Books

Actor Tom Hanks attends the premier of Larry Crowne at the Westfield Shopping Centre in London.

Books

Tom Hanks Considers The Cosmos, Nora Ephron, And A Man Dressed As A Shrimp

6:01am October 19, 2017

by Linda Holmes

Tom Hanks has written a short story collection called Uncommon Type. Here, he talks about stories, characters, the film goddess Pelicula, and what happened to the suit he wore as David S. Pumpkins.

Rasika chef Vikram Sunderam, here with a towering dish of eggplant and potato, says, "Indian cuisine is a very personal cuisine. It's made from family to family, how they like to cook."

In New Cookbook, Acclaimed Indian Restaurant Finally Spills Its Secrets

8:18pm October 18, 2017

by Ari Shapiro

Rasika, a top eatery in Washington, D.C., is famous for its crispy spinach and modern twists on classic dishes. Now the owner and chef are sharing some of their prized — and adventurous — recipes.

Queue Listen Now

Where Do We Come From?

3:55pm October 18, 2017

Look in a microscope to find out.

Books
Arts

'A Line In The Dark' Is A Fresh Approach To The Teen Thriller

10:00am October 18, 2017

by Caitlyn Paxson

Malinda Lo's new book sets up a classic conflict — townie kids versus prep schoolers — and adds nuanced queer characters. Despite a flawed second half, A Line in the Dark has much to offer.

Books
Arts

Not Much To 'Smile' About In Roddy Doyle's Intense New Novel

7:00am October 18, 2017

by Michael Schaub

The Irish novelist is known for his sense of humor — but his latest, about a man abused in his youth by Catholic priests, is distressing and at times almost unbearable. It's also his best book yet.

Author George Saunders poses with his book Lincoln in the Bardo at the Royal Festival Hall in London on Monday. On Tuesday, he was announced as the winner of the 2017 Man Booker Prize for Fiction.

Books
Arts

George Saunders Wins Man Booker Prize For 'Lincoln In The Bardo'

6:14pm October 17, 2017

by Camila Domonoske

It's the second year in a row that an American writer has taken home the prestigious literary award.

Cover detail of Death in the Air, by Kate Winkler Dawson

Books
Arts

'Death In The Air' Revisits 5 Days When London Was Choked By Poisonous Smog

2:41pm October 17, 2017

by Maureen Corrigan

Kate Winkler Dawson's new book chronicles The Great Smog of 1952, when moist air from the Gulf Stream stalled for days over London, mixing with poisonous gases and causing more than 12,000 deaths.

Books
Arts

Tom Hanks Lays Out A Kinder, Gentler World In 'Uncommon Type'

2:26pm October 17, 2017

by Heller McAlpin

Tom Hanks' well-documented obsession with typewriters is on display in his new story collection, tales linked not just by typewriters but by a benign, humane view of people and their many foibles.

A 3-year-old Amy Tan appears with her brother Peter in this 1955 family photo. Peter died in 1967 after being diagnosed with a brain tumor.

Books
Arts

'I Am Full Of Contradictions': Novelist Amy Tan On Fate And Family

2:19pm October 17, 2017

by Terry Gross

In Where the Past Begins, Tan connects her experience with spirituality to that of her parents and grandmother. "I don't consider myself any religion," she says. " ... I have an amalgam of beliefs."

The Father Of Microfinance Has A Plan To Fix Capitalism

2:07pm October 17, 2017

He started a revolution in lending … now he's hoping to create a new financial system based on altruism.