Books

Showtime at the Apollo, by Ted Fox and James Otis Smith

Books
Arts

Keeping A Famous Theater's Myth Alive In 'Showtime At the Apollo'

10:00am January 13, 2019

by Etelka Lehoczky

This new graphic adaptation of Ted Fox's history of the Apollo Theater captures countless electrifying performances, but goes easy on the grittier aspects of the fabled theater.

Books

'Cat Person' Author's New Book Evokes #MeToo Themes

7:43am January 13, 2019

NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro talks with Kristen Roupenian, the author of a new book of short stories called You Know You Want This. Roupenian's short story "Cat Person" went viral in 2017.

Books
Arts

'The Water Cure' Makes Toxic Masculinity Literal

7:00am January 13, 2019

by Annalisa Quinn

In Sophie Mackintosh's tart, twisted fairy tale, a family hides away on a remote island to escape a world in which men may actually be toxic. But their lives are upended when three castaways wash up.

When the Gran Splendid Theater in Buenos Aires was converted into a branch of the Ateneo bookstore, the stage became a cafe. It was just named "the world's most beautiful bookstore" by National Geographic.

Inside 'The World's Most Beautiful Bookstore' In Argentina

6:57pm January 12, 2019

by Bob Mondello

National Geographic has named El Ateneo Grand Splendid the top shop in the world. But that's only where the history of the 100-year-old Buenos Aires building, once a palatial theater, begins.

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Books
Arts

'Untouchable' Delivers Twisty Turny Romantic Thrills

10:00am January 12, 2019

by Denny S. Bryce

Romantic suspense stalwart Jayne Ann Krentz's latest — it's part of a series, but works as a standalone — will keep you flipping pages with its complex bad guy and tangled but propulsive plot.

Books

'Bluff City' Captures Photographer Ernest Withers During Civil Rights Movement

8:13am January 12, 2019

NPR's Scott Simon asks Bluff City author Preston Lauterbach about the undisclosed life of Ernest Withers, a celebrated civil rights photographer and FBI informant.

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Detail from the cover of The Day the Sun Died by Yan Lianke

Books
Arts

A Celebrated Chinese Novelist Dreams Up A Nightmare Sci-Fi Allegory

8:13am January 12, 2019

by Scott Simon

Yan Lianke's newest book The Day the Sun Died is now available in English in the United States. "Certainly it's a very sharp critique of contemporary society," he says.

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Books
Arts

For January, 3 Romances That Understand It's Complicated

7:00am January 12, 2019

by Maya Rodale

Yes, a romance novel has to have a happy ending — but that doesn't mean the stories take place in a fantasy land. This month, we're showcasing three books that draw on the challenges of real life.

Moscow's Libraries Are Experiencing An Unexpected Revival

8:52pm January 10, 2019

by Lucian Kim

Moscow's neighborhood libraries are having a moment as they've turned from shabby houses of Soviet learning to well-designed work spaces for MacBook-toting hipsters.

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Surveying The Public Domain

3:19pm January 10, 2019