From Patton Oswalt, A Movie Memoir That's Best Outside The Theater
Comedian and actor Patton Oswalt recounts his movie addiction in the memoir Silver Screen Fiend, which finds its best stories away from the theater.
Books
How Tinseltown Got Tipsy: A Boozy Taste Of Hollywood History
Mark Bailey, who detailed old Hollywood's legendary love affair with liquor in his book Of All the Gin Joints, shares stories from a bygone era over cocktails at a legendary Hollywood bar.
'Comedy Is Extraordinarily Difficult': John Cleese On Being Funny
John Cleese of Monty Python fame has written a memoir, So, Anyway ... , which brings him from boyhood in a quiet British town called Weston to the footlights of London and screens all over the world.
In 'God Loves Haiti,' Clutching Memories When The Earth Moves
In his debut novel, Haitian expat Dimitry Elias Legér uses the 2010 earthquake in Haiti as a backdrop to a love triangle. Leger tells NPR's Rachel Martin why he titled his new book God Loves Haiti.
These 'Almost Famous Women' Won't Be Forgotten Again
Megan Mayhew Bergman's new story collection focuses on the colorful tales of independent real-life, risk-taking women who've faded from the spotlight (or never cared for it in the first place).
In 'Citizen,' Poet Strips Bare The Realities Of Everyday Racism
For her latest collection, Claudia Rankine mined her and her friends' encounters with racism. She says she wanted to talk about "what happens when we fail each other as people."
For The New Year, Ray Bradbury's Buoyant Vision Of The Future
We saw a lot of dystopias in both films and books this year. Author Jason Sheehan has had enough. He plans to celebrate the new year with some science fiction that's actually hopeful about the future.
For Working Moms, Key To Balance May Lie In Elusive Leisure Time
If waiting for help when your car breaks down doesn't strike you as a leisurely activity, it may be time to reconsider. A new book looks at time management challenges of being a working parent.
NPR Bestsellers: Week Of January 1, 2015
The lists are compiled from weekly surveys of close to 500 independent bookstores nationwide.
NPR Bestsellers: Hardcover Fiction, Week Of January 1, 2015
In The Narrow Road To The Deep North, Richard Flanagan tells the story of an Australian surgeon who becomes a World War II prisoner of war. It appears at No. 14.