The Thread® - Books and Literary News

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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.

How do you move an entire bookstore?
You need to have a strong back and solid grasp of the alphabet to relocate thousands of books, as SubText Books in St. Paul recently found out.
From galleries to graffiti, art inspires author's first novel
Diane Mullen, a writer who works as gallery guard at the Walker Art Center, drew on paintings, photos and graffiti art to finish "Tagged," a novel about a young boy.
The Thread Book Club: 'Re Jane'
"Jane Eyre" gets a 21st century makeover in Patricia Park's modern retelling. Arctic explorer Ann Bancroft joined The Thread Book Club to discuss the twist.
Book briefs: The best bookstores in the world
Minneapolis' own Wild Rumpus, which has cats and chickens roaming amongst the kids' books, landed on the list.
How the Wright brothers did the impossible
David McCullough paints in the details on the legendary Wright brothers in his new book: "They never had any training in science or technology at all."
Literary mysteries: What's the deal with "Fifty Shades"?
The latest book from E.L. James has sold more than one million copies in its first week. What's behind the continued phenomenon?
From civilian to spy: How an average guy helped bust a Russian agent
You'd think spying on the Russians would require some training, but Naveed Jamali had none. "Probably some Magnum P.I. episodes and a few movies here and there," he says. "That was about it."
'Station Eleven' preserves art after the apocalypse
In Emily St. John Mandel's novel, a Shakespearean troupe clings to scraps of civilization after a deadly pandemic.