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.

Ask a Bookseller: 'Gods of the Upper Air'
The book explores the work of Franz Boaz, founder of cultural anthropology, and a circle of women scientists whose work 100 years ago helped inform our notions of identity today.
Trio of books shows a Southeast Asia caught between world powers
Three regional experts agree there's no desire in Southeast Asia to pick Washington over Beijing. U.S. strategy should look through the lens of the region itself — not just focus on containing China.
Poetry escapes the beauty bind in 'Wound from the Mouth of a Wound'
In her debut collection, poet torrin a. greathouse explores what it means to be both trans and disabled, and the ways beauty can be a trap for trans women — so why not write towards ugliness?
Barry Lopez, acclaimed author who tied people to place, dies at 75
Barry Lopez — who won a National Book Award in 1986 for “Arctic Dreams” — wrote about his travels to remote places. But his writings aren't just travelogues; they remind us of how precious life on Earth is, and of our responsibility to care for it. Lopez died Friday at age 75.
Minnesota author Peter Geye on ‘Northernmost’
Novelist Peter Geye described the inspiration behind his family saga, the undercurrent of angst within relationships and how time forces us to reflect on the legacies we leave behind.
The Thread: Three books to expand scientific understanding
For this week’s Thread: Kerri Miller finishes a series this to give more attention to authors you might not have heard about, and would be great ideas for the holiday season. If you have someone in your life who loves science, here are some your last-minute, gift-giving recommendations!
Ask a Bookseller: Let’s talk about money
Chuck Neal of Chapters Bookstore in Miami, Okla., recommended a nonfiction title on a ubiquitous topic this week: “Money: the True Story of a Made-up Thing,” by Jacob Goldstein of NPR’s Planet Money.