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.

'All About The Story' is a history of newspapering — and a primer on media ethics
Former Washington Post leader Len Downie is well-placed to offer a look at 50 years in news — but he also writes of times he had to weigh the public's right to know against national security.
'Vote for Our Future' answers kids' questions about elections
Ask a Bookseller wraps up its monthlong focus on books for young readers with a recommendation for a picture book that teaches kids about elections. Bookseller Christian Nardi of the kids' bookstore Bee Hive in Santa Fe, N.M., recommends "Vote for Our Future" by Margaret McNamara and Micah Player.
'Conditional Citizens' examines what it means to be an American
Laila Lalami's new book is “Conditional Citizens: On Belonging in America.” She says conditional citizens — of which she's one — are people sometimes embraced by America, other times rejected.
In 'Can't Even,' burnout is seen as a societal problem — one we can't solve alone
Burnout, Anne Helen Petersen argues, will end only with sweeping labor-policy changes — meaning it will only end when we "vote en masse to elect politicians who will agitate for [reform] tirelessly."
In a 'Coast-To-Coast Roast,' Colin Quinn finds humor in the state we're in
As a veteran stand-up comedian, Quinn has spent decades on the road, performing in 47 out of the 50 states he now affectionately eviscerates in his new book, “Overstated.”
Latest tell-all, by former national security adviser McMaster, is not all about Trump
This book may be the master in-depth briefing H.R. McMaster always wanted to give the president. For better or worse, it seems listening to lengthy historical explanations has not been Trump's style.
Poirot's the star, but his sidekick shines in 'Kingfisher Hill'
The latest installment in the Hercule Poirot franchise — now being written by Sophie Hannah — is a masterful, multilayered puzzle in which Poirot's assistant Inspector Catchpool plays a key role.