The Thread® - Books and Literary News

The Thread from MPR 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.

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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. 

Tickets are now available for our 26th season. Join award-winning journalist and MPR News host Kerri Miller (and special guest host Catharine Richart) as they talk with authors including Stacey Abrams, Patricia Lockwood, Misty Copeland, John Grisham, and Kate Baer. 

Thomas Friedman speaks with MPR about his latest book,"That Used to Be Us: How America Fell Behind in the World It Invented and How We Can Come Back."
The literature of 9/11
In the ten years since the September 11 attacks, pages have been devoted to describing the events and the effects of that day. Midmorning looks at how literature has been shaped by 9/11, and also how it has shaped our understanding of the event.
Books for the college bound
The summer before college is one of the last times, at least for a few years, that students have the time to read for fun. What books should be they be reading to prepare for the intellectual (and emotional) adventure of college?
Bachmann memoir coming in November
Michele Bachmann has a book deal. The Republican presidential candidate's memoir, currently untitled, has already been completed and will arrive in November.
Amazon announces the signing of a popular self-help author in a high-profile move to position the online retailer as a publisher. The move is making traditional publishers nervous.
The triple agent
In December 2009, a group of the CIA's top terrorist hunters gathered at a secret base in Afghanistan to meet Humam Khalil al-Balawi, a Jordanian double agent who had gained access to the top commanders of al-Qaeda. Instead of providing information, Balawi detonated a bomb strapped to his chest, killing seven CIA operatives. Joby Warrick tells the story in his new book.
The big summer book show
If you're a book lover, summer can be a great time to catch up on reading. But where to start? Two book critics share their ideas for what should be on your summer reading list.
The man from Knockemstiff writes what he knows
Author Donald Ray Pollock grew up in southern Ohio, in a place that really is called Knockemstiff. Pollock published a short story collection in 2008 named for his hometown to great acclaim. Now Pollock has a novel set in the same place, called "The Devil All the Time."
This summer has been hailed as 'the season of the supernatural' by the Wall Street Journal, and Glen Duncan's new werewolf novel certainly fits the mold. He joins us to discuss his latest book and the rise of literary horror.