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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.

'The Boatman's Daughter' dips her toes in horror, crime and poetry

'The Boatman's Daughter' dips her toes in horror, crime and poetry

Andy Davidson's novel follows a young girl who scrapes a living working for local criminals along an Arkansas river — but its crime story bumps up against horror in a strange yet seamless fashion.
by Gabino Iglesias

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Steve Inskeep on ‘Imperfect Union’

Steve Inskeep on ‘Imperfect Union’

The NPR host’s new biography of Jessie and John Fremont details why one of America’s original power couples is still relevant to national politics today.
by Kerri Miller

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Author says 'mixed solutions can feel like a cop-out' but may solve housing inequity

Author says 'mixed solutions can feel like a cop-out' but may solve housing inequity

Journalist Conor Dougherty doesn't traffic radical ideas in “Golden Gates,” but tells the story of housing in all its complexity, acknowledging that imperfect solutions are often the only solutions.
by Nicholas Cannariato

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'Little Legends' celebrates big lives of black history

'Little Legends' celebrates big lives of black history

Vashti Harrison's new picture book showcases black leaders throughout American history — but not just the big names. She also focuses on artists, athletes and scientists who may be less well-known.
by David Greene

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Missteps lead publishing industry to review diversity effort

Missteps lead publishing industry to review diversity effort

Diversity in publishing has been an industry issue for years. But the current controversy over Jeanine Cummins' novel “American Dirt" has intensified the debate. Flatiron Books admits it was caught off guard by the objections of Mexican American writers to Cummins' story of a mother and child fleeing to the U.S. border.
by The Associated Press

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What fictional pandemics can teach us about real-world survival

What fictional pandemics can teach us about real-world survival

People have been telling stories about pandemics for thousands of years — once, they were tales of divine retribution, but today they're often rooted in current events like the coronavirus outbreak.
by Neda Ulaby

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Author Michael Pollan explains caffeine cravings (and why you don't have to quit)

Author Michael Pollan explains caffeine cravings (and why you don't have to quit)

When Pollan decided to write about caffeine, he gave it up — cold turkey. "I just couldn't focus," he says. "I was irritable. I lost confidence." Caffeine reshapes the brain in surprising ways.
by Terry Gross

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