Books

Books

'Washington Post' columnist David Ignatius releases 12th novel: 'Phantom Orbit'

5:12am May 06, 2024

NPR's Steve Inskeep speaks with journalist and novelist David Ignatius, whose latest novel is a thriller about an invisible enemy that could disrupt the satellite signals central to our daily lives.

Brittney Griner on the court in September 2023.

'I did not feel like a human': Brittney Griner tells NPR about detention in Russia

5:00am May 06, 2024

Griner's new memoir recounts being humiliated by guards, of the pain from squeezing her 6-foot-9 frame into cramped beds and cage, and cutting her locs because it was so cold that her hair froze.

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Thomas Taylor's original cover illustration for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (1997) is expected to break auction records at Sotheby's on June 26.

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Books

The original 'Harry Potter' book cover art is expected to break records at auction

6:00am May 05, 2024

by Chloe Veltman

Sotheby's June 26 auction of Thomas Taylor's watercolor illustration for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is estimated to sell for $400,000-$600,000.

An illustration depicts Paul Auster looking into the camera next to a large stack of books.

Books

Remembering Paul Auster through his time as an NPR contributor

8:07am May 04, 2024

by Jacki Lyden

Paul Auster was many things: novelist, screenwriter, poet, and NPR contributor. He died this week from cancer at the age of 77. Former NPR host Jacki Lyden has a remembrance.

Books

From 'Magnum, P.I.' to dancing with royalty, Tom Selleck shares his journey in new memoir

8:07am May 04, 2024

Tom Selleck became a TV star in the 1980s as the Hawaii-based detective of "Magnum, P.I." He talks with NPR's Scott Simon about what it took to get there and his new memoir, "You Never Know."

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Arts

Remembering novelist, screenwriter and memoirist Paul Auster

1:37pm May 03, 2024

by Terry Gross

Auster, who died April 30, rose to fame in the 1980s with The New York Trilogy novels. His memoir, Winter Journal, focused on the history of his body. Originally broadcast in 1997, 2004 and 2012.

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Illustation of a sad pregnant woman who needs prenatal care and support. A young woman expecting a child is depressed. Psychological and medical vector illustration. A pregnant woman wearing blue looks downcast. Her hair spreads behind her, filling the frame.

In 'The Unexpected,' Emily Oster tackles the emotional toll of difficult pregnancies

10:14am May 02, 2024

by Scott Detrow

The economist made a name for herself using data to challenge the accepted rules of pregnancy. Now, she's returning to the topic with a book on how to navigate its complications.

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Rachel Khong explores genetics, race and the idea of being American in new novel

5:01pm May 01, 2024

NPR's Juana Summers talks with author Rachel Khong about her book Real Americans, a multi-generational new novel about coming of age and defining who you are.

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Arts

What the 'Dawn of the Civil War' can tell us about today's acrimonious politics

2:07pm May 01, 2024

by Dave Davies

In The Demon of Unrest, author Erik Larson chronicles the five months between the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860 and the start of the Civil War, drawing parallels to today's political climate.

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Books
Arts

A poet searches for answers about the short life of a writer in 'Traces of Enayat'

1:09pm May 01, 2024

by Lily Meyer

Poet Iman Mersal's book is a memoir of her search for knowledge about the writer Enayat al-Zayyat; it's a slow, idiosyncratic journey through a layered, changing Cairo — and through her own mind.