The Thread® - Books and Literary News

The Thread® is your source for book recommendations and other literary news.

Ask a Bookseller

Ask a Bookseller is a weekly series where The Thread 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 every Friday at 11 a.m., featuring conversations about books and other literary ideas. Listen to Big Books and Bold Ideas here.

Sign Up for The Thread® Newsletter

Sign up for The Thread newsletter to get reading recommendations from Kerri Miller and other bookworms around the MPR newsroom. Find reviews for new releases, as well as hidden gems you may have missed.

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. 

Novel highlights the shocks facing first-generation college students
Jennine Capó Crucet, author of 'Make Your Home Among Strangers,' was inspired by her experiences as the daughter of Cuban immigrants and the first person in her family to attend college.
'Hominids' is a deeply human collection of speculative fiction
Nalo Hopkinson's new collection mixes up her Afro-Caribbean influences with classic literature and historical fantasy. Critic Jason Heller says her stories dazzle with a hard-won sense of hope.
'Scream' meets Agatha Christie in 'A Dark, Dark Wood'
Author Ruth Ware's new thriller takes place at a bachelorette party in an isolated English country house. The book blends the creepy voyeurism of a Scream movie with the setting of a Christie novel.
'Little House on the Prairie' actress runs for Congress. Can she win?
"Little House on the Prairie" star Melissa Gilbert is running for a congressional seat in Michigan. She's the latest in a long line of celebrities with political aspirations.
A memoir in pizza: 'Slice Harvester'
Colin Atrophy Hagendorf decided to review a plain slice of pizza from every joint in Manhattan -- a project that evolved into a two-fisted memoir of his own life and struggles with substance abuse.
Literary mysteries: Laura Ingalls Wilder and serial killers? Not likely
In 1937, Laura Ingalls Wilder insinuated that her father, "Pa" Ingalls, had been involved in the hunt for some of the first documented serial killers in U.S. history. But was it true?
10 books on biking: Manuals, memoirs and something for the kids
Bike fever is in full swing. These 10 books roll through the history of cycling and cover everything from conflicts on the road to cross-country journeys.