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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.

There's more to Custer than his 'Last Stand'

There's more to Custer than his 'Last Stand'

Custer was a household name long before that fateful day on the prairie. T.J. Stiles' new book looks at the general's complicated legacy and how it shaped American history.
by MPR News Staff

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Appetites: Celebrating local food in 'Winter's Kitchen'

Appetites: Celebrating local food in 'Winter's Kitchen'

In her new book, Beth Dooley shows us how to enjoy local food all year round, even in the depths of winter.
by Krystyna Pease

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Gray-haired granny? An 85-year-old writer goes punk rock instead

Gray-haired granny? An 85-year-old writer goes punk rock instead

When novelist Anne Bernays became a great-grandmother, she dyed her hair bright blue. She says young people tend to treat the elderly as if they're dumb, "whereas I feel like I'm still a teenager."
by Anne Bernays

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Why Anne Frank's diary just got a 'co-author'

Why Anne Frank's diary just got a 'co-author'

The foundation in Switzerland just added Anne Frank's father Otto as a co-author to the iconic "Diary of a Young Girl."
by Tracy Mumford

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Forget broomsticks, Salem's witches flew on poles

Forget broomsticks, Salem's witches flew on poles

Stacy Schiff's intricately-detailed account of the Salem witch trials uncovers what gave rise to a baffling and horrifying chapter in early American history.
by Tracy Mumford

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The soul-sucking vampire novel that started on Twitter

The soul-sucking vampire novel that started on Twitter

David Mitchell compares tweeting the story of his latest novel to escaping a straitjacket. "I like what I had to do to circumvent [Twitter's] restrictions," he says.

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'This Old Man' on life in your 90s

'This Old Man' on life in your 90s

Roger Angell's latest book is a collection of his writings, centered on "This Old Man," his memorable essay about the pains and pleasures of living into your 90s.
by Maureen Corrigan

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A novel written entirely in online reviews

A novel written entirely in online reviews

Rick Moody's new novel takes the form of online travel reviews written by the lonely but oddly eloquent Reginald Morse.
by Jason Sheehan

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Your school shapes how you think about inequality

Your school shapes how you think about inequality

A new book looks at how high school students' perceptions of race and injustice change based on how diverse their school is.
by Meg Anderson

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YouTube stars hit the bestseller lists

YouTube stars hit the bestseller lists

A lot of people doubted that kids who watch YouTube would be interested in reading books. Turns out they not only like to read, but they like owning a physical book by an author they love.
by Lynn Neary

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