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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.

China Mieville creates monsters with 'Iron Council'

British fantasy author China Miéville is known both for his books and his political activism. He's written a series of novels where magic and Victorian technology prevail. His latest novel sets a group of renegade railway workers against a corrupt city state.

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For love and money

Relationships and money can be a combustible mix. Personal finance educator Ruth Hayden says there are ways couples can avoid battling over bills.

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Stories from the front lines

Army Ranger Andrew Exum talks about his experiences in Afghanistan and Iraq. He was a platoon leader in combat.

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The golden age of gangsters

Seventy years ago, John Dillinger was gunned down by FBI agents in Chicago. A book based on new research takes another look at the rash of Midwestern bank robberies and murders that gave rise to the modern Federal Bureau of Investigation and J. Edgar Hoover.

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Mosley examines 1960s race relations in sleuth novel 'Little Scarlet'

Writer Walter Mosley's latest novel "Little Scarlet," features street detective Easy Rawlins once more trying to solve a mystery. This time a black woman nicknamed "little Scarlet" has been killed during the Los Angeles riots in 1965. The police think the killer is white, and they enlist Easy to help find her killer.

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Embracing conflict

Conflict is part of life, yet we spend much of our time avoiding clashes. One author and mediator says embracing conflict is the first step to finding peace.

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After the Rain

Would terrorists target Minnesota? A new novel by Twin Cities thriller writer Chuck Logan raises just that possibility with "After the Rain," the fifth in the Phil Broker series of novels.

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The life of a cadaver

For 2,000 years, cadavers -- some willingly, some unwittingly -- have been involved in science's boldest strides and weirdest undertakings. Author Mary Roach explores the post-life uses of human corpses.

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The metamorphosis of the American salesman

In the late 1940s, mamas didn't want their babies to grow up to be salesmen; they ranked the profession last among all others. The much-maligned salesman now has a book tracking his history.

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Summer book picks for kids

Many children first discover the idea of reading for pleasure during the summer. There are no homework assignments, and the hot summer weather makes it an ideal time to grab a book and sit under a shady tree. The Red Balloon Bookshop in St. Paul has been helping parents and children find good summer reads for the past 20 years. MPR's Greta Cunningham met with co-owner Michele Cromer-Poire at her store to talk about some of her summer picks for kids.
by Greta Cunningham

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