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'The Galaxy Game' Is Rich And Strong As A Shot Of Rum

4:24pm January 23, 2015

by Amal El-Mohtar

Karen Lord's new The Galaxy Game picks up where her previous novel, The Best of All Possible Worlds, left off — in a complicated galactic civilization trying to come to terms with a genocide.

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Arts

'Golden Son' Is Space Opera That Doesn't Forget The Opera

4:23pm January 23, 2015

by Jason Sheehan

Pierce Brown's followup to last year's Romans-in-space epic Red Rising is bigger, louder, and bloodier than its predecessor. Reviewer Jason Sheehan says it isn't perfect — but it is hard to put down.

Books

NPR Bestsellers: Hardcover Fiction, Week Of January 22, 2015

4:03pm January 23, 2015

After obsessively observing a "perfect couple" every day on her commute, Rachel Watson sees something dark that forces her to get involved. Paula Hawkin's The Girl on the Train debuts at No. 2.

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In The World's 'Sixth Extinction,' Are Humans The Asteroid?

1:25pm January 23, 2015

Scientists think an asteroid killed the dinosaurs. In today's extinction, humans are the culprit. Originally broadcast Feb. 12, 2014.

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Franklin Foer recently wrote a cover story for The New Republic titled, "Amazon Must Be Stopped." He argued against Amazon at the latest Intelligence Squared U.S. debate — and won.

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Debate: Is Amazon The Reader's Friend?

4:01pm January 22, 2015

by NPR Staff

Two teams of editors and writers, including best-selling author Scott Turow, face off over Amazon's influence over the publishing industry, in the latest debate from Intelligence Squared U.S.

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Delicious Short Stories, Ripe On The Vine In 'Honeydew'

2:06pm January 22, 2015

by Alan Cheuse

Reviewer Alan Cheuse has rapturous praise for Edith Pearlman's new story collection: "The first thing I wanted to do after finishing was, well, I wanted to go right back and start from the beginning."

Author Scott Blackwood based See How Small on a real incident, a multiple murder at an Austin, Texas, frozen yogurt shop in 1991.

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Arts

The Vastness Of Violent Loss In 'See How Small'

1:57pm January 22, 2015

by Michael Schaub

Scott Blackwood's new novel, based on a real murder case, follows a community rocked by the slaying of three teenage girls. Reviewer Michael Schaub calls it "brutal, necessary and near perfect."

Books

Book Review: 'The Convert's Song' By Sebastian Rotella

10:39am January 22, 2015

by Alan Cheuse

Alan Cheuse reviews "The Convert's Song" by Sebastian Rotella.

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The Ethics Of Torture, Explored In A Painful Fable

10:39am January 22, 2015

by Laila Lalami

This week, the Senate released a report that details the interrogation techniques used by the CIA after Sept. 11. Author Laila Lalami grapples with the questions it raises by turning to literature.

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In 'The Evil Hours,' A Journalist Shares His Struggle With PTSD

5:35pm January 21, 2015

While embedded with troops in Iraq, David Morris almost died when a Humvee he was riding in ran over a roadside bomb. His book explores the history and science of post-traumatic stress disorder.

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