The Thread® - Books and Literary News

The Thread from MPR 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.

Free speech advocates, publishers wrestle with questions of censorship
Simon and Schuster's book deal with controversial Breitbart editor Milo Yiannopoulos drew strong criticism online, and sparked a debate on publishing's role in limiting the availability of ideas.
Fulfill your reading resolutions with 6 recommendations from librarian Nancy Pearl
Every once in a while, NPR's go-to books expert sends host Steve Inskeep a big stack of books. They're generally "under-the-radar" reads -- titles she thinks deserve a little more attention.
Earthy 'Lotus' is a fascinating flower
Lijia Zhang's debut novel -- about a young woman in China who fights her way out of the sex trade to become a teacher -- is sensitively drawn, full of folk wisdom and concise, touching imagery.
25 books becoming movies in 2017
It's gearing up to be a bookish year at the theaters. Read up on these thrillers, memoirs and young adult hits before the movies come out.
What we can learn from 'Washington's farewell'
The tradition of giving a goodbye address goes all the way back to the nation's first president. Author John Avlon says George Washington's farewell was remarkably prescient and prophetic.