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.

June 20, 2016 6:00 AM

Robert Stephens wants to know more

Robert Stephens, founder of Geek Squad, is as passionate about reading as he is about tech.

by MPR News Staff

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June 17, 2016 9:49 AM

Remembering Lois Duncan, the queen of teen suspense

The beloved author died suddenly Wednesday at the age of 82. Just a teen herself when she started writing, Lois Duncan sent chills down a generation of spines with books like "Down a Dark Hall."

by Petra Mayer

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June 16, 2016 1:04 PM

Super secret assassins and a mechanical arm make 'Regional Office' a literary thrill

Manuel Gonzales drops readers into the underground heart of a super secret organization of female assassins.

by MPR News Staff

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June 16, 2016 9:46 AM

'I'm Just A Person': Tig Notaro on her terrible year

Comedian Tig Notaro shot to fame in 2012, talking candidly onstage about having cancer. Now she's in remission, recently married and the author of a new memoir.

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June 15, 2016 12:43 PM

The big summer book show: What to read under the sun

Summer reading can be breezy and uplifting, but it can also be a season for books that investigate new topics and difficult issues.

by MPR News Staff and Tracy Mumford

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June 15, 2016 7:38 AM

Read, watch, binge: Like this movie? You might also like...

A lot of what we read and watch comes to us through algorithms. But we haven't found an algorithm that makes recommendations between books, movies, TV and beyond. Enter: HUMANS.

by Nicole Cohen, Petra Mayer, Beth Novey and Rose Friedman

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June 14, 2016 2:55 PM

'I Will Find You': A journalist investigates the life of her rapist

Two decades after the rape, Joanna Connors began to investigate the life of the man who attacked her. Her new memoir, "I Will Find You," documents what she learned.

by MPR News Staff

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June 14, 2016 9:27 AM

A childhood spent in the 'shadow of a guru'

Journalist Claire Hoffman grew up in a utopian community in Fairfield, Iowa. At first, she says, "it was entirely magical." Then doubt crept in. Hoffman's memoir is "Greetings from Utopia Park."