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London's Mayor On Winston Churchill: He Saved Civilization

12:33pm November 08, 2014

Winston Churchill was a writer, an orator and a Tory. So is London Mayor Boris Johnson, and he has a new book about the late prime minister. NPR's Scott Simon speaks with Johnson about his new book.

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Eavan Boland has authored numerous volumes of poetry, including In a Time of Violence, which was shortlisted for the T.S. Eliot Prize.

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Arts

Walking Through Light-Filled Rooms In 'Woman Without A Country'

7:03am November 08, 2014

by Amal El-Mohtar

Irish poet Eavan Boland's latest volume meditates on the gulf between ideas of nation and individual lives of women; reviewer Amal El-Mohtar calls it a "beautiful kind of conversation."

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Arts

Answering The Old Question: Who Lost China?

6:04am November 08, 2014

by Nishant Dahiya

Richard Bernstein's new China 1945 looks at the momentous events of that year in Asia, and argues that the U.S. focus on fighting Japanese forces in China weakened Chiang Kai-Shek's Nationalists.

For Political Junkies, A (Literary) Post-Election Fix

8:11pm November 07, 2014

Post-elections, Molly Antopol and Jason Sheehan reflect on the results by turning to their favorite political books, Elect Mr. Robinson for a Better World and Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail.

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Books

NPR Bestsellers: Week Of November 6, 2014

6:03pm November 07, 2014

The lists are compiled from weekly surveys of close to 500 independent bookstores nationwide.

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NPR Bestsellers: Hardcover Fiction, Week Of November 6, 2014

6:03pm November 07, 2014

Anne Rice revisits the characters of her "Vampire Chronicles" series in Prince Lestat, which debuts at No. 3.

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NPR Bestsellers: Hardcover Nonfiction, Week Of November 6, 2014

6:03pm November 07, 2014

Actress-comedian Amy Poehler's new memoir, Yes Please, debuts at No. 1.

Books

NPR Bestsellers: Paperback Fiction, Week Of November 6, 2014

6:03pm November 07, 2014

A stranded astronaut struggles to survive on Mars with meager supplies in Andy Weir's The Martian. It appears at No. 5.

Books

NPR Bestsellers: Paperback Nonfiction, Week Of November 6, 2014

6:03pm November 07, 2014

George Washington's Secret Six sheds light on a group of spies who played a key role in gathering intelligence during the American Revolution. It appears at No. 10.

John Steinbeck, here seen as a young man, sits for his portrait. Years later, his story "With Your Wings" would be read on air — then disappear for decades.

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Arts

Book News: John Steinbeck Story Resurfaces After 70 Years

2:43pm November 07, 2014

by Colin Dwyer

Once read on radio by Orson Welles, "With Your Wings" had never been seen in print. Now, after a fateful discovery, it's set to be published. Also: Joshua Ferris has won the Dylan Thomas Prize.