Marking 25 years since Sept. 11 with 'All the Presidents' Wars' and 'Scattered Steel'
On today’s show, we mark the 25th anniversary of Sept. 11 with two books that historicize the attacks. First, All the Presidents’ Wars focus...
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NPR's Book of the Day
In need of a good read? Or just want to keep up with the books everyone's talking about? NPR's Book of the Day gives you today's very best writing in a snackable, skimmable, pocket-sized pod...
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Sen. Ted Cruz's new book 'Going Further' praises Justice Clarence Thomas
Sen. Ted Cruz’s new book isn’t a political memoir but an exploration of the life and career of Justice Clarence Thomas. In Going Further , C...
Author Jade Chang on the books she's reading to keep summer going
For author Jade Chang, the vibe of summer isn’t encapsulated at the pool or by the beach, but in time itself — “and how time kind of stops.”...
To combat the 'Artificial State,' Jill Lepore says to look to science fiction
Jill Lepore says our liberal democracy has been replaced by corporations and technology. But what can we do about it? In today’s episode, th...
Author Liane Moriarty on her long-awaited sequel to 'Big Little Lies'
After the big success of the 2014 novel Big Little Lies , which included an award-winning HBO adaptation, author Liane Moriarty says everyon...
New music books take on Paul Simon's 'Graceland' and the history of music and prison
In today’s episode, we chat about two new music histories. First, 1986’s Graceland is considered Paul Simon's signature album. It introduced...
New book evaluates President Biden's legacy as midterm elections approach
As midterm elections approach, former President Joe Biden's legacy still plays a big role in the Democratic Party. Princeton historian Julia...
'Astronaut!' is a coming-of-age story set against the fall of the Iron Curtain
It’s 1989 in Romania and the country is living under a totalitarian regime. In the new novel Astronaut! , an 8-year-old girl craves bright c...
'How We Disappear' is a Stanford historian's take on our personal archives
Thomas Mullaney is a historian at Stanford University. After his father died, Mullaney began to think about the archive he left behind: pape...
In 'Man Overboard!,' Kathleen Rooney approaches a life-or-death story with humor
While on a cruise, a former college swimmer finds himself in the water, adrift alone, swimming for his life. But he isn’t sure how he got th...
Remembering Dolly Parton through her writing for children and adults
Over the past week, Dolly Parton has been remembered for her music, her star power, her advocacy and her philanthropic contributions. But sh...
Chang-Rae Lee on whether his new novel 'A Tender Age' is autobiographical
Chang-Rae Lee’s new novel is filled with some of his own memories, like worrying about being picked last for dodgeball and sizing up his fel...
'New York Times' obituarist Sam Roberts says he writes about life – not death
Sam Roberts says when people find out what he does for work, they tend to shrink away. Roberts is a veteran obituarist for The New York Time...
In 'Daytona Teddy Riggs,' a former high school football star enters a downward spiral
Daytona Teddy Riggs is a former high school football star from a wealthy oil and gas family. But in his 20s, he enters a downward spiral as...
Former U.S. Mexico ambassador Ken Salazar on new memoir and "crisis" at the border
Ken Salazar's personal and political life have been defined by the U.S.-Mexico border. The fifth-generation Mexican American has served as a...
Journalist Jodi Kantor and happiness expert Arthur Brooks on how to find purpose
Journalist Jodi Kantor and Harvard happiness expert Arthur Brooks are both out with new books about identifying and cultivating meaning in o...
In 'The Foursome,' conjoined twins marry two sisters — and that's just the beginning
In 1839, conjoined twins and famous showmen Chang and Eng Bunker — native to Thailand, then called Siam — took a break from touring, settled...
Andy Weir reveals his fun and frantic creative process behind 'Project Hail Mary'
In Project Hail Mary, amateur astronaut Ryland Grace must travel light years from Earth to save humanity from a dying Sun. The stakes are hi...
'The Correspondent' is an epistolary novel, but can letters tell the whole story?
Virginia Evans’ The Correspondent became a runaway hit for its exploration of a life told through letters. When readers meet Sybil Van Antwe...
'This is Where the Serpent Lives' is a sprawling debut novel set in modern Pakistan
Author Daniyal Mueenuddin hit the ground running with his debut novel, This is Where the Serpent Lives . Set in modern Pakistan, the story s...