Books

Books
Arts

'Things From The Flood' Is Gorgeously Creepy And Strangely Human

8:18am November 10, 2016

by Jason Sheehan

Simon Stålenhag's new book of paintings is a followup to his unique vision of a robot-and-monster haunted alternate Sweden. Each page is heavily freighted with dread, but you can't stop looking.

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Arts

'The Mountain Of Kept Memory' Is A World To Get Lost In

7:00am November 09, 2016

by Jason Heller

Rachel Neumeier's novel is classic high fantasy: A prince and princess must work together to save their kingdom. It's not new territory, but it is a richly imagined world worth spending time in.

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Arts

'Fish In Exile' Is A Chronicle Of Grief Barely Survived

7:00am November 08, 2016

by Carmen Maria Machado

In Vi Khi Nao's new novel, a husband and wife are falling apart after losing their two children in a terrible accident. Nao's poetic chops are on full display in this immersive, difficult book.

Cowboy Cake is an example of American baking deliciousness born of hard times. When cowboys moved out West, they didn't bring hens with them. Instead of eggs, they "made do by cooking down raisins into a thick syrup that magically moistens and leavens the

Make America Bake Again: A History Of Cake In The U.S.

3:39pm November 07, 2016

by Nina Martyris

From the waste-not ethos behind Angel Food Cake, to the science fads that sparked chocolate cake, American Cake tells a story of immigration and ingenuity.

'Doonesbury' Creator Has 'Great Fun' Putting Trump In A Comic Setting

1:37pm November 07, 2016

"Donald and I go all the way back to when his hair was dark brown," Garry Trudeau jokes. His new book, Yuge!, is a collection of 30 years of comic strips featuring Trump as a character.

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Float by Anne Carson (Raquel Zaldivar/NPR)

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'Float' Will Lift Your Mind Out Of Its Rut

7:00am November 06, 2016

by Annalisa Quinn

Anne Carson's unconventional collection of 22 chapbooks can be read in any order, and covers everything from Helen of Troy to H.G. Wells — but mostly, it's about women taking back their own stories.

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Arts

For Tippi Hedren, Hitchcock's Scares Came Off-Screen

9:16am November 05, 2016

by NPR Staff

In her new memoir, Tippi, the actress speaks frankly about Hollywood, her career, and her complicated relationship with Alfred Hitchcock — who made her a star, but also made her life hell.

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Arts

Francine Prose's 'Mister Monkey' Novel Inspired By Her Granddaughter's Cheeky Comment

9:00am November 05, 2016

Mister Monkey is the latest novel by award-winning writer Francine Prose. NPR's Scott Simon chats with Prose about the novel which was inspired after a seeing a play with her granddaughter.

Sheri S. Tepper wrote dozens of novels, including Grass and The Gate to Women's Country.

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Arts

Remembering Sheri S. Tepper, Eco-Feminist Sci-Fi Firebrand

7:00am November 05, 2016

by Genevieve Valentine

Tepper wrote several classics of '80s sci-fi, but she's curiously unknown today. Her work is didactic and often uncomfortable, mixing eco-feminist politics with gripping characters and world-building.

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Arts

Author Viet Thanh Nguyen Discusses 'The Sympathizer' And His Escape From Vietnam

2:47pm November 04, 2016

Nguyen and his family fled their village in South Vietnam in 1975. He won the Pulitzer Prize this year for his spy novel The Sympathizer. Originally broadcast May 17, 2016.