Books

Books
Arts

'Winterfolk' Cloaks Harsh Reality In Fairy Tale Mist

7:00am February 10, 2018

by Caitlyn Paxson

Janel Kolby's novel about a fairy-tale-loving young girl living in a homeless encampment outside of Seattle is a brutally realist tale, told as if it happened once-upon-a-time.

The World Only Spins Forward, by Isaac Butler and Dan Kois

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Arts

New Oral History Captures The Magic Of 'Angels In America'

5:19pm February 09, 2018

by Bob Mondello

Authors Isaac Butler and Dan Kois celebrate Angels in a new book, The World Only Spins Forward, that collects the memories of everyone from playwright Tony Kushner to Congressman Barney Frank.

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A Debut Author Imagines Herself Into Other Lives In 'Asymmetry'

4:34pm February 08, 2018

by Lynn Neary

Lisa Halliday's new novel is made of stories that seem to have little to do with each other — partly autobiographical, and partly about lives and cultures that are far from her own.

A couple walks in the rain in Mumbai in 2007.

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Arts

Indian Couples Navigate A 'Shifting Sea' Of Love And Marriage

2:57pm February 08, 2018

by Nishant Dahiya

PBS Newshour reporter Elizabeth Flock spent nearly a decade following the lives of three couples in Mumbai. She chronicles their stories in The Heart Is a Shifting Sea: Love and Marriage in Mumbai.

Everything Happens for a Reason by Kate Bowler

What Not To Say To The Terminally Ill: 'Everything Happens For A Reason'

10:11am February 08, 2018

by Rachel Martin

Kate Bowler has lived with stage 4 cancer for years. Her new memoir details what she's found out about herself and suffering. "You have to learn to be present, even when things are absurd," she says.

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Never Dare a Wicked Earl, by Renee Ann Miller

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For February, 3 Swooningly Romantic Reads

10:00am February 08, 2018

by Maya Rodale

As Valentine's day approaches, we bring you three novels that take ideas of romance far beyond flowers and chocolate — from a wicked wager with a hot rogue to a fake date that turns into real love.

The Line Becomes A River, by Francisco Cantú.

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Arts

'The Line Becomes A River' Chronicles Life In The Border Patrol

7:00am February 08, 2018

by Genevive Valentine

Francisco Cantú's new book about his years in the Border Patrol combines brutal personal reminiscences with detached academic interludes, a dreamlike narrative halfway between memoir and tone poem.

At Mr. John Chivery's Tea-table. An illustration from Charles Dickens' Little Dorrit, originally published in serial form between 1855 and 1857.

Books

Coffee Or Tea: In Dickens' World, It Might Be A Choice Between Good And Evil

9:17pm February 07, 2018

by Nina Martyris

The author of a new book, Dinner with Dickens, has an insightful — though far from scientific — observation: The Victorian writer's good characters prefer tea while dodgier ones lean toward coffee.

Books
Arts

Denis Johnson's Final Collection Of Short Stories Is Published

8:49pm February 07, 2018

by Tom Vitale

Denis Johnson died of liver cancer last year. Now a final collection of short stories by the National Book Award-winning author has been published posthumously. Johnson's first collection of stories, Jesus' Son attracted a devoted following that includes Philip Roth and Zadie Smith.

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'Self-Portrait With Boy' Explores The Narcissistic Ambition That Fuels Success

1:41pm February 07, 2018

by Maureen Corrigan

An artist's photograph of a young boy's death leads to a terrible dilemma in Rachel Lyon's new novel. Critic Maureen Corrigan calls the book a "striking debut."

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