NPR: Books Podcast

NPR Books: September 3, 2009

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 17:11:09 -0400

Stories in this episode: 1) 'Dying Up Here' Chronicles Golden Age Of Stand-Up 2) Doctorow's Fictional Take On Real-Life Eccentricity 3) 'Reading Rainbow' Reaches Its Final Chapter

NPR Books: August 20, 2009

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 14:55:01 -0400

Stories in this episode: 1) Ready to become engrossed in a good book? Try these mysteries you may have missed. 2) A new interactive novel allows readers to e-mail and telephone characters from the book. 3) Tina Brown, the Daily Beast editor talks about what you need to read on the web.

NPR Books: August 13, 2009

Thu, 13 Aug 2009 11:43:33 -0400

Stories in this episode: 1) Lev Grossman's new novel reads like a Harry Potter tale, but with more shades of gray. 2) Children's book author Lesley Blume recommends timeless books that both kids and parents will enjoy. 3) Fancy a cozy whodunit set in the English countryside? Don't read any of Mark Billingham's novels.

July 30, 2009

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 12:45:56 -0400

1) David Balducci writes crime novels that take place in Washington, D.C.. 2) A writer for The Onion talks about his new memoir and how marrying his humor and his depression makes for an insane, dark comedy. 3) Crime writer Gabriel Cohen takes us on a tour around Brooklyn, New York pointing out sites where his characters murder and die. 4) One cookbook author says you don't need recipes as long as you know ratios. 5) Some of the best books for beach reading are the ones which tell tales about the specific beach you're sitting on.

NPR Books: July 24, 2009

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 11:13:20 -0400

Stories in this episode: 1) Despite the economic downturn, one kind of story is still selling better than many other forms of adult fiction. 2) In a kind of supermarket Cinderella story, a cashier in France has become a literary sensation. 3) 'Young Woman and the Sea' shows how Gertrude Ederle's fame grew, then evaporated.

NPR Books: July 16, 2009

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 12:05:07 -0400

Stories in this episode: 1) The murder of wildlife activist and filmmaker Joan Root was never solved, but her life and violent death is the subject of a new book, 'Wildflower: An Extraordinary Life and Untimely Death in Africa'. 2) Writer Neil Gaiman talks with Neal Conan about "Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader."

NPR Books: July 10, 2009

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 11:45:33 -0400

Stories in this episode: 1) Author Colin Ellard says you can train yourself to be more conscious of your surroundings. 2) Author Jag Bhalla discusses the unique turns of phrase that different cultures use. 3) In a new book, Nick Reding describes why the working class in Oelwein, Iowa, started using meth.

NPR Books: July 2, 2009

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:20:34 -0400

Stories in this episode: 1) 'Touch' tells of the conflicting accounts that arise after a girl is groped on a school bus. 2) Author Gigi Levangie Grazer talks about her new novel, 'Queen Takes King.' 3) 'The Photographer' is an unusual graphic novel that tells the story of a photojournalist's harrowing trip to Afghanistan.

NPR Books: June 25, 2009

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 10:24:43 -0400

Stories in this episode: 1) Retrace the strands that led to a lot of current American satire, and you end up at Harvey Kurtzman. 2) Nikita Khrushchev starred in his own travel comedy back in 1959. Peter Carlson's new book, 'K Blows Top,'documents the Communist leader's unusual tour through the United States. 3) Dean Olsher, author of 'From Square One,' weighs in on the appeal of the crossword.

NPR Books: June 19, 2009

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 13:13:49 -0400

Stories in this episode: 1) Filmmaker Guillermo del Toro's new novel merges vampire folklore with the very modern paranoia over pandemics. 2) Looking to cozy up with some good books? Librarian Nancy Pearl has some great suggestions. 3) A multivolume dictionary five decades in the making collects the nation's linguistic treasures.