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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.

Women astronomers shine in 'The Glass Universe'

Women astronomers shine in 'The Glass Universe'

Dava Sobel's new book is a history of the unheralded women -- called computers, rather than astronomers -- who worked at the Harvard College Observatory, studying, cataloging and classifying stars.
by Heller McAlpin

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'A Poem for Peter' recalls one unforgettable 'Snowy Day'

'A Poem for Peter' recalls one unforgettable 'Snowy Day'

In 1962, Peter -- an African-American boy exploring his neighborhood after a snowstorm -- broke the color barrier in mainstream children's publishing. A new book pays tribute to author Ezra Jack Keats.
by Lynn Neary

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How America's 'pursuit of happiness' is making us feel worse

How America's 'pursuit of happiness' is making us feel worse

"I think in America, our expectations of what happiness should look like are very, very high," says Ruth Whippman, author of "America the Anxious." "Some might even say unrealistic."
by MPR News Staff

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Sweetly familiar fantasy with a twist in 'Of Fire and Stars'

Sweetly familiar fantasy with a twist in 'Of Fire and Stars'

Audrey Coulthurst's tale of a princess who falls in love with her intended prince's sister will remind you of fantasy novels you loved as a child -- all teen angst, horses and reluctant love.
by Caitlyn Paxson

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Which literary family do you belong to?

Which literary family do you belong to?

Is your family gathering more "Little Women" or "Game of Thrones"? Here's a round-up of literary families you'd love -- or hate -- to be a part of.
by Tracy Mumford

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Carrie Fisher opens up about 'Star Wars,' the gold bikini and her on-set affair

Carrie Fisher opens up about 'Star Wars,' the gold bikini and her on-set affair

In her new memoir, "The Princess Diarist," Fisher looks back on playing Princess Leia when she was 19 and reflects on her romantic involvement with her older, married co-star, Harrison Ford.

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Henry Ford's influence in Minnesota

Henry Ford's influence in Minnesota

From the oldest Ford dealership in the world to the ruins of the St. Paul assembly plant, Minnesota is home to a lot of Ford history.
by MPR News Staff

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New novel coming from 'Girl on the Train' author

New novel coming from 'Girl on the Train' author

Paula Hawkins' debut novel became an international best-seller last year. Riverhead Books just announced that her next suspense novel will be published in May.
by Associated Press

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