What To Read This Summer
Need summer book recommendations? From new novels, to classics, to nonfiction, here are our suggestions.
Books
'Summer Of Ellen' Builds Lyrical, Sunny Suspense
Agnete Friis' new novel takes place in flashbacks, jumping between the present and a rural Danish farm during the summer of 1978 — a seemingly idyllic time, until two people go missing.
Joy In Excess: The Overflowing Art of Mark Alan Stamaty
Two new books — a reissue of 1971's Yellow Yellow and a compilation of Stamaty's MacDoodle Street newspaper strips — highlight the artist's joyful ability to imagine the world the way kids do.
A Different Kind Of Story About Slavery In 'The Confessions Of Frannie Langton'
Debut novelist Sara Collins wanted to explore the roots of scientific racism and produced the Gothic novel The Confessions of Frannie Langton.
This 'Greatest Hits' Album Is Real. Its Artist Is Fiction
Laura Barnett wrote a novel about an aging singer-songwriter sizing up her life in 16 tracks. Then she approached musician Kathryn Williams, who created the book's original soundtrack.
Sharp Satire And Dark Humor In 'Riots I Have Known'
Ryan Chapman's debut novel opens in the middle of a prison riot as the unnamed narrator cowers in fear for his life — which doesn't seem like a setup for comedy, but it's packed with dark laughs.
'Accidental Presidents' Looks At Achievements Of Vice Presidents Who Became President
NPR's Audie Cornish talks with Jared Cohen, author of Accidental Presidents: Eight Men Who Changed America. He chronicles the legacies of men who have taken office when the incumbent died.
OPINION: Why Ditching Processed Foods Won't Be Easy — The Barriers To Cooking From Scratch
Though a new study shows that eating unprocessed food is healthier, home-cooked meals require resources that food experts take for granted, such as money and time, the authors of a new book argue.
'The Queen' Reveals The Story Of The Woman Who Became A Symbol Of Welfare Fraud
Linda Taylor rose to infamy during the 1970s, when prize-winning reporter George Bliss brought her criminal activity to light — and then-candidate Ronald Reagan turned her into the Welfare Queen.
These 'Empty Words' Are Full Of Life
The late Uruguayan novelist Mario Levrero was known for his gleeful weirdness. Empty Words follows a writer who tries to cure his block by writing boring nothings — and it's anything but boring.