Books

Books
Arts

'The Mercies' Is A Spark Of Light On A Bleak Shore

10:00am February 06, 2020

by Caitlyn Paxson

Kiran Millwood Hargrave's new novel takes place in a 17th century Norwegian fishing village devastated by a storm that swallows husbands, brothers and fathers, leaving the women to survive alone.

The civet (above), a mammal in the mongoose family, was a carrier of another coronavirus — SARS. But it turned out in that instance that bats were the original source of the virus.

New Coronavirus 'Won't Be The Last' Outbreak To Move From Animal To Human

9:05pm February 05, 2020

by Dave Davies

Science writer David Quammen says the new coronavirus is the latest example of the way pathogens are migrating from animals to humans with increasing frequency — and sometimes deadly consequences.

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In her new memoir, Smacked: A Story of White Collar Ambition, Addiction and Tragedy, writer Eilene Zimmerman traces the trajectory of her ex-husband's addiction to cocaine and opioids — and all the signs she missed.

A Widow, Not A Wife: 'Smacked' Explores An Ex-Husband's Secret Addiction

12:35pm February 05, 2020

by Terry Gross

Eilene Zimmerman didn't learn of her ex-husband's addiction to cocaine and opioids until after his death. "This had happened in front of us, and we hadn't recognized it," she says.

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The Lost Book of Adana Moreau, by Michael Zapata

Books
Arts

Multiple Universes Fill The Pages Of 'The Lost Book Of Adana Moreau'

10:00am February 05, 2020

by Jason Heller

Michael Zapata's debut novel is a straightforward literary mystery on the surface — but his simple tale of a lost sci-fi manuscript goes deep on themes of family, displacement and mythology.

Books
Arts

'The Resisters' Could Use A Little More Resistance

7:00am February 05, 2020

by Annalisa Quinn

Gish Jen's new novel takes place in a dystopian future country called AutoAmerica, where the swamp-dwelling underclass — called "Surplus" — are set against the fair-skinned, land-dwelling "Netted."

West Virginia and its counties. From The Third Rainbow Girl, by Emma Copley Eisenberg.

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Arts

2 Young Women Were Murdered In 1980, 'Rainbow Girl' Tells Their Story

2:59pm February 04, 2020

by Maureen Corrigan

Emma Copley Eisenberg's new book, which centers on the murders of Vicki Durian and Nancy Santomero, tells a haunting story of two restless women and the un-nameable desire to travel a different path.

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Arts

In Ben Passmore's Latest, 'Sports Is Hell' And The World Is On Fire

10:00am February 04, 2020

by Etelka Lehoczky

Passmore's timely new graphic novel is set in an unnamed city whose football team has just won the Super Bowl, setting off fiery riots. It's a biting satire of political action, race and capitalism.

When McDonald's Was A Road To Black Liberation

8:02am February 04, 2020

by Gene Demby

The historian Marcia Chatelain's new book, Franchise, outlines a forgotten history of McDonald's as a site of social protest and a mechanism black entrepreneurs hoped might spur black liberation.

Books
Arts

In A Dark Future, These 'Upright Women' Bring Hope

7:00am February 04, 2020

by Jason Heller

Sarah Gailey's new novella is set in a dystopian future where the United States resembles the Old West, and bands of women on horseback distribute government-approved media to distant villages.

Books
Arts

For February, 3 Romances That Are Short And Candy-Sweet

7:00am February 02, 2020

by Maya Rodale

February means Valentine's Day — and no one feels the pressure to be romantic like characters in romance novels. This month we've got three short and sweet stories with guaranteed happy endings.