Arts & Life

Books
Arts

True Originals: Biographies That Defy Expectations

6:26pm December 28, 2012

by Michael Schaub

Our list of this year's best biographies focuses on books about individuals who lived their lives off the beaten path. From the story of a spy turned chef to the story of the real Count of Monte Cristo, these books chronicle subjects who refused to conform to the expectations of others.

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Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio), a slave owner, holds Django's wife captive.

Arts

Tarantino On 'Django,' Violence And Catharsis

5:06pm December 28, 2012

by NPR Staff

Quentin Tarantino's new Django Unchained stars Jamie Foxx as a freed slave turned bounty hunter. The writer and director discusses the film's violence with Audie Cornish and explains why he feels American history can withstand an approach that has more in common with Reservoir Dogs than with Roots.

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Doris Day will celebrate her 88th birthday on Tuesday, April 3.

Arts

Doris Day: A Hollywood Legend Reflects On Life

4:23pm December 28, 2012

Day started singing and dancing when she was a teenager, and made her first film at 24. After nearly 40 movies, she walked away from that part of her life in 1968, and started rescuing and caring for animals. Here, she speaks to Terry Gross in a lengthy interview about her career in film and music.

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Books
Arts

Colbert On Musical Moments And 'America Again'

4:23pm December 28, 2012

As part of our year-end wrap up, we are sharing the best Fresh Air interviews of 2012. Here we listen back to two interviews we did this year with Stephen Colbert. He talks about the presidential debates, his superPAC, Jesus Christ Superstar and Elvis Costello

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Templeton, Iowa, is a tiny farming community mostly unchanged since the days of Prohibition.

The Rebirth Of Rye Whiskey And Nostalgia For 'The Good Stuff'

11:04am December 28, 2012

by Noah Adams

Rye was all but pushed off the market by sweeter, corn-based bourbon after Prohibition, but it might be coming back, no illegal still required. Bartenders from coast to coast seem to prefer its intense flavor for their cocktail creations.

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Penguin and Random House, two of the biggest players in publishing, announced in October that they would merge.

Books
Arts

Change Is The Only Constant In Today's Publishing Industry

9:40pm December 27, 2012

by NPR Staff

The publishing industry has been in flux for years. First chain stores, then Amazon, then e-books — all combined to create dramatic change. Industry consultant Mike Shatzkin outlines some of the biggest changes, like the recently announced merger of Penguin and Random House.

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Margaret Atwood has written 13 novels, including The Handmaid's Tale and Oryx and Crake.

Books
Arts

Margaret Atwood's Brave New World Of Online Publishing

9:40pm December 27, 2012

by NPR Staff

Charles Dickens wrote many of his greatest works in serial form, but serial publishing has fallen by the wayside since his day. Now, it's being revived online, and Margaret Atwood is publishing a future-dystopia novel called Positron in installments via the literary website Byliner.

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Publishers are finding that flexible pricing on e-books can help bring in new readers.

Books
Arts

E-Books Destroying Traditional Publishing? The Story's Not That Simple

9:40pm December 27, 2012

by Zoe Chace

Conventional wisdom says e-books are destroying the traditional publishing business model. But the story's not that simple. For one thing, flexible pricing allows publishers to hold what amount to one-day-only sales on any given title — which means more people will discover that book.

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About three-quarters of public libraries offer digital lending, but finding a book you want can be frustrating — every publisher has its own set of rules.

Books
Arts

Libraries And E-Lending: The 'Wild West' Of Digital Licensing?

9:40pm December 27, 2012

by NPR Staff

About three-quarters of public libraries offer e-books, according to the American Library Association. But finding the book you want to read can be a challenge when every publisher has its own licensing rules for libraries — and several major houses don't sell e-books to libraries at all.

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Arts

At The End Of The Day, Cliches Can Be As Good As Gold

2:23pm December 27, 2012

Cliches are often criticized as the most overused and contemptible phrases in the English language. But writer Hephzibah Anderson says there are times when cliches are not only useful, but also create a sense of camaraderie. And sometimes, she writes in Prospect magazine, only a cliche will do.

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