The Thread® - Books and Literary News

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

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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.

Graywolf Press celebrates 50 years of publishing wild literature 
Graywolf Press, a notable independent publisher based in Minneapolis, is celebrating its 50th anniversary, marking a significant milestone for the small but influential nonprofit organization.
Lessons from the road: A Q&A with travel photographer Autumn Carolynn
Minnesota travel photographer Autumn Carolynn has released a book titled "Traveling in Wonder: A Travel Photographer’s Tales of Wanderlust," a blend of memoir and travel guide.
Heather Cox Richardson on 'Democracy Awakening'
This week, Big Books and Bold Ideas is launching an election year series that asks: What is American democracy in 2024? Our first guest is historian Heather Cox Richardson, whose latest book is “Democracy Awakening.”
'Splinters' is a tribute to the love of a mother for a daughter
In different variations of her signature, beautifully frank language, Leslie Jamison writes about her fantasy of stability and her uncertainty as to whether it's a dream she actually wants fulfilled.
Ask a Bookseller: ‘Yours Truly’
Rachel Harris of Four Pines Bookstore in Bemidji recommends one with a local setting and a lot of feels: “Yours Truly” by Abby Jimenez.
Memorable moments with women of faith
Big Books and Bold Ideas looks back at memorable conversations with women who practice and share their faith through different denominations and in different ways.
Kelly Link's debut novel 'The Book of Love' is magical, confusing, heartfelt, strange
Short-story writer Kelly Link's first novel delves into the complications of love and friendship, family drama, grief, resilience and the power of adaptability, while delivering a supernatural tale.