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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.

Who was the real Jay Gatsby?

Who was the real Jay Gatsby?

Not much is known about the origin of the character Jay Gatsby, but a St. Paul author is writing a biography about a dashing Minnesotan who may have been F. Scott Fitzgerald's inspiration.

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The State Fair poetry team

The State Fair poetry team

To celebrate the unique nature of the Minnesota State Fair, two local artists are combining their creative talents to write and produce a poem a day from the fair.

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Confronting the challenges of faith

Confronting the challenges of faith

A former nun writes about her time in a monastery, her relationship with a priest, and the journey of self-discovery she embarked on after leaving the cloistered life.

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Jasper Fforde's 'Nursery Crimes'

Jasper Fforde's 'Nursery Crimes'

Author Jasper Fforde likes to play around with stories -- often other people's stories. Now he's written a book that looks at the tale of "The Three Bears" for what he says it really is -- a crime story.
by Euan Kerr

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George Rabasa's borders

George Rabasa's borders

Minnesota writer George Rabasa likes to take his characters to the borders of countries and morality. In his latest novel, "The Cleansing," Rabasa tells the story of three friends who met in Mexico and have haunted each other's lives for decades.
by Sea Stachura

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Voice of this Generation

Voice of this Generation

The Elizabethans had Shakespeare. F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway spoke for the jazz age and lost generation. How do writers tap into the collective imagination, and become the voice of a generation? Does that even happen anymore? Next on Midmorning.

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St. Paul names first poet laureate

St. Paul names first poet laureate

Minnesota's capital city has its first poet laureate, St. Paul resident Carol Connolly. Connolly is a published poet and columnist. She has been active in local and state politics for years, and her first commissioned poem will come on Aug. 2, during Mayor Chris Coleman's budget address.

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Homegrown summer children's books

Homegrown summer children's books

You can travel to an archeological dig in Belize, or join a pack of roaming dogs near the Minnesota-Canadian border. Minnesota children's book author Mary Casanova is out with two new books this summer and both are packed with adventure.
by Greta Cunningham

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Words that shaped America

Words that shaped America

An historian reflects on 10 ideals that helped define American identity, and the new meaning they've taken on in post-9/11 America.

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