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Tuesday, January 01, 2013

You Must Read This

Depression-Era Evil: Gothic Horror In A Haunted Land

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January 1, 2013 The Night of the Hunter is a much-loved film, but author Julia Keller says the book it is based on is even better — a forgotten masterpiece. Do you have a favorite book that became a movie? Tell us in the comments.

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On All Things ConsideredPlaylist

Author Interviews

Lessons For The Modern World From The Societies Of 'Yesterday'

In The World Until Yesterday, geography professor Jared Diamond asks: What can we learn from traditional societies?

January 1, 2013 In his new book, The World Until Yesterday, Jared Diamond argues that traditional societies have much to teach the modern world about different ways to eat and stay fit, and how to raise children and resolve conflicts.

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On Talk of the NationPlaylist

Monkey See

2012 In Review: 50 Wonderful Things From The Year In Pop Culture

Don Draper (Jon Hamm) and Peggy Olson (Elisabeth Moss) in the pivotal Mad Men episode, "The Other Woman."

January 1, 2013 We run down 50 favorite pop culture moments of last year, from television to film to books.

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Monday, December 31, 2012

A Child Of The Slums Becomes A 'Queen' Of Chess

The Queen of Katwe

December 31, 2012 Phiona Mutesi grew up in one of the roughest slums in Uganda. Her days were spent focusing on survival, until she discovered chess. She's now on her way to becoming a world-class chess competitor. Host Michel Martin speaks with Mutesi, her coach Robert Katende, and Tim Crothers, who chronicles her story in his new book, The Queen of Katwe.

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Monkey See

2012 In Review: 4 Great Graphic Novels We Haven't Told You About Yet

The cover of Wandering Son.

December 31, 2012 Glen Weldon wraps up his 2012 review with four graphic novels that cover territory from kids with secrets to ghosts in graveyards to a difficult experience in the art world.

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New In Paperback

Dec. 31-Jan. 6: A Whodunit, A Mountain Survival And A JFK Affair

Death Comes To Pemberley by P.D. James

December 31, 2012 This week brings mystery writer P.D. James' homage to Jane Austen, a comic novel from Dave Barry and Alan Zweibel, a mountain climbing disaster story from Jim Davidson and Kevin Vaughan, and Mimi Alford's tale of her affair with President John F. Kennedy.

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PG-13: Risky Reads

A Dangerous World Of Hackers And Ninjas

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December 31, 2012 William Gibson's Neuromancer is a hacker classic. Author Nick Harkaway says it's also a door to a greater world. Is there a book that took you outside of your comfort zone? Tell us in the comments.

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Listen Up! Audiobooks For Every Taste

Audiobooks

December 31, 2012 From a charming tale of the tooth fairy to the very grown-up fiction of Graham Greene, read by the very grown-up Colin Firth, Robin Whitten of AudioFile magazine picks some of 2012's best audiobooks for your holiday listening.

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On Morning EditionPlaylist

Author Interviews

Death Of The (Predatory) Salesman: These Days, It's A Buyer's Market

sales handshake

December 31, 2012 In his new book, To Sell Is Human, Daniel H. Pink describes how access to information has empowered buyers and dramatically changed the sales landscape. Caveat emptor — buyer beware — is still good advice, Pink says, but so is caveat venditor — seller beware.

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On Morning EditionPlaylist

Sunday, December 30, 2012

Book Reviews

Author Ben Fountain's Book Picks For 2013

Ben Fountain is the author of Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk and the short story collection Brief Encounters With Che Guevara.

December 30, 2012 Ben Fountain's first novel, Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk, was nominated for the 2012 National Book Award. He's well-read for 2013, so we thought we'd ask him what to look forward to in the book world.

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Best Books Of 2012

Courage And Curiosity: The Best Heroines Of 2012

Illustration: A woman with a sword and a shield battles a ferocious book.

December 30, 2012 This year's literary heroines aren't defined by their desire to love or be loved — or even to be especially lovable. Writer and critic Parul Sehgal celebrates five sublimely stubborn women, frequently at odds with themselves and always at odds with their times.

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On Weekend Edition SundayPlaylist

Kee Facts: A Few Things You Didn't Know

Close Out The Year With Some Best-Selling Last Words

December 30, 2012 As the year comes to an end, NPR librarian Kee Malesky shares closing lines from some great novels — those last few moments spent with a story that you love.

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Saturday, December 29, 2012

Best Books Of 2012

Short Stories To Savor On A Winter Weekend

Short Stories

December 29, 2012 Author Hortense Calisher once called the short story "an apocalypse in a teacup." Critic Jane Ciabattari presents her favorite mini-apocalypses of 2012, from veteran authors like Sherman Alexie to newcomer Claire Vaye Watkins, who combines a unique voice and a shadowed family history in her debut collection.

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First Reads

Exclusive First Read: 'A Memory Of Light,' By Robert Jordan And Brandon Sanderson

A Memory of Light

December 29, 2012 It's the moment fantasy fans have been waiting for: the finale of Robert Jordan's epic "Wheel of Time" series is at hand! We've got an exclusive first read of the 14th and last volume — the forces of Light and Shadow are about to fight their climactic battle, ending an Age and possibly shattering the world.

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