Stay Curious. Stay Connected.
MailNewsletters♡Donate Now
Sign up
*Password must be at least 8 characters and contain one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter, one number and one symbol.
Already have an account?
By submitting, you consent that you are at least 18 years of age and to receive information about MPR's or APMG entities' programs and offerings. The personally identifying information you provide will not be sold, shared, or used for purposes other than to communicate with you about MPR, APMG entities, and its sponsors. You may opt-out at any time clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of any email communication. View our Privacy Policy.
Sign in to your profile
Forgot Password?
New to MPR News?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Reset Password

Enter the username on file and we'll send you a code to reset your password.

Still require assistance or not sure what your User Name is?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Email Verification

A verification code has been emailed to

Still awaiting the code?

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. 

'Soviet Daughter': How a great-grandmother's diary became a graphic novel

'Soviet Daughter': How a great-grandmother's diary became a graphic novel

After her beloved great-grandmother's death, author Julia Alekseyeva discovered her memoirs, bursting with rich details of her life in the USSR enduring wars, pogroms, and purges.

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
'Homesick': An edgy and gritty collection of short stories

'Homesick': An edgy and gritty collection of short stories

Bookseller Tom Lagasse recommends Ottessa Moshfegh's new book of stories, saying it's 'not for the faint of heart.'
by Tracy Mumford

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
'Human Acts' tries to reconcile bloody human impulses

'Human Acts' tries to reconcile bloody human impulses

In Han Kang's sharp, almost painfully sensitive new novel, set during and after South Korea's 1980 Gwangju student uprising, people spill blood -- but they also brave death to donate it.
by Annalisa Quinn

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
The history of poetry at presidential inaugurations

The history of poetry at presidential inaugurations

The tradition began with JFK and continued with presidents Clinton and Obama. To date, no Republican president has had poetry at his swearing-in.
by Tracy Mumford

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
A bookish tour through Obama's years in the White House

A bookish tour through Obama's years in the White House

As the current reader-in-chief finishes his term, we've gathered a list of many of the books Obama recommended, read and bought while in office.
by Tracy Mumford

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
In 'Homesick,' Ottessa Moshfegh makes the unlikeable understandable

In 'Homesick,' Ottessa Moshfegh makes the unlikeable understandable

The characters in Ottessa Moshfegh's new collection are cold, unfiltered, frequently pathetic -- all suffering from unease and nameless longing, made understandable by each perfectly-built story.
by Michael Schaub

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
The incredible story of two brothers kidnapped by the circus

The incredible story of two brothers kidnapped by the circus

Beth Macy's book, "Truevine," explores the century-old story of a pair of brothers who were forced into work as sideshow exhibits, and of their mother who tried to get them back.
by Kerri Miller and MPR News Staff

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
'Transit' is a journey you won't want to end

'Transit' is a journey you won't want to end

Rachel Cusk's latest -- the second in a trilogy that began with 'Outline' -- follows a writer unmoored by the breakup of her marriage, and the people she meets as she goes about her strange new life.
by Heller McAlpin

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!