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.

June 29, 2019 12:00 AM

Podcasts are providing a new way into poetry

A poem on the page has its appeal -- but poetry spoken aloud is a more intimate experience. And a new crop of podcasts are expanding poetry, giving context to poems and drawing in new audiences.

by Jeevika Verma

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June 28, 2019 4:01 PM

'Beautiful' essays that address race, family, religion and more

"I feel like everyone can see themselves reflected in this book, but also learn from something completely new," said bookseller Allison Punch.

by Tracy Mumford

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June 28, 2019 12:00 AM

3 memoirs that explore the many facets of mental illness

One in five Americans have some experience with mental illness every year -- and these three new memoirs dig into that experience, whether it's the author's own illness or that of a loved one.

by Jacki Lyden

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June 27, 2019 12:00 AM

'Aloha Rodeo' offers alternative to the cowboy cliche

Journalists David Wolman and Julian Smith chronicle the history of Hawaii's cattle trade and profile a number of "paniolos" -- every bit as tenacious and resourceful as their mainland cohorts.

by Carson Vaughan

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June 26, 2019 12:00 AM

'When We Were Arabs' is a nostalgic celebration of a rich, diverse heritage

Author Massoud Hayoun has Moroccan, Egyptian and Tunisian heritage -- and is also Jewish. He weaves in his family history with the politics that shaped their lives, including European oppression.

by Martha Anne Toll

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June 26, 2019 12:00 AM

Secrets kept by the 'Gone Dead' haunt the living

Chanelle Benz's debut novel follows a woman digging into the death of her father, a celebrated African American writer who abandoned his family -- and died in a mysterious accident not long after.

by Michael Schaub

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June 25, 2019 12:00 AM

'Ask Again, Yes' is a profound yet unpretentious family drama

Mary Beth Keane's novel opens in 1973 New York and follows two rookie cops and their families over four decades. Her closely-observed domestic tale transforms into something deep and universal.

by Maureen Corrigan

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June 25, 2019 12:00 AM

'I Like To Watch' is a passionate, brilliant defense of TV

The collection of 32 mostly previously published essays by New Yorker TV Critic Emily Nussbaum includes a new consideration of the question: "What should we do with the art of terrible men?"

by Annalisa Quinn

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June 24, 2019 12:00 AM

A former Jehovah's Witness on leaving the faith

"I felt like everything that had mattered to me was gone," Amber Scorah says of her decision to leave the Jehovah's Witness community she grew up in.

by Terry Gross

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June 23, 2019 12:00 AM

Simple, sassy 'Summer of '69' is the perfect beach read

Elin Hilderbrand -- known as the "Queen of Summer" -- is back with another beachy tale of family secrets and intrigue (and tasty period details), set on Nantucket during the turbulent summer of 1969.

by Jean Zimmerman

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