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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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.

January 6, 2021 9:16 AM

'Outlawed' frontiers of gender and sexuality beckon in this sly western

Critic Maureen Corrigan has been describing Anna North's new novel to friends as "‘The Handmaid's Tale’ meets ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.’" It's a glib tagline, but not without justification.

by Maureen Corrigan

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January 5, 2021 7:30 AM

Gatsby's great narrator 'Nick' finally gets his own backstory

Michael Farris Smith followed F. Scott Fitzgerald's "breadcrumbs" to write “Nick,” a prequel to “The Great Gatsby.” Revising the book, Smith was struck by the parallels between the 1920s and the 2020s.

by Steve Inskeep

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January 4, 2021 12:50 PM

To 'Keep Sharp' this year, keep learning, advises neurosurgeon Sanjay Gupta

CNN's chief medical correspondent says it's never too late to develop new brain pathways. Even small changes, like switching up the hand you use to hold your fork, can help optimize brain health.

by Terry Gross

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January 2, 2021 5:29 PM

Struggling to discuss tough topics with a kid? Here are books that might help

If you feel daunted by the responsibility of shepherding a child through difficult times, don't feel alone: "I'm afraid of those moments as a parent, too," says picture book author Matt de la Peña.

by Audie Cornish

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January 2, 2021 5:00 AM

Ask a Bookseller: 'Gods of the Upper Air'

The book explores the work of Franz Boaz, founder of cultural anthropology, and a circle of women scientists whose work 100 years ago helped inform our notions of identity today.

by Emily Bright

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December 31, 2020 12:23 PM

Trio of books shows a Southeast Asia caught between world powers

Three regional experts agree there's no desire in Southeast Asia to pick Washington over Beijing. U.S. strategy should look through the lens of the region itself — not just focus on containing China.

by Nishant Dahiya

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December 29, 2020 8:30 AM

New book details Prince's life 'on and off the record'

Neal Karlen’s new memoir "This Thing Called Life: Prince’s Odyssey On and Off the Record," details a complicated relationship with a complex man.

by Euan Kerr

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December 28, 2020 6:15 AM

Poetry escapes the beauty bind in 'Wound from the Mouth of a Wound'

In her debut collection, poet torrin a. greathouse explores what it means to be both trans and disabled, and the ways beauty can be a trap for trans women — so why not write towards ugliness?

by Jeevika Verma

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December 26, 2020 5:00 PM

Barry Lopez, acclaimed author who tied people to place, dies at 75

Barry Lopez — who won a National Book Award in 1986 for “Arctic Dreams” — wrote about his travels to remote places. But his writings aren't just travelogues; they remind us of how precious life on Earth is, and of our responsibility to care for it. Lopez died Friday at age 75.

by Dave Blanchard

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December 24, 2020 6:00 AM

Minnesota author Peter Geye on ‘Northernmost’

Novelist Peter Geye described the inspiration behind his family saga, the undercurrent of angst within relationships and how time forces us to reflect on the legacies we leave behind.

by Kerri Miller

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