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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. 

'The Unbanking of America': When banks aren't the best option

'The Unbanking of America': When banks aren't the best option

The traditional banking system is no longer meeting the needs of Americans who live paycheck-to-paycheck, Lisa Servon argues in her new book.
by MPR News Staff

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Horror tropes and human sadness in 'Universal Harvester'

Horror tropes and human sadness in 'Universal Harvester'

Musician and author John Darnielle's new "Universal Harvester" follows three connected stories in three different eras, in an unsettling fairy tale about mysterious images that appear on video tapes.
by Carmen Maria Machado

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What it's like to have -- and lose -- a sister

What it's like to have -- and lose -- a sister

Bookseller Sarah Bagby recommends Sheila Kohler's memoir about her close bond with her older sister, and choices and events that separated them.
by Tracy Mumford

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Fires burn -- at a distance -- in unnerving 'Separation'

Fires burn -- at a distance -- in unnerving 'Separation'

Katie Kitamura's new novel follows an unnamed narrator who tails her estranged, disappeared husband to Greece -- while keeping the ominous surroundings and disquieting emotions at a cool remove.
by Annalisa Quinn

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George Saunders re-imagines a president's grief with 'Lincoln in the Bardo'

George Saunders re-imagines a president's grief with 'Lincoln in the Bardo'

The acclaimed short-story writer sets his first novel in the cemetery where 11-year-old Willie Lincoln was buried. Critic Maureen Corrigan calls Lincoln in the Bardo "searing, inventive and bizarre."
by Maureen Corrigan

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When writing about a gay detective felt 'like I was writing science fiction'

When writing about a gay detective felt 'like I was writing science fiction'

Ellen Hart published her first mystery novel in 1989, featuring a gay detective, Jane Lawless. It was such a stretch for some people that "it felt like I was writing science fiction," Hart said.
by Tracy Mumford

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A poetry preview for 2017

A poetry preview for 2017

2017 is turning out to be a year of big change. Critic Craig Teicher highlights some of the poetry that can help guide readers through it.
by Craig Morgan Teicher

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Memory and loss haunt the stories in 'The Refugees'

Memory and loss haunt the stories in 'The Refugees'

Viet Thanh Nguyen's new collection looks at how it feels and what it means to be a refugee. It's a wonderful group of stories that prove fiction can do more than tell stories, it can bear witness.
by Michael Schaub

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From Seussian to snollygoster, Merriam-Webster adds over 1,000 new words

From Seussian to snollygoster, Merriam-Webster adds over 1,000 new words

Among the words and phrases added to Merriam-Webster's dictionary are "side-eye," "face-palm" and "Seussian" -- as well as the decidedly Seussian "snollygoster," which has been enjoying a revival.
by Colin Dwyer

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What's the next big dystopian novel? Margaret Atwood has some ideas

What's the next big dystopian novel? Margaret Atwood has some ideas

Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale" landed on top of Amazon's best-seller lists this week, following other classics like "1984" and "It Can't Happen Here." She has some thoughts on our next great dystopia.
by Petra Mayer

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