Books

Career of Evil, by Robert Galbraith (aka J.K. Rowling).

Books
Arts

Writing 'Career Of Evil' Gave Robert Galbraith (aka J.K. Rowling) Nightmares

9:50am November 02, 2015

by Barrie Hardymon

Rowling studied real criminal case studies to write the latest in the Cormoran Strike mystery series — "It was horrible," she says. But writing under a pseudonym remains "a very private pleasure."

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'The Familiar Vol. 2' Is Better, Stronger ... Weirder

7:03am November 01, 2015

by Jason Sheehan

Mark Z. Danielewski's epic saga (this is part two of a projected 27) is, on the surface, the story of a girl and her cat. But the typographical trickery and sheer weirdness make it much, much more.

'Ridiculous Fun' Helps A Blogger See Through Depression's Darkness

6:20am November 01, 2015

by Lynne Shallcross

Since childhood, humor writer Jenny Lawson has struggled with mental health issues. In her latest book, Furiously Happy, she explains what it means to fight back with spiteful happiness.

David Hare's plays and screenplays include Plenty, Skylight, The Blue Room, The Hours and Stuff Happens.

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Dramatist David Hare Says, Like Many Writers, He's Driven By Doubt

8:22am October 31, 2015

by NPR Staff

"My ability to see what's going on in a room or analyze what's going on inside a person comes from my own doubts about what's going on inside myself," he says. Hare's memoir is The Blue Touch Paper.

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Arts

Three Horror Classics Rise From The Grave For Halloween

7:03am October 31, 2015

by Jason Heller

If you like ghosts, ghouls and witches, you won't find them in The Case Against Satan, Perchance to Dream, and Songs of a Dead Dreamer — their horrors are more familiar and far more frightening.

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In 'Ghostly,' Phantoms Provide An Omniscient Point Of View

4:37pm October 30, 2015

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with best selling author Audrey Niffenegger about her love of ghost stories and her new collection, Ghostly.

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Arts

So Good You'll Scream? A Cookbook From Horror Icon Vincent Price

4:37pm October 30, 2015

by Mandalit del Barco

A Treasury of Great Recipes, by the famed horror film actor, was out of print for decades until this month. It turns out, Price was also a foodie with an "omnivorous appetite," his daughter tells us.

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A Fine Dessert, Dinner Scene, illustrated by Sophie Blackall

The Kids' Book 'A Fine Dessert' Has Award Buzz — And Charges Of Whitewashing Slavery

2:19pm October 30, 2015

by Leah Donnella

In a long discussion on Twitter, one critic called the illustrations "candy coated images of slavery." The illustrator says these images have been taken out of context.

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Arts

Author Richard Ford Says 'Let Me Be Frank' About Aging And Dying

1:50pm October 30, 2015

The Pulitzer Prize-winning writer's most recent book centers on a 68-year-old man dealing with his aging body, a dying friend and his ex-wife, who has Parkinson's. Originally broadcast Nov. 12, 2014.

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'The Other Paris' Goes Beyond The Banlieues

3:56pm October 29, 2015

by Tomas Hachard

Luc Sante's cultural history focuses on the darker corners of the City of Lights, and the rougher and more disreputable citizens of the French capital who, he argues, have made Paris what it is today.