The Thread® - Books and Literary 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.

November 11, 2020 12:20 PM

Fareed Zakaria on a post-pandemic world

Will we ever recover from the pandemic? CNN host and journalist Fareed Zakaria says yes — and we will be stronger for it.

by Kerri Miller and Kelly Gordon

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November 11, 2020 11:46 AM

From stinky cheese to cat pee, author takes a 'Nose Dive' into the science of smell

Harold McGee talks about how our sense of smell affects taste, why things smell the way they do and the ways different chemicals combine to create surprising (and sometimes distasteful) odors.

by Terry Gross

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November 11, 2020 5:00 AM

Rediscovering 'Cher Ami' and the lost battalion: Questions for Kathleen Rooney

Kathleen Rooney's new novel follows an unlikely subject: Cher Ami, the once-famous homing pigeon who helped save a trapped battalion during World War I, and the officer who owed his life to her.

by Petra Mayer

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November 10, 2020 12:55 PM

How a 1969 murder at Harvard turned into a cold case and a 'cautionary tale'

In “We Keep the Dead Close,” author Becky Cooper revisits the killing of Harvard graduate student Jane Britton. The 440+ page book is overstuffed with suspects, motives, red herrings and interviews.

by Maureen Corrigan

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November 10, 2020 12:55 PM

Author details 'Living With Death' in her 20s and scrambling for life-saving care

Katherine Standefer was uninsured and working as a hiking guide when diagnosed with a genetic heart condition. She chronicles her experience with an implanted heart device in “Lightning Flowers.”

by Dave Davies

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November 10, 2020 10:00 AM

Author and journalist Tom Ricks: Founding Fathers expected today's political state

"I think Madison, especially, would be very proud to see that when America deeply disagrees, as it does now, that things grind to a halt," Ricks, author of a new book, “First Principles,” tells NPR.

by Steve Inskeep

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November 10, 2020 8:49 AM

Exclusive: Brit Bennett, Yaa Gyasi among contenders for Aspen Words Literary Prize

Aspen Words — part of the Aspen Institute — has announced the longlist for this year's Aspen Words Literary Prize. The $35,000 award recognizes fiction that "illuminates a vital contemporary issue."

by Petra Mayer

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November 10, 2020 6:13 AM

In 'Wintering,' Katherine May encourages 'the active acceptance of sadness'

The British author writes beautifully of her own recent bout with a personal winter, a period when she felt low and overwhelmed — and aims to help others to embrace their winters.

by Heller McAlpin

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November 9, 2020 1:08 PM

Soccer star Megan Rapinoe on equal pay, and what the U.S. flag means to her

Rapinoe has also been an outspoken advocate for pay equity and the Black Lives Matter movement. "I see patriotism as constantly demanding better of ourselves," she says. Her new book is “One Life.”

by Terry Gross

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November 9, 2020 12:11 PM

Thread: Wanbli Weiden's 'Winter Counts' deserves more fanfare

For this week’s Thread: Kerri Miller begins a series this morning running through the end of December that will give more attention to authors you might not have heard about, and would be great ideas for the holiday season.

by Kerri Miller

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