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. 

At the crossroads of travel and storytelling: A new bookstore blooms in St. Paul’s Union Depot
Story Line Books, a new bookstore at St. Paul’s Union Depot, opened on Sept. 28, offering a cozy spot for travelers with books, gifts and travel essentials, founded by former lawyer Danielle Miller.
Talking Volumes: Louise Erdrich on ‘The Mighty Red’
We could not celebrate 25 years of Talking Volumes without legendary Minnesota author Louise Erdrich. Her just-published new novel, “The Mighty Red,” is set in the Red River Valley where she grew up.
Kate McKinnon’s new middle-grade mystery is for all her fellow misfits
The SNL star says her new book is part of what she calls her “private mission to give a wink and a nod” to young people who might feel “different” — like she did — growing up.
Ask a Bookseller: 'Penance' by Eliza Clark
Kate Stern of Antigone Books in Tucson, Ariz., recommends "Penance" by Eliza Clark.
Talking Volumes: Alice Hoffman on ’When We Flew Away’
Novelist Alice Hoffman’s new middle grade book, “When We Flew Away,” imagines Anne Frank’s life before her family was forced into hiding. She joined MPR News host Kerri Miller on stage for Talking Volumes to talk about the emotional arc of re-creating Frank’s too-short life.
New cookbook from Minnesota support group merges grief and food
“Good Grief! What’s for Dinner?” is a collection of more than 200 recipes curated by the Grief Club of Minnesota. Annie Sperling helped put together the cookbook with her widow group at the Grief Club. She talked with MPR News host Cathy Wurzer about it.