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.

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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. 

The 2025 season of Talking Volumes ended with poet Kate Baer and guest host Catharine Richert and a lot of laughter.
Here are the winners of the 2025 National Book Awards
Author Rabih Alameddine won for his novel The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother). Other winners include a book for young people about orphans on the run in Iran during World War II.
Minnesota’s second romance-only bookstore brings the small-town charm
Hey Darling opened in October 2024 on Main Street in Austin. Owner Trish Marin said she wants small town residents of the state to experience the sense of belonging a romance bookstore can bring.
Ask a Bookseller: ‘Burner: And Other Stories’ by Katrina Denza
Kimberly Daniels of The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines, North Carolina, recommends Katrina Denza’s new collection "Burner: And Other Stories.”
Out to Lunch: Activist T Williams shares lessons from an ‘oversized’ table
We have all been witnesses to moments in history. But there are people in every community who go a step further by working to shape what happens next. MPR News host Nina Moini recently met up with longtime activist T Williams at Soul Bowl.
How did the Edmund Fitzgerald sink? A new book looks into the theories
“The Gales of November: The Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald” digs into the mystery of the ship’s sinking and also shares interviews with family members of the crew.
Ask a Bookseller: ‘I See You’ve Called in Dead’ by John Kenney 
Christina Tabereaux of The Snail on the Wall, a bookstore in Huntsville, Ala., recommends the novel “I See You’ve Called in Dead” by John Kenney.