The Thread® - Books and Literary 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.

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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.

July 1, 2022 10:43 AM

Ask a Bookseller: 'The Overnight Guest' is a suspenseful ride

Heather Gudenkauf is both a New York Times Bestselling Novelist and a local favorite at the River Lights Bookstore in Dubuque, Iowa. River Lights bookseller Angela Kircher heartily recommends Gudenkauf’s newest thriller/mystery, “The Overnight Guest.”

by Emily Bright

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July 1, 2022 10:28 AM

Eight books to enjoy at the beach this summer

From light romance and short fiction to thrillers, here's a list of books that are perfect companions as you retreat to the beach or pool to catch a break from the summer heat.

by Natalie Escobar and Miranda Mazariegos

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July 1, 2022 12:29 AM

Travel the world without leaving your home with these 10 books

From Lahore's red-light district and the streets of Mexico to a fantastical underwater land of Korean fable, here are some picks that can immerse you in worlds wholly unlike your own.

by Rachel Martin, Miranda Mazariegos and Maureen Pao

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June 29, 2022 9:00 AM

Activist Robin Marty on her 'Handbook for a Post-Roe America'

Activist and writer Robin Marty feared being prescient when she published “Handbook for a Post-Roe America” in 2019. Now that we are here, she talks with host Kerri Miller about what abortion care will look like after the fall of Roe.

by Kerri Miller and Kelly Gordon

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June 28, 2022 2:44 PM

'X' looks at a subculture that mainstream American art has frequently shied away from

Davey Davis' book is far from an ordinary love story — it's a shocking and moving novel about what it means to be an outsider in a world that's crumbling around you.

by Michael Schaub

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June 25, 2022 10:55 AM

His job is to actually really stare at octopus, seahorse, jellyfish

Photographer David Liittschwager spent 12 years photographing these underwater creatures at more than 28 locations around the globe with his 500-pound studio.

by Vanessa Castillo

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June 24, 2022 2:05 PM

Ask a Bookseller: A summer thriller debut by a Twin Cities author

Jennifer Jubenville of the Bookstore at Fitger’s in Duluth says there’s nothing like a good thriller for a summer read, and she recommends checking out Joshua Moehling’s debut, “And There He Kept Her.”

by Emily Bright

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June 22, 2022 11:30 AM

From the archives: 'Love People, Use Things'

On this Friday’s Big Books and Bold Ideas, Kerri Miller talks with novelist Jakob Guanzon, whose book “Abundance” tells the story of a young man, raising a child alone, on the razor’s edge of poverty. It reminded us of the insightful conversation we had last July with The Minimalists about how freeing up space in your home also frees up space in your life.

by Kerri Miller and Kelly Gordon

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June 17, 2022 11:00 AM

Writer Kathryn Schulz on the cyclical nature of love and loss

In her new memoir, Kathryn Schulz contemplates the losses that accumulate in our lives and the joy and love that is found right alongside those losses.

by Kerri Miller and Kelly Gordon

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June 15, 2022 11:00 AM

From the archives: Author Sue Miller on her novel 'Monogamy'

This Friday’s Big Books and Bold Ideas show features a conversation between host Kerri Miller and journalist and writer Kathryn Schulz about her new memoir, “Lost and Found.” As we anticipate that discussion, enjoy this one with Sue Miller from 2020, which also explores complex family dynamics.

by Kelly Gordon and Kerri Miller

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