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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.

'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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Swordswoman, opera singer, runaway: 'Goddess' chronicles a fabled life

Swordswoman, opera singer, runaway: 'Goddess' chronicles a fabled life

Author Kelly Gardiner's new novel is a fictionalized version of the life of Julie d'Aubigny, a swashbuckling 17th-century fencer-turned-opera singer whose exploits often seem stranger than fiction.

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Baltimore author discusses 'Living (And Dying) While Black'

Baltimore author discusses 'Living (And Dying) While Black'

Author D. Watkins says that crack destroyed his East Baltimore neighborhood, and he explains how the real day-to-day of selling drugs is nothing like the movies. His new book is 'The Beast Side.'

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'Tacopedia': A tasty tour of Mexico's taco culture

'Tacopedia': A tasty tour of Mexico's taco culture

From the smoked marlin tacos of Baja California to the fried flower tacos of Chiapas, Mexico is home to endless interpretations of this essential dish. A new tome documents this vibrant taco cuisine.
by Tove Danovich

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'The Heart Goes Last': Imbeciles in the apocalpyse

'The Heart Goes Last': Imbeciles in the apocalpyse

Margaret Atwood's new novel started life as a digital serial about a young couple who join a strange prison-based planned community.
by Tasha Robinson

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'Six Of Crows' is a well-turned heist tale

'Six Of Crows' is a well-turned heist tale

Leigh Bardugo's latest invites comparison to 'Ocean's 11,' one of the best heist stories ever told.
by Jason Sheehan

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'Gold Fame Citrus' holds fear in a handful of dust

'Gold Fame Citrus' holds fear in a handful of dust

Claire Vaye Watkins' first novel is a frighteningly believable near-future dystopia; drought has ruined the West, and two holdouts among the wreckage find their lives changed by a strange child.
by Jason Sheehan

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