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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.

Books on TV: New adaptations to watch for

Books on TV: New adaptations to watch for

Espionage thrillers, Russian classics, fantasy epics and dystopic satires are all headed for the small screen. Catch these books before the adaptations air.
by Tracy Mumford

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Author, philosopher Umberto Eco dead at 84

Author, philosopher Umberto Eco dead at 84

Eco is perhaps best known for his 1980 mystery novel The Name of the Rose, which is set in a monastery in the 14th century. It was an unexpected international bestseller, launching his career as an author.

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A "Supreme" reading list: Books about SCOTUS

A "Supreme" reading list: Books about SCOTUS

Curious about the history of the court? Or how future confirmation hearings may play out? U of M professor Tim Johnson nominates these titles for your "must read" list.
by Tracy Mumford

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Translator behind Elena Ferrante novels says her job is to be an 'enabler'

Translator behind Elena Ferrante novels says her job is to be an 'enabler'

Ann Goldstein is the translator for the mysterious novelist's popular Neapolitan series. She says her role is to "enable someone to express him or herself as much as he or she possibly can."

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How parents and teachers can nurture the 'quiet power' of introverts

How parents and teachers can nurture the 'quiet power' of introverts

A new book looks inside the minds of introverted kids and teens, with lessons for schools on class participation, groupthink and public speaking.

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Dog-gone good reads: 10 books for dog lovers

Dog-gone good reads: 10 books for dog lovers

These books about loyal canines and loveable pups will charm, delight and have you reaching for the tissues.
by Tracy Mumford

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Holy ravioli! Cookbook reveals the Vatican's favorite recipes

Holy ravioli! Cookbook reveals the Vatican's favorite recipes

When it comes to eating, Pope Francis loves comfort food as much as the next person. "The Vatican Cookbook" is a tour of life and food in the world's smallest country.
by Tove Danovich

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Columbine shooter's mother: I carry him 'everywhere I go, always'

Columbine shooter's mother: I carry him 'everywhere I go, always'

Sue Klebold says she wishes she'd asked her son Dylan "the kinds of questions that would've encouraged him to open up." Her new memoir is "A Mother's Reckoning."

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More died on this WWII ship than on the Titanic and Lusitania combined

More died on this WWII ship than on the Titanic and Lusitania combined

On its final voyage, Germany's Wilhelm Gustloff carried soldiers and thousands of civilians, many of them children. Young adult author Ruta Sepetys revisits the ship's 1945 sinking in "Salt to the Sea."

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