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.

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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.

In 'Facing the Mountain' Japanese-Americans sacrifice for a country that spurns them
Daniel James Brown writes a fascinating account of some of the bravest Americans who ever lived; it's also a sobering reminder of a dark history — of anti-Asian racism that never really went away.
How health care in the U.S. may change after COVID: An optimist's outlook
Doctors meeting patients where they are. The use of technology in truly innovative ways. These are among the many positive changes brought by the pandemic, Dr. Shantanu Nundy argues in a new book.
A Constitutional quirk inspired Stacey Abrams' new thriller, 'While Justice Sleeps'
Article III of the Constitution gives Supreme Court justices lifetime appointments — but doesn't cover what to do if they become incapacitated. For Abrams, that was the spark for an exciting story.
'The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba' steps out of the headlines and onto the page
The Spanish-American war serves as the backdrop for Chanel Cleeton's new novel, which follows a real-life rebel named Evangelina Cisneros, who attracted a lot of attention from American newspapers.