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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.

Welcome to 'The Collapsing Empire': Questions for John Scalzi

Welcome to 'The Collapsing Empire': Questions for John Scalzi

Prolific sci-fi author John Scalzi boots up a new universe in "The Collapsing Empire." It's set in a future where far-flung humanity's ability to travel and communicate between planets is under threat.
by Petra Mayer

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A first glimpse at "The Handmaid's Tale" adaptation

A first glimpse at "The Handmaid's Tale" adaptation

Hulu released the trailer for the adaptation of Margaret Atwood's classic dystopian novel. The full series launches on April 26.
by Tracy Mumford

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A memoir of deprivation, rain and penguins

A memoir of deprivation, rain and penguins

Nell Stevens retreated to a remote corner of the Falkland Islands in an attempt to write a novel. She came away with something better.
by Heller McAlpin

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'Lucky You' is a perfect balance of humor and tragedy

'Lucky You' is a perfect balance of humor and tragedy

Erika Carter's intelligent, unpretentious debut follows an aimless group of friends in their 20s, whose lives spin out of control during a supposedly detoxifying trip to a remote house in the country.
by Michael Schaub

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On the Irish identity in modern America

On the Irish identity in modern America

James Silas Rogers' new book asks: Is there still a distinct Irish identity in America?
by Tom Crann and MPR News Staff

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Are you addicted to your smartphone?

Are you addicted to your smartphone?

Behavioral addiction, especially to the new technologies so prevalent today, is the topic of Adam Alter's book "Irresistible." Alva Noe proposes two criteria that may determine addiction to technology.
by Alva Noë

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'Ice Ghosts' in the Arctic: How the long-lost Franklin expedition was found

'Ice Ghosts' in the Arctic: How the long-lost Franklin expedition was found

In the 1840s, two British crews vanished while seeking a passage through the ice at the top of the world. Paul Watson became "obsessed with the mystery" and tells the story in his new book "Ice Ghosts."
by Steve Inskeep

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In '2140,' New York may be underwater, but it's still home

In '2140,' New York may be underwater, but it's still home

Kim Stanley Robinson envisions a future that's closer than we like to think in 'New York 2140.' Sea levels 50 feet higher have swamped Manhattan, but there's a tiny thread of hope that we might float.
by Genevieve Valentine

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The story of 'The Other Einstein': His wife

The story of 'The Other Einstein': His wife

Bookseller Jodi Smits fell in love with the historical novel that delves into the life Albert Einstein's first wife, Mitza Maric.
by Tracy Mumford

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