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The Thread® - Books and Literary News

The Thread® is your source for book recommendations and other literary news.

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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.

A new coming-of-age novel by Chang-rae Lee examines how we become who we are

A new coming-of-age novel by Chang-rae Lee examines how we become who we are

There’s something about the first time you leave your parents for summer camp that changes everything. Chang-rae Lee’s new novel, “A Tender Age,” captures one boy’s passage from childhood to adolescence and asks questions about how we become who we are.
by Kerri Miller and Kelly Gordon

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'Damage happened here.' In Marlon James' new novel, the violence has a point

'Damage happened here.' In Marlon James' new novel, the violence has a point

NPR's Juana Summers talks with award-winning author Marlon James about his new book, “The Disappearers,”the story of a brutal attack on a group of gay men in Jamaica and its aftermath.
by Sarah Handel, Juana Summers and Jeffrey Pierre

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Minnesota teacher publishes poetry collection about what keeps him returning to the classroom

Minnesota teacher publishes poetry collection about what keeps him returning to the classroom

High school English teacher Patrick Hueller’s poetry collection "Falling, In Love with Teaching" launches this week, and he’ll read at Subtext Books in St. Paul on Thursday at 7 p.m.
by Emily Bright

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Ask a Bookseller: ‘Coyoteland’ by Vanessa Hua

Ask a Bookseller: ‘Coyoteland’ by Vanessa Hua

With the novel’s multiple viewpoints and complex issues, “Coyoteland” will appeal to fans of Celese Ng’s “Little Fires Everywhere.”
by Emily Bright

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In new collection, 38 poets explore 'Past, Present and Future of Policing'

In new collection, 38 poets explore 'Past, Present and Future of Policing'

A young adult anthology out Tuesday brings together celebrated writers from Minnesota and beyond to share work related to law enforcement, from George Floyd’s murder to Operation Metro Surge.
by Kelly Gordon and Alanna Elder

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What makes something invasive? A new book explores that, and environmental loss

What makes something invasive? A new book explores that, and environmental loss

A new book by science writer Amy Crawford examines what we call invasive. How do we decide that one plant or one animal is undesirable? It’s more random and less scientific than you might think.
by Kerri Miller and Kelly Gordon

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St. Paul’s east side set to lose public library in mayor’s proposed budget cuts

St. Paul’s east side set to lose public library in mayor’s proposed budget cuts

St. Paul Mayor Kaholy Her's proposed budget would shut down Dayton’s Bluff library on the city’s east side. Maree Lee and Kmari Watson come to the library almost every day and consider it a second home. They don’t know where they’ll go without it.
by Ahmed Hassan

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Paul Yoon's novel 'Etna' is told from a dog's point of view, thanks to Oscar

Paul Yoon's novel 'Etna' is told from a dog's point of view, thanks to Oscar

Paul Yoon didn’t know it on the day he and his wife adopted Oscar, a yellow lab puppy, that his world would never be the same. His new novel, “Etna,” grew out of his love affair with his dog.
by Kerri Miller and Kelly Gordon

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