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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.

How the Method transformed film — and made acting more human

How the Method transformed film — and made acting more human

Method acting is more than mining personal experiences to play a character — or physically transforming for a role. Author Isaac Butler traces the history of the technique in “The Method.”
by Terry Gross

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Abraham Galloway is the Black figure from the Civil War you should know about

Abraham Galloway is the Black figure from the Civil War you should know about

Galloway escaped enslavement, became a Union spy and helped recruit thousands of Black soldiers to fight with the North, but his name has been largely left out of the Civil War narrative.
by Elizabeth Blair

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Ask a Bookseller: 'See Me in the Wonder' is an affirmation of life after loss

Ask a Bookseller: 'See Me in the Wonder' is an affirmation of life after loss

Kathy Gray is the primary bookbuyer for Lark Toys in Kellogg, Minn., and she recommends "See Me in the Wonder," a picture book by a Wisconsin author and illustrator Laurel Fraher.
by Emily Bright

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Coming of age with three contemporary YA novels

Coming of age with three contemporary YA novels

In each of these stories — “Full Flight,” “Required Reading for the Disenfranchised Freshman,” “Ophelia After All” — a girl stands at a junction in her life, on the brink of deciding who she wants to be.
by Caitlyn Paxon

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Why power entices the wrong kind of people

Why power entices the wrong kind of people

Why do so many leaders become authoritarian, violent or just plain dishonest? A new book explores the relationship of power to corruption. Join Kerri Miller for more Big Books and Bold Ideas with author Brian Klaas. 
by Kerri Miller and Kelly Gordon

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Sci-fi, fantasy, crime fiction blend in 'Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century'

Sci-fi, fantasy, crime fiction blend in 'Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century'

Kim Fu's book contains 12 stories that peel away layers of normalcy to reveal weird, creepy things; though very different from each other, they share elements, giving the collection a sense of unity.
by Gabino Iglesias

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Heartbroken? There's a scientific reason why breaking up feels so rotten

Heartbroken? There's a scientific reason why breaking up feels so rotten

Science writer Florence Williams experienced what felt like a brain injury when her husband left her after more than 25 years. Her new book is “Heartbreak: A Personal and Scientific Journey.”
by Terry Gross

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Toni Morrison's only short story is available in book form for the first time

Toni Morrison's only short story is available in book form for the first time

The late Nobel laureate and novelist was known for her examination of the Black experience. "Recitatif" is about two girls, one Black and one white, but doesn't reveal which is which.
by Rachel Treisman

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