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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.

Actor and author Ethan Hawke: Writing 'Forces You To Think Through Things'

Actor and author Ethan Hawke: Writing 'Forces You To Think Through Things'

Hawke's latest novel is called “A Bright Ray of Darkness.” It's about a famous young actor in a crumbling marriage who immerses himself in a Broadway production of Shakespeare's Henry IV.
by Lulu Garcia-Navarro

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'She Persisted,' now in chapter book form, brings history to life

'She Persisted,' now in chapter book form, brings history to life

Chelsea Clinton has turned her “She Persisted” series of picture books into a new series of chapter books, written by prominent kids' authors. The new books really take readers inside historical lives.
by Juanita Giles

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Amanda Gorman — and poetry — will be part of Super Bowl LV

Amanda Gorman — and poetry — will be part of Super Bowl LV

Fresh from her burst into the literary stratosphere after her appearance at President Joe Biden's inauguration, poet Amanda Gorman will recite a new poem during the Super Bowl LV pre-show next Sunday.
by Anastasia Tsioulcas

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'My Year Abroad' is a fun excursion — just a little light on substance

'My Year Abroad' is a fun excursion — just a little light on substance

Chang-rae Lee's new novel follows an aimless college student on his year overseas, taking readers from the New Jersey suburbs into some of the more luxurious reaches of Asian megacities.
by Maureen Corrigan

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Surveillance and local police: How technology is evolving faster than regulation

Surveillance and local police: How technology is evolving faster than regulation

Journalist Jon Fasman says local police are frequently able to access very powerful surveillance tools with little oversight. He writes about the threat to privacy in “We See It All.”
by Dave Davies

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Joan Didion's 'Let Me Tell You What I Mean' offers plenty of 'journalistic gold'

Joan Didion's 'Let Me Tell You What I Mean' offers plenty of 'journalistic gold'

What's particularly salient in this book of previously uncollected essays is Didion's trademark farsightedness — especially striking decades later. But it does leave one wishing to hear from her now.
by Heller McAlpin

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