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Friday, December 07, 2012

Best Books Of 2012

A Wintry Mix: Alan Cheuse Selects The Season's Best

Cheuse illustration

December 7, 2012 Critic Alan Cheuse maps out a winter wonderland of fiction and poetry — from ancient Greece to the near-future visions of Walter Mosley, a selection of the best books to give and receive this holiday season. Cheuse says these five books strike the perfect balance between lyricism and narrative.

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On All Things ConsideredPlaylist

Hardcover Fiction Bestsellers

NPR Bestsellers: Hardcover Fiction, Week Of December 6, 2012

Cold Days by Jim Butcher.

December 7, 2012 Jim Butcher's Cold Days resurrects Harry Dresden into eternal servitude. It debuts at No. 7.

Summary

Paperback Nonfiction Bestsellers

NPR Bestsellers: Paperback Nonfiction, Week Of December 6, 2012

December 7, 2012 At No. 9, Wreck This Journal encourages readers to fully experience the creative process.

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Hardcover Nonfiction Bestsellers

NPR Bestsellers: Hardcover Nonfiction, Week Of December 6, 2012

December 7, 2012 Andrew Solomon's Far from the Tree looks at extreme parent-child differences. It debuts at No. 9.

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Paperback Fiction Bestsellers

NPR Bestsellers: Paperback Fiction, Week Of December 6, 2012

December 7, 2012 At No. 4, Paula McLain's The Paris Wife follows Hemingway's first wife as she navigates 1920s Paris.

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Book Reviews

At Home With Dickens And Lousia May Alcott

Marmee and Louisa, by Eve LaPlante.

December 7, 2012 Two new biographical studies that read like novels explore the familial relationships that shaped two of the 19th century's most beloved authors. Critic Maureen Corrigan calls Great Expectations: The Sons And Daughters Of Charles Dickens "a Gothic nightmare" and Marmee & Louisa "a romance."

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On Fresh Air from WHYYPlaylist

Thursday, December 06, 2012

Best Books Of 2012

Time Passages: The Year's Best Historical Fiction

Historical Fiction.

December 6, 2012 To bring the past to life and make it matter, historical fiction must do more than conjure up an exotic backdrop for a conventional story. These six books challenge our preconceptions and help show how the past shaped the world we live in today.

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Wednesday, December 05, 2012

PG-13: Risky Reads

Feminism Turns Fatal In A 1970s Classic

promo

December 5, 2012 Lois Duncan's 1979 novel, Daughters of Eve, takes revenge to a whole new level. Author Mary Stewart Atwell explains why this classic novel is still relevant. Do you have a favorite story of revenge that goes too far? Tell us in the comments.

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Susan Straight: One Home Town, Many Voices

cover image for Between Heaven and Here

December 5, 2012 NPR's Karen Grigsby Bates profiles novelist Susan Straight, who is putting her hometown of Riverside, Calif., on the literary map. Straight herself is white, but she weaves the black, working-class voices of Riverside into her work.

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On Morning EditionPlaylist

Tuesday, December 04, 2012

Fleeing North Korea Through 'Asia's Underground Railroad'

Though it is a capital offense to leave the country, more people attempt to flee North Korea each year.

December 4, 2012 North Korea remains one of the most isolated and repressive countries in the world. Each year, a brave few attempt an escape to freedom through China. In Escape from North Korea, writer Melanie Kirkpatrick tells the harrowing personal stories of North Korean defectors and their quest for freedom.

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On Talk of the NationPlaylist

Author Interviews

'Inventing Wine': The History Of A Very Vintage Beverage

Glasses of wine

December 4, 2012 In his new book, author and oenophile Paul Lukacs traces the 8,000-year history of our original alcoholic beverage — from ancient times, when wine was believed to be of divine origin, to the sauvignon blanc you find in your supermarket today.

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On Fresh Air from WHYYPlaylist

New In Paperback

High-Stakes Stories About Van Gogh, A Polish Prison And Gambling

Vincent van Gogh, Self-Portrait with Grey Felt Hat.

December 4, 2012 Alex Berenson returns with another spy thriller; biographers Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith argue that Vincent van Gogh didn't commit suicide; humorist Calvin Trillin collects his best columns; and Beth Raymer tours the world of sports betting.

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Monkey See

PBS Remixes 'Reading Rainbow,' Delights Map And Book Nerds Everywhere

LeVar Burton and 7 year old Shane Ammon exploring the all Reading Rainbow adventure app at the "Reading Rainbow Relaunch" event in June.

December 4, 2012 PBS remixes another of its iconic shows, and this time, it's all about books.

Transcript

On Morning EditionPlaylist

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