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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.

Keep an eye out for these new books from big names in January

Keep an eye out for these new books from big names in January

The new year begins with a host of promising titles from George Saunders, Julian Barnes, Jennette McCurdy, Karl Ove Knausgaard and more. Here’s a look ahead at what’s publishing this month.
by Colin Dwyer

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Made to mingle: Why your brain is happier with friends

Made to mingle: Why your brain is happier with friends

In his new book, “Why Brains Need Friends,” neuroscientist Ben Rein argues that social connection is just as important to human flourishing as exercise and nutrition.
by Kerri Miller and Kelly Gordon

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Ask a Bookseller: ‘Lightbreakers’ by Aja Gabel 

Ask a Bookseller: ‘Lightbreakers’ by Aja Gabel 

Shannon Guinn-Collins of Bookworks in Albuquerque, New Mexico, recommends "Lightbreakers" by Aja Gabel. 
by Emily Bright

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A 200-year-old book distributor is closing. Here’s what that means for public libraries

A 200-year-old book distributor is closing. Here’s what that means for public libraries

Baker & Taylor is one of very few companies that handle book distribution for libraries — getting books from publishers into borrowers hands. But a few months ago, the company abruptly announced it was shutting down.
by Alina Edwards and Andrew Limbong

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Jen Hatmaker rises from the ashes in 'Awake'

Jen Hatmaker rises from the ashes in 'Awake'

In her new memoir, Jen Hatmaker is unflinching about the end of her publicly celebrated marriage. But more than a story about dissolution, “Awake” is about new beginnings — especially Hatmaker’s relationship to herself.
by Kerri Miller and Kelly Gordon

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Put these 12 eye-opening books on your 2026 reading list

Put these 12 eye-opening books on your 2026 reading list

Want to learn something new in the new year? Check out these deep-dive books from 2025 — nonfiction that will lead you to fresh discoveries about big tech, true crime and the ground beneath our feet.
by Ivy Buck

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The best and most surprising Big Book shows of 2025, part two

The best and most surprising Big Book shows of 2025, part two

Picking the best Big Books shows of 2025 was a tall task. But Kerri Miller and producer Kelly Gordon chose their five favorites — plus one surprise — for a year-end roundup.
by Kerri Miller and Kelly Gordon

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Genre fiction and female authors top U.S. libraries’ most-borrowed lists in 2025

Genre fiction and female authors top U.S. libraries’ most-borrowed lists in 2025

All of the top 10 books borrowed through the public library app Libby were written by women. And Kristin Hannah’s “The Women” was the top checkout in many library systems around the country.
by Neda Ulaby

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The 43 best books MPR News staff read in 2025

The 43 best books MPR News staff read in 2025

Each year, the MPR newsroom shares staff picks of the best books we read in 2025. From a familiar Minnesota romance author to Dust Bowl-era historical fiction with a dash of magical realism, here’s the books we couldn’t put down.
by Sam Stroozas

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