The Thread® - Books and Literary News

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

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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.

February 24, 2018 12:00 AM

Patton Oswalt on his late wife's search for The Golden State Killer

Before Michelle McNamara died in 2016, she was working on a book that aimed to bring a serial rapist and murderer to justice. "I'll Be Gone in the Dark" has now been published.

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February 24, 2018 12:00 AM

Curl up with 'The Tuscan Child,' a truly cozy mystery

This tale of an RAF pilot, the Italian woman who rescues him after a crash, and 30 years later, his daughter, is so skillful and comforting that you may not even notice the fact that there's a war on.

by Bethanne Patrick

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February 23, 2018 3:50 PM

The enduring lyricism of W.E.B. Du Bois' 'The Souls of Black Folk'

The collection of essays about black American life has been republished for Du Bois' 150th birthday anniversary -- and still has plenty to say to those encountering it.

by Lynn Neary

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February 23, 2018 12:00 PM

Thread book hour: Tayari Jones and Kaethe Schwehn

Two writers tackle the unexpected.

by MPR News Staff

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February 22, 2018 4:00 AM

What if you were at the mall and civilization ended?

Kaete Schwehn discovered that if she were going to write a dystopian novel, she needed to set it in Minnesota.

by Euan Kerr

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February 20, 2018 4:41 PM

Mpls. author Barnhill's latest indulges her love of 'prickly females'

Although her greatest success has been with novels for young readers, the author says she has always written short stories.

by Euan Kerr

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February 19, 2018 3:00 PM

'Manuscripts' encourages readers to approach the Bible like a novel

The Bible's famous verse and chapter structure is relatively recent -- and surprisingly unpopular. And a new version out now aims to make it more approachable by structuring it like any other book.

by Juan Vidal

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February 19, 2018 12:00 AM

'Automating Inequality': Algorithms in public services often fail the most vulnerable

Author Virginia Eubanks argues that automated systems that governments across the U.S. use to deliver benefit and welfare programs are often rigged against the very people who need it most.

by Emma Bowman and Alyssa Edes

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February 18, 2018 12:00 AM

'Piecing Me Together' novelist says she writes to help kids feel seen

Renee Watson won the Coretta Scott King Award for her novel about a black student at a mostly white private school.

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February 18, 2018 12:00 AM

In 'Freshwater,' a college student learns to live with separate selves

Akwaeke Emezi's debut novel follows the spiritually receptive student, Ada. The author pulls from her own experience with what she says "is like a cloud of selves that are shifting."

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