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.

Listen close: The best audiobooks of the year
The top five contenders for best audiobook of the year range from history to Hollywood to haunted graveyards. Listen now.
Jonathan Waldman on 'Rust' and our crumbling infrastructure
Listen to Jonathan Waldman explain the science behind oxidation and why we should care about it.
Paula Meehan on the poetry of Ireland
Irish poet Paula Meehan will journey to St. Paul next week to accept the O'Shaughnessy Award for Poetry.
Celebrate National Library Week by hitting the books
We hit the books to find wild library facts, like just how much George Washington owes in overdue fines.
Erin Moore on American English vs. British English
The U.S.-born, London-living author breaks down the differences in her book 'That's Not English.'
New novel takes Lewis and Clark to post-apocalyptic future
In "The Dead Lands," Northfield writer Benjamin Percy sets a new Lewis and Clark expedition in a future North America that has been ravaged by flu, climate change and nuclear conflict.
Eating to break 100: Longevity diet tips from the Blue Zones
One of the key takeaways from a new book is that longevity is not just about food. But what centenarians put in their mouths, how much and when is worth a close look, too.
Meet the 'Capital Dames,' Civil War Washington's secret power brokers
In her new book, Cokie Roberts explains how women like Mary Todd Lincoln and Jessie Benton Fremont influenced Washington's men of power when they weren't even allowed to vote.