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.

'His Very Best' calls Jimmy Carter 'perhaps the most misunderstood president'
Jonathan Alter tells Carter's life story beautifully and with admirable fairness — while it's evident that he admires Carter, he treats the former president as a real person, as flawed as anyone else.
A lead prosecutor on Mueller's team weighs in on where the investigation fell short
Federal prosecutor Andrew Weissmann says the Mueller investigation was fundamentally shaped by the president's power to fire the team and to pardon key witnesses. His new book is “Where Law Ends.”
'Leave The World Behind' Is A Signature Novel For This Blasted Year
A family on vacation opens the door of their remote Airbnb rental one night to an older couple who claims to be the home's owners. Rumaan Alam's thrilling novel is about race, class and self-delusion.
New groups aim to get more Latinx stories to young readers
Kids don't often get to read stories about Latinos; statistics show the American publishing industry is overwhelmingly white. Several new groups of writers, editors and agents are out to change that.
Al Sharpton: Policing in America will change because of George Floyd's death
Rev. Al Sharpton spoke with NPR about his new book “Rise Up.” Of George Floyd's death, he said: "I had begun to see, by the time of the funeral, there had been a movement that was unlike others."
'All About The Story' is a history of newspapering — and a primer on media ethics
Former Washington Post leader Len Downie is well-placed to offer a look at 50 years in news — but he also writes of times he had to weigh the public's right to know against national security.
'Vote for Our Future' answers kids' questions about elections
Ask a Bookseller wraps up its monthlong focus on books for young readers with a recommendation for a picture book that teaches kids about elections. Bookseller Christian Nardi of the kids' bookstore Bee Hive in Santa Fe, N.M., recommends "Vote for Our Future" by Margaret McNamara and Micah Player.