Books

Books
Arts

Alan Cheuse, Novelist And Longtime NPR Contributor, Dies At 75

5:10pm July 31, 2015

by Colin Dwyer

The author and critic died Friday of injuries sustained in a car accident. For years, he was the voice of NPR's literature commentary — and, for many, the "guide to a very exciting world."

Books

NPR Bestsellers: Week Of July 30, 2015

5:03pm July 31, 2015

The lists are compiled from weekly surveys of close to 500 independent bookstores nationwide.

Books

NPR Bestsellers: Hardcover Fiction, Week Of July 30, 2015

5:03pm July 31, 2015

At No. 7, Ernest Cline's Armada tells the story of gamers protecting the earth from an alien invasion.

Books

NPR Bestsellers: Hardcover Nonfiction, Week Of July 30, 2015

5:03pm July 31, 2015

Debuting at No. 15, Arthur Brooks' The Conservative Heart presents a new vision for conservatism.

Books

NPR Bestsellers: Paperback Fiction, Week Of July 30, 2015

5:03pm July 31, 2015

In The Rosie Effect, a sequel to 2013's The Rosie Project, Don Tillman prepares for fatherhood. It appears at No. 15.

Books

NPR Bestsellers: Paperback Nonfiction, Week Of July 30, 2015

5:03pm July 31, 2015

Emma Farrarons' The Mindfulness Coloring Book, a pocket-sized, anti-stress booklet for grown-ups, appears at No. 12.

Sarah Hepola is the personal essays editor at Salon.com.

Books
Arts

A Path From 'Blackout' Drunkenness To Sobriety And Self-Acceptance

4:31pm July 31, 2015

Writer Sarah Hepola once got so drunk before giving a presentation to 300 people that she didn't remember it the next day. In Blackout, her memoir, Hepola wrestles with her reasons for drinking.

Queue Listen Now

Jason Segel plays writer David Foster Wallace in the new film The End of the Tour.

Books
Arts

'End Of The Tour': An Unauthorized 'Anti-Biopic' Of David Foster Wallace

1:20pm July 31, 2015

by Joel Rose

Instead of telling the author's life story, the film (which the Wallace estate does not approve of) focuses on five days in 1996 during the publicity tour for Infinite Jest.

Queue Listen Now

Books
Arts

'Barbara' Is Imperfect, Defiant And Wonderfully Human

7:45pm July 30, 2015

by Michael Schaub

The characters in Lauren Holmes' debut story collection are more than words on a page, says reviewer Michael Schaub. They're fully, exasperatingly real, portrayed with charm but without pretension.

Books
Arts

'Baby' Is A Pretty Feat Of Misdirection

1:34pm July 30, 2015

by Bethanne Patrick

Mary Kubica's new thriller follows a woman who takes in a runaway and her baby daughter. Reviewer Bethanne Patrick says it's a perfect setup — but the twists you expect aren't the ones that arrive.