In 'Ghostly,' Phantoms Provide An Omniscient Point Of View
NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with best selling author Audrey Niffenegger about her love of ghost stories and her new collection, Ghostly.
Books
So Good You'll Scream? A Cookbook From Horror Icon Vincent Price
A Treasury of Great Recipes, by the famed horror film actor, was out of print for decades until this month. It turns out, Price was also a foodie with an "omnivorous appetite," his daughter tells us.
The Kids' Book 'A Fine Dessert' Has Award Buzz — And Charges Of Whitewashing Slavery
In a long discussion on Twitter, one critic called the illustrations "candy coated images of slavery." The illustrator says these images have been taken out of context.
Author Richard Ford Says 'Let Me Be Frank' About Aging And Dying
The Pulitzer Prize-winning writer's most recent book centers on a 68-year-old man dealing with his aging body, a dying friend and his ex-wife, who has Parkinson's. Originally broadcast Nov. 12, 2014.
'The Other Paris' Goes Beyond The Banlieues
Luc Sante's cultural history focuses on the darker corners of the City of Lights, and the rougher and more disreputable citizens of the French capital who, he argues, have made Paris what it is today.
'Custer's Trials' Examines The Legacy Of A Complicated American Figure
T.J. Stiles' biography of Cornelius Vanderbilt earned the National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize. Steve Inskeep talks with Stiles about his new book, Custer's Trials, on George Armstrong Custer.
Comparing Presidential Candidates' Language To Books In 'The New York Times'
Josh Katz discusses his most recent graphic "Matching Candidates With Books They Sound Like" for "The Upshot" in The New York Times. The piece compared the speaking styles of different presidential candidates to word choices in popular books based on how complex, positive or negative the candidates' speeches are.
Why Are Old Women Often The Face Of Evil In Fairy Tales And Folklore?
Evil stepmothers, witches and crones: When they aren't poisoning princesses, they're mangling mermaids or trying to eat children. One writer traces these villains' roots to a fear of female power.
Rage And Humor Alternate In 'Arab Of The Future'
Cartoonist Riad Sattouf uses a loose-limbed comic style to tell the story of his harsh early childhood in Libya, Syria and France — but the cartoony look belies the book's anger and icy cynicism.
A New Alcott Emerges From The 'Annotated Little Women'
Biographer John Matteson crams all his knowledge of Louisa May Alcott into a massive new annotated edition of her best-known book — in which the author herself emerges as a fascinating character.