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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.

Neil Gaiman on 'Norse Mythology': Looking for Thor's Hammer

Neil Gaiman on 'Norse Mythology': Looking for Thor's Hammer

Author Neil Gaiman first encountered the Norse gods in the pages of old Marvel Comics reprints, when he was 6 years old. Now, he's written his own versions of these ancient tales of gods and monsters.
by Petra Mayer

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'There is no good card for this': What to say when 'condolences' isn't enough

'There is no good card for this': What to say when 'condolences' isn't enough

Have you ever struggled with how to be there for a friend in pain? If so, you're not alone. Illustrator Emily McDowell says her new book is a "guide for how to show up ... after you've sent the card."

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'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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