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The Thread® - Books and Literary 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.

Sign Up for The Thread® Newsletter

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. 

Where are the female spies in fiction?

Where are the female spies in fiction?

Roles for female characters in the spy genre tend to fall into two categories: the imperiled love interest or the femme fatale.
by Tracy Mumford

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Stuck inside with the AC on? Try these five cool YA reads

Stuck inside with the AC on? Try these five cool YA reads

Summer can seem slow for eager readers — not much on the shelves, and not much coming. But we've got some recommendations for great young adult reads to while away the long hot days.
by Caitlyn Paxson

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Darkness and magic abound in 'Natural History of Hell'

Darkness and magic abound in 'Natural History of Hell'

Jeffrey Ford's new story collection is packed with fairies, demons, historical figures and death personified: not always the freshest concepts, but when the stories work, they're enthrallingly eerie.
by Jason Heller

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Two brilliantly written novels from Mexico head up a wave of literary talent

Two brilliantly written novels from Mexico head up a wave of literary talent

Critic John Powers says there's a boom in good fiction emerging from Mexico. He recommends "Among Strange Victims," by Daniel Saldaña París, and "The Transmigration of Bodies," by Yuri Herrera.
by John Powers

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'I write about awful people,' says Gay Talese

'I write about awful people,' says Gay Talese

"I'm a little bit drawn to what is forbidden," Talese adds, and he draws readers along with him in his latest book, "The Voyeur's Motel," based on the journals of an innkeeper who spied on his guests.

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'I Am No One:' Feels like somebody's watching me

'I Am No One:' Feels like somebody's watching me

In Patrick Flanery's new novel, the border between mental illness and justified paranoia grows porous as average guy Jeremy begins to fear he's under surveillance. But is he? It's never quite clear.
by Annalisa Quinn

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'Underground Airlines' presents a scarily realistic alternate history

'Underground Airlines' presents a scarily realistic alternate history

Ben H. Winters' new novel is set in a modern-day America in which almost everything seems normal — except for the fact that the Civil War never happened, and slavery is still legal in four states.
by Bethanne Patrick

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From 'runt of the litter' to 'liberal icon,' the story of Robert Kennedy

From 'runt of the litter' to 'liberal icon,' the story of Robert Kennedy

Biographer Larry Tye says Kennedy wasn't always the "hot-blooded liberal" we remember today. The transformation wasn't a "flip-flop" he says; "he took things to heart in ways that few politicians do."

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How teachers can help 'quiet kids' tap their superpowers

How teachers can help 'quiet kids' tap their superpowers

Remember that quiet kid in class who never spoke up? In New York, teachers are learning how to make sure the ideas of introverts don't get overlooked.

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