The Thread® - Books and Literary 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.

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. 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.

February 26, 2007 2:52 PM

Charmed by books

Cathy Wurzer talked with Mary Brainerd about her passion for reading and, in particular, her interest in Joan Didion's "The Year of Magical Thinking," which Brainerd says is one of the most compelling books she's read in the last year.

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!

February 20, 2007 3:20 PM

Remembering Alice

Writer Calvin Trillin spent a good part of his life trying to impress Alice, his wife of 36 years. His new book is a loving and funny memoir of a remarkable woman and a happy marriage.

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!

February 15, 2007 12:00 AM

"Dating your mom" and other stories from Ian Frazier

What if the lives of Daffy Duck and Porky Pig were subject to investigative reporting or if children's manners were written as Biblical law? Humorist Ian Frazier has an idea about how those might read. He's also been known to argue that men should consider dating their own mothers.

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!

February 14, 2007 3:00 AM

Joseph Kalar's poems re-emerge from the Depression

It's safe to say not many of us have ever heard of writer Joseph Kalar. A native of Minnesota's Iron Range, he wrote passionately about the lives of working people. A book of his poetry has just appeared -- more than 30 years after his death.

by Stephanie Hemphill

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!

February 13, 2007 4:13 PM

"Papermill"

"Papermill," a poem by Joseph Kalar

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!

February 13, 2007 3:41 PM

"Now that Snow is Falling"

"Now that Snow is Falling," a poem by Joseph Kalar.

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!

February 12, 2007 11:00 AM

The art of the memoir

Ever thought about writing a memoir? Accomplished memoirists Patricia Hampl and Katherine Lanpher offered some advice in a forum at the Loft Literary Center.

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!

February 1, 2007 12:00 AM

The Bookshelf: State Sen. Mee Moua

Sen. Mee Moua, a Democrat from St. Paul, talks about what books have meant the most to her and why.

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!

January 25, 2007 3:39 PM

Vikram Chandra writes an epic tale

Some critics describe Vikram Chandra's new novel "Sacred Games" as a thriller. But the Indian-born writer says he's a little nervous about applying that title to a book 900 pages long.

by Euan Kerr