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The Thread® - Books and Literary News

The Thread® is your source for book recommendations and other literary news.

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. 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.

Newsmaker: New battle over e-book lending

Librarians around the country are organizing a boycott of Harper Collins after the publisher set a licensing limit on checkouts of its e-books at libraries.

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Paper Darts defies literary magazine logic

Paper Darts defies literary magazine logic

With the magazine and publishing world in a tailspin, you'd think this would be the worst time to start a literary magazine. But three recent University of Minnesota graduates disagree. The trio behind a new publication called "Paper Darts" has big plans -- and the support of the Twin Cities literary community.
by Euan Kerr

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Revisiting Huck Finn

Revisiting Huck Finn

Could Mark Twain ever have predicted that words he used more than 120 years ago would create such a fire storm in 2011? Midmorning profiles educators with different approaches to teaching the classic.
by Karen Morrill

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The private life of George Washington

The private life of George Washington

Much has been written about George Washington, but less is known about how George Washington's upbringing and private life shaped his view on politics and leadership. Historian Ron Chernow's new biography aims to change that.

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Marooned with Midmorning

Marooned with Midmorning

It's the timeless question for lovers of music and literature. If you were stranded on a desert island, what one book and album would you want to have along with you? And why?
by Mark Wheat

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A tale of spirit and survival

While researching her best selling book "Seabiscuit," Laura Hillenbrand stumbled across an article on Louis Zamperini, an Olympic athlete who endured incredible hardships during World War II. She reached out to him and forged a connection that she chronicles in her latest book. Originally broadcast on Nov. 29, 2010.

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John and Abigail Adams in letters

John and Abigail Adams in letters

John Adams has had his share of publicity in the past few years. Historian Joseph Ellis's new book takes a look at the enduring relationship between Adams and his wife, Abigail, as revealed through their letters to one another. Originally broadcast on January 3, 2011.

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The queen of the Nile: a new perspective

The queen of the Nile: a new perspective

She was called Queen of Kings, and in her lifetime Cleopatra was romantically linked with both Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. Biographer Stacy Schiff considered her a shrewd political strategist and powerful ruler. Originally broadcast on January 5, 2011.

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Teen fiction author Pete Hautman

Teen fiction author Pete Hautman

Pete Hautman has won a National Book Award for his young adult novels, and while he loves the genre, he says there are reasons not to write young adult fiction. He explains why, and talks about his newest novel, with Kerri Miller.

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Novelist Paul Auster writes about home

Novelist Paul Auster writes about home

Paul Auster's new novel about abandoned homes and broken families speaks to Americans' experience with the recession. He revisits themes of existential crisis and the search for identity.

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