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.

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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.

Heather Cox Richardson on 'Democracy Awakening'
This week, Big Books and Bold Ideas is launching an election year series that asks: What is American democracy in 2024? Our first guest is historian Heather Cox Richardson, whose latest book is “Democracy Awakening.”
Ask a Bookseller: ‘Yours Truly’
Rachel Harris of Four Pines Bookstore in Bemidji recommends one with a local setting and a lot of feels: “Yours Truly” by Abby Jimenez.
Kelly Link's debut novel 'The Book of Love' is magical, confusing, heartfelt, strange
Short-story writer Kelly Link's first novel delves into the complications of love and friendship, family drama, grief, resilience and the power of adaptability, while delivering a supernatural tale.
‘Realize how magical it is here’: Meet 6 local authors with romance novels set in Minnesota
Six local authors discuss their love-themed novels, with stories that range from hockey romances to fantasy escapades in West St. Paul. Each book takes place in our beloved Minnesota.
'I Love You So Much It's Killing Us Both' is a rare, genuinely successful rock novel
Mariah Stovall manages to convey the essence of punk and emo through the prose itself; this is an excellent novel, compassionate and filled with a sparkling intelligence about the human condition.
New St. Paul Public Library cards feature beloved ‘laser loon’ state flag design
Good news for devoted fans of the storied laser-eyed loon design from last year’s Minnesota state flag design competition: You can now get it on a St. Paul Public Library card.