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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.

Editorial cartoonist Steve Sack on 36 years of commentary, caricature

Editorial cartoonist Steve Sack on 36 years of commentary, caricature

Pulitzer-Prize winning cartoonist Steve Sack has captured six presidents as well as countless governors, senators and representatives in his career. His new book is a look back at political history, in caricature.
by Tom Weber and MPR News Staff

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The backstories of the books you loved growing up

The backstories of the books you loved growing up

Bruce Handy's new book takes an emotional, intuitive look at the world of children's books, from 'Goodnight Moon' to 'Charlotte's Web,' which he calls 'a mastery novel of ideas' about life and death.
by Annalisa Quinn

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In 'The Stone Sky,' some worlds need to burn

In 'The Stone Sky,' some worlds need to burn

N.K. Jemisin won Hugo Awards for the first two volumes of her Broken Earth trilogy. 'The Stone Sky' is a powerful, timely finale to this story of a world built on oppression and exploitation.
by Amal El- Mohtar

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The case for short stories: 'How can you not be satisfied with this one perfect, delicious thing?'

The case for short stories: 'How can you not be satisfied with this one perfect, delicious thing?'

Bookseller Kathryn Harper tore through 'The Tower of the Antilles' in two days. The short story collection is 'ten different, interesting pieces that you put together,' she said.
by Tracy Mumford

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'Stay With Me' is a novel of commitment, culture and the struggle to conceive

'Stay With Me' is a novel of commitment, culture and the struggle to conceive

Set in Nigeria in the 1980s, Ayobami Adebayo's debut novel tells the story of a couple who desperately want to have a child, in a society where that's what's expected of them.

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What it's like to be an immigrant in a time of uncertainty

What it's like to be an immigrant in a time of uncertainty

Author Dina Nayeri left Iran when she was ten years old. In a discussion sparked by her new book, "Refuge," listeners called in to share their own stories of immigration, belonging and fear.
by Kerri Miller and MPR News Staff

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In 'Good Booty,' our hot and heavy love affair with pop music

In 'Good Booty,' our hot and heavy love affair with pop music

Sex is such an inextricable part of pop music, it's easy to overlook, but NPR Music critic Ann Powers rectifies that in her new book, a portrait of America's obsession with sex as it manifests in pop.
by Jason Heller

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How the books you read growing up still matter

How the books you read growing up still matter

Author Ann Hood absolutely devoured books as a child, and many still stick with her today. What book was a formative read for you, growing up?
by Kerri Miller and MPR News Staff

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'Home Fire' puts a topical spin on ancient Greek tragedy

'Home Fire' puts a topical spin on ancient Greek tragedy

Kamila Shamsie's new book -- beautifully written and paced -- updates the ancient story of Antigone to tell an explosive story of two families tangled together by love, grief and religious radicalism.
by Michael Schaub

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