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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.

'Glass House' chronicles the sharp decline of an all-American factory town

'Glass House' chronicles the sharp decline of an all-American factory town

Once a bustling town, Lancaster, Ohio, is now beset by unemployment, low wages and drug abuse. Brian Alexander chronicles the rise and fall of his hometown in his new book, "Glass House."

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Athletes deliver life lessons for kids in 'Middle School Rules'

Sean Jensen wasn't thrilled with the "naughty" characters that turned up in his young son's books, so he decided to tap his sports reporting experience to write books featuring real-life role models.
by MPR News Staff

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A spacefarer's next great adventure begins at 'Home'

A spacefarer's next great adventure begins at 'Home'

Nnedi Okorafor's "Binti: Home" is the second installment in her series following a young woman with grand interstellar dreams, who now must reconcile her university experiences with her home culture.
by Amal El-Mohtar

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A family locks itself away after a series of murders

A family locks itself away after a series of murders

Bookseller Kendra Adkins recommends a novel from the underappreciated queen of haunting and horror, Shirley Jackson.
by Tracy Mumford

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1A: Revisiting James Baldwin

1A: Revisiting James Baldwin

Author and Civil Rights activist James Baldwin's legacy has affected American consciousness for decades. What's behind the resurgence of his work?

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What's life like for immigrant kids? 2 teen novels paint a sober picture

What's life like for immigrant kids? 2 teen novels paint a sober picture

"The Radius of Us" is about a young asylum seeker from El Salvador, and "Something in Between" follows a high schooler who's devastated when learns she and her family are living in the U.S. illegally.
by Lynn Neary

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