Books

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In 'Rusty Brown,' Chris Ware Resolves To Find The Good In Everyone

10:00am September 28, 2019

by Etelka Lehoczky

Ware's new graphic novel follows six extremely ordinary people — a teacher, a bully, a father — and meditates on the significance of their everyday actions, and the webs of connection between them.

Books

Jeannie Gaffigan On Surviving A Brain Tumor In 'When Life Gives You Pears'

7:48am September 28, 2019

Jeannie Gaffigan tells NPR's Scott Simon about her brain tumor, her recovery from its removal, and why she's grateful for the experience. She writes about it in the book, When Life Gives You Pears.

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Arts

In 'Imaginary Friend,' Stephen Chbosky Squeezes Horror From Everyday Life

7:48am September 28, 2019

by Scott Simon

Stephen Chbosky — who wrote the YA classic The Perks of Being a Wallflower -- says his new book takes the familiar scares of childhood, like monsters in the closet, and twists them a little.

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The Full Story Is Always Just Out Of Reach In 'The Incompletes'

7:00am September 28, 2019

by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

There's not much plot in Argentinean author Sergio Chejfec's novel — and what happens might be imaginary. But if you accept the story's dream logic, it will leave you both dazed and pleased.

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The Scares In 'Violet' Aren't Original, But They Sure Are Scary

7:00am September 27, 2019

by Jason Heller

Scott Thomas's new novel, about a woman grappling with loss, grief and a mysterious evil in her childhood home, takes well-worn horror tropes and spins a slowly gathering storm of terror around them.

Books

The Days Of American Culture Dominance Are Over, Author Says

5:40am September 27, 2019

NPR's Steve Inskeep talks to author Fatima Bhutto about her latest book: New Kings of the World: Dispatches from Bollywood, Dizi and K-Pop.

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'Piety & Power' Considers The Life And Ambition Of Vice President Mike Pence

2:57pm September 26, 2019

by Dave Davies

Political reporter Tom LoBianco has covered Pence in both Indiana and Washington, D.C. He describes the vice president as a man of faith who is willing to put political ambition ahead of his beliefs.

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In 'The Water Dancer,' Ta-Nehisi Coates Creates Magical Alternate History

10:12am September 26, 2019

by Annalisa Quinn

Ta-Nehisi Coates' new novel, set during the era of slavery, follows a young black man who discovers that his memories trigger a mysterious power of teleportation that can help escaped slaves flee.

Bob Iger, CEO and chairman of The Walt Disney Co., and Mickey Mouse rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange in November 2017. Iger's new book is an account of what he has learned running Disney.

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Disney CEO Bob Iger Has Lessons On Fostering Creativity — And Acquiring It

9:11am September 26, 2019

by Elizabeth Blair

The head of The Walt Disney Co. has a new book, The Ride of a Lifetime. It's a memoir of what he has learned in 15 years there — encompassing the purchases of Pixar, Lucasfilm and 21st Century Fox.

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The Future of Another Timeline, by Annalee Newitz

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'Future Of Another Timeline' Edits The Past To Save The Present

7:00am September 26, 2019

by Jason Sheehan

Annalee Newitz's new novel pits a group of time-travelers trying to make the future better for women against a dangerous rival organization inspired by vicious Victorian moralist Anthony Comstock.