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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.

What book do you wish had a sequel?

What book do you wish had a sequel?

The last page of your favorite book can be a heartbreak. What story do you wish had continued? What literary world do you wish you could revisit?
by Tracy Mumford

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'Payoff': What we don't understand about motivation

'Payoff': What we don't understand about motivation

There are some clear motivators in life: money, love, revenge. But there's more to motivation than these obvious factors, according to a new book from Dan Ariely.
by MPR News Staff

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'My year of guards and guns': Megyn Kelly on standing up to Trump and Ailes

'My year of guards and guns': Megyn Kelly on standing up to Trump and Ailes

In her book 'Settle For More,' the Fox anchor shares scary and empowering moments covering the 2016 campaign. But Kelly says she doesn't regret not going up against Roger Ailes earlier.

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Why do so many books have 'girl' in the title?

Why do so many books have 'girl' in the title?

"Gone Girl." "The Girl on the Train." "The Girls." "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo." What's behind all the "girl" titles?
by Tracy Mumford

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'The Art of Waiting': What is your fertility story?

'The Art of Waiting': What is your fertility story?

Belle Boggs spent five difficult and painful years trying to get pregnant. In her new book, she shares what she learned about the longing and the business of trying to become a parent.
by MPR News Staff

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Astronauts, octopuses, intrigue: A grab bag reading list

Astronauts, octopuses, intrigue: A grab bag reading list

From kidnapping to reincarnation, and cadavers to the Opium Wars, this reading list will take you down some strange, delightful and terrifying rabbit holes.
by Tracy Mumford

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Know thyself? 'Swing Time' says it can't be done

Know thyself? 'Swing Time' says it can't be done

The narrator of Zadie Smith's new novel is never named -- fitting, for a book about the illusions of identity and the ways people try and fail to know and define themselves.
by Annalisa Quinn

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'Prince of Cats' melds comics, hip-hop and Shakespeare

'Prince of Cats' melds comics, hip-hop and Shakespeare

Ron Wimberly's energetic re-working of Romeo and Juliet focuses on Tybalt, the 'Prince of Cats.' It mashes up wildly diverse elements into a fresh creation, the visual equivalent of a DJ's mix.
by Etelka Lehoczky

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'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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