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.

'Audience of One' aims to show how TV shaped Donald Trump — and led to his rise
James Poniewozik's book is both brilliant and daring, particularly when it comes to Trump's image-making. But there's a gap, the one between image and audience, that doesn't get enough attention.
'The Only Plane In The Sky' offers a powerful, graphic narrative of 9/11
When today's children someday ask "What was 9/11 really like?," Garrett Graff's book will be the answer: He vividly recounts the most upsetting and totemic moments — and critical, little-told others.
Christopher Ingraham, a data reporter at The Washington Post, found unexpected joy when he moved his family to the county he once called "the absolute worst place to live in America."
On Mondays, MPR News host Kerri Miller shares her latest book recommendations on MPR’s Morning Edition. This summer, she’s been catching up on thrillers, and passed along a list of six favorites – both old and new.
'Permanent Record' captures the confusing moments between adolescence and adulthood
Mary H.K. Choi has a gift for creating characters so complex and real that they jump right off the page — like the eccentrically named Pablo Neruda Rind, aimless hero of her new Permanent Record.
“I rarely use the word ‘beautiful’ for fiction,” said bookseller Lillian Schmid. “But this is just really a beautiful novel.”