The Thread® - Books and Literary News

The Thread® is your source for book recommendations and other literary news.

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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.

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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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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.

April 6, 2020 5:15 PM

The Thread: Lawrence Wright’s 'The End of October'

As we continue our look at books to comfort and entertain during this period of social distancing, MPR News host Kerri Miller previews one of her most anticipated reads for spring and summer 2020: a soon-to-be-published novel about a pandemic.

by Kerri Miller

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April 5, 2020 9:00 AM

In 'Hidden Valley Road,' a family's journey helps shift the science of mental illness

Over the years, six of the Galvins' 12 children were diagnosed with schizophrenia. Robert Kolker, who has a new book on the family, says "there is a lot of hope and inspiration in this story."

by Lulu Garcia-Navarro

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April 3, 2020 3:30 PM

Journalist Gloria Steinem on activism, patriarchy and political power

Feminist activist and journalist Gloria Steinem recently joined MPR News host Kerri Miller for a frank and wide-ranging conversation about patriarchy in the past and present; the status of the Equal Rights Amendment today; and what it would take for a woman to hold the office of president.

by Kerri Miller and Breann Schossow

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April 2, 2020 6:42 AM

Want to hear a frank, funny 'Muslim love story'? 'That Can Be Arranged'

In her graphic memoir, cartoonist Huda Fahmy explains how her parents played a role in her romantic relationships. She hopes her book is representation "for people who want to find love in this way."

by Noel King

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April 2, 2020 6:00 AM

In 'Hurricane Season,' words swirl wild and dark

Fernanda Melchor's poetic, foul-mouthed new novel sits on the border between crime fiction and horror: A woman known as the Witch has been murdered, and her neighbors want to know who did it and why.

by Gabino Iglesias

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April 1, 2020 8:21 AM

'A matter of common decency': What literature can teach us about epidemics

Authors explore questions of morality, evil, solidarity and survival in Albert Camus' “The Plague,” Geraldine Brooks' “Year of Wonders” and Karen Thompson Walker's “The Dreamers.”

by Melissa Block

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March 31, 2020 1:22 PM

Jonathan Karl's memoir shows that everyone is 'Front Row at the Trump Show'

The ABC White House correspondent avoids bravado and knows better than to let insiders use his book to sound off about their enemies. But the obviousness of his account reveals an alarming truth.

by Annalisa Quinn

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March 31, 2020 6:00 AM

With the 'I Am' books, you are a hero too

Our kids' books columnist Juanita Giles reports that, stuck at home with her family, she's turned to the I am series, by Brad Meltzer and Christopher Eliopoulos, for stories about relatable heroes.

by Juanita Giles

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March 30, 2020 8:03 PM

Tomie DePaola, author of 'Strega Nona,' has died

The author and illustrator — who, by his own reckoning, worked on more than 270 titles — died Monday at age 85. Among his classics is the Caldecott winner “Strega Nona,” a seemingly ancient folk tale.

by Anastasia Tsioulcas