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.

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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.

March 30, 2021 6:35 AM

In 'Girlhood,' a writer examines her youth for signs of the woman she would become

Though author Melissa Febos' essays dip into her adult life, they keep trying to find the child and teenager that she was — how she learned to be, feel, believe, and react.

by Ilana Masad

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March 29, 2021 10:00 PM

'Captain Underpants' spinoff pulled for 'passive racism'

The book under scrutiny is 2010's "The Adventures of Ook and Gluk" by Dav Pilkey, who has apologized, saying it "contains harmful racial stereotypes" and is "wrong and harmful to my Asian readers."

by The Associated Press

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March 29, 2021 5:32 PM

How Rodney Scott learned to cook – and went for it, whole hog

Pitmaster Rodney Scott describes his lifelong journey as a chef and his hope for the future. "I want to take over the world with barbecue," the James Beard Award winner tells NPR.

by Avery Keatley and Steve Inskeep

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March 29, 2021 3:06 PM

Sen. Tammy Duckworth doesn't pull punches in memoir 'Every Day Is a Gift'

Duckworth was raised by a Thai-Chinese mom and American soldier dad before becoming a decorated veteran who lost both legs in combat; she was also the first U.S. senator to give birth while in office.

by Michel Martin

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March 29, 2021 1:53 PM

George R.R. Martin signs new five year deal with HBO and HBO Max

The best-selling fantasy author whose books were turned into the hit series “Game of Thrones” is attached to multiple projects in the pipeline for the media company and streaming service.

by Jeannette Muhammad

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March 28, 2021 6:00 AM

'The Tree In Me' is a blooming good spring read

As spring finally gets springing, our kids' books columnist Juanita Giles recommends “The Tree in Me,” a pink-splashed, exuberant celebration of kids enjoying nature.

by Juanita Giles

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March 27, 2021 1:54 PM

Larry McMurtry, novelist and screenwriter of the west, has died at age 84

In over 30 novels and across dozens of screenplays, nonfiction works and memoirs, McMurtry became a beloved yet unsentimental chronicler of the American West.

by Anastasia Tsioulcas

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March 27, 2021 1:36 PM

Ask a Bookseller: Part memoir, part home redecorating saga

The book Sandy Koropp of Prairie Path Books in Wheaton, Ill., is "crazy about right now" is part memoir, part home redecorating saga.

by Emily Bright

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March 27, 2021 6:59 AM

How Black players propelled Cleveland's baseball team to win the 1948 World Series

In 1948, Cleveland's baseball team won the World Series. It wouldn't have made it without the team's first two Black players, and the team owner's willingness to hire them, says author Luke Epplin.

by Scott Simon

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March 26, 2021 5:36 PM

Children's author Beverly Cleary, creator of Ramona Quimby, dies at 104

Beverly Cleary, the celebrated children’s author whose memories of her Oregon childhood were shared with millions through the likes of Ramona and Beezus Quimby and Henry Huggins, has died at age 104.

by Zoe Chace and The Associated Press

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