Stay Curious. Stay Connected.
MailNewsletters♡Donate Now
Sign up
*Password must be at least 8 characters and contain one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter, one number and one symbol.
Already have an account?
By submitting, you consent that you are at least 18 years of age and to receive information about MPR's or APMG entities' programs and offerings. The personally identifying information you provide will not be sold, shared, or used for purposes other than to communicate with you about MPR, APMG entities, and its sponsors. You may opt-out at any time clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of any email communication. View our Privacy Policy.
Sign in to your profile
Forgot Password?
New to MPR News?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Reset Password

Enter the username on file and we'll send you a code to reset your password.

Still require assistance or not sure what your User Name is?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Email Verification

A verification code has been emailed to

Still awaiting the code?

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.

Neil Gaiman's busy year

Neil Gaiman's busy year

Fantasy writer Neil Gaiman burst onto the international scene two decades ago with his Sandman comic. Since then he's written novels, plays, filmscripts, and children's books. Now his new collection of short stories has already cracked the New York Times Bestsellers List.
by Euan Kerr

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Log inCreate a free Account

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Translating David Treuer

Translating David Treuer

Minnesota writer David Treuer's latest novel is about a solitary translator who finds love in an unexpected place. While the novel has won praise from the critics, it's Treuer's book of essays that has really stirred up the literary community.
by Kerri Miller

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Log inCreate a free Account

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Midmorning Book Club: "The Grapes of Wrath"

Midmorning Book Club: "The Grapes of Wrath"

John Steinbeck's classic novel describes the struggle of migrants in their search for work and justice during the Great Depression.

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Log inCreate a free Account

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Tom Drury's "Driftless Area"

Tom Drury's "Driftless Area"

Tom Drury titled his novel "The Driftless Area." It's very hard to place in a specific genre. There are elements of a thriller. There's a robbery. And there's a spine-tingling sense of ghostly predestination. One reviewer recently called the book "a Midwestern paranormal noir."
by Euan Kerr

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Log inCreate a free Account

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Dealing with grief through words

Dealing with grief through words

A special rebroadcast of Talking Volumes from October 2005, with author Joan Didion. She talked with Kerri Miller about her book, "The Year of Magical Thinking," a chronicle of the year Didion's husband died and their only daughter fell dangerously ill.

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Log inCreate a free Account

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Local theater, music and book awards

Local theater, music and book awards

Cathy Wurzer spoke with Minnesota Public Radio arts commentator Dominic Papatola about the Ivey Awards, Minnesota Music Awards and Minnesota Book Awards.

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Log inCreate a free Account

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!

Four perspectives on the civil rights movement

An author, an activist, a teacher and a former vice president of the United States gathered recently to discuss the legacy of the civil rights movement at the Children's Theatre Company of Minneapolis.
by Stephen Smith

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Log inCreate a free Account

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Keillor to open his own bookstore

Keillor to open his own bookstore

Garrison Keillor is going from bestselling author to bookstore owner. Keillor, who hosts the "A Prairie Home Companion" public radio program, plans to open a bookstore in St. Paul in November.

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Log inCreate a free Account

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Toni Morrison on race, writing and global citizenship

Toni Morrison on race, writing and global citizenship

Toni Morrison, who has won both the Nobel Prize in Literature and the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, spoke about her writing Sept. 5 at Macalester College in St. Paul. Her talk was part of the inaugural lecture series for the college's Institute for Global Citizenship.

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Log inCreate a free Account

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!