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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.

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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Book reveals Clinton campaign effectively controlled DNC as early as 2015

Book reveals Clinton campaign effectively controlled DNC as early as 2015

Donna Brazile, who took over as interim chairperson of the Democratic National Committee in the wake of hacked emails, says the Clinton camp and the party struck a deal to pay off lingering debts.

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Jann Wenner, 'Rolling Stone,' and the decline of rock 'n' roll

Jann Wenner, 'Rolling Stone,' and the decline of rock 'n' roll

Joe Hagan's "Sticky Fingers," compiled from unfettered access to "Rolling Stone" founder Jann Wenner, steadfastly avoids hagiography. It can't avoid a sad ending.
by Andrew Flanagan

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French graphic novel 'Satania' breaks new ground -- underground

French graphic novel 'Satania' breaks new ground -- underground

Halloween is a time for surprises, so it's a great time for "Satania," by Fabien Vehlmann and Kerascoet -- it's a thoroughly surprising story about a young girl searching for her missing brother.
by Etelka Lehoczky

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Tom Hanks and Matthew Weiner cross over into the world of fiction

Tom Hanks and Matthew Weiner cross over into the world of fiction

The actor and the "Mad Men" creator each recently published a book: Hanks' "Uncommon Type" is a short story collection and Weiner's "Heather, The Totality" is a novella about two upper-class New Yorkers.
by Maureen Corrigan

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In 'Long Way Down,' the ghosts of gun violence chill a plan for revenge

In 'Long Way Down,' the ghosts of gun violence chill a plan for revenge

Jason Reynolds' new book follows a 15-year-old who must make a crucial decision after the murder of his brother, all in the time it takes for an elevator to travel 60 seconds to the ground floor.
by David Greene

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An 'inventive and engrossing' memoir, 10 years in the making

An 'inventive and engrossing' memoir, 10 years in the making

The night before her father died, 18-year-old Jeannie Vanasco promised she would write a book for him. "The Glass Eye" is that book.
by Tracy Mumford

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