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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.

J.K. Rowling explores perils of fame in new Robert Galbraith novel

J.K. Rowling explores perils of fame in new Robert Galbraith novel

J.K. Rowling has just published her third mystery as Robert Galbraith. This time, detective Cormoran Strike and his beautiful assistant are battling a serial killer -- and their own dark pasts.

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An in-depth look at the origins of ISIS

An in-depth look at the origins of ISIS

Joby Warrick's book, "Black Flags," reveals the genesis of ISIS and the kick start the terrorist organization got from the 2003 American invasion of Iraq.
by Kerri Miller

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'Ridiculous fun' helps a blogger see through depression's darkness

'Ridiculous fun' helps a blogger see through depression's darkness

Since childhood, humor writer Jenny Lawson has struggled with mental health issues. In her latest book, 'Furiously Happy,' she explains what it means to fight back with spiteful happiness.
by Lynne Shallcross

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'The Nearly Departed': Minnesota ghost stories

'The Nearly Departed': Minnesota ghost stories

"St. Olaf is definitely the most haunted campus in the state," said Michael Norman, the author of seven books on American ghosts.
by Tracy Mumford

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'Hemingway In Love' chronicles Papa's romantic regrets

'Hemingway In Love' chronicles Papa's romantic regrets

A.E. Hotchner wrote a memoir of his friend Ernest Hemingway in 1966, though he left out several stories to protect those still living. Now, at 95, he's publishing them.

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Last-minute costumes for a literary Halloween

Last-minute costumes for a literary Halloween

If you've got a bad case of costume block, consider these literary-minded outfits for those with little time.
by Tracy Mumford

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An expert on fear explains why we liked to be scared

An expert on fear explains why we liked to be scared

Margee Kerr studies fear — why we crave it and what it does to our bodies and minds. Every year, one of the nation's top haunted houses taps her expertise.
by Tracy Mumford

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So good you'll scream? A cookbook from horror icon Vincent Price

So good you'll scream? A cookbook from horror icon Vincent Price

'A Treasury of Great Recipes,' by the famed horror film actor, was out of print for decades until this month. It turns out, Price was also a foodie with an 'omnivorous appetite,' his daughter tells us.
by Mandalit del Barco

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