A literary mystery takes place on the shores of Monet's pond
The Thread's Must-Read
"The Silk Roads: A New History of the World"by Peter Frankopan
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This centuries-spanning history of the globe tilts away from the Western-centric view of trade, religion, culture and intellectual achievement that's usually taught in high schools and colleges.
Frankopan, a historian at Oxford who specializes in Byzantium, starts his epic in the time of Alexander the Great and China's Han dynasty, and ends with the Iran's Islamic Revolution and the rise of Saddam Hussein. As with all great histories, it will make you see the world and the news with a fresh perspective. It's also simply a great read.
-Stephanie Curtis
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Book your summer: 13 great picks for young readers A librarian, a bookseller and an 11-year-old bookworm share their favorite reads of the moment, from picture books to young adult novels.
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Neil Gaiman's "American Gods" comes to TV "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman
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TV is becoming ever so literary. In the new Starz adaptation of Neil Gaiman's beloved fantasy novel, gods from all over the world are drawn to America when their worshippers arrive here — whether as immigrants, explorers or slaves.
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Eerie "Fen" is full of dazzling, hard-to-explain stories "The Fen" by Daisy Johnson
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Daisy Johnson's story collection is set in the marshlands of eastern England — now mostly, catastrophically drained. It's beautifully creepy but easy to read over and over again.
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A glimpse into F. Scott Fitzgerald's writing life Fitzgerald wrote most of his best work in his 20s, and the stories in this new collection — all unpublished or uncollected — demonstrate how hard it was for him to deliver what readers wanted.
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The Thread Live: 2017 authors announced The Thread's 2017 season of author interviews has been announced: Don't miss Jacqueline Woodson, Eddie Glaude, Jr. or Sheryl Sandberg.
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With her new book, Ivanka Trump must walk complicated ethical line While Ivanka Trump has opted to donate proceeds to charity and avoid a publicity tour, the book has generated a rash of media coverage — and some fresh questions about whether she could profit from her rising profile,
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A literary mystery planted around Monet's water lilies "Black Water Lilies" by Michel Bussi
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Bookseller Vicki Burger is still entranced with "Black Water Lilies," a literary mystery that takes place on the shores of the pond where Claude Monet once painted the water lilies.
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Stories that walk the line between tragedy and comedy "The Dinner Party" by Joshua Ferris
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The 11 stories in Joshua Ferris' new collection provide a fine showcase for his sly wit, proceeding from the ordinary to the uncomfortable and even bizarre.
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A story of displacement, from a novelist who knows "Salt Houses" by Hala Alyan
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"Salt Houses" traces several generations of a displaced Palestinian family. Author Hala Alyan says she experienced firsthand the "intergenerational trauma that went along with losing a homeland."
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Gabourey Sidibe's message to the world: "Mind your own body" "This Is Just My Face" by Gabourey Sidibe
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"I am plus-size, I have dark skin and I am 100 percent beautiful," the actress says. Her new book is a collection of essays about body image and her rise to fame.
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A professor's coloring book pokes fun at college life "Doodling for Academics"
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Julie Schumacher wrote the text for the book: It's 41 pages of wry jokes ready for coloring.
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