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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.

'The Book of Joan' recasts a historic heroine--in space

'The Book of Joan' recasts a historic heroine--in space

Lidia Yuknavitch's fascination with Joan of Arc informs her new novel, set in a grim future where humanity is sexless and ageless, prisoners in a technological hell ruled by a malevolent billionaire.
by Lulu Garcia-Navarro

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An underground library and the perfect mystery

An underground library and the perfect mystery

Cynthia Justus owns the westernmost bookstore in the entire United States, in Kauai, Hawaii. There's one book she's been recommending to readers for almost a decade.
by Tracy Mumford

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Fitzgerald didn't satisfy this author, so she wrote her own 'Gatsby'-inspired novel

Fitzgerald didn't satisfy this author, so she wrote her own 'Gatsby'-inspired novel

Stephanie Powell Watts' 'No One Is Coming to Save Us' isn't quite a retelling of 'The Great Gatsby'; instead, it uses similar themes to tell a story about black characters in a declining furniture town.
by Ari Shapiro

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Poetry Friday: War, water and migration

Poetry Friday: War, water and migration

To celebrate National Poetry Month, we are showcasing weekly poems from Graywolf Press, Milkweed Editions and Coffee House Press.
by Tracy Mumford

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All roads lead back to Florida in 'Sunshine State'

All roads lead back to Florida in 'Sunshine State'

Sarah Gerard's lucid, atmospheric essay collection draws on her experiences growing up in Florida for a candid memoir that mixes first-person memories with thoughtful big-picture reporting.
by Jason Heller

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File this under nostalgia: New book pays tribute to the library card catalog

File this under nostalgia: New book pays tribute to the library card catalog

Today, people use the antique wooden cabinets to store their knick-knacks. But these card catalogs once held the keys to a world of information. A new Library of Congress book explores their history.
by Andrew Limbong

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File this under nostalgia: New book pays tribute to the library card catalog

File this under nostalgia: New book pays tribute to the library card catalog

Today, people use the antique wooden cabinets to store their knick-knacks. But these card catalogs once held the keys to a world of information. A new Library of Congress book explores their history.
by Andrew Limbong

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Trump's win changed the game for publishers on the left and the right

Trump's win changed the game for publishers on the left and the right

For years, conservative publishers thrived as their readers flocked to books aimed directly at taking down the party in power. Now, with Republicans in control, they have to rethink their strategy.
by Lynn Neary

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The Thread Live: 2017 authors announced

The Thread Live: 2017 authors announced

The Thread's 2017 season of author interviews has been announced: Four writers will bring discussions of identity, equality, friendship, hardship and buried history to the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul

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