Books

Lutheran Minister Preaches A Gospel Of Love To Junkies, Drag Queens And Outsiders

1:44pm September 30, 2016

Nadia Bolz-Weber was a standup comic who opened up a church with a mission to "remind people that they're absolutely loved." Her memoir is Accidental Saints. Originally published Sept. 17, 2015.

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Rolf Lassgård, left, stars as a grouchy widower in A Man Called Ove, which opens Friday in U.S. theaters.

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Arts

A Swedish Curmudgeon Wins Hearts, On The Page, And Now On Screen

11:35am September 30, 2016

by Lynn Neary

Move over, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo — a grumpy man may soon take your place as America's favorite fictional Swede. The film adaptation of the best-seller A Man Called Ove is now coming to the U.S.

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Workers unload bananas in New Orleans. Bananas Foster, one of New Orleans' favorite desserts, is a lasting legacy of an oft-forgotten chapter in the city's history: the banana trade, which spawned banana republics.

The Sweet Success Of Bananas Foster Has An Unsavory Past

11:16am September 30, 2016

by Meredith Bethune

One of New Orleans' favorite desserts is a lasting legacy of an oft-forgotten chapter in the city's history: the banana trade, and its infamous practices.

Toasting with Champagne is not just for holidays and formal occasions.

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Arts

A Growing Champagne Trend Is Uncorking More Ways To Celebrate

10:01am September 30, 2016

by Alicia Cypress

Champagne shouldn't be just for special occasions, says wine writer David White. He explains how to choose it, how to pair it with food and how small growers are changing the industry.

Carli Lloyd takes a corner kick during a 2010 international friendly match between the U.S. and Mexico in Sandy, Utah.

How Carli Lloyd Became A Soccer Star 'When Nobody Was Watching'

12:21pm September 29, 2016

by NPR Staff

Lloyd's journey to success was long and hard-fought. In her new memoir, she describes how she nearly quit playing soccer and reveals painful details about her strained relationship with her parents.

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Curious George — who was originally named Fifi — turns 75 this year. Despite some dated themes (we're looking at you, Man with the Yellow Hat) George is now a multimillion-dollar franchise. Margaret Rey says she and her husband had no idea what Curiou

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Arts

Curious George Celebrates 75 Years Of Monkey Business

8:05am September 29, 2016

by Elizabeth Blair

George has had many close calls, but did you know he once outran the Nazis? Despite some dated themes (we're looking at you, Man with the Yellow Hat) George is now a multimillion-dollar franchise.

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Arts

Hardboiled Historical Noir With A Heart In 'By Gaslight'

7:00am September 29, 2016

by Jean Zimmerman

Steven Price's hefty new novel stars William Pinkerton, whose father founded the famous detective agency that bears his name, plus a colorful cast of Victorian ne'er-do-wells. And a severed head.

A photo taken from the Brooklyn Bridge shows the Manhattan skyline, circa 1955.

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Arts

'Eyes On The Street' Details Jane Jacobs' Efforts To Put Cities First

1:57pm September 28, 2016

by Maureen Corrigan

Robert Kanigel's new biography recounts the life of Jacobs, a Greenwich Village public intellectual who championed street life and community. Critic Maureen Corrigan calls it a powerful work.

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Books
Arts

'Cloudbound' Is Stunning, But Doesn't Quite Soar

1:55pm September 28, 2016

by Annalisa Quinn

Fran Wilde built a glorious world of living bone towers and wing-gliding people in last year's Updraft. Her new Cloudbound has stunning skyscapes but lacks some of the first book's emotional heft.

Herschell Gordon Lewis, known as the Godfather of Gore, directed the 1963 film, Blood Feast.

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Arts

Pop Quiz, Hotshot: Herschell Gordon Lewis Film Or Children's Book?

9:00am September 28, 2016

by Glen Weldon

The movie titles of the late splatter-film director are evocative ... and wonderfully terrible. Can you tell them apart from the titles of some less-than-classic kids' books?