The Thread

The Thread from MPR News

A new twist on book talk

Ask a Bookseller: Every week, The Thread checks in with booksellers around the country about their favorite books of the moment. Listen here.

The Thread newsletter: 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. Sent every Friday.

Big Books and Bold Ideas: Conversations on books and ideas with Kerri Miller, Fridays at 11 a.m. Listen here.

Follow The Thread on Facebook | Instagram

Author L.L. McKinney: Barnes & Noble 'Diverse Editions' are 'literary blackface'
Barnes & Noble suspended its campaign to reissue classic books with covers depicting protagonists as people of color after many authors, including McKinney, criticized the initiative.
New coronavirus 'won't be the last' outbreak to move from animal to human
Science writer David Quammen says the new coronavirus is the latest example of the way pathogens are migrating from animals to humans with increasing frequency — and sometimes deadly consequences.
A widow, not a wife: 'Smacked' explores an ex-husband's secret addiction
Eilene Zimmerman didn't learn of her ex-husband's addiction to cocaine and opioids until after his death. "This had happened in front of us, and we hadn't recognized it," she says.
In Ben Passmore's latest, 'Sports Is Hell' and the world is on fire
Passmore's timely new graphic novel is set in an unnamed city whose football team has just won the Super Bowl, setting off fiery riots. It's a biting satire of political action, race and capitalism.
New book looks at murder of Pakistani social media star at the hands of her brother
Qandeel Baloch's brother went to jail in 2019 after murdering his sister in an "honor killing" in 2016. Author Sanam Maher discusses how this case has changed Pakistan.