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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.

Frisky, subversive 'American Housewife' practices shock and awwww

Frisky, subversive 'American Housewife' practices shock and awwww

The slightly demented homemakers in Helen Ellis's new collection wield sharp elbows and sharper knives, but critic Heller McAlpin says the stories build to touching, unexpected punchlines.
by Heller McAlpin

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Book briefs: David Bowie's 100 favorite books

Book briefs: David Bowie's 100 favorite books

The musician made the list three years ago. It's a bit like your high school syllabus, but with a psychedelic twist.
by Tracy Mumford

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On health: 'This is the luckiest time yet to be alive'

On health: 'This is the luckiest time yet to be alive'

"For the first time, we have at our disposal all the information we need to design our own health," Dr. David Agus writes.
by MPR News Staff

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Step into the Jane Austen Reading Room at Mia

Step into the Jane Austen Reading Room at Mia

The museum has rearranged its period rooms to pay homage to the beloved British novelist.
by MPR News Staff

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The best book on surfing was written by a war reporter

The best book on surfing was written by a war reporter

William Finnegan is best known for covering international conflicts for The New Yorker, but his memoir focuses on his first love: the perfect wave.
by MPR News Staff

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The long and bloody history of vampires in literature

The long and bloody history of vampires in literature

The first vampires appeared in poetry after a string of unexplained deaths in the Serbian countryside.
by Tracy Mumford

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The world's largest refugee camp: A 'City of Thorns'

The world's largest refugee camp: A 'City of Thorns'

In the middle of the desert in Kenya, there's a place with a population the size of Minneapolis, called Dadaab. It's no ordinary city.

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The weird secret history of Soviet X-ray music

The weird secret history of Soviet X-ray music

In Cold War Russia, getting your hands on an American rock record was close to impossible. But a few bootleggers found a way to hide their contraband in the last place anyone would think to look.

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