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The Week's Best Stories From NPR Books This week: Meg Wolitzer's latest, Charles Frazier returns to the Civil War, the pressures of being the only black person in the room, a new Macbeth, and marriage-saving tips from a divorce lawyer.
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The Week's Best Stories From NPR Books

This week: Meg Wolitzer, Charles Frazier, Jo Nesbo, Nafissa Thompson-Spires and James Sexton.
Exclusive First Read: 'The Dinner' By Herman Koch
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First Reads

Exclusive First Read: 'The Dinner' By Herman Koch

Two couples — two brothers and their wives — meet for a meal in Herman Koch's new novel The Dinner, and it's anything but a convivial family gathering. Both couples have teenage sons, and they're meeting to discuss a ghastly crime the boys have committed.

Exclusive First Read: 'The Dinner' By Herman Koch

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Rare Robert Frost Collection Surfaces 50 Years After His Death

American poet Robert Frost, shown here in 1955, died on Jan. 29, 1963. Now, 50 years after his death, a rare collection of letters, audio and photographs sheds new light on his religious beliefs. AP hide caption

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Poetry

Rare Robert Frost Collection Surfaces 50 Years After His Death

Jonathan Reichert, professor emeritus at the State University of New York at Buffalo, has donated a rare collection of Robert Frost's letters, photographs and audio files to the school. The materials chronicle the decades-long friendship between the poet and Reichert's father, rabbi and poet Victor Reichert.

Rare Robert Frost Collection Surfaces 50 Years After His Death

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E-Readers Track How We Read, But Is The Data Useful To Authors?

Data gleaned from e-readers gives writers a new kind of feedback to take into consideration — or ignore. iStockphoto.com hide caption

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All Tech Considered

E-Readers Track How We Read, But Is The Data Useful To Authors?

Data is being collected about your reading habits — what kind of books you read, whether or not you finish them. Publishers say the information could improve how books are written, but some novelists are skeptical.

E-Readers Track How We Read, But Is The Data Useful To Authors?

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A Historic Arrival: New York's Grand Central Turns 100

Beams of sunlight stream through the windows of Grand Central Terminal, circa 1930. Hal Morey/Getty Images hide caption

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A Historic Arrival: New York's Grand Central Turns 100

Born from a deadly underground train crash, Manhattan's historic transit hub is credited with inventing the ramp and bringing electricity to both train tracks and terminal. Author Sam Roberts marks its centennial in Grand Central: How a Train Station Transformed America.

A Historic Arrival: New York's Grand Central Turns 100

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George Saunders On Absurdism And Ventriloquism In 'Tenth Of December'
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George Saunders On Absurdism And Ventriloquism In 'Tenth Of December'

George Saunders has long been praised in literary circles for his short stories that deftly combine the absurd with the mundane. But now the author has caught mainstream attention with his newest collection, Tenth of December.

George Saunders On Absurdism And Ventriloquism In 'Tenth Of December'

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New Reading Standards Aim To Prep Kids For College — But At What Cost?

New education standards place more emphasis on nonfiction reading and writing over fiction works. Some say this could lead students away from a passionate engagement with literature. Chris Sadowski /iStockphoto hide caption

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Chris Sadowski /iStockphoto

New Reading Standards Aim To Prep Kids For College — But At What Cost?

Almost the entire country has signed onto the Common Core Standards Initiative. The standards incorporate more nonfiction texts across all subjects to improve reading scores. But some fear the push for nonfiction reading could lead students away from passionate engagement with literature.

New Reading Standards Aim To Prep Kids For College — But At What Cost?

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U.K. Asks Students To Learn Poetry 'By Heart,' Not By Rote

Emily Musette Hays performs in the 2012 Poetry Out Loud finals in Washington, D.C. The U.S. competition served as a model for the U.K.'s Poetry By Heart contest. James Kegley/The Poetry Foundation hide caption

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James Kegley/The Poetry Foundation

Poetry

U.K. Asks Students To Learn Poetry 'By Heart,' Not By Rote

Poetry By Heart is a new program in which students memorize two of 130 poems and recite them in a contest. Poet Jean Sprackland, who helped compile the list, says memorizing a poem makes it "something that lives with you forever."

U.K. Asks Students To Learn Poetry 'By Heart,' Not By Rote

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Whole Foods Founder John Mackey On Fascism And 'Conscious Capitalism'

Whole Foods has more than 300 stores and continues to expand. Harry Cabluck/AP hide caption

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Harry Cabluck/AP

The Salt

Whole Foods Founder John Mackey On Fascism And 'Conscious Capitalism'

The outspoken Whole Foods founder tells us why he hates "Obamacare" and why we have trouble cutting the sugar, fat and salt out of our diets. But now he's told CBS he used a poor choice of words when referring to the health law as fascism.

Whole Foods Founder John Mackey On Fascism And 'Conscious Capitalism'

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A New Chapter? A Launch Of The Bookless Library

In Texas, Bexar County officials compare the proposed digital-only library to an Apple store. The 4,989-square-foot modern space will contain 100 e-readers available for circulation, 50 e-readers for children, 50 computer stations, 25 laptops and 25 tablets on-site. Courtesy of Bexar County hide caption

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Courtesy of Bexar County

A New Chapter? A Launch Of The Bookless Library

Imagine a library without books — only computers and gadgets. That's the vision of one Texas county that plans to launch a digital-only public library. Despite the project's cost-efficiency, one librarian argues that the plan may be too ambitious.

Hold On To Your Tighty Whities, Captain Underpants Is Back!

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Book News & Features

Hold On To Your Tighty Whities, Captain Underpants Is Back!

Dav Pilkey has just released his 10th Captain Underpants book. The series, packed with potty humor and goofy illustrations, delights reluctant readers and horrifies many grown-ups. Pilkey says he wanted to create books that would appeal even to readers who struggle, the way he did as a child.

Hold On To Your Tighty Whities, Captain Underpants Is Back!

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Spy Vs. Spy: A Former MI5 Director On Loving James Bond

Scottish actor Sean Connery is seen in 1982 during the making of the film Never Say Never Again. AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Review

My Guilty Pleasure

Spy Vs. Spy: A Former MI5 Director On Loving James Bond

Though former MI5 director Stella Rimington knows better than anyone that Ian Fleming's From Russia With Love is not a realistic portrayal of life in the intelligence services, she still loves this tale of sex and violence. Which is your favorite Bond book? Tell us in the comments.

Book Review: Sotomayor Opens Up About Childhood, Marriage In 'Beloved World'

Supreme Court Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor applauds during a reception in her honor at the White House. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images hide caption

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Review

The Sotomayor Interview

Book Review: Sotomayor Opens Up About Childhood, Marriage In 'Beloved World'

In Sonia Sotomayor's new memoir, My Beloved World, the associate Supreme Court justice opens up about her childhood in the Bronx. NPR's Nina Totenberg calls it a moving and unexpectedly personal look at the court's first Hispanic justice.