Books

Books
Arts

Back Across The Wall: Questions For Garth Nix

7:07pm October 18, 2014

by Petra Mayer

Author Garth Nix returns to the world of the Old Kingdom with Clariel, the story of a young woman of great magical power who, denied the freedom to live as she wants, chooses a dangerous path.

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A Funny Philosopher Tackles A Tough Query: 'Does Santa Exist?'

6:49pm October 18, 2014

by NPR Staff

Eric Kaplan's son had a zoo trip canceled because one mom worried about reindeer-induced questions. So Kaplan, a comedy writer and philosophy grad student, started pondering the puzzle of St. Nick.

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424 Steps To Happiness: A Father's Journey Beyond 'The Fall'

3:46pm October 18, 2014

by NPR Staff

A son with cerebral palsy inspires a new way to think about imperfection, exaltation and love in a new memoir by Brazilian novelist and screenwriter Diogo Mainardi.

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300,000,000 Is A Horrific, Poetic Anti-Ode To America

7:03am October 18, 2014

by Jason Heller

Blake Butler's new novel, 300,000,000, is not for the squeamish. This portrait of a serial killer and the detective who hunts him will curdle the blood — and possibly the soul — of any reader.

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A Collection Of Poems That Offers An Unlikely Kind Of Hope

5:45am October 18, 2014

by Craig Morgan Teicher

In his second poetry collection, The New Testament, Jericho Brown weaves together strains of religious invocations with his uneasy identity as a southern, gay, black man into a beguiling self myth.

The letters compiled in the book Letters of Note range from funny to sweet to tragic.

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Email Just Can't Compete With Heartfelt 'Letters Of Note'

10:02pm October 17, 2014

by NPR Staff

The art of letter writing is also an act of preserving history. The correspondences gathered in the book Letters Of Note tell stories of delight, hope and loss — and the nature of human connection.

Out Of The Lockerbie Bombing, A Bond And A 'Letter Of Note'

6:26pm October 17, 2014

Audie Cornish speaks with Frank Ciulla about a poignant letter cherished by his family. It was written after his father was killed in the Lockerbie bombing in 1988.

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Rebooted Comic Heroine Is An Elegant, Believable 'Marvel'

6:18pm October 17, 2014

by Etelka Lehoczky

Author G. Willow Wilson and artist Adrian Alphona introduce the new Ms. Marvel — a 16-year-old Muslim girl from Jersey City — with elegant line work and utterly believable characterizations.

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Roald Dahl, A Bottle Of Dreams And A 'Letter Of Note'

1:53pm October 17, 2014

Audie Cornish speaks with Amy Corcoran, who shares a treasure from her childhood: a letter she received when she was 7 years old, from her favorite author at the time, Roald Dahl.

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Astronaut Chris Hadfield Brings Lessons From Space Down To Earth

1:48pm October 17, 2014

The former International Space Station commander achieved Internet stardom with his in-space rendition of David Bowie's "Space Oddity." His new book is An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth.

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