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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.

‘Meant to be’: Four years later, Black Garnet Books owner is selling, to a friend 

‘Meant to be’: Four years later, Black Garnet Books owner is selling, to a friend 

Dionne Sims opened Black Garnet Books with a vision, to serve Minnesota in a time of healing. As she moves on, Terresa Moses is taking over as the new owner of the Black-owned bookstore.
by Sam Stroozas

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Dr. Marty Makary on medicine's blind spots

Dr. Marty Makary on medicine's blind spots

Dr. Marty Makary says data misinterpretation and conventional thinking is not serving us well — and he wants to change that. His new book, “Blind Spots,” details when medicine got it wrong and then resisted making it right.
by Kerri Miller and Kelly Gordon

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Percival Everett wins the National Book Award fiction prize

Percival Everett wins the National Book Award fiction prize

Everett's novel “James” is a retelling of Mark Twain's “Huckleberry Finn.” The prestigious literary prize also awards the best in non-fiction, poetry, translated literature and young people's literature.
by Andrew Limbong

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In a new book, Minnesota author spotlights unsung hero from the HIV/AIDS crisis

In a new book, Minnesota author spotlights unsung hero from the HIV/AIDS crisis

“When the Band Played On” by Michael G. Lee tells the story of Randy Shilts, a pioneering journalist who worked to change the narratives and reporting around the HIV/AIDS crisis in the 1980s.
by Nina Moini and Ellen Finn

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Turning pages through time: St. Paul’s Red Balloon Bookshop celebrates its 40th year

Turning pages through time: St. Paul’s Red Balloon Bookshop celebrates its 40th year

The Red Balloon Bookshop in St. Paul celebrates 40 years as a beloved community hub for children’s books, storytimes and local literary events, weathering challenges like eBooks, Amazon and the pandemic.
by Emily Bright

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New book traces life from a Somali orchard to running a nonprofit in Minnesota

New book traces life from a Somali orchard to running a nonprofit in Minnesota

In “My Dear Loving Sisters: Tea and Stories from an Audacious Life,” Fatoun Ali lays out how she survived poverty and abuse to raise four children and start a nonprofit. She told her story in the form of a workbook, with strategies and questions for overcoming all kinds of challenges.
by Nina Moini and Alanna Elder

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Help me get out of a reading rut

Help me get out of a reading rut

The library has a lot of tools to get you back into a book whether it’s physical, digital or audio. And your local librarian is here to help if you want to get back into the habit or maybe you need an escape from reality.
by Nina Moini and Aleesa Kuznetsov

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