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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.

A harsh migration out of India

A harsh migration out of India

Sunjeev Sahota's new novel follows three men who journey from India to England, looking for a better life. But NPR's Nishant Dahiya says that life turns out to be a complex, and often dangerous one.
by Nishant Dahiya

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Don DeLillo returns with 'Zero K'

Don DeLillo returns with 'Zero K'

In Don DeLillo's new novel, a billionaire secretly funds an enterprise aimed at preserving people through cryogenics -- a technology he hopes to use to rejoin his already-frozen wife.

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Steven Johnson on his hidden influencer

Steven Johnson on his hidden influencer

Author and television host Steven Johnson explains the debt he owes to Michael Pollan's bestselling book, "The Botany of Desire."
by MPR News Staff

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The mathematics of magic and loss in 'Square Root of Summer'

The mathematics of magic and loss in 'Square Root of Summer'

Teenaged math whiz Gottie knows a little too much about subtraction; her fractured family is spinning apart sfter the death of her beloved grandfather -- and that's before the time wormholes appear.
by Caitlyn Paxson

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Self-help tips on 'Manly Health' from Walt Whitman

Self-help tips on 'Manly Health' from Walt Whitman

In 1858, the poet published a series of advice columns -- titled "Manly Health and Training" -- in which he recommends wearing a beard, taking a cold bath every morning and avoiding condiments.

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Indie Bookstore Day: Where to go, what to read

Indie Bookstore Day: Where to go, what to read

Saturday is the third annual celebration of local bookstores. Get reading recommendations from stores around the state.
by Tracy Mumford

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Poetry Friday: Fifth and final

Poetry Friday: Fifth and final

To celebrate National Poetry Month, The Thread is sharing a collection of poetry from local presses every Friday in April.
by MPR News Staff

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Inside the world's largest collection of Chinese menus

Inside the world's largest collection of Chinese menus

The University of Toronto acquired 10,000 Chinese menus from Harley Spiller, who began collecting them on a lark in 1981.
by Tracy Mumford

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Tracing America's 'opiate epidemic'

Tracing America's 'opiate epidemic'

This epidemic is different than the crack cocaine epidemic in the 1980s and early 1990s, said author Sam Quinones. His book "Dreamland" explores the roots of the issue.
by MPR News Staff

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