Books

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'Clockwork Dagger' Is A Thought-Provoking Steampunk Adventure

7:03am September 25, 2014

by Jason Heller

Beth Cato's debut novel takes on the problems and limitations of the steampunk genre with an appealing heroine and a thoughtful meditation on what heroism really means. Plus, mechanical animals!

Repeat Offender: Dav Pilkey created artwork for Banned Books Week featuring his frequently complained-about hero, Captain Underpants.

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Too Graphic? 2014 Banned Books Week Celebrates Challenged Comics

1:31pm September 24, 2014

by Lynn Neary

Captain Underpants has once again topped the list of most-challenged books. Author Dav Pilkey says his tighty-whities-clad hero teaches kids a healthy lesson about questioning authority.

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A Historic Backdrop Frames Forbidden Love In 'The Paying Guests'

9:46am September 24, 2014

by Julia Keller

Sarah Waters' latest novel, set in 1920s London, examines the moral consequences of passion. Though slightly too long, this book brings the past to life with exquisite clarity.

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Book News: Author J. California Cooper, Whose Simple Prose Drew Acclaim, Dies

7:55am September 24, 2014

by Colin Dwyer

The playwright-turned-novelist had a conversational style that made even vast themes feel intimate.

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In 'Afterworlds,' A Teen Imagines Worlds Within Worlds

7:13am September 24, 2014

by Tasha Robinson

Scott Westerfeld's latest book is about a teen who writes her own YA novel. Westerfeld alternates chapters about her life with chapters of her novel. This book honors YA tropes as it subverts them.

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A Feisty Writer Spars With Her Young Protege

7:38pm September 23, 2014

by Heller McAlpin

Brian Morton's Florence Gordon is about the relationship between a tough, 75-year-old feminist icon and her granddaughter. It's self-aware, funny and full of characters that are entirely believable.

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After WWI, A Mother And Daughter Must Take In 'Paying Guests'

4:10pm September 23, 2014

by Maureen Corrigan

Sarah Waters' spellbinding novel — about two women in 1920s London — is no simple period piece. Waters is a superb storyteller with a gift for capturing the layered nuances of character and mood.

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My Life as a Foreign Country book cover.

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A Poet Parses The Legacy Of War In 'My Life As A Foreign Country'

9:38am September 23, 2014

by NPR Staff

When award-winning poet Brian Turner served in the Army, he was following a long family tradition. His new memoir traces that history — and imagines the perspectives of the people shooting back.

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Nobel Prize-winning novelist Gabriel Garcia Marquez appeared in public during a celebration marking his 87th birthday on March 6 in Mexico City. He died in April.

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Book News: Gabriel Garcia Marquez Books Go Digital

7:19am September 23, 2014

by Colin Dwyer

Nine of the late writer's works are coming out as e-books in English. Also: a survey shows (again) a lack of diversity in publishing, and Ray Bradbury's ode-worthy gardening tool gets an asking price.

Brian Turner is director of Sierra Nevada College's MFA program and has previously written two books of poetry, Here, Bullet and Phantom Noise.

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'My Life' Asks: How Do You Leave A War Behind?

7:03am September 23, 2014

by Tomas Hachard

Poet Brian Turner's My Life as a Foreign Country is a lyrical, haunting memoir of his military family, his service in Bosnia and Iraq, and the struggle he faced to adjust to life on the home front.