'Vendetta' Recalls The Ruthless Rivalry Between Bobby Kennedy, Jimmy Hoffa
NPR's Robert Siegel talks with James Neff about his new book Vendetta: Bobby Kennedy versus Jimmy Hoffa.
Books
Dead-Cinch Thrillers: 4 Books To Get Your Heart Pounding
Summer and suspense fiction go together like the Fourth of July and firecrackers. Book critic Maureen Corrigan recommends four books that are deadly accurate in their aim to entertain.
From Blueprints To Betrayal: The Daring, And Downfall, Of A Cold War Spy
Initially, the CIA was suspicious of Soviet aviation expert Adolf Tolkachev. But he earned the agency's trust — and provided blueprints, documents and plans that were crucial to the U.S.
An Outsider In Buenos Aires Goes Incognito, For Love Of Tango
Carolina De Robertis' novel Gods of Tango features a 17-year-old widow, recently arrived from Italy with little besides a violin. It's Argentina, 1913 — and a magical new music fills the barrios.
NPR Bestsellers: Week Of July 2, 2015
The lists are compiled from weekly surveys of close to 500 independent bookstores nationwide.
Baldwin And Bridges: Two Artists, Two Debuts, One Fire
Reviewer Juan Vidal has had the debut album by Texas soul crooner Leon Bridges on heavy rotation, and it's making him think of parallels with James Baldwin's first novel, Go Tell It on the Mountain.
From Early Failures To New 'Trainwreck,' Judd Apatow Gets Serious
It's an understatement to call the man busy. With a new book out, a movie due soon and another wrapping up on set, Apatow caught a breath and reflected on stumbling blocks, Freaks and Amy Schumer.
Is It All Greek To You? Thank Medieval Monks, And The Bard, For The Phrase
Ben Zimmer, language columnist at The Wall Street Journal, explains the origin of the phrase "it's all Greek to me" — and shares a few variants from other languages.
In 'Playing Scared' Pianist Grows Less Frightened Of Stage Fright
Performance anxiety kept journalist Sara Solovitch away from the piano for several decades. Then one day she decided to search for the key to putting her back in tune with her performance side.
If Robots 'Speak,' Will We Listen? Novel Imagines A Future Changed By AI
As artificial intelligence alters human connection, Louisa Hall's characters wrestle with whether machines can truly feel. Some "feel they have to stand up for a robot's right to exist," Hall says.