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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.

Agatha Christie knew 14 ways to kill a man

Agatha Christie knew 14 ways to kill a man

The mystery maven was an expert in poisons, from arsenic to strychnine. Some think her books might actually be a little too accurate.
by Tracy Mumford

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Finding love and self-acceptance 'Under the Udala Trees'

Finding love and self-acceptance 'Under the Udala Trees'

Chinelo Okparanta's new novel follows a Nigerian girl as she grows up during a violent civil war and struggles to come to terms with her sexuality.

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Don't call her 'doll': How Mary McGrory became 'the first queen of journalism'

Don't call her 'doll': How Mary McGrory became 'the first queen of journalism'

The columnist could write like an angel -- and bite like an asp. In a new biography, John Norris recounts McGrory's first big break and the proposition she received from a Democratic president.

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When it comes to book sales, what counts as success might surprise you

When it comes to book sales, what counts as success might surprise you

A survey from the Authors Guild reveals a 30 percent decline in author income since 2009. "You used to be able to make an absolutely living wage as a writer," says Guild President Roxana Robinson.
by Lynn Neary

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'Killing Kind' is pure thriller with a smart, vicious twist

'Killing Kind' is pure thriller with a smart, vicious twist

Chris Holm's new novel is about an hit man who only targets other hit men. Critic Jason Heller says the book's somewhat outlandish setup results in lean action and breakneck execution.
by Jason Heller

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Poet laureate's migrant childhood was like 'living in literature every day'

Poet laureate's migrant childhood was like 'living in literature every day'

Juan Felipe Herrera is the child of Mexican migrant farmworkers. He says, "I had a mother [who] sang and told stories and loved poetry, even though she only went to third grade."

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2015 National Book Awards: Fiction

2015 National Book Awards: Fiction

The National Book Award shortlist for fiction is packed with family dramas, big and small. Short story collections and epic novels will duke it out for the top prize.
by Tracy Mumford

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