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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. 

Novelist Mat Johnson explores the 'optical illusion' of being biracial

Novelist Mat Johnson explores the 'optical illusion' of being biracial

Johnson, the son of an African-American mother and an Irish-American father, has just written a funny, sometimes absurd look at what it means to grow up mixed heritage in the U.S.

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What to read when you miss 'Mad Men'

What to read when you miss 'Mad Men'

Fans left wanting more 'Mad Men' will find echoes of the show in these fiction and nonfiction picks.
by Tracy Mumford

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'Everything I Never Told You' is wrapped in family secrets

'Everything I Never Told You' is wrapped in family secrets

Celeste Ng's debut novel begins with a gripping mystery and delves into the deep burden one generation leaves for the next.
by Tracy Mumford

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Bookstore inside Minneapolis Central Library to close

Bookstore inside Minneapolis Central Library to close

The bookstore has served as a fundraiser for the library for many years, but is now closing its doors with a massive sale.
by Tracy Mumford

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'Sophie Stark' finds it hard to learn how to be human

'Sophie Stark' finds it hard to learn how to be human

Anna North's new novel is narrated by friends and family after the death of troubled filmmaker Sophie. Critic Michael Schaub calls it "a bold and graceful novel, executed with incredible artistry."
by Michael Schaub

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Book briefs: Mark Twain and Helen Keller, fast friends

Book briefs: Mark Twain and Helen Keller, fast friends

Letters offer a closer look at a legendary friendship, and a debate rages over just what "young adult literature" really means.
by Tracy Mumford

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Attention white-collar workers: The robots are coming for your jobs

Attention white-collar workers: The robots are coming for your jobs

The machines have long been used in manufacturing, but Martin Ford, author of 'Rise of the Robots,' says they're now poised to replace humans as teachers, lawyers and even journalists.

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