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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 wise, witty romp through time -- and indie rock

A wise, witty romp through time -- and indie rock

Packed with music references and enough science to keep its time travel premise plausible, "Every Anxious Wave" "rings with a uniqueness that transcends the tropes of time travel and indie romance."
by Jason Heller

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What a 'critically wounded' Voting Rights Act means in 2016

What a 'critically wounded' Voting Rights Act means in 2016

Ari Berman's book, "Give Us the Ballot," tracks the history of the struggle for voting rights, from 1965 through to modern debates on voter ID laws.
by MPR News Staff

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What kids need from grown-ups (but aren't getting)

What kids need from grown-ups (but aren't getting)

Author Erika Christakis mounts a spirited defense of a four-letter word that, she says, isn't used nearly enough in early classrooms: P-L-A-Y.
by Cory Turner

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What books have you lied about reading?

What books have you lied about reading?

A new poll from the Telegraph reveals the most common literary lies. Which classic have more people lied about reading than have actually read?
by Tracy Mumford

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Jhumpa Lahiri writes her memoir in Italian: 'No one expected me to do it'

Jhumpa Lahiri writes her memoir in Italian: 'No one expected me to do it'

"The Interpreter of Maladies" author is a successful, Pulitzer Prize-winning English-language writer. But she found writing in Italian gave her true freedom. "Language is a very messy thing," she says.

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How The New York Times picks the best books of the year

How The New York Times picks the best books of the year

Pamela Paul, editor for The New York Times Book Review, offers an inside look at how the list comes together. Listen to a selection of interviews with authors who made the 2015 cut.
by Tracy Mumford

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It's a dog read dog world

It's a dog read dog world

MPR News host Kerri Miller is hooked on books about dogs for this week's reading recommendations.
by Kerri Miller

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How do you spot a nonconformist? Check their Internet browser

How do you spot a nonconformist? Check their Internet browser

According to Adam Grant, a person's preferred browser is one way to tell whether they accept or reject the defaults in their life. His new book is called 'Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World.'

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In baby's 'First Bite,' a chance to shape a child's taste

In baby's 'First Bite,' a chance to shape a child's taste

Bee Wilson's new book, 'First Bite,' examines how genetics, culture, memory and early feeding patterns influence the palate. She says babies are most open to new flavors between ages 4 and 7 months.

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