Books

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Marvel Recognizes Young Black Women As 'Ironheart' Prepares To Don Tony Stark's Suit

8:44am October 30, 2016

Rachel Martin speaks with Ariell Johnson, a black women to own a comic book store, about landing a Marvel cover alongside Ironheart — the newest Iron Man suit occupant, 15-year-old Riri Williams.

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Film Critic Delves Into 60-Year 'Biography' Of Television

8:38am October 30, 2016

NPR's Rachel Martin speaks with David Thomson, author of "Television: A Biography" about TV's vast landscape and key moments in the medium's history.

Actor/comic Joel McHale speaks at a Los Angeles event in 2015.

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In 'Thanks For The Money,' Comedian Joel McHale Lampoons Celebrity Memoirs

8:29am October 30, 2016

by NPR Staff

McHale says the problem with the genre is a lot of celebrities don't have enough of a story to fill an entire book. ("My life certainly didn't.") So in Thanks for the Money, he makes stuff up.

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A Harrowing Tale Of Cold War Escape And Suppression In 'The Tunnels'

8:53am October 29, 2016

by NPR Staff

A new book explores a time in the early 1960s when two groups of diggers built tunnels under the Berlin Wall that were filmed and financed by U.S. television networks.

Table Manners by Jeremiah Tower (Raquel Zaldivar/NPR)

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In 'Table Manners,' A Rather Mannered Plea For Etiquette

7:00am October 29, 2016

by Annalisa Quinn

Renowned chef Jeremiah Tower focuses on the consumption rather than the preparation of food in Table Manners. The book leans fussy and prim, turning a blind eye to hosts and hostesses short on cash.

Anthony Bourdain spent decades in the restaurant business before discovering that he had a gift for writing and storytelling. His new cookbook, Appetites, features food he cooks for his 9-year-old daughter.

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In 'Appetites,' Bourdain Pleases The Toughest Food Critic (His 9-Year-Old)

7:33am October 28, 2016

Anthony Bourdain's new cookbook features comfort food he cooks for his young daughter. "She's who I need to please, and if she's not happy, I'm not happy," he says.

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Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Raquel Zaldivar/NPR)

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'Certain Dark Things' Is A Compelling New Take On Vampires

11:40am October 27, 2016

by Amal El-Mohtar

Silvia Moreno-Garcia's new novel is set in a realistic, multidimensional Mexico City, where a young human boy meets a mysterious girl and gets caught up in a whirlwind of vampire-gang drug wars.

The bounty of the earth is celebrated in the high rituals of pagans. (Above) A Wiccan priestess is silhouetted by the afternoon light. In the foreground are examples of Wiccan cooking for the vernal equinox: (clockwise from near right) beet-pickled eggs;

What The Real Witches Of America Eat

10:55pm October 26, 2016

by Nina Martyris

Nope. It's not eye of newt and toe of frog. But food — and its connection to dead loved ones — does play a starring role in the major Pagan holiday Samhain, which coincides with Halloween.

Latino Noir: Private Eyes And Really Bad Vatos

12:32pm October 26, 2016

by Felix Contreras

Good guys, bad guys, cops and intrigue — it's all part of the world of Latino noir fiction. Author Carmen Amato takes us on a tour of the genre.

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Gretzky grew up in Ontario, where he used to pretend to win the Stanley Cup in his backyard. "You're always dreaming that you're the guy that scores the game-winning goal," he says.

Wayne Gretzky On Hockey History, Dreaming Big And Canadian Pride

10:41am October 26, 2016

by NPR Staff

The ice hockey legend marks the 99th anniversary of the NHL with his new book 99: Stories of the Game. Never mind the sport's tough guy reputation; "the game of hockey is an art," Gretzky says.

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