Stay Curious. Stay Connected.
MailNewsletters♡Donate Now
Sign up
*
Password must be at least 8 characters and contain one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter, one number and one symbol
Already have an account?
Sign in to your profile
Forgot Password?
New to MPR News?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Reset Password

Enter the username on file and we'll send you a code to reset your password.

Still require assistance or not sure what your User Name is?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Email Verification

A verification code has been emailed to

Still awaiting the code?

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.

In 'Counterpoint' Bach helps an art critic mourn a mother whose criticism lingers

In 'Counterpoint' Bach helps an art critic mourn a mother whose criticism lingers

The Washington Post's Philip Kennicott suffered his mother's harsh words and actions throughout childhood. His book is partly a need to acknowledge her "sadness and anger and unaccountable rages."
by Martha Anne Toll

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Uber whistleblower takes on Silicon Valley, armed with Stoic philosophy

Uber whistleblower takes on Silicon Valley, armed with Stoic philosophy

In 2017, Susan Fowler published a blog post that revealed Uber's misogynistic corporate culture — and helped change the world. In her memoir, she urges readers not to see her as a victim.
by Camila Domonoske

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Minnesota photographer captures hockey rinks, the calm before the game

Minnesota photographer captures hockey rinks, the calm before the game

The pictures are just of the arena, without any skaters or crowds. “I wanted to show off the character of these places without people being distracted by people in the stands or what's going on in the game,” said Matthew Jasper. His new book, “Home Ice,” features 72 of the couple hundred ice rinks in Minnesota.
by Tom Crann and Kyle Shiely

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Author P. Carl on 'Becoming a Man'

Author P. Carl on 'Becoming a Man'

For 50 years, author P. Carl lived as a girl and queer woman before transitioning to become a man. Carl joins us to discuss his experiences and what he’s learned about gender, masculinity and inequality in the United States along the way.
by Kerri Miller and Breann Schossow

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

In 'The Only Child,' the thrills might be lost in translation

In 'The Only Child,' the thrills might be lost in translation

Mi-Ae Seo's novel has a great premise: “The Bad Seed” meets “The Silence of the Lambs.” But this tale of a psychologist and her creepy stepdaughter is hampered by its structure and stilted, strange prose.
by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

'The Boatman's Daughter' dips her toes in horror, crime and poetry

'The Boatman's Daughter' dips her toes in horror, crime and poetry

Andy Davidson's novel follows a young girl who scrapes a living working for local criminals along an Arkansas river — but its crime story bumps up against horror in a strange yet seamless fashion.
by Gabino Iglesias

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Steve Inskeep on ‘Imperfect Union’

Steve Inskeep on ‘Imperfect Union’

The NPR host’s new biography of Jessie and John Fremont details why one of America’s original power couples is still relevant to national politics today.
by Kerri Miller

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Author says 'mixed solutions can feel like a cop-out' but may solve housing inequity

Author says 'mixed solutions can feel like a cop-out' but may solve housing inequity

Journalist Conor Dougherty doesn't traffic radical ideas in “Golden Gates,” but tells the story of housing in all its complexity, acknowledging that imperfect solutions are often the only solutions.
by Nicholas Cannariato

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.