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.

September 22, 2018 5:20 PM

How the Myers-Briggs personality test began in a living room laboratory

"The language of type can be immensely clarifying," says author Merve Emre. In The Personality Brokers she describes how a mother-daughter duo started a multi-million dollar "people sorting" industry.

by Melissa Block

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September 21, 2018 12:24 PM

A 'fresh, unpredictable' Western with a strong female lead

A powerful female character can be hard to find in Western fiction, but bookseller Aaron Cance recommends a novel which delivers just that.

by Tracy Mumford

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September 20, 2018 1:05 PM

From 'Everything Under' to 'Overstory': The 2018 Man Booker Prize shortlist

Just half a dozen authors remain in contention for the prestigious fiction award: Anna Burns, Esi Edugyan, Daisy Johnson, Rachel Kushner, Richard Powers and Robin Robertson.

by Colin Dwyer

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September 20, 2018 12:00 AM

Javier Cercas uncovers the truth behind Spain's 'Impostor'

In his new book, Javier Cercas unravels the lies that created the life of Enric Marco -- a man who for years portrayed himself as a Holocaust survivor and Spanish Civil War hero.

by Ari Shapiro

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September 19, 2018 12:00 AM

Investigative journalist aims to expose ills of privately run prisons

"American Prison" is the remarkable story of a journalist who spent four months working as a corrections officer -- and a horrifying exposé of how prisoners are treated by a profiting corporation.

by Michael Schaub

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September 18, 2018 11:12 AM

This rapper tried to use neuroscience to get over her ex

Dessa is a singer and writer from Minneapolis who spent years trying to fall out of love and get over her ex. Nothing seemed to help -- until she visited a research lab for a brain scan.

by Adam Cole and Ryan Kellman

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September 18, 2018 12:00 AM

'These Truths' looks at America through the promises of its beginning

By engaging with our country's past -- and present -- in an intellectually honest way, Jill Lepore has created a book that truly does encapsulate the American story in all its pain and triumph.

by Michael Schaub

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September 17, 2018 12:00 AM

'Accessory to War' is an uncomfortable wake-up call for some

An "unspoken alliance" between scientists and the military had been brewing for millennia prior to Hiroshima. Neil deGrasse Tyson and Avis Lang excel at detailing this union and its possible future.

by Marcelo Gleiser

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September 17, 2018 12:00 AM

Activist DeRay McKesson on why he's making 'The Case for Hope'

In his new book,"On the Other Side of Freedom: The Case for Hope," activist and author Deray McKesson tells his personal story and shares his thinking about activism.

by Michel Martin

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September 16, 2018 12:00 AM

'A Room Away from the Wolves' makes the Gothic bitingly modern

Nova Ren Suma takes all the classic Gothic novel tropes -- an old house, a cursed ring, evil stepsisters, a dark family legacy -- and gives them a bracing update.

by Caitlyn Paxson

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