NPR Bestsellers: Paperback Nonfiction, Week Of July 30, 2015
Emma Farrarons' The Mindfulness Coloring Book, a pocket-sized, anti-stress booklet for grown-ups, appears at No. 12.
Books
A Path From 'Blackout' Drunkenness To Sobriety And Self-Acceptance
Writer Sarah Hepola once got so drunk before giving a presentation to 300 people that she didn't remember it the next day. In Blackout, her memoir, Hepola wrestles with her reasons for drinking.
'End Of The Tour': An Unauthorized 'Anti-Biopic' Of David Foster Wallace
Instead of telling the author's life story, the film (which the Wallace estate does not approve of) focuses on five days in 1996 during the publicity tour for Infinite Jest.
'Barbara' Is Imperfect, Defiant And Wonderfully Human
The characters in Lauren Holmes' debut story collection are more than words on a page, says reviewer Michael Schaub. They're fully, exasperatingly real, portrayed with charm but without pretension.
'Baby' Is A Pretty Feat Of Misdirection
Mary Kubica's new thriller follows a woman who takes in a runaway and her baby daughter. Reviewer Bethanne Patrick says it's a perfect setup — but the twists you expect aren't the ones that arrive.
Women's Comics Are Surfing The Crowd
It's no secret that women are getting more prominent in the world of comics. But some women are tired of waiting for mainstream attention: They're turning to crowdfunding to get their projects done.
A Sense Of Self: What Happens When Your Brain Says You Don't Exist
In his new book, The Man Who Wasn't There, Anil Ananthaswamy examines the ways people think of themselves — and how those perceptions can be distorted by certain brain conditions.
'Booker Dozen' Stirs In A Hefty Batch Of American Authors
Thirteen novels are in the hunt for the Man Booker Prize, the U.K.'s biggest literary award. The Booker is open to Americans for only the second year, and this year's list pits rookies against titans.
Peace, Love And Realness In A Hip-Hop History
Cartoonist Ed Piskor has just put out the new book in his award-winning Hip Hop Family Tree series. It's an exhaustive, good-natured look at the birth of hip-hop that avoids the pitfall of voyeurism.
An Airborne Adventurer's Journey In 'Circling The Sun'
The author of The Paris Wife is back with another novelized memoir, this time of pioneering aviator (and all-around adventurer) Beryl Markham, the first woman to cross the Atlantic Ocean east to west.