The Thread® - Books and 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.

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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.

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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.

September 29, 2015 9:02 AM

What's it like to be a dictator's kid? 'They're all marked,' author says

In 'Children of Monsters,' Jay Nordlinger looks at the lives of, among others, Romano Mussolini, Saif Al-Islam Gadhafi and one man who claimed to be Hitler's son.

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September 29, 2015 8:57 AM

'The Golden Compass' turns 20 (Its daemon has probably settled)

Philip Pullman's beloved fantasy series traces the adventures of brave young Lyra Belacqua (and her daemon, Pantalaimon), through an alternate universe that occasionally spills over into our own.

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September 29, 2015 7:33 AM

Julie Schumacher wins Thurber Prize for American Humor

"Dear Committee Members" is a comic saga of a creative writing professor and his letters of recommendation. It is the first time a woman has won the prize. Schumacher is a professor at the University of Minnesota.

by The Associated Press

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September 29, 2015 7:12 AM

Memories of a maybe angel in 'Don't Suck, Don't Die'

Musicians Kristin Hersh and Vic Chesnutt were friends and tour buddies for years before his death from an overdose in 2009; 'Don't Suck' is Hersh's haunting memoir of her lost friend and his pain.

by Michael Schaub

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September 28, 2015 3:47 PM

Marilynne Robinson explores faith and belief

In "Gilead," Pastor John Ames writes a letter to his young son and contemplates what it means to believe, to doubt and to search.

by Kerri Miller

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September 25, 2015 11:35 AM

'Ingredients': An eye-opening look at the additives in our food

What does diacetyl look like? And what's it doing in our food? A new book seeks to demystify 75 common food additives with striking photos of these ingredients and details on their uses and history.

by Tove Danovich

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September 23, 2015 11:50 AM

'Girl Who Wrote Loneliness' tells an almost-true tale with the tenor of a ghost story

This autobiographical novel about a South Korean girl who moves from the rural countryside to the city in search of work and education blurs line between fiction and reality.

by Genevieve Valentine

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September 23, 2015 11:41 AM

Don't toss that sour milk! And other tips to cut kitchen food waste

The typical American family tosses out some $1,500 of food yearly. From smarter fridge packing to sauteing soggy lettuce, a new book is full of tips to rescue edibles from landing in the trash.

by Allison Aubrey

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September 23, 2015 11:06 AM

Brian Selznick's new book has no words for 400 pages -- and it's brilliant

Brian Selznick charmed readers of all ages with "Hugo," which was later adapted into an Oscar-winning film by Martin Scorcese. His newest book, "The Marvels," follows five generations of a family of actors.

by Tracy Mumford