Books

A tiny jar containing a thumb drive of poetry, given to Alexander by a young man at a reading.

Books
Arts

The Kindness Of Strangers Connects A Poet To Her Own Grief

7:01pm August 11, 2015

by NPR Staff

Poet Elizabeth Alexander's new book is a memoir of her life with her husband, who died three years ago. During her book tour, readers began giving her keepsakes that help her work through her grief.

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Dense, Fantastical 'Prodigies' Rewards The Patient Reader

4:28pm August 11, 2015

by Carmen Machado

Angélica Gorodischer's episodic, lyrical new novel follows (in a meandering sort of way) the magically tinged lives of a motley cast of boarders in a house that once belonged to a famous German poet.

Rich Kissee, operations manager for the Santa Margarita Water District, stands on the edge of a water runoff reservoir in Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.

Books
Arts

'The Water Knife' Previews A Future Drought Scenario

3:53pm August 11, 2015

by Adam Frank

A new novel doesn't take the easy way out but, instead, asks questions about the mutations of human institutions under the pressure of global warming, says commentator Adam Frank.

Skulls and bones are seen in the ossuary chapel in the Czech Republic town of Sedlec, one of the sites Denise Inge describes in her book, The Tour of Bones.

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Arts

Confronting Mortality In An Unsettling, Inspiring 'Tour Of Bones'

2:23pm August 11, 2015

by Maureen Corrigan

Before her death in 2014, author Denise Inge took a spiritual journey to bone houses throughout Europe. Critic Maureen Corrigan says the resulting book, The Tour of Bones, is "strange and chaotic."

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Amanda Petrusich is a contributing writer for Pitchfork. Her work has also appeared at NPR Music.

Music Journalist Chronicles The 'Wild Obsessive Hunt' For Rare 78 RPM Records

1:37pm August 11, 2015

In Do Not Sell At Any Price, Amanda Petrusich details the extreme measures collectors take in pursuit of rare 78s. "You can still find quite a few of them around at junk shops," she says.

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Books

Legislating Desire: An Author's Take On 'Bad Laws And Good Sex'

1:37pm August 11, 2015

American sex laws have not always kept pace with society's changing standards. In The Boundaries of Desire, Eric Berkowitz explores how the legal system has addressed sex in the last century.

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Arts

'Hominids' Is A Deeply Human Collection Of Speculative Fiction

10:54am August 11, 2015

by Jason Heller

Nalo Hopkinson's new collection mixes up her Afro-Caribbean influences with classic literature and historical fantasy. Critic Jason Heller says her stories dazzle with a hard-won sense of hope.

D. Randall Blythe is the lead vocalist of the metal band Lamb of God.

'Dark Days': Retracing The Steps Of A Heavy Metal Tragedy

8:56pm August 10, 2015

by NPR Staff

When a stage diver died after a Lamb of God concert, singer D. Randall Blythe was arrested for manslaughter. In his memoir, Blythe unpacks the incident — and why he returned to Europe to stand trial.

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Books

'Scream' Meets Agatha Christie In 'A Dark, Dark Wood'

4:45pm August 10, 2015

by NPR Staff

Author Ruth Ware's new thriller takes place at a bachelorette party in an isolated English country house. The book blends the creepy voyeurism of a Scream movie with the setting of a Christie novel.

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Beverly Jenkins says her mission is to write about the parts of black history you don't learn in school — and wrap them up in a good love story.

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Arts

Beverly Jenkins Wraps Bitter History In Sweet Romance

3:55pm August 10, 2015

by Petra Mayer

Beverly Jenkins writes historical romances — about free black towns, lawmen and cowboys and Civil War vets. She says her mission is to illuminate the parts of black history you don't learn in school.

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