B.J. Novak on 'The Little Book with No Pictures' and making kids laugh
Writer and The Office star B.J. Novak says that when his friends started having kids, he would connect with their children by reading books...
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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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Laleh Khadivi explores mother-daughter relationships in 'Female Life on Planet Earth'
It’s been almost one year since Heti, the main character of Laleh Khadivi’s Female Life on Planet Earth, lost her mother. But when details f...
New memoirs by Evan Gershkovich and Mahmoud Khalil chronicle political imprisonment
Today’s episode features memoirs by two men whose incarceration became international headlines. Evan Gershkovich is an American journalist w...
Biography 'American Pope' follows Leo XIV's life from Chicago to Vatican City
In American Pope: Leo XIV’s Road from the South Side of Chicago to Vatican City , NPR host Scott Detrow and religion editor Daniel Burke chr...
In 'Friends and Family,' a police encounter strains a friendship between two moms
Natalie Baszile’s new book, Friends and Family , follows the friendship of two mothers: Babs, a Black woman, and Nora, a white woman with an...
Kevin Roose on the quasi-religious pursuit of artificial general intelligence
Over the past few months, some industry insiders have warned that rogue AI could escape its human creators, resulting in dangerous – and per...
'Lessons in Chemistry' author Bonnie Garmus on her new novel 'Peck & Peck'
Bonnie Garmus’ 2022 novel Lessons in Chemistry was a smash hit, selling more than 8 million copies worldwide. Her new novel Peck & Peck is s...
Two collections of horror stories modernize the genre
Spooky season is year-round, and so are our episodes about scary stories. First up, NPR's Ayesha Rascoe speaks with Jeanette Winterson about...
Shirley Jackson's biographer on the writer's ability to find evil in the ordinary
With stories like “The Lottery” and The Haunting of Hill House , Shirley Jackson was one of the great horror authors of the 20th century. In...
George Saunders' 'Vigil' is a ghostly novel about an oil tycoon in his final hours
In his latest novel, George Saunders continues to explore his interest in death and the afterlife. Vigil tells the story of an oil tycoon an...
Jordan Peele on his Black horror story collection 'Out There Screaming'
Out There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror is a collection of scary stories curated by horror filmmaker Jordan Peele. In today's...
In 'The Eleventh Hour,' Salman Rushdie writes about morality, revenge and ghosts
Salman Rushdie lived for decades under a death sentence and survived a knife attack three years ago. His latest book The Eleventh Hour is hi...
'Nickel and Dimed' and 'The Case for Quitting' reconsider our relationship to work
Today’s episode features two books – one classic and one new – that might lead you to reconsider your relationship to work. Nearly 25 years...
Hernan Diaz on his new novel 'Ply' and understanding America through technology
Hernan Diaz’s new book, Ply , takes place in a future where institutions have fallen apart. It appears to be a book about systems and commun...
'Swan Song' sees Princess Diana through her brother’s eyes
Diana, Princess of Wales, died almost three decades ago, but her legacy and image persist in the public eye. Her brother, Charles Spencer, i...
Gov. Andy Beshear on how the midterms will help him weigh his presidential run
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear is the author of a new book called Go And Do Likewise: How We Heal A Broken Country. Beshear is a rare Democr...
John Green on 'Hollywood, Ending,' his first novel for adults
John Green is known for his influential young adult fiction like Looking for Alaska , The Fault in Our Stars and Turtles All the Way Down ....
Lois Lowry on 'Building 903,' 'The Giver' and relationships between the old and young
It’s been more than a decade since Lois Lowry has dealt with the end of the world. Her 1993 YA dystopian novel The Giver became a hugely pop...
In 'Roll the Calls,' Hollywood's Ari Emanuel reflects on the art of agenting
Ari Emanuel is a powerful Hollywood agent who has represented clients including Oprah Winfrey, Martin Scorsese and Vince McMahon. Known for...
A conversation with Tomi Adeyemi on her new novel 'The Siren'
The author Tomi Adeyemi rose to fame with Children of Blood and Bone , the first novel in her popular young adult fantasy series based on th...