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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. 

The poet Bao Phi, on creating a 'guidebook' for young Asian-Americans

The poet Bao Phi, on creating a 'guidebook' for young Asian-Americans

When Bao Phi was a child, there was little literature about Vietnamese refugees in the U.S. Phi hopes to change that with his new poetry book 'Thousand Star Hotel' and a forthcoming children's book.
by Kat Chow

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London literally stank in the summer of 1858 -- just ask Dickens and Darwin

London literally stank in the summer of 1858 -- just ask Dickens and Darwin

In 'One Hot Summer,' historian Rosemary Ashton follows Charles Dickens, Charles Darwin and Benjamin Disraeli through an unpleasant couple of months -- as the River Thames flowed with hot, smelly sewage.
by Robert Siegel

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We all live in the dark, but some of us live in 'The Dark Dark'

We all live in the dark, but some of us live in 'The Dark Dark'

Samantha Hunt's new story collection dissects the unique strangeness of women's lives, mixing eerie fantasy with solid literary sensibility and a knack for strange and lovely set pieces.
by Carmen Maria Machado

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In 'Meddling Kids,' the Scooby Gang grows up -- hard

In 'Meddling Kids,' the Scooby Gang grows up -- hard

Edgar Cantero's head-kick of a novel about damaged adults who used to be spunky kid detectives mixes bright, pulpy cartoon nostalgia with some seriously dark trauma-survivor subtext.
by Jason Sheehan

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'American Fires' tells a true story of love and arson in rural Virginia

'American Fires' tells a true story of love and arson in rural Virginia

In 2012 and 2013, Accomack County, Va., was plagued by arson. The culprits, it turned out, were a local man and his girlfriend. In a new book, journalist Monica Hesse tells their story.
by Michel Martin

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Dive into the twisted world of 18th century New York City

Dive into the twisted world of 18th century New York City

'Golden Hill' unfolds in 1746, mixing perfect plotting with fascinating history. 'When I finished it, I just wanted to turn it over and start again,' said bookseller Betsy Burton. 'It's the best read of the summer.'
by Tracy Mumford

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A favorite in waiting: Alison Bechdel's 'Dykes To Watch Out For'

A favorite in waiting: Alison Bechdel's 'Dykes To Watch Out For'

Alison Bechdel is one of the few cartoonists who appears twice on our list of 100 favorite comics and graphic novels -- but many readers overlooked her beloved cult strip "Dykes To Watch Out For."
by Etelka Lehoczky

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If Thoreau were alive, he'd be 'shouting from the rafters,' biographer says

If Thoreau were alive, he'd be 'shouting from the rafters,' biographer says

Henry David Thoreau, author of Walden and Civil Disobedience, was born 200 years ago in 1817. Biographer Kevin Dann says the philosopher's ideas about individual sovereignty remain relevant today.
by Tom Vitale

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