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.

'Women of Brewster Place' reissue brims with inventiveness — and relevance
Now newly reissued, Gloria Naylor's 1982 novel-in-stories painted a group portrait of seven Black women living on a dingy street in an unnamed city, and the systematic racism they faced.
Ted Gioia first published his “History of Jazz” in 1997, updating it for the first time in 2011. This year he did so again, after a very important decade for the genre.
Reporters reveal 'Ugly Truth' of how Facebook enables hate groups and disinformation
In a new book, Cecilia Kang and Sheera Frenkel say Facebook failed in its effort to combat disinformation. "Facebook knew the potential for explosive violence was very real [on Jan 6]," Kang says.
'Startup Wife' satirizes tech culture and boardroom sexism — from experience
Tahmima Anam's new novel is about a married couple who found a tech startup. The platform's success turns the husband into a messiah figure — even though it was his wife who designed it.
'Bring Your Baggage and Don't Pack Light' is a baker's dozen of sharply funny essays
Helen Ellis, author of “American Housewife” and “Southern Lady Code,” is back with her third book in five years — in which the connection with her longtime, close-knit female friends features prominently.
Ask a Bookseller: 'The House in the Cerulean Sea' is a feel-good read
Jolie Hughes of Morgan Hill Bookstore in New London, N.H. has a recommendation for people who want a summer read that leaves them feeling good. She points them toward TJ Klune's novel "The House in the Cerulean Sea."