Books
John McCalleyBig And Beautiful: Best Gift Books of 2009
()Reviewer John McAlley selects gems from the worlds of fine art, fashion, photography, science, lit-crit and cartoons. These luxe volumes will be gracing coffee tables long after the lights and wrapping paper are gone.
What We're Reading: Nov. 24 - 30, 2009
Michael Crichton's pirates; stories by Alice Munro and Ha Jin; and a history of space exploration.
- Hardcover Fiction:
#1 'The Lacuna' - Hardcover Nonfiction:
#1 'Open' - Paperback Fiction:
#1 'Olive Kitteridge' - Paperback Nonfiction:
#1 'Three Cups of Tea'
Games & Humor
'The Onion': Mocking All Who Deserve It Since 1988()
November 20, 2009 America's Finest News Source has released a book celebrating its 21 years of satire (with a wink). Onion editors Joe Randazzo and Joe Garden talk with Renee Montagne about the serious business of being funny. Also: See the fun The Onion has had at NPR's expense.
Author Interviews
The Secret Political Reach Of 'The Family'()
A secretive fellowship of powerful Christian politicians includes some names that have recently been prominent in the headlines: Sen. John Ensign, Rep. Bart Stupak and Rep. Joe Pitts. Writer Jeff Sharlet describes the men's involvement with the Family, and discusses recent developments within the group.
McCann, Stiles Win National Book Awards()
November 19, 2009 The 60th annual National Book Awards were handed out Wednesday night in New York. Colum McCann's Let the Great World Spin, a novel about daring, luck and mortality in 1970s New York, won the fiction prize. T.J. Stiles' biography of Cornelius Vanderbilt, The First Tycoon, was the nonfiction winner, and Keith Waldrop's Transcendental Studies: A Trilogy won for poetry.
Non-Fiction
Matthew Continetti On The 'Persecution' Of Palin()
November 18, 2009 It's been all Palin all the time ever since the former Alaska governor unveiled her memoir on Oprah on Monday. Matthew Continetti of the Weekly Standard comes to Palin's defense in his new book, The Persecution of Sarah Palin: How the Elite Media Tried to Bring Down a Rising Star.
Afghanistan
Books That Will Help You Understand Afghanistan()
November 19, 2009 The conflict in Afghanistan dominates headlines, but many people seek a deeper understanding of the country and the war the U.S. is fighting there. In the first of a series of suggestions for an Afghanistan "reading list," Washington Post special military correspondent Tom Ricks shares his recommendations, ranging from a collection of Afghan proverbs, to a history of the CIA's involvement in the country.
Interviews
Judith Fox Turns A Close-Up Lens On Alzheimer's()
November 19, 2009 Judith Fox's new book of photographs is an intimate portrait of a loved one's submergence into Alzheimer's. I Still Do is a chronicle of her husband's journey with the disease.
What We're Reading
What We're Reading, Nov. 17 - 23, 2009()
November 17, 2009 This week's staff picks: Biographies from bad-boy Andre Agassi and 'Rogue' politician Sarah Palin. Stephen King returns to form in a new novel, Zadie Smith fascinates in collected essays, and science writer Nicholas Wade argues that God is just an evolutionary adaptation.
Non-Fiction
Comedian George Carlin's 'Last Words'()
November 17, 2009 Before his death in June 2008, comedian George Carlin spent 10 years working on a memoir, Last Words, with his longtime friend Tony Hendra. Hendra, a writer and comedian, talks with Rebecca Roberts about Carlin's life and legacy.
Fiction
Doc Ford Gets To The Bottom Of Florida Mysteries()
November 18, 2009 Crime writer Randy Wayne White spent 13 years as a tackle fishing guide before he began to probe the mysteries of southwest Florida. White is best known for his series of crime novels featuring Doc Ford, an NSA agent turned marine biologist living on Florida's Gulf Coast.
Story Specialists: Doctors Who Write()
November 17, 2009 The history of literature is filled with authors who also performed surgery or scribbled prescriptions. Lynn Neary speaks with two doctors who are also fiction writers — Abraham Verghese and Terrence Holt — about the link between medicine and writing literature.
