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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.

'Woolly' breathes new life into a scientific saga

'Woolly' breathes new life into a scientific saga

Ben Mezrich's taut, entertaining new book follows the men and women who have dedicated themselves to cloning the woolly mammoth, and maybe reversing some of the damage humans have done to the planet.
by Jason Heller

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'I want the pages to turn': Librarian Nancy Pearl's summer reading list

'I want the pages to turn': Librarian Nancy Pearl's summer reading list

Ahead of the July 4th weekend, the Seattle-based librarian shares a stack of eight recent favorites. She includes thrillers, mysteries, family sagas and an homage to the game rock, paper, scissors.
by Nancy Pearl

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'What would you do?' author wants to stop sensationalizing the Donner Party

'What would you do?' author wants to stop sensationalizing the Donner Party

In "The Best Land Under Heaven," Michael Wallis chronicles the saga of a band of pioneers who resorted to cannibalism after getting stranded en route West. He says "there's so much more" to the story.
by Dave Davies

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Paddington bear creator Michael Bond dies at 91

Paddington bear creator Michael Bond dies at 91

Publisher HarperCollins says Michael Bond, creator of globe-trotting teddy Paddington bear, has died aged 91. The publisher says Bond died Tuesday at his home after a short illness.
by The Associated Press

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In 'Amatka,' a warped and chilling portrait of post-truth reality

In 'Amatka,' a warped and chilling portrait of post-truth reality

Karin Tidbeck's new novel is set in the mysterious city of Amatka, an agricultural colony ruled by a totalitarian government -- but this is no standard dystopia. In "Amatka," language has strange power.
by Jason Heller

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'But Seriously,' tennis great John McEnroe says he's seeking 'inner peace'

'But Seriously,' tennis great John McEnroe says he's seeking 'inner peace'

Known for his on-court outbursts, McEnroe famously yelled, "You cannot be serious!" at one official. Now, decades later, he says it's a "miracle" if he goes a full day without hearing that line.
by Lulu Garcia-Navarro

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'Too Fat, Too Slutty' challenges cultural expectations of women

'Too Fat, Too Slutty' challenges cultural expectations of women

Anne Helen Petersen's new book is a thoughtful consideration of several public women -- from Nicki Minaj to Hillary Clinton -- who've run up against the invisible expectations our culture has of them.
by Annalisa Quinn

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Updating Frankenstein for the age of Black Lives Matter

Updating Frankenstein for the age of Black Lives Matter

The classic tale of the Monster resurrected from the dead gets a new treatment in Victor LaValle's new limited-series comic.
by Gene Demby

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'The Sarah Book' is an unsparing primal scream of a book

'The Sarah Book' is an unsparing primal scream of a book

Scott McClanahan's semi-autobiographical novel is packed with loss, pain and existential anguish, but his narrator -- also named Scott -- refuses to give up, no matter how often he's knocked down.
by Michael Schaub

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