NPR Bestsellers: Hardcover Fiction, Week Of February 5, 2015
Private detective Jack Morgan stumbles into a murder ring in James Patterson's Private Vegas. It debuts at No. 8.
Books
This 'Future Lover' Is A Library
Ander Monson's new essay collection is a thoughtful, original celebration of libraries; more than just buildings full of books, they're a living exchange of ideas and a way for people to connect.
Fingertips To Hair Follicles: Why 'Touch' Triggers Pleasure And Pain
In his latest book, neuroscientist David Linden explains the science of touch. He tells Fresh Air how pain protects, why fingertips are so sensitive and why you can't read Braille with your genitals.
How 'Star Wars' Helped Patton Oswalt Beat His Movie Addiction
The actor and comedian reveals in his new memoir, Silver Screen Fiend, that he used to have a film addiction. Watching the first Star Wars prequel led to a realization that helped him kick the habit.
55 Years After 'To Kill A Mockingbird', Harper Lee To Release New Novel
The publisher Harper is releasing a new book by Harper in July — Harper Lee that is. It's a follow-up to To Kill A Mockingbird, though it was actually written first.
Neil Gaiman Is Back To Mess Up Your Dreams In 'Trigger Warning'
"Consider yourself warned," Gaiman says in his introduction. Many of these stories end badly for the people in them. But for the reader, Trigger Warning is a haunted, bloody, twisted pleasure.
'Adventures Of Beekle' Wins Caldecott; Newbery Goes To 'The Crossover'
The American Library Association awarded its top medals to Dan Santat's tale of an imaginary friend on a mission and Kwame Alexander's story of basketball-playing twins.
Drift Away Into The Not-Quite-Dreamy Logic Of 'Get In Trouble'
Kelly Link says the stories in her new collection Get in Trouble employ "night time logic." It's not quite dream logic, she tells NPR — nonsensical, but it has "a kind of emotional truth to it."
A Few Wise Moves Lift 'Prudence' From Melodrama To Something More
David Treuer's story of death and discord on an Indian reservation could have blundered into melodrama. Instead, the book dodges this fate by retracing its steps, revealing new depths each time.
Harper Lee Plans To Publish A New Novel Featuring 'Mockingbird' Hero
More than 50 years after the release of her classic — and only — novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee plans to publish a second. The newly unearthed book, Go Set a Watchman, will be published in July.