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.

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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.

'Moonglow' shines a light on hidden family history
Michael Chabon's new novel is based on deathbed conversations with his own grandfather, as strong painkillers unlocked the stories of a long full life -- stories Chabon says he'd never heard before.
Predictions from 1996: The e-book
"Imagine that you're reading a book by holding just one thin, paper-like screen -- a computer, really." That was a grand new idea back in 1996, when MPR News reporter Mary Stucky looked into the future of publishing.
Colson Whitehead, Rep. John Lewis win National Book Awards
Colson Whitehead's reimagining of the Underground Railroad took home the award for fiction. Rep. John Lewis, who collaborated on a graphic novel about his work with the Civil Rights movement, won in the Young People's Literature category.