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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.

Author John Irving on his own 'exceedingly boring life'

Author John Irving on his own 'exceedingly boring life'

"You don't get to choose your nightmares," author John Irving told the crowd at Talking Volumes. "You don't get to choose what you're afraid of." His latest novel, his fourteenth, is "Avenue of Mysteries."
by MPR News Staff

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For a year, Shonda Rhimes said 'yes' to all the things that scared her

For a year, Shonda Rhimes said 'yes' to all the things that scared her

The creator of 'Grey's Anatomy' and 'Scandal' says despite the success of her shows, her life 'had gotten really small,' so she decided to step out of her comfort zone. 'Year of Yes' is her new memoir.

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John Kinder's "Paying with their Bodies"

In his new book "Paying with their Bodies," John Kinder makes the argument that while the conditions have changed for disabled veterans, the discourse and attitudes surrounding them have not.
by Tom Crann

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'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

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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.

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'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

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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

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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

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