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.

'Free Love' puts a '60s spin on a Jane Austen-style novel of manners
Tessa Hadley's sharp new novel centers on a middle-aged wife and mother who falls for a much younger musician. “Free Love” is a domestic novel that's as eclectic and alive as the times it captures.
Two-time Minnesota Book Award winner back with a new fantasy world to get lost in
If you have family members — especially kids — who like to read fantasy, take heed: Two-time Minnesota Book Award winner Brian Farrey is publishing a new novel on Tuesday. He told host Cathy Wurzer about "The Counterclockwise Heart" and his writing process.
Theater stars spring to life on the pages of 'B is for Broadway'
A few years ago, a children's book called “A is for Audra” celebrated musical theater divas. Its creators have written a new book, “B is for Broadway,” celebrating theater from auditions to Ziegfeld.
Sales soar for 'Maus' after its banning in Tennessee school district
Just days after the banning of “Maus” by a Tennessee school district made national news, two editions of Art Spiegelman's Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel about the Holocaust have reached the top 20 on Amazon.com and are in limited supply.
Newbery Honor book 'A Snake Falls to Earth' is infused with 'unwavering optimism'
 "I just I found myself smiling a lot and, and kind of feeling like I was in this daydream or, like all of a sudden my imagination was sparked to life,” says Darcie Shultz, owner of Books and Burrow in Pittsburg, Kan., of "A Snake Falls to Earth."
The golden age of animation
Steamboat Willie might be the first thing that springs to mind when you think of early cartoons. But the golden age of animation was far from simple and saccharine. Join Kerri Miller for a conversation about the history of animation.