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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.

'The Mothers': One of the most raved-about books of fall

'The Mothers': One of the most raved-about books of fall

In crafting her novel, Brit Bennett said she wanted to trace "how girls become women without mothers to guide them through that transformation."
by MPR News Staff

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'Arrival' author's approach to science fiction? Slow, steady and successful

'Arrival' author's approach to science fiction? Slow, steady and successful

The new film is based on a short story by Ted Chiang -- a 49-year-old technical writer based in Seattle. "Fiction writing is very hard for me," he explains -- and so Chiang takes his time.
by Neda Ulaby

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One way to bridge the political divide: Read the book that's not for you

One way to bridge the political divide: Read the book that's not for you

"We all need to be reading across the lines we've drawn in our lives," says the National Book Foundation's Lisa Lucas. She recommends two books to help readers do just that.
by Lynn Neary

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Ask a bookseller: Rediscovered Books in Boise

Ask a bookseller: Rediscovered Books in Boise

Bruce Delaney gave up his career as a physicist to open the bookstore. He normally reads a lot of history and science fiction, but a new YA book has caught his attention.
by Tracy Mumford

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How bookstores can bring us together

How bookstores can bring us together

"Bookstores are the perfect place for the conversation to begin about how we can understand different people's perspectives," said Oren Teicher, CEO of the American Booksellers Association.
by Tracy Mumford

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Weird, spirited 'Pieces of Soap' celebrates the essays of Stanley Elkin

Weird, spirited 'Pieces of Soap' celebrates the essays of Stanley Elkin

Elkin, who died in 1995, was known for his satirical takes on American culture. Critic Maureen Corrigan reviews a new collection of essays that showcases the freshness of Elkin's work.
by Maureen Corrigan

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A hospice chaplain shares what dying taught her about living

A hospice chaplain shares what dying taught her about living

Kerry Egan has sat at the bedside of many patients at the end of their lives, and she shares what she's learned in her new book, "On Living."
by MPR News Staff

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'Fish in Exile' is a chronicle of grief barely survived

'Fish in Exile' is a chronicle of grief barely survived

In Vi Khi Nao's new novel, a husband and wife are falling apart after losing their two children in a terrible accident. Nao's poetic chops are on full display in this immersive, difficult book.
by Carmen Maria Machado

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Make America bake again: A history of cake in the U.S.

Make America bake again: A history of cake in the U.S.

From the waste-not ethos behind Angel Food Cake, to the science fads that sparked chocolate cake, "American Cake" tells a story of immigration and ingenuity.
by Nina Martyris

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Minneapolis felon tries to trace his life's path in new memoir

Minneapolis felon tries to trace his life's path in new memoir

Zeke Caligiuri grew up in Minneapolis just as the city was earning the nickname "Murderapolis." He wrote his memoir behind bars, where he is serving a 34-year sentence for robbery and murder.
by MPR News Staff

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