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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.

Ask a Bookseller: A Spoonful of Frogs

“A Spoonful of Frogs” was written by Casey Lyall and illustrated by Caldecott Honor artist Vera Brosgol. Angela Whited says she’s already read this book at story time at Red Balloon Bookshop in St. Paul, and the book was a hit with listeners of all ages.
by Emily Bright

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How independent bookstores help in the fight against book banning and why it matters

How independent bookstores help in the fight against book banning and why it matters

An Atlanta store is one of hundreds of independent booksellers across the country celebrating the freedom to read as schools, universities and public libraries face attempts to ban or restrict books.
by Fernando Alfonso III

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How art and poetry inspired Maggie O'Farrell's new novel

How art and poetry inspired Maggie O'Farrell's new novel

Full of the beauty and drama she used to bring to life the Shakespearean story of “Hamnet,” Maggie O’Farrell turns to Renaissance Italy in her new novel, “The Marriage Portrait,” where she paints a picture of a resilient young girl trying to avoid being killed by her new husband.
by Kerri Miller and Kelly Gordon

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'Lucy By The Sea' succeeds at capturing disruptions, anxieties of pandemic

'Lucy By The Sea' succeeds at capturing disruptions, anxieties of pandemic

Elizabeth Strout's latest is a chronicle of a plague year — and also of the main character's growing insights into herself, her family, and their changing relationships during this period.
by Heller McAlpin

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From the archives: Lauren Groff discusses 'Matrix' at Talking Volumes

From the archives: Lauren Groff discusses 'Matrix' at Talking Volumes

This Friday’s Big Books and Bold Ideas will feature a conversation with Maggie O’Farrell, whose new book “The Marriage Portrait,” is set in 16th century Italy. That’s not unlike Lauren Groff’s 2021 hit, “Matrix,” which plays out in medieval France. So for this week’s deep cut, enjoy Groff talking with MPR News host Kerri Miller at last year’s Talking Volumes.
by Kerri Miller and Kelly Gordon

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Ask a Bookseller: an award-winning graphic novel, soon to be a series

"American Born Chinese" by prolific cartoonist Gene Luen Yang was the first graphic novel to be nominated for a National Book Award back in 2006. Disney released a first look at an 8-episode series based on the novel, starring Michelle Yeoh, among other big-name actors.
by Emily Bright

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Q&A: Author Boyah J. Farah reflects on being Black in America

Q&A: Author Boyah J. Farah reflects on being Black in America

In his memoir, “America Made Me a Black Man,” Farah tells of what American blackness has meant to him, from his childhood in Somalia to his adolescence in the Northeast — to his return to Somalia.
by Leah Donnella

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