Books

Books
Arts

Two books capture the comedic genius of TV legends George Schlatter and Ernie Kovacs

1:43pm July 24, 2023

by David Bianculli

Schlatter's autobiography Still Laughing is a compendium of stories about entertainers he's known and worked with. Ernie in Kovacsland is a treasure chest of memorabilia from Kovacs' shows.

Queue Listen Now

Conservative columnist Matt Lewis discusses his new book 'Filthy Rich Politicians'

4:53am July 24, 2023

by Steve Inskeep

NPR's Steve Inskeep speaks with conservative columnist Matt Lewis about his new book "Filthy Rich Politicians," which looks at why so many members of Congress are millionaires.

Queue Listen Now

Art from The Story of the Saxophone, text by Lesa Cline-Ransome, illustration by James E. Ransome

Books
Arts

Trumpet was too loud, clarinet was too soft — here's 'The Story of the Saxophone'

1:00pm July 23, 2023

by Samantha Balaban

A shared love of jazz led author Lesa Cline-Ransome and illustrator James Ransome to discover inventor Antoine-Joseph "Adolphe" Sax and the instrument named after him.

Queue Listen Now

Books

Some Comic Con attendees say the Hollywood strike is a blessing in disguise

8:06am July 23, 2023

With both Hollywood actors and writers on strike, some attendees hope Comic-Con in San Diego will get back to its nerdy roots.

Books

If sunny beach reads aren't cutting it, add these thrillers to your summer book list

8:06am July 23, 2023

by Ayesha Rascoe

NPR's Ayesha Rascoe talks to Adrian McKinty, best-selling author of "The Chain" and "The Island," about some thrillers to add to your summer reading list.

Books

Daniel Silva on his thriller novel 'The Collector'

8:20am July 22, 2023

by Scott Simon

NPR's Scott Simon speaks with Daniel Silva about his new thriller "The Collector," about a fictional search for a really stolen painting by Vermeer.

Books
Arts

Dive in: 'Do Tell' and 'The Stolen Coast' are perfect summer escapes

11:05am July 21, 2023

by Maureen Corrigan

Lindsay Lynch's luscious debut, Do Tell, is set in Hollywood's Golden Age. Dwyer Murphy's The Stolen Coast is a moody tale of a lawyer who makes his money ferrying people on the run into new lives.

Queue Listen Now

The Philip Glass Ensemble performing Music in Twelve Parts at the Idea Warehouse in 1975, with vocalist Joan La Barbara (far left).

Minimalism: a story told in 8 pulses

7:51pm July 20, 2023

by Noah Caldwell

In their new book On Minimalism, musicologists William Robin and Kerry O'Brien capture the lesser-known stories of the musical movement and its development, era by era.

Queue Listen Now

Madhur Jaffrey, Indian-American actress, chef and author, poses for a portrait leading up to the release of "An Invitation to Indian Cooking: 50th Anniversary Edition" at her home in Hillsdale, New York, US, on Friday, June 23, 2023.

Books
Arts

Madhur Jaffrey's no fuss introduction to Indian cooking

9:55am July 20, 2023

Madhur Jaffrey says she never took cooking seriously, and it may be her secret to her success: "I love to eat and when you do, you think of all the possibilities."

Queue Listen Now

Is 'Toxic Fashion' making us sick? A look at the chemicals lurking in our clothes

1:26pm July 19, 2023

by Tonya Mosley

In 2018, Delta airlines unveiled new uniforms made of a synthetic-blend fabric. Soon after, flight attendants began to get sick. Alden Wicker explains how toxic chemicals get in clothes in To Dye For.

Queue Listen Now