Books

"No, Thursday's out. How about never? Is never good for you?"

Books
Arts

New Yorker Cartoon Editor Explores What Makes Us Get It

4:43pm March 24, 2014

Humor is both a creative and a cognitive process, says Bob Mankoff, who has contributed cartoons to The New Yorker since 1977. His memoir is called How About Never — Is Never Good For You?

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Illustration: a teen slouches in a chair, reading a book.

Books
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5 Young Adult Novels That You'll Never Outgrow

4:05pm March 21, 2014

by Maggie Stiefvater

It was a strange and wonderful year for young adult fiction, says critic Maggie Stiefvater. This list rounds up five magical books for young adults and grown-ups alike.

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Nancy Pearl Scours The Shelves For Books You Might Have Missed

4:06pm March 20, 2014

by NPR Staff

NPR's go-to librarian recommends five "under the radar" books she thinks you should read this summer. They range from a Jane Austenesque love story to a real life, intellectual detective tale.

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What U.S. Learned From 'Heathen School' Wasn't Part Of The Lesson Plan

9:51am March 19, 2014

by Maureen Corrigan

The 19th century Connecticut school sought to convert young men from Hawaii, China, India and the Native American nations and then send them home as Christian missionaries. It did not go as planned.

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Carl Hoffman is a contributing editor at National Geographic Traveler.

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Cannibals And Colonialism: Solving The Mystery Of Michael Rockefeller

5:14pm March 18, 2014

The son of one of America's wealthiest families disappeared off the island of New Guinea in 1961. Writer Carl Hoffman explains how he thinks Rockefeller died and why the truth was kept hidden.

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Illustration: A trophy sits on a pile of books.

Books
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Best Of The Summer: 6 Books The Critics Adore

4:30pm March 18, 2014

by Lynn Neary

Have you ever found yourself in the library or a bookstore, about to go on vacation, with no idea what books to bring? NPR's Lynn Neary talks to three book critics about the best reads of the summer.

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Illustration: sculpture of a book on a pedestal.

Books
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Lost And Found: 5 Forgotten Classics Worth Revisiting

4:25pm March 18, 2014

It's a tragedy, perhaps, but books do go out of print. Reviewer and editor Parul Sehgal recommends five that have come back to life.

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Penelope Lively's other books include A Stitch In Time, Astercote and The Road To Lichfield.

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Author Penelope Lively Shares 'The View From Old Age'

1:52pm March 17, 2014

In Dancing Fish And Ammonites, the British writer reflects on growing older. She tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross about adjusting to her husband's death and losing the desire for new things.

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Novel Reflects Desperate But Futile Search For Answers

6:35pm March 16, 2014

by Jonathan Evison

Inspired by the missing Malaysia Airlines flight, author Jonathan Evison recommends the novel Songs for the Missing, by Stewart O'Nan, as a book with something to say about mysterious disappearances.

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A Vietnamese Air Force plane returns from a search operation over Vietnam's southern sea.

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Malaysia Flight 370 And The World's Attention

6:33pm March 14, 2014

After a week spent searching for and wondering about the missing plane, author Alan Heathcock revisits the young adult novel Hatchet, and Jonathan Evison suggests Songs for the Missing.

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