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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.

Moving, memorable 'Today Will Be Different' balances humor and tragedy

Moving, memorable 'Today Will Be Different' balances humor and tragedy

Maria Semple's new novel centers on erratic, overworked mother Eleanor, who makes a promise before the book begins: Today will be different. And it is, but not the way she expected or hoped for.
by Michael Schaub

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From fire hydrants to rescue work, dogs perceive the world through smell

From fire hydrants to rescue work, dogs perceive the world through smell

Dogs can sniff out people, drugs, bombs, cancer, time of day, oncoming storms and much more. In her new book "Being A Dog," Alexandra Horowitz explores the mysteries and mechanics of canine noses

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2016: The year in celebrity memoirs

2016: The year in celebrity memoirs

Readers can dive into books from famous names this fall, from Ruth Bader Ginsburg to Bruce Springsteen.
by Tracy Mumford

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Why it took 'Forrest Gump' author nearly 20 years to write a new novel

Why it took 'Forrest Gump' author nearly 20 years to write a new novel

After "Forrest Gump" became a best-seller, Winston Groom says he ran out of good ideas for novels -- until now. His new book, "El Paso," is set during the Mexican Revolution.
by Tom Vitale

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For literary world, unmasking Elena Ferrante's not a scoop. It's a disgrace.

For literary world, unmasking Elena Ferrante's not a scoop. It's a disgrace.

An investigative journalist claims to have uncovered the true identity of a famously private novelist. Writers and readers alike have rejected the claims as an egregious, unnecessary intrusion.

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No, Ruth Bader Ginsburg does not intend to retire anytime soon

No, Ruth Bader Ginsburg does not intend to retire anytime soon

"I will retire when it's time," the 83-year-old Supreme Court justice said in an interview with NPR. She also shares wedding advice from her mother-in-law and reads a letter from her late husband.
by Nina Totenberg

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No, 'You Can't Touch My Hair' and other lessons from comic Phoebe Robinson

No, 'You Can't Touch My Hair' and other lessons from comic Phoebe Robinson

In her new book, the stand-up comic and podcast host writes about what it's like to be black and female in America. "Black hair seems to raise a lot of nonblack people's blood pressure," she writes.

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