Librarian Nancy Pearl Dips Below The Reading Radar January 1, 2009 • There are so many books published these days that it's often hard for readers to plow through everything that's available. That's when Nancy Pearl, librarian extraordinaire, swoops in for the rescue.
Five Books To Give Yourself This Year December 19, 2008 • You've shopped for the family, put up the tree, baked the kugel, prepped the brisket and mailed off your packages. Now give yourself a present: time alone with a good book.
Maureen Corrigan's Best Books Of 2008 Fresh Air December 17, 2008 • You know you have a terrific book in your hands when you encounter language or elegantly presented research that startles you into fresh awareness; you know it when the atmosphere of a novel doesn't leave you for days, or years.
Best Superhero Graphic Novels Of 2008 December 16, 2008 • Don't let the capes and external underwear fool you; no longer escapist entertainment, superhero comics capture the timbre of the times as no pollster can. And this year, the mood is dark.
Best Collections Of Literary Letters 2008 December 15, 2008 • Dear reader, sitting down with a collection of letters — or a vivid reflection on them — affords a singularly intimate encounter with a writer, so please give a look to these exercises in mail bonding.
Give A Book (And Yourself) This Holiday Season December 12, 2008 • If reading a story is — as John Gardner said — like falling into a vivid and continuous waking dream, then is giving a book like giving someone a dream? Reviewer Alan Cheuse puzzles over the perfect books for your loved ones this year.
Alan Cheuse's Top Fiction Picks For 2008 November 20, 2008 • Reading shouldn't be work; it should be pleasure, even as it teaches us something about ourselves, or about the world of history and time.
Booksellers' Picks For Your Holiday Lists December 11, 2008 • Small-town America may or may not be the heart of the country, but it sure is at the heart of many of the books suggested by the independent booksellers this year.
Top Five Crime And Mystery Novels Of 2008 November 18, 2008 • To swipe the immortal lines uttered by Sam Spade in The Maltese Falcon, a great mystery should take "the lid off life and let [you] look at the works." Maureen Corrigan's picks for the top five crime novels of the year do just that.
Best Foreign Fiction Of 2008 December 1, 2008 • Works of humor, wisdom, supreme originality and stunning ambition top Jessa Crispin's foreign fiction list. Engage the global conversation with these five novels from five countries.
Best Graphic Novels Of 2008 December 4, 2008 • No longer only for kids, geeks, nerds and aging baby boomers longing for a second childhood, graphic novels are showing themselves a medium of startling breadth and grace. Don't call them a genre anymore; cutting-edge graphic novels exist for everyone.
The 10 Best Cookbooks Of 2008 November 21, 2008 • If there's any unforeseen upside of the economic crisis, it's this: People are cooking again. This year's collection of cookbooks promises surprisingly delicious weeknight dinners that don't dirty every pot you own, made from ordinary ingredients.
Migration And Memory: Top Five 2008 Books December 3, 2008 • Nothing bridges the gap between here and there, then and now like a story. These powerful, personal books examine the exile's life and celebrate lost cities of memory.
Best Political And Current Affairs Books Of 2008 November 26, 2008 • The events of 2008 raised a raft of controversies to national consciousness. These powerful books wrap the issues in compelling narratives — and provide the perspective of history.
The Big Pictures: Best Gift Books 2008 November 24, 2008 • The season of giving makes us think big, and that means picture books — from coffee-table extravaganzas to smaller stuff that's big on surprise and ambition.
Best Books For A Transformative New Year Fresh Air December 8, 2008 • This holiday season, as we stand at the brink of a new administration, there's a thrill of history in the air. These books will help anyone, whatever his or her politics, understand what the nation has come though to reach this moment.
Marriage By The Book: Five Tales Of Uncivil Union December 29, 2008 • If previous years' bookshelves were crowded with woeful tales of single living, 2008 marked the year of marriage; even Anna Karenina, the ne plus ultra of domestic dissatisfaction, got back into the act, returning as a resident of Rego Park in Irina Reyn's What Happened to Anna K.
Listen To The 2008 National Book Award Winners November 25, 2008 • A novel about a notorious Florida outlaw and a history of Thomas Jefferson's hidden slave family were among the winners at the 59th annual awards. Winners For Fiction, Nonfiction, Youth And Poetry Listen Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/97354087/97353180" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Winners For Fiction, Nonfiction, Youth And Poetry Listen Toggle more options Download Embed Embed <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/97354087/97353180" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
Complete Holiday Book Recommendations 2008 November 19, 2008 • Get all of NPR's 2008 best book recommendations in one place! Presenting: the complete list of recommended reading and holiday books.