Legos and other interlocking toys are only one kind of blocks that remain popular with kids.
From Classic Toys To New Twists, Kids Go Back To Blocks
()NPR's Neda Ulaby investigates a trend in toys that sounds awfully familiar: Manufacturers are finding new ways to get kids interested in playing with blocks, both real and virtual.
Get our critics' picks for fiction, nonfiction, cooking, crime and more.
The Two-Way
Book News: Kim Jong Un Reportedly Gave 'Mein Kampf' As Gifts()
June 19, 2013 Also: The folly of marathon readings; Tom Wolfe has a new book; VICE apologizes for tasteless photo spread.
Book Reviews
A Family's Secrets And Sorrows Surface In 'Heatwave' ()
June 19, 2013 Maggie O'Farrell's new novel, Instructions for a Heatwave, follows a troubled Irish Catholic family in London over the course of four scorching July days in 1976. Reviewer Heller McAlpin says Heatwave is a beautiful book about "the importance of forgiving those you love."
Monkey See
Bait And Twitch: 'Vice' Magazine, Suicide Glamour, And Not Staying Quiet()
June 19, 2013 What do you do with something that seems designed only to offend? Ignore it, or say something?
Kitchen Window
Stalking The Elusive, Worthy Apricot()
June 19, 2013 Apricots are the finest of summer's fruits, with dense, juicy flesh and delicate, velvety skins. That's why it is so disheartening when you bite into one, only to find it is mealy and flavorless. To find the best ones, head to your local farmers market.
Dollar For Dollar: Adventures In Investing
The Art Of Investing: The Rewards Aren't Always Financial()
June 19, 2013 The Internet makes collecting and even investing in art much more accessible to ordinary people. As part of his adventures in investing, NPR's Uri Berliner pays $450 for an abstract flower study he's only seen online. Is it an investment or a painting he's just happy to have hang on his wall?
Theater
In NYC, A Play Festival Spotlights Stories Of Disability ()
June 18, 2013 Now in its third year, the "... Our Parts" festival at Theater Breaking Through Barriers runs through June 28. Here and across the country, artists with disabilities are making drama (and comedy) in illuminating ways.
Monkey See
Death Of A Puppy: An Exclusive Imaginary Excerpt From The 'Man Of Steel' Sequel()
June 18, 2013 We've gotten our hands on an exclusive excerpt from the sequel to the Superman smash (by making it up ourselves).
Architecture
Change Is On The Horizon For London's Famous Skyline()
June 18, 2013 The city of London boasts centuries of architectural history. But a building boom is threatening the city's traditionally low-rise aesthetic and the views of some of that history. Critics — including UNESCO — are very worried about London's changing skyline.
Author Interviews
Spy Reporter Works Her 'Sources' To Write A Thriller()
June 18, 2013 Mary Louise Kelly used to cover national security for NPR, but lately she's turned her attention to fiction. Her new novel, Anonymous Sources, draws on Kelly's own reporting experiences, including things she couldn't say when she was a journalist.
Critics' Lists: Summer 2013
The Funny (Touching, Fascinating) Pages: 5 Comics For Summer()
June 18, 2013 When's the last time you read a comic book? Here are five for summer, covering everything from tiny Finnish critters to Viennese punk rockers and musings on Anna Wintour. Writer Myla Goldberg says they represent a golden age in comic art.
The Two-Way
Book News: VICE Draws Ire By Staging Female Author Suicides()
June 18, 2013 The anonymous book sculptor of Edinburgh strikes again; the childhood drawings of E.E. Cummings; Jonathan Franzen on literary sexism.
Monkey See
Teens Find The Right Tools For Their Social-Media Jobs()
June 17, 2013 There was a time — a time long, long ago — when MySpace dominated the teen social-media world. Not anymore. NPR's Sami Yenigun looks at how teenagers use various social platforms in today's increasingly segmented online universe.
Book Reviews
A Deceptively Simple Tale Of Magic And Peril In 'Ocean'()
June 17, 2013 Neil Gaiman's latest, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, is the story of an artist who returns to his childhood home and recalls a magical struggle he was involved in as a young boy. Reviewer Annalee Newitz says the book balances "frenetic action with wistful self-knowledge."
Monkey See
In Slight Defense Of Miss Utah USA, A Little Bit, With Reservations()
June 17, 2013 What do you expect when you ask a terrible question in a ridiculous setting?
All Tech Considered
Digital Scrapbook Collects Rock-Star Authors' Memories()
June 17, 2013 If any story screams out for a multimedia e-book treatment, it's the tale of The Rock Bottom Remainders, a small band of best-selling authors — including Amy Tan, Dave Barry and Stephen King — who yowled out rock standards. Hard Listening is a digital scrapbook about their years as musicians.
The Salt
Sandwich Monday: The Wendy's T-Rex Burger (R.I.P.)()
June 17, 2013 For this week's Sandwich Monday, we try "The T-Rex Burger," a nine-patty monster that, until this week, had been on the menu of a renegade Canadian Wendy's franchise.
