Home
archive
NPR stories about Book Reviews
Revisiting A Sad Yet Hopeful Winter's Tale In 'The Snow Child'()
December 26, 2012 A sad tale's best for winter, as Shakespeare wrote — and reviewer Alan Cheuse recommends The Snow Child, a sad but ultimately hopeful winter tale touched with myth and fairytale. Cheuse says this novel about Alaskan homesteaders, out now in paperback, has "a mysterious onward-pulsing life force."
Books
'Fifty Shades' Is The One That Got Away. At Least From Me()
December 28, 2012 Sometimes "the one that got away" is a book that actually was easy to overlook. And sometimes it's something you ignore until you just can't anymore. NPR's Lynn Neary finally comes to terms with the publishing sensation that is Fifty Shades of Grey.
Best Books Of 2012
True Originals: Biographies That Defy Expectations()
December 28, 2012 Our list of this year's best biographies focuses on books about individuals who lived their lives off the beaten path. From the story of a spy turned chef to the story of the real Count of Monte Cristo, these books chronicle subjects who refused to conform to the expectations of others.
Best Books Of 2012
Short Stories To Savor On A Winter Weekend()
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.
Best Books Of 2012
Courage And Curiosity: The Best Heroines Of 2012()
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.
Author Ben Fountain's Book Picks For 2013()
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.
Books
Listen Up! Audiobooks For Every Taste()
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.
PG-13: Risky Reads
A Dangerous World Of Hackers And Ninjas()
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.
You Must Read This
Depression-Era Evil: Gothic Horror In A Haunted Land()
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.
A Story Of Slavery, Loss And Hope In 1850s Ohio()
January 1, 2013 Tracy Chevalier's latest novel, The Last Runaway, is the story of a young Quaker girl's move to America. Author Dolen Perkins-Valdez says it's a richly wrought and evocative tale.
New History Puts Cartographers' Art 'On The Map'()
January 2, 2013 Maps do more than help us get around, Simon Garfield makes evident in his tour through the history and science of map-making. They can unlock vast wealth, solve mysteries of science, project political power — even trace the outlines of the divine.
My Guilty Pleasure
Pterrifying Pterodactyl Meets Sexy Detective()
January 2, 2013 The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec by Jaques Tardi features a beautiful, gun-wielding detective and a horrifying prehistoric monster. Author Rosecrans Baldwin explains why this is no ordinary comic book. Do you have a favorite graphic novel? Tell us in the comments.
Best Books Of 2012
Well-Versed: Five Poets With Punch()
January 3, 2013 Poet Kevin Young picks out his favorite poetry books from 2012, including works from the U.S. poet laureate to up-and-coming writers.
'A Grain Of Truth' About Memory And Modern Poland()
January 4, 2013 A new mystery by novelist Zygmunt Miloszewski explores Poland's relationship to its anti-Semitic past. Teodor Szacki, the likably washed-up hero, must sprint all over town interrogating suspects, including so-called Polish "patriots" — extremists who bombard him with their anti-Semitic rants.
Book Review: 'Tenth Of December'()
January 4, 2013 Critic Alan Chese reviews George Saunders' new story collection, Tenth of December.
