Stay Curious. Stay Connected.
MailNewsletters♡Donate Now

The Thread® - Books and Literary News

The Thread® is your source for book recommendations and other literary news.

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. 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.

'Devil and the Bluebird' is a magical, musical road trip

'Devil and the Bluebird' is a magical, musical road trip

Jennifer Mason-Black's new novel has echoes of 'The Odyssey.' It follows a young musician who makes a deal with a devil at the crossroads: her voice, in exchange for a way to find her missing sister.
by Caitlyn Paxson

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Bill Gates shares five books to read this summer

Bill Gates shares five books to read this summer

The tech magnate shares some of his favorite books of the moment. The list is all nonfiction, except for a sci-fi book he couldn't resist.
by Tracy Mumford

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Diversity in children's books goes deeper than race

Diversity in children's books goes deeper than race

"The thing I'm most fascinated by is class," said author Matt de la Pena. "I like to describe it this way: My goal is to show the beauty and grace that exists 'on the wrong side of the tracks.'"
by MPR News Staff

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
'The Vegetarian' wins Man Booker International Prize for fiction

'The Vegetarian' wins Man Booker International Prize for fiction

South Korean author Han Kang was awarded the prize for her dark novel "The Vegetarian" at a London ceremony on Monday. She shares the honor with translator Deborah Smith.
by Doreen McCallister

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
'Joe Gould's Teeth' is the tale of a long, lost book

'Joe Gould's Teeth' is the tale of a long, lost book

Jill Lepore digs into the story of Joe Gould, a legendary Greenwich Village writer and eccentric -- and discovers that his missing magnum opus, long thought imaginary, may actually have existed.
by Heller McAlpin

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Louise Erdrich on writing: 'Getting older makes you cut to the chase'

Louise Erdrich on writing: 'Getting older makes you cut to the chase'

Louise Erdrich's fifteenth novel opens with a brutal tragedy, and traces the ripples of the act across years and intertwined families. She spoke with Kerri Miller at The Thread Live.
by MPR News Staff

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Women sweep the Nebula sci-fi and fantasy awards

Women sweep the Nebula sci-fi and fantasy awards

The Nebula Awards are one of the highest honors for science fiction and fantasy authors.
by Tracy Mumford

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Meet the man who got stung by 83 different insects for science

Meet the man who got stung by 83 different insects for science

Biologist Justin Schmidt has traveled all over the world looking for bugs ... and getting stung by them. He documents his travels/travails in his new book "The Sting of the Wild."

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!