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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.

'Medusa's Web' tangles the occult and the old Hollywood

'Medusa's Web' tangles the occult and the old Hollywood

Tim Powers, best known for his time-travel classic "The Anubis Gates," mixes up the decades again in "Medusa's Web," a tale of an eerie estate in Hollywood and a family unmoored in time.
by Jason Heller

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'Hidden History' of Koch brothers traces their childhood and political rise

'Hidden History' of Koch brothers traces their childhood and political rise

Jane Mayer, author of Dark Money, says the Kochs didn't grow up in "the usual cozy, all-American family." Their parents were away much of the time, and competition between the brothers was fierce.

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The books every person should read

The books every person should read

Esquire magazine came under fire for its list of "The 80 Best Books Every Man Should Read." This month, they're attempting to make amends with a new, more diverse list.
by Tracy Mumford

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Amid controversy, Scholastic pulls picture book about Washington's slave

Amid controversy, Scholastic pulls picture book about Washington's slave

The book tells the story of Hercules, a slave whom George Washington used as a chef. The book shows Hercules and his daughter happy and taking pride in making the president a birthday cake.

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From Slate: Is history written about men, by men?

From Slate: Is history written about men, by men?

Slate Magazine analyzed more than 600 popular history books published last year, and confirmed a trend: The majority of authors in the field are men, and they're writing about other men.
by Tracy Mumford

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'The Crooked House' is haunted, in a world that denies ghosts

'The Crooked House' is haunted, in a world that denies ghosts

Christobel Kent's literary thriller follows a young woman who reinvents herself -- even taking a new name -- after the mysterious murder of most of her family. But she can't escape the past forever.
by Carmen Maria Machado

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Norway's national library discovers rare atlas -- with a little help from Reddit

Norway's national library discovers rare atlas -- with a little help from Reddit

"The Cedid" was one of the first printed atlases from the Muslim world. There were 14 known copies in existence -- until a Norwegian reference librarian with a fondness for Reddit noticed something.

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