Books

Books
Arts

Questions For Jody Houser, Writer Of High-Flying 'Faith'

10:00am July 29, 2017

by Petra Mayer

Faith "Zephyr" Herbert is one of Valiant Comics breakout stars. The plus-sized superheroine fights crime in the streets of Los Angeles — and now, she's up against an AI trying to damage time itself.

Books

An Empty Nester's Transformation In 'Mrs. Fletcher'

8:14am July 29, 2017

In Tom Perrotta's new novel, Mrs. Fletcher, the title character is a single empty nester looking to reinvent herself. Perrotta tells NPR's Don Gonyea about Eve Fletcher's transformation.

Bringing A Bookstore To The Bronx

8:14am July 29, 2017

by Rick Karr

Since Barnes and Noble pulled out of the Bronx last year, there has been no general interest bookstore in the borough. Noelle Santos hopes to open one by the end of the year.

Books
Arts

'Curse Words' Proves You Can Never Have Too Much Mystical Fire

7:00am July 29, 2017

by Etelka Lehoczky

Charles Soule and Ryan Browne's neon-drenched comic is giddily over-the-top, featuring a buffed-up wizard named Wizord, his talking koala sidekick and many, many glowing blasts of mystical fire.

J.M. Barrie, at work at his desk in an undated photograph.

Books
Arts

Madcap 'Sit-Com' From Peter Pan's Creator Finally Sees The Light Of Day

11:27am July 28, 2017

by Colin Dwyer

J.M. Barrie penned The Reconstruction of the Crime with E.V. Lucas — but the play was never performed in his lifetime or the 80 years since. Now, the tale of mistaken identity is getting published.

Michiko Kakutani (center) stands flanked by Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter and his son Ash at a party in New York City in 2008.

Michiko Kakutani, Chief 'Times' Book Critic, Steps Down After Nearly 4 Decades

6:47pm July 27, 2017

by Colin Dwyer

For 38 years the Pulitzer Prize winner was one of the most influential voices in the world of books. During her tenure, she lauded — or lambasted — just about all of this generation's great writers.

Books
Arts

The Zoo Is A Terrifying Place In 'Fierce Kingdom'

2:00pm July 27, 2017

by Lizzie Skurnick

Gin Phillips' new novel — which follows a young mother trying to keep her child safe during a mass shooting at a zoo — explores the way violence can be a safe abstraction for kids, or cruelly real.

Now Here's Something We Hope You'll Really Like: An appreciation of the late June Foray, voice of Rocky the Flying Squirrel and many others, shown here arriving at an Oscars reception in 2013.

Books
Arts

Whatever The Character, June Foray's Voice Was Warmly Familiar

1:00pm July 27, 2017

by Glen Weldon

Foray voiced a wide variety of animated characters, and she brought the same genial humor and warmth to them all — except one.

Books

Getting Kids Interested In Poetry

7:45am July 27, 2017

Poet and educator Kwame Alexander stops by to chat about poetry with NPR's Rachel Martin. He shares some ideas for poems to read with kids and tips for getting kids to write some of their own.

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Killing Is My Business: A Novel, by Adam Christopher

Books
Arts

3 Supernatural Noir Tales That Reflect The Inhuman Condition

7:00am July 27, 2017

by Jason Heller

Some great noir fiction has been written about Los Angeles, but what happens when a different genre bleeds through? We've got three tales of murder, magic and robot detectives to cool your summer.