The Thread® - Books and Literary News

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

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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.

October 22, 2008 12:00 AM

The Puritan dilemma

Sarah Vowell's latest take on American history says the Puritans were not paragons of virtue, but shaped Americans' image of themselves nevertheless.

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October 17, 2008 12:00 AM

Good books for tough times

When the news is bad, sometimes all you need is a good book to make it go away. Midmorning looks at literature that takes you to another place.

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October 10, 2008 3:59 PM

A Twin Cities teacher feels we are teaching in circles

A Twin Cities teacher looks at his life and work, and gives it a lackluster report card. Nathan Miller has tried to reconcile these internal conflicts in his new book.

by Tom Crann

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October 9, 2008 5:30 PM

Edward Curtis, driven by a dream

The American photographer thought big and he set out to document the North American Indian, and made it his life's work. Author Alan Cheuse has written a new novel based on Curtis' and will be in the Twin Cities as part of the Twin Cities Book Festival.

by Tom Crann

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October 8, 2008 2:12 PM

Talking Volumes with Richard Russo

Author Richard Russo joins Kerri Miller as part of the Talking Volumes regional book club. Russo's latest book, just out in paperback, is "Bridge of Sighs."

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October 5, 2008 3:00 PM

Neil Gaiman tries a new strategy

Later this week fans will likely pack a St Paul church to hear author Neil Gaiman, a writing rock star, read from his latest novel, "The Graveyard Book." He's often swamped at readings and now has devised a new way to keep himself physically accessible to his readers.

by Euan Kerr

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October 3, 2008 4:00 PM

The diva and the ghost writer

Minneapolis author George Rabasa's new novel, "The Wonder Singer," explores love, opera and the agony of writing.

by Euan Kerr

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September 29, 2008 7:45 PM

Iraq War veteran shares experience through poetry

The experience of the Iraq War has been widely documented. But literary reaction to this war has been rare. That's what we get from poet -- and former Army Sergeant -- Brian Turner. Turner talked to Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Crann while visiting the Twin Cities for a reading.

by Tom Crann

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September 26, 2008 1:00 PM

Chuck Palahniuk's 'Choke'

This weekend the film adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk's novel "Choke" hits movie screens around the country.

by Euan Kerr

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September 26, 2008 4:00 AM

Vatican Splendors come to Minnesota

Minnesotans have a chance to see more than 200 treasures from the Vatican in Rome.

by Marianne Combs

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