Stay Curious. Stay Connected.
MailNewsletters♡Donate Now

The Thread® - Books and Literary News

The Thread® is your source for book recommendations and other literary news.

Sign Up for The Thread® Newsletter

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.

'I'll Fly Away': Maximum security prisoners speak

'I'll Fly Away': Maximum security prisoners speak

With the national discussion on criminal justice reform continuing to fill the headlines, MPR News host Kerri Miller recommends a collection of essays written by women in a maximum security facility.
by Kerri Miller

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Beyond 'happily ever after': Cunningham's 'Wild Swan'

Beyond 'happily ever after': Cunningham's 'Wild Swan'

Author Michael Cunningham was fascinated by fairy tales as a child, but he always wondered what happened after the story ended. His new collection, 'The Wild Swan,' tries to answer that question.

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
'Twain & Stanley' finds magic in an unlikely friendship

'Twain & Stanley' finds magic in an unlikely friendship

Oscar Hijuelos' posthumously published novel puts fictional flesh on the real-life friendship between Mark Twain and the explorer Henry Morton Stanley.
by Jason Sheehan

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
How Minnesota rocked in the 60s: The story behind 'Surfin' Bird'

How Minnesota rocked in the 60s: The story behind 'Surfin' Bird'

"Everbody's Heard About the Bird: The True Story of 1960s Rock N Roll in Minnesota" tells the story of The Trashmen, and the bands that came before and after.
by MPR News Staff

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!

A poet and a police chief on the language of race

Poet Claudia Rankine and former police chief Ronal Serpas discuss the language of race and how it influences justice, policy and communities.
by MPR News Staff

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
'Made to Kill' is pulp pastiche that hits the target

'Made to Kill' is pulp pastiche that hits the target

Adam Christopher's sci-fi noir follows robotic hit man Raymond Electromatic through a vividly evoked 1960s Los Angeles.
by Jason Heller

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Behind bars, cheap ramen is as good as gold

Behind bars, cheap ramen is as good as gold

Instant noodles are a staple for inmates: a basis of recipe hacks, a form of currency. They've even helped defuse a prison riot, as an ex-inmate details in 'Prison Ramen,' a book of stories and recipes.

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!