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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.

Long-lost F. Scott Fitzgerald story finally published

Long-lost F. Scott Fitzgerald story finally published

F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote the short story, "Temperature," shortly before his death. It was presumed lost, but was recently uncovered in the archives at Princeton University.
by The Associated Press

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'End of the Tour': An unauthorized 'anti-biopic' of David Foster Wallace

'End of the Tour': An unauthorized 'anti-biopic' of David Foster Wallace

Instead of telling the author's life story, the film (which the Wallace estate does not approve of) focuses on five days in 1996 during the publicity tour for 'Infinite Jest.'
by Joel Rose

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Dark reads: 16 Minnesota murder mysteries

Dark reads: 16 Minnesota murder mysteries

What is it about the land of 10,000 lakes that inspires so many dark and chilling tales?
by Tracy Mumford

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The power of art to heal grief

The power of art to heal grief

When Joseph Luzzi lost his wife, he had to plot a path out of grief. He used Dante's "Divine Comedy" as a road map.
by MPR News Staff

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Ernest Hemingway, lion hunter

Ernest Hemingway, lion hunter

In the wake of Cecil the lion's death, Ernest Hemingway's stories about hunting in Africa gain new relevance.
by Tracy Mumford

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'Let's Be Less Stupid': Is it possible to train your brain to be smarter?

'Let's Be Less Stupid': Is it possible to train your brain to be smarter?

"What's the word for that thing that goes in the thing?" Patricia Marx found herself asking. Forgetting basic words made her wonder: Is it possible to make yourself smarter?
by Tracy Mumford

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Book briefs: Spend the night in a bookstore

Book briefs: Spend the night in a bookstore

A new hotel in Japan lets bookworms curl up for a night in the stacks.
by Tracy Mumford

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Marlon James' 'Seven Killings' on longlist for Man Booker Prize

Marlon James' 'Seven Killings' on longlist for Man Booker Prize

The Man Booker Prize is one of the most prestigious literary prizes in the world. This is only the second year that writers from outside the British Commonwealth have been eligible to compete.
by Tracy Mumford

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'Dueling Neurosurgeons': How brain injuries have shaped science

'Dueling Neurosurgeons': How brain injuries have shaped science

Brain surgery isn't new, author Sam Kean points out. Skulls that are 8,000 years old have shown signs of surgery -- and, most importantly, of healing afterwards.
by Tracy Mumford

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