Books

Question: "Does the NYPL have a computer for the use of the public?" Answer: "No sir!"

Books
Arts

Before The Internet, Librarians Would 'Answer Everything' — And Still Do

4:28pm December 29, 2014

by NPR Staff

The New York Public Library recently came upon a box of questions posed to the library from the 1940s to the '80s — an era when humans consulted other humans for answers to their daily questions.

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The Enduring Life Of Lit Mags: We'll Always Have (The) Paris (Review)

3:32pm December 29, 2014

by Juan Vidal

Magazines of all stripes are struggling to negotiate the digital age — but writer Juan Vidal finds hope for the future of reading in the pages of his favorite new literary magazines.

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Arts

Jamie Oliver, Up To His Elbows In Mashed Potatoes With 'Comfort Food'

2:46pm December 29, 2014

by NPR Staff

For his new cookbook, the chef compiled soul-soothing, stomach-satisfying recipes from around the world. And this time, Oliver tells NPR's Linda Wertheimer, he worried less about calorie counts.

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New Yorker Cartoon Editor Explores What Makes Us Get It

2:44pm December 29, 2014

Humor is both a creative and a cognitive process, says Bob Mankoff, who has contributed cartoons to The New Yorker since 1977. His memoir is called How About Never — Is Never Good For You?

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Earlier this year, protesters in Los Angeles called for recognition of, and reparations for, the 1915 Armenian genocide executed by Ottoman Turks.

Author Explores Armenian Genocide 'Obsession' And Turkish Denial

2:36pm December 29, 2014

by NPR Staff

As a child, Armenian-American writer Meline Toumani was taught to see Turks as a bitter enemy. She wrote her new book, There Was and There Was Not, in an effort to understand that conflict.

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From Her Dad To Her 'Jamish' Roots, A Poet Pieces Her Story Together

9:32am December 29, 2014

by NPR Staff

Salena Godden grew up in 1970s England with a Jamaican mom and an absent Irish dad. In her memoir, Springfield Road, she looks back on her struggle to find her personal identity.

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Unlike her sister, Vanessa Bell, seen here circa 1910, didn't keep a journal. "Her voice is largely unheard and I was really interested in that," Priya Parmar says.

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Novel Gives Voice To Virginia Woolf's Overshadowed Sister

9:34pm December 28, 2014

by NPR Staff

In Vanessa and Her Sister, Priya Parmar imagines what Vanessa Bell wrote in her journal when she and Woolf were helping to form the Bloomsbury Group, a gathering of London artists and intellectuals.

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Mexican writer Valeria Luiselli is the author of the novel Faces in the Crowd and the book of essays Sidewalks. She is currently working on the novel The Story of My Teeth.

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Smashing Snow Globes: A Writer On Essays, Novels And Translation

6:54pm December 27, 2014

by NPR Staff

Valeria Luiselli, who was born in Mexico City and lives now in Harlem, released two slim, multinational books this year: the essay collection Sidewalks and her time-jumping novel Faces in the Crowd.

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Comedian Andrea Martin performs at New York's 54 Below in 2012. She published her memoir Lady Parts in September.

Books
Arts

Comedian Andrea Martin: 'I Don't Think Age Has Anything To Do With It'

6:54pm December 27, 2014

by NPR Staff

Now in her late 60s, Martin says she's still "excited and enthusiastic" about her work and doesn't have any intention of retiring. She published a memoir in September called Lady Parts.

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'The Bishop's Wife' Tracks A Killer In A Mormon Community

11:10am December 27, 2014

by NPR Staff

The mystery about the disappearance of a young Mormon woman was inspired by a real-life story. Author Mette Ivie Harrison talks about her own struggles with faith and stereotypes of Mormon mothers.

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