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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.

2 Garrison Keillor books set for release this fall

2 Garrison Keillor books set for release this fall

"The Lake Wobegon Virus," out Sept. 8, continues his "Lake Wobegon" series and ties it to the current pandemic. Memoir "That Time of Year" will be released two months later. In his memoir, Keillor will address the sexual harassment allegations that led to his being dropped by Minnesota Public Radio and The Washington Post.
by The Associated Press

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Bolton: Trump moves in office guided by reelection concerns

Bolton: Trump moves in office guided by reelection concerns

President Donald Trump "pleaded" with China's Xi Jinping during a 2019 summit to help his reelection prospects, according to a scathing new book by former Trump adviser John Bolton that accuses the president of being driven by political calculations when making national security decisions.
by The Associated Press

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Justice Department seeks to block publication of John Bolton's White House memoir

Justice Department seeks to block publication of John Bolton's White House memoir

A week before the scheduled June 23 launch of the former national security adviser's tale of his time serving Trump, the government has filed a lawsuit attempting to hold up the book's release.
by David Welna

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Libraries are dealing with new demand for books and services during the pandemic

Across the country, libraries have seen demand for e-books skyrocket as people try to entertain themselves during lockdown. But they're also dealing with complicated questions around reopening.
by Thomas Wilburn

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'Miss Iceland' is a subdued, powerful portrait of a suppressed society

'Miss Iceland' is a subdued, powerful portrait of a suppressed society

Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir's atmospheric novel, about a young writer and her outcast friends in 1963 Iceland, will transport you to another time and place, though not necessarily a rosier time and place.
by Heller McAlpin

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In 'Exercise Of Power' Robert Gates says presidents too often rely on the military

In 'Exercise Of Power' Robert Gates says presidents too often rely on the military

In his latest book, the former defense secretary says some matters more often than not call for other elements of American power: diplomacy or foreign aid or clear strategic communications.
by Tom Bowman

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A long summer ahead: What writers are reading as the pandemic goes on

A long summer ahead: What writers are reading as the pandemic goes on

Find recommendations for fantasy, poetry, new fiction, old fiction, comics, fairy tales and more, hand-picked by authors Ben Philippe, Jade Chang, Raina Telgemeier, Tess Taylor and Thomas Pierce.
by Justine Kenin and Mallory Yu

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'The Art Of Her Deal' aims to show Melania Trump as an influential collaborator

'The Art Of Her Deal' aims to show Melania Trump as an influential collaborator

The flattening effect of political discourse, insipidity of the first lady role and her own remoteness have led us to either forget she has an inner life — or to imagine her as an elegant prisoner.
by Annalisa Quinn

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