Books

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Arts

'A Little Life': An Unforgettable Novel About The Grace Of Friendship

1:52pm March 20, 2015

by John Powers

In Hanya Yanagihara's deeply moving novel, college friends rise, lose their bearings, fall in love, squabble and wrestle with life's tragedies in New York City.

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100 Issues Of 'Who's Who In Baseball'

11:30am March 20, 2015

NPR's Don Gonyea talks with baseball historian Marty Appel about the appeal of of "Who's Who in Baseball," which celebrates its 100th issue this year.

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A drawing of two clinking martini glasses.

Books
Arts

Pop Culture Happy Hour: Nick Hornby's 'Funny Girl' And Adapting Books

11:23am March 20, 2015

by Linda Holmes

On this week's show, we read a book — specifically Nick Hornby's Funny Girl. We broaden out from there to film adaptations of books, and as always, we tell you what's making us happy this week.

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Arkady and Boris Strugatsky were acclaimed and beloved science fiction writers of the Soviet era. Together they wrote 25 novels, including Roadside Picnic, Snail on the Slope, Hard to Be a God, Monday Begins on Saturday and Definitely Maybe, as well as sh

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'Mountaineer' Is A Must-Read Of Soviet Sci-Fi

12:59pm March 19, 2015

by Juan Vidal

Brothers Arkady and Boris Strugatsky were at the heart of Soviet science fiction; reviewer Juan Vidal says The Dead Mountaineer's Inn is less edgy than some of their work, but still a must-read.

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Arts

'The Only Ones' Puts A Heartbreaking Spin On Dystopia

10:03am March 19, 2015

by Jason Heller

Veteran rock critic Carola Dibbell ventures into fiction with The Only Ones, a tale of an unconventional family in post-pandemic America. Critic Jason Heller says calls it "heartbreakingly beautiful."

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Arts

'The Mechanical' Will Make Your Clockwork Pulse Pound

6:29pm March 18, 2015

by Jason Heller

Ian Tregillis' new novel is the start of a series, set in an alternate 1926, that follows a robot's search for humanity against a backdrop of science, philosophy and a grand struggle between empires.

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Arts

How Self-Improvement Became Self-Destruction On 'Diamond Mountain'

4:17pm March 18, 2015

by Tomas Hachard

Scott Carney's new book unpacks the complicated story of Ian Thorson, who died in the Arizona wilderness after becoming involved with an unorthodox Buddhist group led by a charismatic American monk.

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Arts

Small Batch Edition: On Loving Romance With Sarah Wendell

1:55pm March 18, 2015

by Linda Holmes

We talk to romance blogger Sarah Wendell about romance fans, romance novels, and some of her top recommendations for fans and new visitors alike.

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25 Years After Art Heist, Empty Frames Still Hang In Boston's Gardner Museum

12:23pm March 18, 2015

by NPR Staff

On March 18, 1990, robbers stole $500 million in art from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Author Stephen Kurkjian explains why anyone would bother to steal work so priceless it couldn't be sold.

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A team of archaeologists and anthropologists work on identifying remains at the Convent of the Barefoot Trinitarians in Madrid. They believe they've found the 400-year-old grave of the author of Don Quixote.

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Cervantes' Remains Have Been Found In Madrid, Scientists Say

8:31pm March 17, 2015

by Jasmine Garsd

Almost 400 years after his death, researchers have found bone fragments that seem to match what they know about the celebrated author's burial.