Books

Comedian Mike Myers grew up an avid Toronto Maple Leafs fan, mostly playing street hockey on tennis courts in the suburb of Scarborough. The reason for his first visit to Chicago, where he would later perform with The Second City comedy troupe? To take in

'Feel The Civility': Comedian Mike Myers On Canada — And 'Canada'

4:52pm June 30, 2017

Rachel Martin talks to comedian Mike Myers as Canada prepares to mark 150 years since it took a major step toward independence. Myers has written a book called Canada about his home country.

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Arts

Broadway Chanteuse Barbara Cook: 'My First Memories Are Of Singing'

4:19pm June 30, 2017

After starring in Broadway shows like The Music Man and Candide, Cook struggled with addiction, then staged a successful second career as a cabaret singer. Originally broadcast June 27, 2016.

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Patrick McGovern, scientific director of the Biomolecular Archaeology Project at the University of Pennsylvania Museum, delves into the early history of fermentation in his latest book.

Meet The Indiana Jones Of Ancient Ales And Extreme Beverages

3:35pm June 30, 2017

by Courtney Columbus

Patrick McGovern searches for and studies the residues of fermented drinks that can be thousands of years old — and then re-creates them. His new book explores these brews and their cultural value.

Books
Arts

'I Want The Pages To Turn': Librarian Nancy Pearl's Summer Reading List

9:49am June 29, 2017

by Nancy Pearl

Ahead of the July 4th weekend, the Seattle-based librarian shares a stack of eight recent favorites. She includes thrillers, mysteries, family sagas and an homage to the game rock, paper, scissors.

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Arts

'The Outer Cape' Shows Us That Every Place Has A Dark Side

7:00am June 29, 2017

by Michael Schaub

Patrick Dacey puts his characters through the wringer in his new novel, a wrenching saga of a profoundly unhappy family set against the ostensibly idyllic background of Cape Cod.

Books
Arts

Michael Bond, Creator Of Paddington Bear Books, Dies At 91

5:29pm June 28, 2017

by Andrew Limbong

Michael Bond, creator of the beloved Paddington Bear books, died Tuesday at 91. The classic children's book character is a scruffy little bear prone to accidents, but he means well.

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Elvis Presley, in the studio in 1956 — Presley's success was undoubtedly driven by the material he appropriated from black musicians.

Cultural Appropriation Is, In Fact, Indefensible

5:18pm June 28, 2017

by K. Tempest Bradford

Recently, the New York Times published an essay defending cultural appropriation as necessary engagement. But that's a simplistic, misguided way of looking at appropriation, which causes real harm.

Michael Bond sits with a Paddington Bear toy in 2008. Bond died Tuesday, according to his publisher, nearly six decades after his beloved character first appeared in print.

Michael Bond, The 'Giant' Behind Paddington Bear, Dies At 91

3:45pm June 28, 2017

by Colin Dwyer

"Mr. and Mrs. Brown first met Paddington on a railway platform" — and readers first met Paddington with those words in 1958. Bond, who died Tuesday, turned that bear into an unforgettable friend.

Books

John Grisham's New Novel "Camino Island"

1:30pm June 28, 2017

In Grisham's latest novel, his 30th, he departs from his usual legal thriller genre to write about a struggling young author who moves to a sleepy resort town in Florida. It's the story of a rare books dealer, a daring literary crime and a young, female writer who tries to catch a thief.

Author Michael Wallis says there are modern lessons to learn from the Donner Party — primarily about the fatal combination of ignorance and arrogance. Above, an undated drawing of the pioneers, looking to make their way West.

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Arts

'What Would You Do?' Author Wants To Stop Sensationalizing The Donner Party

11:25am June 28, 2017

by Dave Davies

In The Best Land Under Heaven, Michael Wallis chronicles the saga of a band of pioneers who resorted to cannibalism after getting stranded en route West. He says "there's so much more" to the story.

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