The Thread® - Books and 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.

March 27, 2017 10:03 AM

Forget F. Scott: In 'Z,' Christina Ricci tells Zelda Fitzgerald's story

There's a common misconception (popularized by Ernest Hemingway) that Zelda Fitzgerald ruined her husband's life. The truth, Ricci says, is much more complicated.

by Lulu Garcia-Navarro

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March 27, 2017 8:18 AM

Tale as old as time: The dark appeal of 'Beauty and the Beast'

Disney's new live-action extravaganza is just the latest retelling of this classic fairy tale. But why do Beauty and her Beast have such a hold on us? And why are there so many versions of their tale?

by Genevieve Valentine

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March 25, 2017 5:00 AM

'A little bit dark, a little bit odd, always absolutely beautiful': The short stories of Carys Davies

Bookstore owner Lisa Sharp doesn't usually pick up short story collections; she prefers a full-length novel. But Carys Davies's stories broke that streak.

by Tracy Mumford

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March 24, 2017 2:02 PM

If you break literature down by the numbers

Statistician Ben Blatt dumped the text of thousands of books into a database, and pulled out many revealing trends.

by Tracy Mumford

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March 24, 2017 11:16 AM

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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March 23, 2017 2:12 PM

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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March 22, 2017 1:04 PM

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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March 22, 2017 8:37 AM

'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