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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.

Chocolate: how sweet it is

For some, chocolate fuels a food obsession. A renowned dessert maker and author talks about her own fascination with the quintessential sweet.

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The science behind good cooking

The mysteries of cooking explained by the founder and editor of "Cooks Illustrated" magazine.

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A Talking Volumes broadcast: Chimamanda Adichie

A girl's adolescence runs headlong into the turmoil of her family and the society around her in contemporary Nigeria. Author Chimamanda Adichie talks about her novel, Purple Hibiscus with Katherine Lanpher in a taped Talking Volumes broadcast.

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A writer reflects on the weather

We are what we endure and enjoy in our unpredictable weather. A Minnesota-based writer shares how the weather has defined her life and outlook.

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A fresh look at some old fairy tales

A new translation of the best-loved Hans Christian Andersen stories also places the fairy tale author in a new literary context.

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Augusten Burroughs: A Talking Volumes interview

Author Augusten Burroughs' new memoir is the next offering from Talking Volumes. Dry recounts the author's difficult, darkly humorous trip to sobriety.

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Books to accompany any mood

There are great books out there to compliment any state of mind. A noted author, librarian and promoter of good reads recommends classics and non-bestselling books that are worth a good spine-cracking.

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Recognizing the women who built America

An anecdotal history of women shows how important women were to the building of the country, despite what textbooks may have taught us.

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The Fortress of Solitude

Author Jonathan Letham's newest novel takes its stories from his childhood. "The Fortress of Solitude" has been critically acclaimed. It follows the adventures of two boys, one black, one white as they grow up in a tough New York neighborhood. The story begins in the late '60s and follows the characters to the present day. As the boys become men, their neighborhood becomes gentrified. Along the way, the boys—Mingus and Dylan—learn harsh realities about life, love, popular music—and even comic books.

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