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Books: Book Reviews, Book News, and Author Interviews NPR's brings you news about books and authors along with our picks for great reads. Interviews, reviews, and much more.

Books

Reality Winner

Reality Winner Christopher Lee/Spiegel & Grau hide caption

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Christopher Lee/Spiegel & Grau

Author Interviews

NSA leaker Reality Winner is rebuilding her life -- and looking back at her past

Winner was working at the NSA in 2017 when she leaked a classified document to the press. Soon after, the FBI showed up at her door. Winner's new memoir is I Am Not Your Enemy.

FA: Reality Winner, I am Not Your Enemy

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Buckeye, by Patrick Ryan
Penguin Random House

Review

Book Reviews

4 lives are upended by an impulsive kiss in the epic novel 'Buckeye'

Patrick Ryan's novel focuses on two married couples and stretches from pre-WWII to the close of the 20th century, capturing both the sweep of history and the mundane particularity of everyday life.

FA: Book Review: Buckeye

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Henry Huggins book cover
Louis Darling/HarperCollins

Book News & Features

Happy 75th birthday to Henry Huggins, Ramona Quimby's big-kid neighbor

Beverly Cleary's fictional third grader with an adopted dog named Ribsy made his debut in 1950. Cleary was praised for writing simple, humorous stories that kids wanted to read.

Happy 75th birthday to Henry Huggins, Ramona Quimby's big-kid neighbor

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Bob Odenkirk

Bob Odenkirk is honored with a star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame on April 18, 2022 in Hollywood, California. Jerod Harris/Getty Images hide caption

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Jerod Harris/Getty Images

Bullseye with Jesse Thorn

Bob Odenkirk

Bob Odenkirk is an alt-comedy legend. He wrote for Saturday Night Live in the 90s. Then he got the part in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul as Saul Goodman. He’s also a writer. With the help of his children, he released a collection of poems called Zilot & Other Important Rhymes. Bob joins us to talk about writing poetry and how he turned his worn notebook into a book of poetry with the help of his children.

Bob Odenkirk

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Sisters in the Wind by Angeline Boulley
Henry Holt and Co. 

Review

Author Interviews

New teen thriller 'Sisters in the Wind' finds drama in hidden identities

Angeline Boulley, author of the hit Firekeeper's Daughter, writes thrillers set in Native American communities in northern Michigan, like the ones where her family has lived for generations.

New teen thriller 'Sisters in the Wind' finds drama in hidden identities

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Hitch a ride to the moon in a rusty old car and 'The Couch in the Yard'
Illustrations copyright © 2025 by Dena Seiferling

Picture This

Hitch a ride to the moon in a rusty old car and 'The Couch in the Yard'

As the sun sets in a small town, a family loads up their rusty old car with the spare couch in their yard. When it breaks down in the mountains, what else is there to do but fly it to the moon?

PICTURE THIS: THE COUCH IN THE YARD

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The iconic lox bagel — a "Classic with the Works" — at Russ & Daughters.

The iconic lox bagel — a "Classic with the Works" — prepared at Russ & Daughters. Keren Carrion/NPR hide caption

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Keren Carrion/NPR

Food

Russ & Daughters in NYC celebrates '100 years of appetizing' and family

At Russ & Daughters, it takes three months to learn how to slice salmon. NPR's Scott Simon visits the 100 year-old appetizing store to try his hand at the fine art and talk about their new cookbook.

Russ & Daughters in NYC celebrates more than 100 years of 'appetizing' and family

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A case against Anthropic AI brought by a group of authors was settled on Friday.

A case against Anthropic AI brought by a group of authors was settled on Friday. Riccardo Milani/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Riccardo Milani/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images

Culture

Anthropic settles with authors in first-of-its-kind AI copyright infringement lawsuit

A U.S. district court is scheduled to consider whether to approve the settlement next week, in a case that marked the first substantive decision on how fair use applies to generative AI systems.

Experiencing pain? Sanjay Gupta explains why 'It Doesn't Have to Hurt'
Getty

Your Health

Experiencing pain? Sanjay Gupta explains why 'It Doesn't Have to Hurt'

Gupta's new book examines the world of pain — why we feel it, and how we can treat it. He says distraction and meditation can be useful tools for managing certain kinds of pain.

FA: Sanjay Gupta

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Elizabeth Gilbert no longer believes she’s a bad person

Wild Card with Rachel Martin

Elizabeth Gilbert no longer believes she’s a bad person

Elizabeth Gilbert's 2006 memoir “Eat, Pray, Love” was about her journey of self-discovery in the aftermath of a painful divorce. It was a massive hit, but it wasn’t nearly the whole story. In her new book “All the Way to the River,” Gilbert examines her self-destructive patterns as she contends with addiction and grief. She and Rachel talk about learning to show herself and others mercy.

Elizabeth Gilbert no longer believes she’s a bad person

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Ocean Vuong doesn’t erase pain from beauty
NPR

Wild Card with Rachel Martin

Ocean Vuong doesn’t erase pain from beauty

The more Ocean Vuong writes, the more he sees his craft as less of a skill and more a condition. He feels compelled to pay attention to the small details around him and turn those details into a story. But he tells Rachel that he actually hopes a day comes when he can stop writing. Vuong’s latest book is “The Emperor of Gladness.”

Ocean Vuong doesn’t erase pain from beauty

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Virginia Giuffre, seen here on Aug. 27, 2019, emerged as a key accuser of Jeffrey Epstein, saying he orchestrated years of sexual abuse of her and other girls and young women. Giuffre died earlier this year; her publisher says her memoir will come out in October.

Virginia Giuffre, seen here on Aug. 27, 2019, emerged as a key accuser of Jeffrey Epstein, saying he orchestrated years of sexual abuse of her and other girls and young women. Giuffre died earlier this year; her publisher says her memoir will come out in October. Bebeto Matthews/AP hide caption

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Bebeto Matthews/AP

Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre's memoir will be published months after her death

Virginia Giuffre was one of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's most outspoken accusers. Six months after her death, Giuffre's book detailing her life will be published.

Squelch squerch! Stumble trip! Tiptoe! — 'We're Going on a Bear Hunt'
S&S Children’s Publishing

Picture This

Squelch squerch! Stumble trip! Tiptoe! — 'We're Going on a Bear Hunt'

Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury revisit their classic story of a family going on a bear hunt (encountering many obstacles along the way) — and preview their new one, Oh Dear, Look What I Got!

PICTURE THIS: WE'RE GOING ON A BEAR HUNT

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Famed YA author Louis Sachar is out with his first novel for adults.

Famed YA author Louis Sachar is out with his first novel for adults. Alex Labry/Ace hide caption

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Alex Labry/Ace

Did you love 'Holes' growing up? Good news, Louis Sachar is still writing for you

The author of the YA novel Holes and the Wayside School series has written his first novel for adults. It's a fairy tale involving a princess and potions – but one focused squarely on growing old.

Did you love ‘Holes’ growing up? Good news, Louis Sachar is still writing for you

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Pariah, by Dan Fesperman; The Dancing Face, by Mike Phillips
Knopf; Melville House

Review

Book Reviews

Two genre novels offer entertainment -- and plenty of wry social commentary

Dan Fesperman's spy caper Pariah follows a disgraced comic-politician who's recruited by the CIA. The Dancing Face, by Mike Phillips, is a crime caper that confronts the spoils of colonialism.

Two genre novels offer entertainment -- and plenty of wry social commentary

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