The Thread® - Books and Literary News

The Thread from MPR 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.

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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. 

Tickets are now available for our 26th season. Join award-winning journalist and MPR News host Kerri Miller (and special guest host Catharine Richart) as they talk with authors including Stacey Abrams, Patricia Lockwood, Misty Copeland, John Grisham, and Kate Baer. 

Lea Thau on learning to let down her guard
Lea Thau knows how to get people to share their secrets. She started "The Moth Radio Hour," and she currently hosts the podcast "Strangers." But her biggest challenge may have been being honest with herself.
Before the summer beach reads and big fall releases start piling up, catch up on the best books 2016 has given us.
The surgery that changed baseball
Tommy John surgery was pioneered in the 1970s to repair pitchers' arms. But now it's being used on pitchers as young as 15. Jeff Passan's book, "The Arm," explores the issue.
Neal Shusterman and Sy Montgomery on the human mind and the animal mind
A "National Book Awards at Concordia College" event in Moorhead, featuring Neal Shusterman, author of "Challenger Deep," and Sy Montgomery, author of "The Soul of an Octopus." Shusterman's award-winning book explores the human mind and mental illness, Montgomery's book explores the animal mind. NPR's John Ydstie was the moderator at Concordia College in Moorhead.