'The Stuff Was Company': One Man Cleans Up His 'Mess'
NPR's Rachel Martin talks about the plight of hoarders with Barry Yourgrau, author of a new memoir, Mess: One Man's Struggle to Clean Up His House and His Act.
Books
Things Left Unspoken Haunt Hard-Hitting 'Dragonfish'
There are a few confessional speeches in Vu Tran's noirish debut novel, but what people write is more important than what they say: Anguished notes, letters and secret diary all drive the action.
Novel Highlights The Shocks Facing First-Generation College Students
Jennine Capó Crucet, author of Make Your Home Among Strangers, was inspired by her experiences as the daughter of Cuban immigrants and the first person in her family to attend college.
History Hijacks Life In 'All That Followed'
Set in Spain's Basque Country, Gabriel Urza's new novel chronicles three lives in the aftermath of the 2004 Madrid train bombings. Critic Michael Schaub calls it "unsparing and beautiful."
Life Through The Lens Of A Falling 'Fishbowl'
Bradley Somer's new novel follows (literally) Ian the goldfish, who's catching glimpses of life and love in the apartments he passes as his bowl plummets from a 27th-floor balcony.
NPR Bestsellers: Week Of August 6, 2015
The lists are compiled from weekly surveys of close to 500 independent bookstores nationwide.
NPR Bestsellers: Hardcover Fiction, Week Of August 6, 2015
In J. Ryan Stradal's Kitchens Of The Great Midwest, a single dad raises his daughter to be a star chef and lover of Midwestern cuisine. It debuts at No. 11.
NPR Bestsellers: Hardcover Nonfiction, Week Of August 6, 2015
Everything I Need To Know I Learned From A Disney Little Golden Book, a nostalgic collection for fans of Disney classics, debuts at No. 14.
NPR Bestsellers: Paperback Fiction, Week Of August 6, 2015
In Ernest Cline's Ready Player One, an unpopular high-schooler immerses himself in a virtual world of puzzles to escape an ugly reality. It appears at No. 14.
NPR Bestsellers: Paperback Nonfiction, Week Of August 6, 2015
At No. 15, Agent Storm gives and inside look at a Danish national's decade as a jihadist — and his decision to become a double agent.