Books

A man crosses an empty road in Wuhan, Hubei province, China, on Feb. 3, 2020.

Books
Arts

'A Matter Of Common Decency': What Literature Can Teach Us About Epidemics

9:43am April 01, 2020

by Melissa Block

Authors explore questions of morality, evil, solidarity and survival in Albert Camus' The Plague, Geraldine Brooks' Year of Wonders and Karen Thompson Walker's The Dreamers.

Dolly Parton will read children's books on a video stream once a week, drawing titles from her Imagination Library. She's seen here performing in Nashville, Tenn., in January.

Dolly Parton Will Read Bedtime Stories To Kids Online Every Week

3:12pm March 31, 2020

by Bill Chappell

"Dolly hopes this series of stories will provide comfort and reassurance to coping kids and families during the shelter-in-place mandates," the Imagination Library said.

From I am Leonardo da Vinci, by Brad Meltzer and Christopher Eliopoulos.

Books
Arts

'Ordinary People' Books Can Help In This Extraordinary Time

2:58pm March 31, 2020

by Juanita Giles

Our kids' books columnist Juanita Giles reports that, stuck at home with her family, she's turned to a series by Brad Meltzer and Christopher Eliopoulos, for stories about relatable heroes.

Front Row at the Trump Show, by Jonathan Karl

Jonathan Karl's Memoir Shows That Everyone Is 'Front Row At The Trump Show'

2:22pm March 31, 2020

by Annalisa Quinn

The ABC White House correspondent avoids bravado and knows better than to let insiders use his book to sound off about their enemies. But the obviousness of his account reveals an alarming truth.

Heaven And Hell Are 'Not What Jesus Preached,' Religion Scholar Says

1:25pm March 31, 2020

by Terry Gross

Bart Ehrman says the ideas of eternal rewards and punishments aren't found in the Old Testament or in the teachings of Jesus. His new book is Heaven and Hell: A History of the Afterlife.

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Author Tomie dePaola, at a book signing in New York City in 2008.

Books
Arts

Tomie DePaola, Beloved Children's Author And Illustrator, Has Died

9:03pm March 30, 2020

by Anastasia Tsioulcas

The author and illustrator — who, by his own reckoning, worked on more than 270 titles — died Monday at age 85. Among his classics is the Caldecott winner Strega Nona, a seemingly ancient folk tale.

Books

A Reading List For The Social Distancing Era, From Cartoonist Raina Telgemeier

4:43pm March 30, 2020

Graphic novelist and memoirist Raina Telgemeier delivers her list of what she's reading right now.

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The Internet Archive's "National Emergency Library" has come under criticism from writers and publishers who say their work has been posted on the site without their permission.

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Arts

Authors, Publishers Condemn The 'National Emergency Library' As 'Piracy'

3:04pm March 30, 2020

by Colin Dwyer

Citing the coronavirus, the Internet Archive expanded its lending program for the digital copies of millions of books. But many writers and publishers say it is sharing their work without permission.

Books
Arts

How Winston Churchill Pulled Britain Through The Early Years Of WWII

1:56pm March 30, 2020

by Dave Davies

In The Splendid And The Vile, author Erik Larson details the British prime minister's first year in office, during which England endured a Nazi bombing campaign that killed more than 44,000 civilians.

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Cover detail of The Glass Hotel, by Emily St. John Mandel

Books
Arts

Staying At Home? Check Into Emily St. John Mandel's Haunting 'Glass Hotel'

10:12am March 30, 2020

by Maureen Corrigan

The author of Station Eleven weaves together stories of a hotel worker and an ultra-wealthy con man in a novel that captures how precarious life is — in a way that feels particularly resonant now.