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Sunken Treasures: Books About Survival At Sea

For anyone who has ever stepped foot on a boat and wondered, "If it sank, what would I do?" these three books about nautical disaster — and resourcefulness — offer a template for survival.

 

Alan Furst Blends History and Intrigue in 'Spies'

Alan Furst returns with a thriller set in Warsaw on the brink of World War II.Web Extra:Read an Excerpt

What Wildlife Lurks In Central Park By Night?

Bats and owls and moths, oh my! A new book explores Central Park when the sun goes down.Web Extra:Read an Excerpt

 
 
 

NPR's Summer Books 2008

 

 
 

'Goodnight Bush' Closes Chapter On Bush Years

July 8, 2008 · Erich Origen and Gan Golan, authors of Goodnight Bush: An Unauthorized Parody, describe how they used the children's classic Goodnight Moon to satirize the Bush administration.

 

Books We Like By Jessa Crispin

Roxy Music History 'Re-Makes' The Rock Bio Form

July 8, 2008 · Michael Bracewell's history of Roxy Music doesn't go for conventional thinking — not about the band, and certainly not about how to write a rock biography. Instead, his new book combines art history, music theory and a smashing sense of fashion.Web Extra: Read an Excerpt

 

Music Interviews & Profiles

Martin Atkins: Teaching Bands To Tour Smart

July 6, 2008 · Drummer Martin Atkins spent the 1980s and 90s touring the world with bands that have both packed stadiums and struggled to fill the tiniest of clubs. His new book and DVD, Tour: Smart, is a guide to modern-day touring for the rock musician.Web Extra: Read an Excerpt

 

Documenting The Paradox Of Oil, Poverty In Nigeria

July 6, 2008 · In a new book, Curse of the Black Gold, photojournalist Ed Kashi examines the relationship between oil, the environment and the community in Nigeria in the 50 years since oil was discovered there.Web Extra: Watch A Video On Oil In The Niger Delta

 

Taking Kindle To The Pool

July 7, 2008 · Amazon's electronic reader, Kindle, is starting to replace paperbacks, but people question how well the device holds up to surf and sand. Can summer reading be done on the device? Lynn Neary finds out.

 

Ambitions, Tragedy Collide In 'America America'

July 5, 2008 · After a seven-year absence, author Ethan Canin returns with America America, a novel that explores power and influence in politics past.Web Extra: Read an Excerpt

 

Bit O' Lit Founder Provides Quick Reads

July 5, 2008 · Metro riders in Washington, D.C., have a new distraction for their morning commute — Bit 'o Lit, a free commuter 'zine filled with short excerpts from fiction and non-fiction books. Bit o' Lit founder Shannon Macdonald says her mission is to spread her love for books.

 

Critics' Lists: Summer 2008

Holy Bookworms! Superheroes Take To The Page

July 3, 2008 · Quake in fear, puny humans! Spandex-clad superbeings have engineered a mass escape. From big screens and billboards to bus ads and even bookshelves: this summer, nowhere is safe from superheroes.Web Extra: Read Excerpts

 

Three Books...

Celebrating The Fourth With Rebellion

July 4, 2008 · From the moment Huckleberry Finn sat on his raft and decided, "All right, then, I'll go to hell," great American books have featured people setting off on their own. Washington, D.C., writer, teacher and musician Will Layman offers three books about rebellion.

 

Literary Adventures To Occupy The Long Weekend

July 4, 2008 · We look at some the most exciting pieces of new literature. City of Thieves by David Benioff, The Spies of Warsaw by Alan Furst and The Finder by Colin Harrison top the list.

 

Welsh Awards Snafu Leaves Red Faces

July 3, 2008 · Welsh Assembly Culture Minister Rhodri Glyn Thomas has apologized for naming the wrong person winner of the Wales Book of the Year. He named Tom Bullough, who briefly thought he had won. Dannie Abse was the actual winner. Thomas apologized to both.

 

Who Wrote Shakespeare's Plays? Debate Goes On

July 3, 2008 · Centuries later, doubts persist that William Shakespeare penned the works that bear his name. Skeptics include not only scholars but also famous folks, ranging from Orson Welles to Mark Twain.

 
 
 

Three Books...

Sunken Treasures: Books About Survival At Sea

Anyone who has ever stepped foot on a boat has wondered: If it sank, could I survive?

 

Celebrating The Fourth With Rebellion

The characters and language in these three books fly free of convention.

 

Food, Glorious Food: Three Books with Bite

Take great writing, fold in luscious descriptions of anything edible, and voilà.

 
 
 

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Robinson Crusoe

 

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