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.

June 21, 2004 10:20 AM

How humans shaped the North Woods

From tribal burning to industrial logging, the actions of human beings have greatly impacted the natural environment. A new book chronicles the ways humans have changed the woods of northern Minnesota.

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!

June 16, 2004 12:42 AM

Bloomsday in Dublin (and Moorhead)

Celebrations mark the centenary of Bloomsday, the fictitious day captured by James Joyce in the novel "Ulysses." Some call it the finest work of the 20th century. Others see it as an indecipherable tome. This year, Bloomsday is being celebrated from Dublin to Moorhead.

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!

June 9, 2004 1:20 PM

Life on the Upper Mississippi

Minnesota author Patricia Hampl presents a literary view of the Upper Mississippi. She reads from works by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Sinclair Lewis and even Henry David Thoreau, as well as her own musings on the great river. Music by pianist and Minnesota Public Radio favorite Dan Chouinard underscores the program.

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!

June 4, 2004 10:20 AM

The complexity and comedy of Midwestern living

Changing and simplifying one's life may be the current American dream; it's also ripe for satire.

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!

June 2, 2004 11:20 AM

A refugee's story

A difficult transition to American life drives a Vietnamese emigre family apart in a poetic debut novel.

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!

June 1, 2004 1:20 PM

The life and times of Alexander Hamilton

A Twin Cities speech by Ron Chernow, author of Alexander Hamilton. He spoke recently at Barnes and Noble in Edina.

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!

May 28, 2004 12:20 PM

Honoring the past and looking to the future

Former Governor Elmer Andersen's remarks Wednesday night at the Barnes and Noble Galleria Bookstore. He celebrates his 95th birthday next month and is out with a new book I Trust to be Believed. Plus, 14-year-old Grant Remmen of Detroit Lakes. The Minnesota spelling bee champion is heading out this weekend to the National Spelling Bee in Washington DC.