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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.

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 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.

‘The Minneapolis Reckoning:’ New book traces the city’s journey to the brink of police reform

‘The Minneapolis Reckoning:’ New book traces the city’s journey to the brink of police reform

Four years ago this week, a movement to defund and abolish the Minneapolis Police Department ignited across the city and the world. In those four years since George Floyd’s murder, everything — and nothing — has changed.
by Angela Davis and Gretchen Brown

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St. Paul libraries introduce summer passport program to get more Minnesotans into the stacks

St. Paul libraries introduce summer passport program to get more Minnesotans into the stacks

St. Paul public libraries had more than 1 million visitors in 2023, but they want it to be even more. A new program leaning into exploring all that locations have to offer could increase it.
by Sam Stroozas

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New book is ‘love letter to Prince and Purple Rain’ ahead of 40th anniversary

New book is ‘love letter to Prince and Purple Rain’ ahead of 40th anniversary

Prince’s story is told by Minneapolis-based music journalist Andrea Swensson, host of the Official Prince Podcast and a Minnesota Book Award winner. She calls her new book, “Prince and Purple Rain: 40 Years,” a “love letter” to his legacy.
by Cathy Wurzer and Gracie Stockton

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Minnesota lawmakers OK school policy changes on cell phones, book bans, literacy

Minnesota lawmakers OK school policy changes on cell phones, book bans, literacy

The bill approved Wednesday also requires students be offered mental health instruction. It heads to Gov. Tim Walz’s desk for signing. Some Republicans criticized the measure as unnecessarily burdensome on schools.
by Elizabeth Shockman

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Two new novels investigate what makes magic, what is real and imagined

Two new novels investigate what makes magic, what is real and imagined

Both of these novels, “Pages of Mourning” and “The Cemetery of Untold Stories,” from an emerging writer and a long-celebrated one, respectively, walk an open road of remembering love, grief and fate.
by Marcela Davison Avilés

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‘Brotherless Night,’ an ambitious novel by a University of Minnesota professor, wins $150K prize

‘Brotherless Night,’ an ambitious novel by a University of Minnesota professor, wins $150K prize

The Carol Shields Prize for Fiction is a relatively new literary award given to women and nonbinary authors. This year’s winner is University of Minnesota professor V.V. Ganeshananthan for her book “Brotherless Night.”
by Andrew Limbong and MPR News Staff

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‘The best season yet’: Timberwolves fan and author on finding hope in the recent losses

‘The best season yet’: Timberwolves fan and author on finding hope in the recent losses

The last two Timberwolves games brought back an all too familiar feeling for Minnesota sports fans. Author and fan Hanif Abdurraqib talked with MPR News host Cathy Wurzer about why he thinks the Timberwolves may still have a shot.
by Cathy Wurzer and Aleesa Kuznetsov

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