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NPR's Backseat Book Club

February Book Picks: 'Shooting Kabul' And 'The Hundred Dresses'()  

Shooting Kabul cover detail

January 26, 2012 This month, NPR's Backseat Book Club will read two books that explore what it's like to try to create a new home while still missing the one you've left behind. Join us as we read Shooting Kabul by N.H. Senzai and The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes.

Summary

New In Paperback

Examined Lives: A Chef, A Rapper, A Recluse, A Writer And More()  

J.D. Salinger: A Life cover detail

January 26, 2012 This week, an up-close look at the lives of Manhattan chef Gabrielle Hamilton, rapper Ice-T, novelist J.D. Salinger, best-selling author Stieg Larsson and his partner Eva Gabrielsson, and the great philosophers.

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My Guilty Pleasure

Action, Sex And A '70s Vibe: The World Of 'Amber'()  

Zelazny Promo

January 25, 2012 Howard A. Jones isn't just a geek — he's a fantasy geek, and his favorite book is packed with violence, romance and metafictional conceits. It's Roger Zelazny's Chronicles of Amber series.

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How Dr. Seuss Got His Start 'On Mulberry Street'()  

Horse And Cart on Mulberry Street

January 24, 2012 Theodor Geisel's first book for kids was rejected 27 times before it was finally published in 1937. And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street was inspired by a very ordinary street in Geisel's Massachusetts hometown.

Transcript

On Morning EditionPlaylist

Author Interviews

How The Glock Became America's Weapon Of Choice()  

detail of Glock

January 24, 2012 In his book Glock: The Rise of America's Gun, Paul Barrett traces how the sleek, high-capacity Austrian weapon found its way into Hollywood films and rap lyrics, not to mention two-thirds of all U.S. police departments.

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On Fresh Air from WHYYPlaylist

Author Interviews

A Ball (And A Caldecott) For 'Daisy' The Dog()  

Cover detail: A Ball For Daisy

January 23, 2012 A Ball for Daisy is a story of loss — a little dog loses her favorite red ball to a much larger dog — but now it's also a story about winning: On Monday, Chris Raschka's book won the American Library Association's Randolph Caldecott Medal for best illustrated story.

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On All Things ConsideredPlaylist

Technology

Niche No More: Survey Shows Tablets Are Everywhere()  

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos introduces the new Kindle Fire tablet in New York, on September 28, 2011. The Fire's strong holiday sales were part of a trend that now has nearly a third of all American adults owning an e-book reader or tablet computer.

January 23, 2012 A new survey indicates that 29 percent of American adults now own a tablet computer and/or an e-reader. That number went up 11 percent in just a few weeks, a sure sign that the gadgets were given as holiday gifts and have reached the point of mass acceptance.

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Business

Apple Pushes Interactive Textbooks On iPads()  

Apple's iBooks will be able to display books with videos and other interactive features, the company announced Thursday.

January 19, 2012 The company began selling electronic versions of a handful of standard high-school textbooks on Thursday. But it's far from clear that even a company with Apple's clout will be able to reform the textbook market.

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Author Interviews

The Inquisition: A Model For Modern Interrogators()  

An illustration shows heretics being tortured and nailed to wooden posts during the first Inquisition.

January 23, 2012 The Inquisition revolutionized record-keeping and surveillance techniques that are still used today, says Cullen Murphy. His new book God's Jury draws parallels between some of the interrogation techniques used in previous centuries with the ones used today.

Transcript

On Fresh Air from WHYYPlaylist

'Dead End' Wins Newbery, 'Daisy' Takes Caldecott()  

Dead End in Norvelt cover detail

January 23, 2012 Jack Gantos' Dead End in Norvelt — about the adventures of a boy who's "grounded for life" — has won the John Newbery Medal for the best children's book of 2011. Chris Raschka's A Ball for Daisy — the saga of a dog who wants her favorite toy back — won the Randolph Caldecott award for best illustrated story.

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more Books >

Distrust That Particular Flavor

Hardcover Nonfiction

From William Gibson, who popularized cyberpunk, Distrust That Particular Flavor debuts at No. 14.

Pos. Title Author
1 Steve Jobs Walter Isaacson
2 Thinking, Fast and Slow Daniel Kahneman
3 Unbroken Laura Hillenbrand
4 In the Garden Of Beasts Erik Larson
5 Ameritopia Mark R. Levin

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Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Paperback Fiction

Recently adapted into an Oscar-nominated film, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close sits at No. 2.

Pos. Title Author
1 The Tiger's Wife Tea Obreht
2 Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close Jonathan Safran Foer
3 Swamplandia! Karen Russell
4 The Help Kathryn Stockett
5 A Visit From The Goon Squad Jennifer Egan

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Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother

Paperback Nonfiction

Battle Hymn Of The Tiger Mother, a controversial meditation on Chinese parenting, debuts at No. 15.

Pos. Title Author
1 Bossypants Tina Fey
2 The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks Rebecca Skloot
3 Heaven Is for Real Todd Burpo
4 Unlikely Friendships Jennifer S. Holland
5 The Social Animal David Brooks

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