Books

'The Battle For Home' Traces Syria's History Through Architecture

6:00pm July 20, 2016

NPR's Kelly McEvers speaks with Homs-based architect Marwa al-Sabouni, about her new book The Battle for Home, which traces Syria's past, present and possible future through the lens of architecture.

The House At The Edge Of The Night By Catherine Banner

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Arts

'The House At The Edge Of Night' Is A Comforting, Familiar Place

3:58pm July 20, 2016

by Annalisa Quinn

Catherine Banner's new novel takes familiar tropes — it's a multigenerational family saga set in Sicily, and yes, there's limoncello and dancing in the piazza — and makes them fresh and inviting.

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Complex Stories Snap Together In 'This Must Be The Place'

7:00am July 19, 2016

by Heller McAlpin

Maggie O'Farrell's novel jumps between multiple storylines, points of view, times and places to tell the story of an American professor who meets a reclusive French actress on a lonely Irish road.

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Novelist Grapples With The Conflicted Feelings Of Caring For Aging Parents

1:54pm July 18, 2016

Author Cathleen Schine says that living far away from an elderly parent can create feelings of guilt as well as those of relief. Her darkly comic new novel is They May Not Mean To, But They Do.

Queue Listen Now

Critics, Monsters, Fanatics, and Other Literary Essays.

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Why Does Cynthia Ozick Write? 'I Simply Must,' She Says

8:30am July 17, 2016

by NPR Staff

The versatile author says that, like queens, writers are born into their profession. In her new book, Critics, Monsters, Fanatics, and Other Literary Essays, she examines current and past literature.

'Missing, Presumed' Chronicles Ups And Downs Of Dating ... And Detective Work

8:28am July 16, 2016

by NPR Staff

At the beginning of Susie Steiner's new thriller, a detective is on a date with a man whose name she can't remember. Not long after, a well-connected university student goes missing.

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Arts

'Stars' Is A Sequel That Goes A Bit Askew

8:00am July 16, 2016

by Jason Sheehan

In The Stars Askew, Rjurik Davidson returns to the world of Caeli-Amur, now trying to put itself back together after a revolution. But the story bogs down in plural narratives and political minutiae.

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Arts

Poets Take Cues From Journalism In Recent Collections

4:42pm July 15, 2016

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with our poetry reviewer Tess Taylor about three recent collections that take their cues from nonfiction, including Admit One by Martha Collins, Look by Solmaz Sharif and Olio by Tyehimba Jess.

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Like These Books? Here Are 60+ Things You Might Also Like ...

9:35am July 15, 2016

You know that feeling when you put down a great book and all you want is more? We took 27 recent books and paired them with movies, musicals, TV shows, comics and podcasts to keep your buzz going.