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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. 

A Wife of Bath 'biography' brings a modern woman out of the Middle Ages

A Wife of Bath 'biography' brings a modern woman out of the Middle Ages

Dreamed up by Geoffrey Chaucer in The Canterbury Tales more than 600 years ago, the Wife of Bath was known for her lusty appetites, gossipy asides and fondness for wine.
by Neda Ulaby

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Activist Alice Wong reflects on 'The Year of the Tiger' and her hopes for 2023

Activist Alice Wong reflects on 'The Year of the Tiger' and her hopes for 2023

In the Year of the Tiger: An Activist's Life, Alice Wong shares pieces of her story and experience as a disabled Asian American through a collection of essays, interviews, photos and illustrations.
by Thomas Lu

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Ask a Bookseller: a graphic novel about a life-changing journey

This week’s recommendation comes from Qwultultun Robert Goldsmith of Strong Nations, an indigenous-owned bookstore and publisher on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada.
by Emily Bright

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Anatoly Liberman on the origins of English idioms

Anatoly Liberman on the origins of English idioms

Some idioms need no explanation. Sayings like “put it on the back burner” or “don’t rain on my parade” follow common sense. But what about phrases like “drink like a fish” or “by hook or by crook”?
by Kerri Miller and Kelly Gordon

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5 YA books this winter dealing with identity and overcoming hardships

5 YA books this winter dealing with identity and overcoming hardships

The pale daylight and early darkness of winter create a space for stories — in particular for stories that ask the reader to mull themes and ideas that can sometimes be difficult.
by Caitlyn Paxson

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From the archives: Anatoly Liberman on familial language

From the archives: Anatoly Liberman on familial language

Every family has words that are unique to their closed circle. We discuss their roots in a new book, “Take My Word for It: A Dictionary of English Idioms.”
by Kerri Miller and Kelly Gordon

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After cancer diagnosis, a neurosurgeon sees life, death and his career in a new way

After cancer diagnosis, a neurosurgeon sees life, death and his career in a new way

Dr. Henry Marsh felt comfortable in hospitals — until he was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer. "I was much less self-assured now that I was a patient myself," he says. His book is And Finally.
by Terry Gross

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