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For queer Seoulites in 'Love in the Big City,' pride and shame intertwine

10:31am December 23, 2021

by Thúy Đinh

Sang Young Park's novel can be read as an anthropological approach to Seoulite queer lives in the 21st century: Its four linked stories capture the experience of being both visible and unacknowledged.

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

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'Small Things Like These' add up to a seismic change in 1980s Ireland

12:00pm December 22, 2021

by THÚY ĐINH

In Claire Keegan's feminist take on Dickens, a boy born to an unwed teen builds a life as a coal merchant, husband, and father to five daughters, and faces crises of faith and conscience.

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'A Marvellous Light' infuses magic and adventures into 19th century England

7:55am December 22, 2021

by Caitlyn Paxson

The 19th century historical fantasy wherein magic is a layer over the already complicated strata of society is a fairly common genre, but Freya Marske makes it feel fresh in this treat of a book.

Faith Jones is the granddaughter of David Berg, the founder of the Children of God cult. Jones lived as a member of the group until she was 23.

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'Sex Cult Nun' says discovering self-ownership helped her break free from The Family

4:10pm December 21, 2021

by Terry Gross

Faith Jones' grandfather founded the Children of God cult. She was taught sex was a service to God and that women should freely "share" their bodies, regardless of whether they wanted to or not.

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All Her Little Secrets: A Novel, Wanda M. Morris

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'All Her Little Secrets' asks whether we can reinvent ourselves

3:39pm December 21, 2021

by Gabino Iglesias

Wanda M. Morris' All Her Little Secrets is a carefully constructed thriller wrapped in a narrative about racism, gentrification, and being the only Black person in an all-white environment.

People walk their dogs along a narrow road as the first winter frost blankets the fields in Oudeland van Strijen in the Netherlands on Tuesday. It's the shortest day of the year and official start of winter.

It's the shortest day of the year. Things can only get brighter from here

10:44am December 21, 2021

by Rachel Treisman

Tuesday is the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere. That means from now till June, each day will be a little bit longer — and brighter. Here are some ways you can celebrate the season.

Books

Boredom is one of the '100 Things We've Lost to the Internet'

6:13am December 21, 2021

NPR's Steve Inskeep talks to author Pamela Paul, editor of The New York Times Book Review, about her book: 100 Things We've Lost to the Internet.

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'Cabaret' actor Alan Cumming unpacks his 'Baggage' in a new memoir

1:34pm December 20, 2021

by Terry Gross

The Tony Award-winning actor previously wrote about his childhood in Scotland and his abusive father. Cumming's new memoir centers on love, sexuality, career and mental health.

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Mothers, Fathers, and Others: Essays by Siri Hustvedt

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'Mothers, Fathers, and Others' addresses the realities of motherhood

11:43am December 20, 2021

by Sharmila Mukherjee

Siri Hustvedt's essays bring into focus the profound contradictions of motherhood — often eclipsed by the cultural idealization of mothers as the model of self-sacrificing nurturance.

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Arts

In 'Sea State,' life gets rocky when a journalist gets involved with her subject

10:36am December 20, 2021

by Maureen Corrigan

Tabitha Lasley spent six months in Aberdeen, Scotland, interviewing men who work on offshore oil rigs. Along the way, she had an all-consuming affair with one of the very first men she interviewed.