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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.

Lea Thau on learning to let down her guard

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.
by MPR News Staff

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'The Mirror Thief' reflects three transfixing tales

'The Mirror Thief' reflects three transfixing tales

Martin Seay's debut novel tells three separate but connected stories, all revolving around an alchemist in 16th-century Venice who conspires to smuggle two legendary mirror-makers out of the city.
by Michael Schaub

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The best books of 2016 (so far)

Before the summer beach reads and big fall releases start piling up, catch up on the best books 2016 has given us.

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The surgery that changed baseball

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.
by MPR News Staff

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Brilliant 'Central Station' is rich with detail and mystery

Brilliant 'Central Station' is rich with detail and mystery

Lavie Tidhar's new novel follows a motley crew of spacemen, castaways, data-vampires and magical children in a beautifully realized far-future Tel Aviv. It's short, lush, and close to a masterpiece.
by Jason Sheehan

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Smelt wrestling, carp trains and other local fish tales

Smelt wrestling, carp trains and other local fish tales

Where did lutefisk come from? And why did Congress ship Minnesota carp by the carload? Eric Dregni's book, "Let's Go Fishing!", shares fishy trivia and traditions from around the region.
by MPR News Staff

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Neal Shusterman and Sy Montgomery on the human mind and the animal mind

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.

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After tragedy, two families find their own justice in Louise Erdrich's 'LaRose'

After tragedy, two families find their own justice in Louise Erdrich's 'LaRose'

When an Ojibwe hunter accidentally kills his friend's child, he sends his own son to live with the grieving family. Erdrich says tribal family ties are "extremely close" and "much more fluid."

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A dying coal town falls in to a 'fracking frenzy' in 'Heat & Light'

A dying coal town falls in to a 'fracking frenzy' in 'Heat & Light'

Jennifer Haigh's new novel explores the fallout of the natural gas boom in a small Pennsylvania town. Critic Maureen Corrigan calls "Heat & Light" an "exquisitely designed, semi-satirical social novel."
by Maureen Corrigan

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