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.

"A Christmas Memory" and other stories
To keep you company this Christmas, Midday presents seven stories of the season from a host of top-flight story tellers.
A tribute to Arthur Schlesinger
A respected historian, a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winner and an advisor to John F. Kennedy, Arthur Schlesinger, now 89 years old, was honored at the Kennedy Library in Boston last month.
Hanukkah lights
The Jewish festival of Hanukkah begins Friday at sundown. By tradition to mark the occasion, Midday presents National Public Radio's "Hanukkah Lights" special featuring four short stories about Hanukkah and Jewish life.
Giving thanks
As Thanksgiving brings family together to share food and gratitude, "Giving Thanks" brings together music, stories and writers that contemplate the meaning of the holiday.
The Current Fakebook with Amy Sedaris
On Nov. 15, Mary Lucia hosted The Current Fakebook with special guest Amy Sedaris. Sedaris is best known as an actress and television writer, but she also enjoys making crafts, cooking and entertaining. Those are the passions that lead to her new book, "I Like You." But during the evening, Amy confessed that she hasn't been entertaining much lately which makes it awkward to stay at someone else's home.
Talking Volumes: Isabel Allende
Broadcast of Talking Volumes with author Isabel Allende. Her book is "Ines of My Soul." Allende's latest work is based on the life of Spanish warrior Ines Suarez. The conversation was recorded at the Fitzgerald Theater on November 17.
The legacy of "Howl"
Fifty years ago, Allen Ginsberg's "Howl" changed the popular notion of poetry with its apocalyptic imagery, and sparked an obscenity trial with its explicit language. Midmorning examines the legacy of Ginsberg's epic poem.
Rich Cohen tells it "Sweet and Low"
Writer Rich Cohen's grandfather Ben invented two things that changed US eating habits. First he invented the machine that makes those little sugar packets you find in restaurants. Then he invented "Sweet and Low" the sugar substitute. The family made millions. But the story went sour, and Cohen's branch of the family got cut out of the will. He chronicles what happens in his new book "Sweet and Low."