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The Two-Way
Booker-Winning Author's Remarks About Kate Middleton Play Out In U.K. Media()
February 19, 2013 In a speech earlier this month, author Hilary Mantel said the Duchess of Cambridge "appeared to have been designed by committee and built by craftsmen." Britain's tabloids were outraged, and even the prime minister weighed in.
Books
Al Roker On Being 'The Jolly Fat Person'()
February 18, 2013 Al Roker won fame as the ever-smiling weatherman on NBC's Today show. But he also endured years of indignities because of his weight. That was until he had bariatric surgery, and lost more than 100 pounds. During this encore presentation, Roker talks with host Michel Martin about his experiences, and his latest book, Never Goin' Back.
The Two-Way
Book News: Amazon Fires German Security Firm After Claims Of Intimidation()
February 18, 2013 Also: the best books coming out this week; the return of Haruki Murakami; and Ian McEwan's crisis of faith.
From The NPR Bookshelves
5 Presidential Stories That Might Surprise You()
February 17, 2013 In honor of Presidents Day, NPR Books dove into the archives for some lesser-known stories about America's commanders in chief, including the tale of Teddy Roosevelt's perilous journey down the Amazon and Grover Cleveland's top-secret, mustache-preserving cancer surgery.
Three Books...
3 Books About House Hunting In The Gilded Age()
February 17, 2013 The money and mansions of the turn of the century provide rich fodder for some fabulous reads. Author Janet Wallach recommends three books that give a glimpse of Gilded Age houses. Do you have a favorite book that highlights architecture? Let us know in the comments.
Poetry
Pentametron Reveals Unintended Poetry of Twitter Users()
February 16, 2013 A program that makes poems from our tweets / With rhyming lines and smooth iambic beats ... Ranjit Bhatnagar wrote a program to find tweets in iambic pentameter and retweet them in rhyming pairs. With NPR's Jacki Lyden, he shares some of the resulting couplets.
First Reads
Exclusive First Read: 'The Summer Prince' By Alaya Dawn Johnson()
February 15, 2013 Alaya Dawn Johnson's new young adult novel, The Summer Prince, is set in post-apocalyptic Brazil, in a giant pyramid-shaped city ruled by queens with a combination of technology and ancient, bloody sacrifice.
Books
You Had Me At The First Page: Writers Who Fell For Each Other ()
February 14, 2013 In honor of Valentine's Day, here are three literary matches made in heaven.
From The NPR Bookshelves
Sick Of Valentine's Day? 6 Book Stories To Soothe Your Soul()
February 14, 2013 For those sick of roses and chocolates, we've got a bracing dose of Valentine's Day bitterness — featuring cartoon heartbreak, real life heartbreak, tumultuous relationships and just a touch of hope here and there. Plus a bonus playlist from our friends at NPR Music.
Books
A Bouquet Of Romantic Reads For Valentine's Day()
February 14, 2013 A lot of people think Valentine's Day is a commercial, made-up holiday — but even Chaucer noted it as a day to send sweets and gifts to loved ones. And what better than to read romance on such a romantic day? Author Bobbi Dumas has recommendations for great romance reads in every genre.
First Reads
Exclusive First Read: 'With Or Without You' By Domenica Ruta()
February 12, 2013 Domenica Ruta's new memoir chronicles her youth in a working-class Massachusetts town, the daughter of a wildly flamboyant mother, an addict and sometime dealer who thought nothing of bashing in the windshield of a woman who'd broken her brother's heart.
Books
Literary Types Find Love In 'The New York Review Of Books'()
February 9, 2013 The magazine is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. It's famous for its rigorous writing and ability to attract literary stars — but also for its quirky personal ads, where "squalid Sydney wombats" and "Antediluvian Mariners" seek "foxy cougars" and "street-credible jacobins."
Laura Ingalls' Sister May Not Have Lost Eyesight To Scarlet Fever()
February 7, 2013 Audie Cornish talks with University of Michigan pediatrician Beth Tarini, who writes in the latest issue of the journal Pediatrics that Mary Ingalls, sister of author Laura Ingalls Wilder, likely did not go blind as a result of scarlet fever. Tarini talks about what led her to research Ingalls' illness, and how she learned more about what might have actually caused her blindness.
Why Traditional Publishing Is Really In A 'Golden Age'()
February 5, 2013 There's a lot of talk going around about the end of big publishing as we know it, but soon-to-be Hachette Book Group CEO Michael Pietsch says he and his kind still have a lot to offer — especially in the age of self-publishing.
