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The Thread® - Books and Literary News

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

Ask a Bookseller

Ask a Bookseller is a weekly series where The Thread 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 every Friday at 11 a.m., featuring conversations about books and other literary ideas. Listen to Big Books and Bold Ideas here.

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. Find reviews for new releases, as well as hidden gems you may have missed.

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. 

Belarusian journalist Svetlana Alexievich wins literature Nobel

Belarusian journalist Svetlana Alexievich wins literature Nobel

The investigative journalist is known for her in-depth exposes of the former Soviet Union, letting eyewitness accounts shed an unsettling light on tragedies.
by Colin Dwyer

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Even in death, Edgar Allan Poe remains a mystery

Even in death, Edgar Allan Poe remains a mystery

Oct. 7 marks the 166th anniversary of Edgar Allan Poe's death. How he died, however, remains a mystery.
by Tracy Mumford

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A mixtape of Russian history in 'Love and Techno'

A mixtape of Russian history in 'Love and Techno'

Anthony Marra's new book, 'The Tsar of Love and Techno,' is a collection of stories playing out over nearly a century of change in Russia.

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A trove of kids' book treasures, underneath the University of Minnesota

A trove of kids' book treasures, underneath the University of Minnesota

Once a doctor's hobby, the Kerlan Collection is now one of the world's great collections of children's literature. Over 100,000 books offer visitors a chance to see the writer's process -- for free.
by Alexandra Starr

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Punk icon Patti Smith releases second memoir, 'M Train'

Punk icon Patti Smith releases second memoir, 'M Train'

Singer Patti Smith's latest book is a poetic, free-flowing memoir. In 2010, her memoir 'Just Kids' -- about her relationship with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe -- won a National Book Award.
by Neda Ulaby

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Fan fiction comes to life in 'Carry On'

Fan fiction comes to life in 'Carry On'

"Meta" isn't quite sufficient to describe Rainbow Rowell's latest, which brings a fictional Harry Potteresque series described in her previous novel 'Fangirl' to warm, messy, beautiful life.
by Amal El-Mohtar

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'Twilight' author rewrites the original, but swaps characters' genders

'Twilight' author rewrites the original, but swaps characters' genders

People have criticized Stephenie Meyer for her "damsel in distress" protagonist, Bella Swan. For a 10th anniversary edition, Meyer swapped the genders in her vampiric love story.
by Tracy Mumford

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The mysteries of family, captured in 'Invisible Ink'

The mysteries of family, captured in 'Invisible Ink'

Cartoonist Bill Griffith discovered as an adult that his mother had had a 16-year affair with another man, also a cartoonist. In 'Invisible Ink,' he digs into the secrets surrounding his family.
by Etelka Lehoczky

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The hidden -- but quietly influential -- life of Rosemary Kennedy

The hidden -- but quietly influential -- life of Rosemary Kennedy

Rosemary was the lost Kennedy daughter; disabled from birth, she was left profoundly damaged after a lobotomy at the age of 23. But she had a lasting influence on her family's charitable projects.

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