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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.

'99 Nights in Logar' is an Afghan adventure told in nested stories

'99 Nights in Logar' is an Afghan adventure told in nested stories

The novel is a coming-of-age journey, about a young boy chasing after a runaway dog. Author Jamil Jan Kochai says he hopes the book will counter some American misconceptions about Afghanistan.
by Lulu Garcia-Navarro

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Sulky, cynical 'Murderbot' is one of sci-fi's most human characters

Sulky, cynical 'Murderbot' is one of sci-fi's most human characters

In 'All Systems Red,' Martha Wells hides a delicate, nuanced, character-driven story under a veneer of robot fights and space murder -- and the titular Murderbot is the character doing the driving.
by Jason Sheehan

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Dyslexia made Henry Winkler feel 'stupid' for years. Now, he's a best-selling author

Dyslexia made Henry Winkler feel 'stupid' for years. Now, he's a best-selling author

The Emmy-winning actor is lesser known for his work writing for children. But he calls his book series, about the adventures and struggles of a dyslexic child, his proudest accomplishment.
by Emma Bowman

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Forced to taste food for the Fuhrer at 'The Wolf's Table'

Forced to taste food for the Fuhrer at 'The Wolf's Table'

Rosella Postorino's new novel is based on the real-life story of a German woman who was conscripted to serve as a food taster for Adolf Hitler, who feared that the Allies were trying to poison him.

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'The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee' aims to usher in a new narrative for Native Americans

'The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee' aims to usher in a new narrative for Native Americans

Author David Treuer calls his new book a "counternarrative" to Dee Brown's 1970 classic. "I have tried to catch us not in the act of dying but, rather, in the radical act of living," he writes.
by Tom Bowman

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Capturing the 'Voices of Mississippi'

Capturing the 'Voices of Mississippi'

Bookseller Kelle Barfield recommends much more than a book: She raves about a collection of music, oral history and other materials compiled by historian William Ferris.
by Tracy Mumford

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'The Snow Leopard Project' puts spotlight on Afghanistan's wildlife

'The Snow Leopard Project' puts spotlight on Afghanistan's wildlife

For many, Afghanistan does not at first conjure up images of black bears and musk deer. But that's just what Alex Dehgan found when his team went there in hope of establishing the first national park.
by Barbara J. King

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