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.

September 19, 2016 7:45 AM

Off the campaign trail, onto the gridiron: 5 sports books for fall

If you're tired of political competition, there's always athletic competition. And if your team stinks, we can offer sympathy and a selection of the year's best books about sports to ease the sting.

by Juan Vidal

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September 19, 2016 12:00 AM

Talking Volumes: Elizabeth Alexander on 'The Light of the World'

As part of the 2016 Talking Volumes series, Kerri Miller talks with Pulitzer Prize finalist Elizabeth Alexander, author of "The Light of the World." The event was held September 15, 2016 at the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul.

by MPR News Staff

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September 17, 2016 6:00 AM

Ask a Bookseller: Star Line Books in Chattanooga, Tenn.

This week, a bookseller bogged down by her busy schedule recommends a children's book that reaffirmed her love of reading.

by Tracy Mumford

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September 16, 2016 6:25 AM

In banned books scavenger hunt, the prize is literary 'smut'

The D.C. public library has hidden books throughout the city in stores, libraries and cafes. They're covered in black dust jackets with labels like FILTHY, TRASHY and PROFANE.

by Lynn Neary

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September 16, 2016 6:00 AM

How to start a bookstore from scratch

Milkweed Books will open its doors in Minneapolis Tuesday, but the staff has been building their inventory for months. How does a bookstore pick which books will fill the shelves?

by Tracy Mumford

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September 15, 2016 11:48 AM

2016 National Book Awards: Fiction

This year's fiction contenders bounce among Texas, Delhi and Bulgaria, and among football, friendship and corruption.

by Tracy Mumford

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September 13, 2016 5:42 PM

Award nominations put a spring in Graywolf's step

Four titles on the Minneapolis-based publisher's list advanced toward prestigious honors.

by Euan Kerr

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September 13, 2016 12:17 PM

2016 Man Booker Prize shortlist announced

The list of contenders was culled from 13 to six. On the list are a riotous satire, a brutal literary thriller, a generational family drama and more.

by Tracy Mumford

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September 13, 2016 11:11 AM

Who says you can't train a cat? A book of tips for feline-human harmony

In "The Trainable Cat," feline behavior specialist Sarah Ellis explains how you can train your kitty to come on command, take medicine and stop waking you up in the middle of the night.