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

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

Show me!