The Thread® - Books and Literary News

The Thread from MPR 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 back for its 25th season. Join us at the Fitzgerald Theater for four special events with renowned authors, celebrating our anniversary with a special $25 ticket price for MPR members and Star Tribune subscribers. Buy tickets here.

Thomas Mallon’s NYC diaries get to the ‘Very Heart’ of the AIDS crisis
Mallon has been keeping diaries for most of his life. “The Very Heart of It” collects entries from the years 1983 to 1994, when he had recently come out as gay and moved to New York City.
5 dark tales hit shelves this week
Sometimes all it takes to make your day a little brighter is to remind yourself just how dark life can get. Here are four dark novels and a true crime tale.
After his mother’s death, Ocean Vuong wrote his way through grief
Vuong’s new novel, “The Emperor of Gladness,” is the first he’s written, from start to finish, since his mother died in 2019. He says writing it was a way to honor her memory.
St. Francis Area Schools to reverse book ban policy
As part of a lawsuit settlement, the northern Twin Cities district said Tuesday it will return dozens of books to its library shelves and revise its library acquisitions policy to seek input from parents, qualified library media specialists and state law.