Stay Curious. Stay Connected.
MailNewsletters♡Donate Now
Sign up
*
Password must be at least 8 characters and contain one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter, one number and one symbol
Already have an account?
Sign in to your profile
Forgot Password?
New to MPR News?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Reset Password

Enter the username on file and we'll send you a code to reset your password.

Still require assistance or not sure what your User Name is?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Email Verification

A verification code has been emailed to

Still awaiting the code?

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.

Trump fired a 'faux-Bama,' Michael Cohen says in tell-all memoir

Trump fired a 'faux-Bama,' Michael Cohen says in tell-all memoir

In his book “Disloyal: A Memoir,” President Donald Trump's former personal attorney catalogs a laundry list of accusations, ranging from racism and sexual misconduct to financial misdeeds.
by Anastasia Tsioulcas

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Often, it's not what you say, but 'how you say it'

Psychology professor Katherine Kinzler's new book looks at how people sound when they talk — and how that affects the way they're perceived. She says even children form biases around language use.
by Audie Cornish

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

'World Of Wonders' urges us to take a breath and look around

Poet Aimee Nezhukumatathil's new book aims to show readers how the natural world can support, educate and inspire us; it's inspired by her peripatetic childhood and the plants and animals she loved.
by Rachel Martin

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Fascism scholar says U.S. is 'losing its democratic status'

Fascism scholar says U.S. is 'losing its democratic status'

Yale professor Jason Stanley wrote the book “How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them.” He talked with NPR about defining fascism and how conspiracy theories play a part.
by Christianna Silva and James Doubek

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Getting lost in a good book — literally — in 'Kind of a Big Deal'

Getting lost in a good book — literally — in 'Kind of a Big Deal'

In Shannon Hale's new novel, a former child actor — who's finding her teen years challenging after a failed audition — discovers that she can physically enter books and become part of their stories.
by Alethea Kontis

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

A bookseller recommends 'I Am Every Good Thing' for back to school

A bookseller recommends 'I Am Every Good Thing' for back to school

“When there are so many negative stereotypes against black boys and black children, this is just a beautiful poem, almost a love letter, letting them know that they are every good thing,” said bookseller Lorielle J. Holloway.
by Emily Bright

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Dictionary.com's largest update (re)defines thousands of words, focusing on identity

Dictionary.com's largest update (re)defines thousands of words, focusing on identity

The digital dictionary updated some 15,000 entries, including adding 650 entirely new words from popular culture. Many of the revisions deal with topics related to identity, like race and gender.
by Rachel Treisman

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Minnesota author Peter Geye on ‘Northernmost’

Minnesota author Peter Geye on ‘Northernmost’

“Northernmost” is a new family saga by novelist Peter Geye. The Minnesota author spoke about what inspired the novel and what it means to reflect on the legacies we leave behind.
by Kerri Miller

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

In 'Having and Being Had,' Eula Biss maps capitalist game rules without breaking them

In 'Having and Being Had,' Eula Biss maps capitalist game rules without breaking them

By rooting each meditation in lived experience, the author captures the way the capitalist value system has weaseled itself into the everyday — even implicating herself in its ills and rewards.
by Kristen Martin

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.