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?
By submitting, you consent that you are at least 18 years of age and to receive information about MPR's or APMG entities' programs and offerings. The personally identifying information you provide will not be sold, shared, or used for purposes other than to communicate with you about MPR, APMG entities, and its sponsors. You may opt-out at any time clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of any email communication. View our Privacy Policy.
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.

Ask a Bookseller: 'The Blue Bear'

Ask a Bookseller: 'The Blue Bear'

Tori Weaver of Rainy Retreat Books in Juneau, AK, recommends the memoir "The Blue Bear: A True Story of Friendship and Discovery in the Alaskan Wild," by Lynn Schooler.
by Emily Bright

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Log inCreate a free Account

Like this?

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

Show me!
'Sparks' author Ian Johnson on Chinese 'challenging the party's monopoly on history'

'Sparks' author Ian Johnson on Chinese 'challenging the party's monopoly on history'

Xi Jinping and China's ruling Communist Party have displayed a dogged obsession with controlling the historical narrative. But there's a group of underground historians fighting back.
by John Ruwitch

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Log inCreate a free Account

Like this?

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

Show me!
A young girl runs from Jamestown in Lauren Groff's new book, 'The Vaster Wilds'

A young girl runs from Jamestown in Lauren Groff's new book, 'The Vaster Wilds'

Lauren Groff’s new novel is a survival story, in the vein of “Robinson Crusoe,” that swings from brutality to ecstasy as a young girl runs away from the desolation of Jamestown through the early American wilderness.
by Kerri Miller and Kelly Gordon

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Log inCreate a free Account

Like this?

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

Show me!
Oh Bother! Winnie, poo and deforestation

Oh Bother! Winnie, poo and deforestation

Now that Winnie-the-Pooh is in the public domain, it's a free-for-all. In “Winnie-the-Pooh: The Deforested Edition,” the trees have are all gone. The book is by toilet paper company Who Gives A Crap.
by Elizabeth Blair

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Log inCreate a free Account

Like this?

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

Show me!
'People Collide' is a 'Freaky Friday'-type exploration of the self and persona

'People Collide' is a 'Freaky Friday'-type exploration of the self and persona

Isle McElroy's novel covers a deep exploration of marriage, love, and the ways we know one another — while also touching on how so much of how we navigate the world depends on how it sees us.
by Ilana Masad

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Log inCreate a free Account

Like this?

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

Show me!
The dystopian suspense 'Land of Milk and Honey' satisfies all manner of appetites

The dystopian suspense 'Land of Milk and Honey' satisfies all manner of appetites

Set in the near future, C Pam Zhang's atmospheric novel centers on a chef who takes a job at a tech entrepreneur's isolated compound after smog kills most of Earth's plant and animal species.
by Maureen Corrigan

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Log inCreate a free Account

Like this?

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

Show me!
Ask a Bookseller: 'Saints of the Household'

Ask a Bookseller: 'Saints of the Household'

Mary Taris of Strive Publishing and Bookstore in Minneapolis loved the intimate look at family dynamics in Ari Tison's novel “Saints of the Household.”
by Emily Bright

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Log inCreate a free Account

Like this?

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

Show me!
Michael Harriot's 'Black AF History' could hardly come at a better time

Michael Harriot's 'Black AF History' could hardly come at a better time

This engaging, well-researched, and frequently laugh-out-loud funny history places the Black experience at center stage with stories that should have already been part of our collective memory.
by Ericka Taylor

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Log inCreate a free Account

Like this?

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

Show me!