Books

Books

The 2017 NPR Book Concierge: Get Your Read On

7:29am December 05, 2017

NPR launches its 2017 Book Concierge on Tuesday, pulling together a year's worth of favorite reads from staff and critics. NPR Books editor Petra Mayer talks about some of this year's selections.

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Ezra Pound poses in Rapallo, Italy, not long after his 1958 release from St. Elizabeths Hospital, where he spent 12 years.

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Do Politics Matter In Poetry? New Biography Explores The Case Of Ezra Pound

1:46pm December 04, 2017

by Maureen Corrigan

A central figure in 20th century poetry, Pound was also an outspoken fascist. In The Bughouse, Daniel Swift investigates whether or not the poet's politics and madness matter to his work.

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'Nuclear War Planner' Reflects On The Cold War And Assesses The Current Threat

1:46pm December 04, 2017

In 1971, Daniel Ellsberg leaked the Pentagon Papers to the press in hopes they would help end the Vietnam War. He looks back on his early days as a national security analyst in The Doomsday Machine.

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In 'Hiddensee,' Gregory Maguire Gets Under The Shell Of 'The Nutcracker'

4:53pm December 03, 2017

by Lulu Garcia-Navarro

Author Gregory Maguire made his name rewriting fairy tales. Now, he's taken on The Nutcracker — a beloved holiday classic, yes, but one that Maguire says makes no sense as it's usually performed.

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Girl Meets Frog Monster In 'Mrs. Caliban'

7:00am December 03, 2017

by Jean Zimmerman

This season's secret weapon in literary banter will be Mrs. Caliban, a peculiar, wonderful, overlooked 1983 novella by Rachel Ingalls, about a housewife whose life is upended by a suave frog monster.

Chris Matthews speaks onstage as Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights hosts The 2015 Ripple Of Hope Awards honoring Congressman John Lewis, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Evercore Co-founder Roger Altman, and UNESCO Ambassador Marianna Vardinoyannis at New York Hilton on

Chris Matthews On The 'Raging Spirit' Of Bobby Kennedy

3:32pm December 02, 2017

by Scott Simon

NPR's Scott Simon talks with veteran political commentator and MSNBC host Chris Matthews about his new book, Bobby Kennedy: A Raging Spirit.

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The Odyssey, by Homer, translated by Emily Wilson

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Emily Wilson's 'Odyssey' Scrapes The Barnacles Off Homer's Hull

10:00am December 02, 2017

by Annalisa Quinn

Wilson — the first woman to translate The Odyssey — has created a fresh, authoritative and slyly humorous version of Homer's epic that scours away archaisms while preserving nuance and complexity.

Author Fiona Mozley poses with her book Elmet.

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Debut Author Channeled Her 'Darker Bits' Into A Man Booker Shortlist Novel

7:44am December 02, 2017

by Scott Simon

Fiona Mozley's book Elmet explores masculinity in both male and female characters. "When we sort of see a woman possessing unexpected or fantastical physical strength it's questioned more," she says.

'Dawn of the New Everything' by Jaron Lanier

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'Dawn Of The New Everything' Argues For Human-Centered Technology

7:00am December 02, 2017

by Annalee Newitz

Virtual reality pioneer Jaron Lanier's book is part memoir, part history of the development of VR, and an unexpected but welcome comparison of the promises of VR with those of artificial intelligence.

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Arts

'Bad Sex In Fiction' Award Goes To Novelist Who Compared Skin To Stained Bathtub

10:45pm December 01, 2017

by Camila Domonoske

American writer Christopher Bollen received the, uh, honor, which was announced on Thursday. His novel The Destroyers featured a memorable pair of less-than-appealing analogies.