Books

"Binti: The Night Masquerade" by Nnedi Okorafor.

Books
Arts

Binti's Story Is Finished — But Don't Expect Completion

7:00am January 27, 2018

by Amal El-Mohtar

Nnedi Okorafor winds up her saga of a spacefaring Himba girl from Earth in Binti: The Night Masquerade — but she's warned readers not to expect a neat conclusion, and the book bears out her warning.

From Fastball Special to Early Bird Special: In Logan, Hugh Jackman plays a long-in-the-tooth Wolverine.

Books
Arts

A Superhero Movie Got A Screenplay Nomination: Glitch Or Game-Changer?

3:11pm January 25, 2018

by Glen Weldon

Some 40 years after Superman: The Movie launched the superhero film genre, a superhero movie earned an Oscar nomination outside of the tech categories. (And it wasn't Wonder Woman.)

"The Sky is Yours" by Chandler Klang Smith

Books
Arts

Regency Romance Crashes Into Dragon-Filled Dystopia In 'The Sky Is Yours'

7:00am January 25, 2018

by Jason Heller

Chandler Klang Smith's novel, set in a crumbling far-future metropolis menaced by dragons, is a dizzying, delirious crash of wonders and grotesqueries, spiked with crackling dialogue and detail.

Chef James Syhabout says that, as he was writing the Hawker Fare cookbook, certain recipes became time machines, reminding him of who was in the room when it was made, and the surrounding colors and smells in the atmosphere.

Books

With 'Hawker Fare,' Chef James Syhabout Shares Laotian Food He Grew Up With

12:56am January 25, 2018

When he started writing the cookbook, chef James Syhabout went to his ancestral homeland, Laos, to sample the food. Now, he hopes to introduce more people to the cuisine.

Queue Listen Now

Ursula K. Le Guin wrote more than 20 novels, including The Left Hand of Darkness and the Earthsea series.

Books
Arts

Sci-Fi Titan Le Guin Wanted To 'Stand Up And Be Counted' As A Writer With Kids

3:03pm January 24, 2018

by Terry Gross

"Women who write, who have children, their work tends to get 'disappeared,' " Ursula K. Le Guin told Fresh Air in 1989. The author died Monday at the age of 88.

Queue Listen Now

Reporter Shares Life Lessons From A Year With 'The Oldest Old'

2:24pm January 24, 2018

New York Times reporter John Leland followed six people above the age of 85 for one year. That series changed his understanding of old age — and inspired his book, Happiness is a Choice You Make.

Queue Listen Now

Books
Crime

ACLU Raises Questions Over Department Of Public Safety's Book Banning Policy

1:28pm January 24, 2018

by David Ford

The 2010 New York Times best-seller, The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander, examines racial injustice through the lens of mass in

"The Lie and How We Told It" by Tommi Parish.

Books
Arts

Gorgeous Colors and Fraught Feelings Spill Over In 'The Lie'

8:28am January 24, 2018

by Etelka Lehoczky

Tommi Parrish's new graphic novel is about a seemingly inconsequential encounter — old, estranged friends spend a few hours talking and drinking — but it's bursting with style and emotion.

Books

The Influence Of Ursula K. Le Guin

5:12am January 24, 2018

by Petra Mayer

American author Ursula K. Le Guin has died at age 88. She was one of the most influential authors of the 20th century, known primarily for her science fiction and fantasy novels and stories.

Ursula K. Le Guin speaks at the 2014 National Book Awards, where she was presented with lifetime achievement honors.

Books
Arts

Ursula K. Le Guin, Whose Novels Plucked Truth From High Fantasy, Dies At 88

7:44pm January 23, 2018

by Colin Dwyer

The author, best known for works such as the Earthsea series and The Left Hand of Darkness, used her fantastic realms to grapple with difficult themes. She leaves a legacy as a literary trailblazer.