The Thread® - Books and Literary News

The Thread from MPR 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.

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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. 

Tickets are now available for our 26th season. Join award-winning journalist and MPR News host Kerri Miller (and special guest host Catharine Richart) as they talk with authors including Stacey Abrams, Patricia Lockwood, Misty Copeland, John Grisham, and Kate Baer. 

Everything is fair game in 'Known and Strange Things'
Teju Cole's new essay collection covers politics, poetry, music and even Snapchat. "I love to live things," he says -- and he recommends Miles Davis as a cure for election season stress.
Creamed, canned and frozen: How the Great Depression revamped U.S. diets
During the Depression, cheap, nutritious and filling food was prioritized -- often at the expense of taste. Jane Ziegelman and Andy Coe, authors of "A Square Meal," discuss food trends of the time.
'Invisible Man': To be young and black in America
Mychal Denzel Smith's new book tears apart the limited cultural narratives that surround black men. Mixing personal stories with political critique, he asks: How can a young black man thrive in this country?
Ask a bookseller: SubText in St. Paul
Every week, we ask booksellers around the country about the books they can't put down. This week, Matt Keliher from SubText shares his favorite book of the year so far.
'Here Comes the Sun': A look at the other side of paradise
Nicole Dennis-Benn's portrait of Jamaica goes beyond what you'll find on a postcard. "Here Comes the Sun" tells the story of working class women determined to find their own piece of paradise.