The Thread® - Books and Literary News

The Thread from MPR 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.

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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. 

Tickets are now available for our 26th season. Join award-winning journalist and MPR News host Kerri Miller (and special guest host Catharine Richart) as they talk with authors including Stacey Abrams, Patricia Lockwood, Misty Copeland, John Grisham, and Kate Baer. 

In 'Beyond Respectability,' a history of black women as public intellectuals
Brittney C. Cooper's history of black women thinkers traces decades of struggle against racism and misogyny. It's a crucial cultural study and a dense, serious read that rewards close attention.
David Sedaris on the life-altering and mundane pages of his old diaries
Sedaris' "Theft by Finding" is a collection of excerpts from those diaries. In it, he revisits major turning points, like how he met his longtime boyfriend and his decision to stop drinking.
An illustrated guide to master the elements of cooking -- without recipes
In her new cookbook, "Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat," Samin Nosrat says the key to good food is learning to balance those elements when cooking -- and to trust your instincts.
Sen. Al Franken embraces 'The Funny' again in new book
The Minnesota Democrat recounts his journey from "Saturday Night Live" to the Senate -- and explains why comedy works in confirmation hearings: "Comedians kind of get to the point in an effective way."