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Back To Reality: Nonfiction For The Summer's End
The days are getting shorter, and it's hard to breeze though pages like you did on vacation just a few short weeks ago. Critic Cord Jefferson offers five nonfiction titles — true stories that will gently ease you out of the summer months, and back into the routines of fall.
Literary Destinations: Five Books To Help You Escape
In these stories — three novels and two works of nonfiction — a history teacher, a wry angst-filled teen, a budding celebrity chef, an intrepid spice hunter, and Ernest Hemingway himself whisk you to vacation spots around the world.
Audience Picks: Top 100 'Killer Thrillers'
The NPR audience cast more than 17,000 ballots in our Killer Thrillers poll. The winning novels are a diverse mix, ranging in style and period from Dracula to The Da Vinci Code. All are fast-moving tales of suspense and adventure.
Critics' Lists
Booksellers' Picks: 15 Soaring Summer Reads
Susan Stamberg gathers recommendations for books to look forward to during long summer days.
Librarian Nancy Pearl Picks 'Under The Radar' Reads
Nancy Pearl has scoured the shelves for hidden treasures and shares titles you may have missed.
Summer Books That Make The Critics' Cut
We asked several reviewers to tell us which books they would pack into their vacation luggage.
Fiction, Long And Short, For Summertime Escapes
Vacationing for a week ... or just a weekend? Alan Cheuse has a fiction recommendation to fit.
Fun In The Sun: Laugh-Out-Loud Summer Books
Read these books at the beach, and people two towels over will wonder why you're chortling.
Top Reads: Summer Heat Sparks Rise In Crime Novels
The suspense is over: Mystery fiction aficionado Maureen Corrigan picks the best of the whodunits.
One Nightstand, Six Affairs: Novels Of Illicit Love
Hotels, pools, beaches, airplanes: all good places to ignite a summer fling — or read about one.
Thrilled To Death
Singular Spies: James Bond 007 And Alex Rider MI6
Thriller author Anthony Horowitz recommends Ian Fleming's "Crime de la Crime" in Goldfinger.
Audience Picks: Top 100 'Killer Thrillers'
The suspense is over: Here are your picks for the 100 most pulse-quickening novels ever written.
Cookbooks & Recipes
Green Tomatoes: An End-Of-Summer Bonus
As the harvest season draws to a close, the under-ripe fruits offer a savory way to soften the blow.
Plain Vanilla No More: Ice Cream To Swoon For
Do typical flavors leave you feeling a bit pedestrian? These deviants may sweep you off your feet.
Books We Like
'Death And The Penguin' Captures Post-Soviet Reality
Ukrainian novelist Andrey Kurkov writes short, surrealistic stories full of dark comedic surprises.
'Pride And Prejudice' Meets 'Clue' At 'Pemberley'
Mystery writer P.D. James, now 91, has written a suspenseful sequel to Jane Austen's classic.
My Guilty Pleasure
'The Magus': A Thrilling, Chilling Guilty Pleasure
The plot of The Magus is unbelievable, dangerous and strange. And that's what makes it delicious.
The Wrong Crowd: A Tale Of Teens Behaving Badly
Author Meg Wolitzer recommends a guilty pleasure book that reminds her of being a teenager.
You Must Read This
Mamma Mia! A Mother Tougher Than The Godfather
What if The Godfather's Don Corleone had been a woman?
Wisteria And Sunshine: One Enchanted Italian April
The Enchanted April will transport you to Italy — even if you're stuck at home.
Three Books...
Three Cheers (And Three Books) For Mummy Dearest
These three books perfectly capture the experience of being a mom.
Jargon To Jabberwocky: 3 Books On Writing Well
Author Jonathan Gottschall recommends three books on how to jazz up your prose.
Last Year's Summer Books
Mysteries You Might Have Missed Along the Way
Ready to become engrossed in a good book? Try these mysteries you may have missed.
A Classic List Of Must-Read Children's Books
Children's book author Lesley Blume recommends timeless books that both kids and parents will enjoy.
