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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.

In 'The Pictures,' the story slips out of focus

In 'The Pictures,' the story slips out of focus

With "The Pictures," British author Guy Bolton kicks off a mystery series set in classic-era Hollywood. He's clearly done his research on 1930s America, but sometimes all that detail obscures the story.
by Bethanne Patrick

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Thread Book Hour: Conversations with Claire Messud and Nicole Krauss

Thread Book Hour: Conversations with Claire Messud and Nicole Krauss

MPR News host Kerri Miller interviews novelists Claire Messud and Nicole Krauss about two of the most highly acclaimed books of 2017, "The Burning Girl" and "Forest Dark."
by MPR News Staff

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St. Paul poet Danez Smith shines in the national spotlight

St. Paul poet Danez Smith shines in the national spotlight

Danez Smith's latest collection, "Don't Call Us Dead," just landed on the longlist for the National Book Award. The collection explores what it's like to be young, black and gay in America.
by Marianne Combs and MPR News Staff

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St. Paul writer Vince Flynn hits the big screen

St. Paul writer Vince Flynn hits the big screen

Coming years after his death, the release of the film "American Assassin" is an emotional event for the author's family.
by Euan Kerr

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Author Attica Locke: In America, we walk 'side by side' with our past

Author Attica Locke: In America, we walk 'side by side' with our past

Attica Locke's novel 'Bluebird, Bluebird' is set in Texas where her family roots stretch back to slavery. The family didn't go north during the Great Migration, she explains: 'We said: No, Texas is ours, too.'
by Rachel Martin

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A sequel to 'Wind in the Willows'? It's delightful

A sequel to 'Wind in the Willows'? It's delightful

Kij Johnson works fresh magic with an old story in 'The River Bank,' a sequel to 'The Wind in the Willows' that introduces two new characters, Miss Mole and Miss Rabbit, but keeps the original's charm.
by Amal El-Mohtar

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'History of Wolves' bears down on the Booker

'History of Wolves' bears down on the Booker

Win or lose, the book's Minnesota author is enjoying a major honor.
by Euan Kerr

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Man Booker Prize shortlist announced

Man Booker Prize shortlist announced

The 2017 nominees for the U.K.'s top literary prize include a hefty dose of marquee authors, such as Paul Auster. But the list also features a pair of debuts, from Minnesota native Emily Fridlund and from Fiona Mozley.
by Colin Dwyer

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Reporter Katy Tur shares her 'Front-Row' view of the Trump campaign

Reporter Katy Tur shares her 'Front-Row' view of the Trump campaign

Tur was at a rally in South Carolina when Trump called her name and pointed at her from the podium. Then, she says, "The entire place turns and they roar as one ... like a giant, unchained animal."
by Terry Gross

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In 'Damascus,' a chilling mystery with a personal connection

In 'Damascus,' a chilling mystery with a personal connection

Deborah Campbell's 'A Disappearance in Damascus' is both a taut detective story and an intimate account of friendship during war -- and that's before our reviewer discovered her own part in the story.
by Deborah Amos

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