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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.

From the archives: Jessie Burton paints Dutch Golden Age in 'The Miniaturist'

It’s Jessie Burton week at Big Books and Bold Ideas. Enjoy a conversation from the archives, when host Kerri Miller talked with Burton about her runaway hit “The Miniaturist.” Then Friday, come back to hear a new discussion between the pair about “The House of Fortune,” which is a companion novel to “The Miniaturist” that was published earlier this year.
by Kerri Miller and Kelly Gordon

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Obama’s former speechwriter reflects on time White House.

Obama’s former speechwriter reflects on time White House.

Cody Keenan served as former President Barack Obama’s chief speechwriter during the president’s time in the White House. In his new book, Keenan takes readers inside a pivotal 10-day period in Obama’s presidency.
by Angela Davis and Samantha Matsumoto

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In new memoir, Elisa Bernick on growing up Jewish in 1960s New Hope, Minnesota

In new memoir, Elisa Bernick on growing up Jewish in 1960s New Hope, Minnesota

Elisa Bernick grew up with her share of family drama in suburban New Hope, Minnesota. But in a new book, she explores the roots of that drama and comes to some astounding and healing revelations.
by Cathy Wurzer and Euan Kerr

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Women's work is never done: a trio of art books showcasing women

Women's work is never done: a trio of art books showcasing women

Three new art books feature female subjects of every shape and hue from all over the world, doing the things that women have historically done — and also the things that men have historically done.
by Heller McAlpin

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Kurt Vonnegut would have turned 100 today — his war novels are relevant as ever

Kurt Vonnegut would have turned 100 today — his war novels are relevant as ever

The author — who died in 2007 at the age of 84 — wrote satirical novels that won him a cult-like following among young people in the 1960s. Vonnegut's novels communicated: "Hey, you're not alone."
by Tom Vitale

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Ask a Bookseller: "Found Audio" is a creepy fall read

Ask a Bookseller: "Found Audio" is a creepy fall read

The printed novella “Found Audio” sounds very fitting for our radio-based book series. It’s called “Found Audio,” by N. J. Campbell, and it was published by Two Dollar Radio, a small press in Ohio. 
by Emily Bright

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Talking Volumes: Ross Gay on 'Inciting Joy'

The 2022 season of Talking Volumes ended on a joyous, raucous note with poet Ross Gay. Don’t miss this rollicking conversation between Gay and host Kerri Miller as they talk about how to grow joy from the often messy and painful soil of living.
by Kerri Miller and Kelly Gordon

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From the archives: Poet Tracy K. Smith at Talking Volumes in 2019

From the archives: Poet Tracy K. Smith at Talking Volumes in 2019

The season finale of the 2022 Talking Volumes season will appear on Big Books and Bold Ideas this week, featuring poet Ross Gay talking about joy. Enjoy this 2019 Talking Volumes conversation with another poet, Tracy K. Smith, as you anticipate what’s coming.
by Kerri Miller and Kelly Gordon

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