NPR Bestsellers: Paperback Fiction, Week Of August 27, 2015
In John Grisham's Gray Mountain, a New York City lawyer turned unpaid intern stumbles upon dangerous secrets in a small Appalachian community. It appears at No. 12.
Books
NPR Bestsellers: Paperback Nonfiction, Week Of August 27, 2015
In Just Mercy, attorney Bryan Stevenson recounts his efforts to defend the poor, the wrongly condemned and women and children trapped in the criminal justice system. It appears at No. 5.
'The Wake' Is An Unlikely Hit In An Imaginary Language
Paul Kingsnorth self-published The Wake, his tale of the 11th-century Norman conquest of England, written in a pastiche of Old and modern English — and was startled when it became a smash hit.
'George' Wants You To Know: She's Really Melissa
One of this fall's most anticipated books is about a transgender fourth-grader. Publisher Scholastic is employing some of the same marketing techniques it used for megahits like The Hunger Games.
The Girl Who Outlived Her Creator: Salander Returns In 'Spider's Web'
The fourth book in Stieg Larsson's best-selling Millennium series comes out internationally today — but Larsson died in 2004, so his father and brother hired a new writer to continue the series.
Cults, Foam Heads And Other Weird Things Thrive In 'Body Like Mine'
Alexandra Kleeman's novel, populated by TV-obsessed characters on a steady diet of Popsicles and oranges, is a controlled exercise in what critic Jason Sheehan calls "terrifying banality."
Chris Offutt Reveals A Family Secret In 'My Father, The Pornographer'
Offutt's late father went from running a small insurance agency to writing more than 400 books, mostly pornography. Originally broadcast March 2, 2015.
How The Sad Puppies Won — By Losing
A group of conservative sci-fi fans and writers took over the Hugo Award nominations this year, then lost big when the actual awards were given out. But they still dominated the conversation.
Mom And Toddler Put Sleep-Inducing 'Rabbit' Book To The Test
Psychologist Carl-Johan Forssen Ehrlin designed his best-selling (and self-published) story The Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep to help kids doze off. We visited a local naptime to see if it works.
'Latest Readings' Offers Buoyant Musings On A Lifetime Of Literature
Literary critic Clive James revisits the work of great writers such as Joseph Conrad, Ernest Hemingway, Shakespeare and others, subjecting each to the "finicky test of delight."