Books

Books
Arts

Our Language Is Evolving, 'Because Internet'

7:52pm July 31, 2019

by Audie Cornish

Whether you're extremely online or still confused by how a simple period can be interpreted as passive-aggressive, linguist Gretchen McCulloch has a guide to how our on-screen speech is morphing.

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Books

Idiosyncratic, Dimension-Hopping 'Skip' Creates Its Own Niche

10:00am July 31, 2019

by Etelka Lehoczky

Molly Mendoza's loopy new graphic novel isn't quite a young adult book, or a book for grownups, either. But it is a trippy visual experience, and Mendoza's art is gorgeous even when the story is thin.

Books
Arts

John Steinbeck's 'The Amiable Fleas' Published In English For The 1st Time

8:27am July 31, 2019

The Strand Magazine is publishing a short story by John Steinbeck that until now was only published in French. David Greene learns more from Andrew Gulli, The Strand's managing editor.

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Arts

Losing An Old Faith — And Gaining A New One — In 'The Churchgoer'

7:00am July 31, 2019

by Ilana Masad

Patrick Coleman's novel follows a former pastor, now working as a security guard, who gets caught up in a noirish adventure after one of his coworkers is murdered, but it's much more than a whodunit.

Novelist Laura Lippman isn't interested in writing that sensationalizes crime. She says she aims to center her work in "a respect for victims."

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Arts

'Cities Are Resilient,' Says Baltimore Crime Novelist Laura Lippman

3:40pm July 30, 2019

by Terry Gross

Lippman's latest novel, Lady in the Lake, was inspired by two real-life Baltimore disappearances in the 1960s. She says Trump's recent tweets show a "basic disrespect" for the residents of her city.

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It Came From Something Awful, by Dale Beran

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Arts

'It Came From Something Awful' Links 4Chan And Today's Political Discourse

1:29pm July 30, 2019

by Andrew Limbong

If author Dale Beran is to be believed, all the world's an Internet forum. His new book offers an overview of Internet culture and explores the mindset and techniques of early Internet trolls.

Books
Arts

'Idiot Wind' Tells A Personal Tale Of Journeying From Addiction To Recovery

5:01am July 30, 2019

by Martha Anne Toll

Even if we weren't in need of another road-trippy-addiction memoir, Peter Kaldheim's book recounts his very human efforts to swim to shore with compassion and gratitude.

Books
Arts

Looking Back At Human History, Archaeologist Suspects 'We're 51% Good'

4:40pm July 29, 2019

by Ari Shapiro

Sarah Parcak has found that studying the rise and fall of civilizations has given her hope, or at least some hope. Her new book is called Archaeology from Space: How The Future Shapes Our Past.

It may plague your summer peaches and plums, but the fruit fly is "one of the most important animals" in medical research, says conservationist Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson.

Bugged By Insects? 'Buzz, Sting, Bite' Makes The Case For 6-Legged Friends

2:38pm July 29, 2019

by Terry Gross

The decline of Earth's insect population may have serious consequences for humans, says scientist Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson. Insects are the world's janitors, as well as pollinators and a food source.

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Marilou is Everywhere, by Sarah Elaine Smith

Books
Arts

'Marilou Is Everywhere,' And Also A Miracle

7:00am July 29, 2019

by Michael Schaub

Sarah Elaine Smith's debut novel, about a girl from an impoverished, broken family who impersonates a missing neighbor in order to get motherly attention, is otherworldly in its beauty and power.