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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.

It's electric: Novel re-creates charged rivalry between Edison and Westinghouse

It's electric: Novel re-creates charged rivalry between Edison and Westinghouse

In the 1880s, Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse battled over control of America's nascent electrical system. Graham Moore tells their story in "The Last Days of Night."

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Ask a bookseller: SubText in St. Paul

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.
by Tracy Mumford

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President Obama's 2016 summer reading list

President Obama's 2016 summer reading list

What's the president reading on vacation? The list has a little bit of everything: memoir, sci-fi, a twist on history and a serious page-turner.
by Tracy Mumford

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Reluctant readers: How to get kids to crack a book

Reluctant readers: How to get kids to crack a book

Convincing the young, reluctant reader in your life to crack a book can feel like an impossible task. How do build a passion for books?
by MPR News Staff

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'Here Comes the Sun': A look at the other side of paradise

'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.
by MPR News Staff

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3 steps to faking your own death from the author of 'Playing Dead'

3 steps to faking your own death from the author of 'Playing Dead'

Elizabeth Greenwood has spent a lot of time researching the death fraud industry. She says the hardest step for many aspiring fraudsters would be cutting all ties with friends and family.

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The highest-paid authors of 2016

The highest-paid authors of 2016

"Writers" and "millions of dollars" aren't often used in the same sentence, but these authors pulled in the biggest paychecks this year, according to Forbes.
by Tracy Mumford

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Author imagines a constitution worth going into exile to protect

Author imagines a constitution worth going into exile to protect

Gerald Vizenor was given the task of drafting White Earth's Constitution. Vizenor hopes his new novel "Treaty Shirts" will bring an appreciation of what he describes as a unique document.
by Euan Kerr

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