NPR Bestsellers: Hardcover Nonfiction, Week Of August 6, 2015
Everything I Need To Know I Learned From A Disney Little Golden Book, a nostalgic collection for fans of Disney classics, debuts at No. 14.
Books
NPR Bestsellers: Paperback Fiction, Week Of August 6, 2015
In Ernest Cline's Ready Player One, an unpopular high-schooler immerses himself in a virtual world of puzzles to escape an ugly reality. It appears at No. 14.
NPR Bestsellers: Paperback Nonfiction, Week Of August 6, 2015
At No. 15, Agent Storm gives and inside look at a Danish national's decade as a jihadist — and his decision to become a double agent.
'Blood Will Out' Reveals Secrets Of A Murderous Master Manipulator
Author Walter Kirn thought he was befriending an eccentric Rockefeller, but his pal turned out to be an impostor wanted for murder. Originally broadcast March 10, 2014.
Identity Is At The Heart Of Brash, Essential 'Mulattos'
Tom Williams' new collection digs into the experience of being multiracial, difficult to categorize in a society that likes to slap labels on people. Reviewer Michael Schaub calls it vital and gutsy.
'Marriage Of Opposites' Paints Camille Pissarro's Colorful Family History
Alice Hoffman's new novel is a fictionalized account of the painter's early life and family, including the eccentric mother who raised him on the Caribbean island of St. Thomas.
The Martians Are Coming! 'Broadcast Hysteria' Looks At The War Over 'Worlds'
Orson Welles' radio hoax famously convinced America that Martians had landed in New Jersey, right? A. Brad Schwartz's new Broadcast Hysteria argues that panic may have been blown out of proportion.
'The Lufthansa Heist' Is No Score
The famous 1978 Lufthansa robbery is a great crime story — it was even a plot point in GoodFellas. But a new book about the heist falls flat, hampered by purple prose and pointless details.
'Two Across' Spells Out A Charming Love Story In Crosswords
Jeff Bartsch's new novel is about a brainy couple who, after meeting at a 1960s spelling bee, conduct their troubled love affair through secret clues in the crosswords they compose for newspapers.
Reflecting On Football And Addiction As 'Friday Night Lights' Turns 25
A quarter-century ago, Buzz Bissinger wrote about the big-time stakes of small-town high school football in Friday Night Lights. Now he talks about the impact the book had on the players and himself.