Books

A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson is May's Morning Edition book club selection. We'll talk with Atkinson on June 16. Read along with us, and send us your questions and comments about the book. (Book guide by Veronica Erb/NPR)

Books
Arts

Join The 'Morning Edition' Book Club As We Read 'A God In Ruins'

10:52am May 28, 2015

by NPR Staff

Gone Girl author Gillian Flynn, who selected the book, tells NPR's David Greene that Kate Atkinson is "one of those writers that really can make you weep on one page and laugh on the next."

Queue Listen Now

Books
Arts

For Actress Maria Bello, Family May Be Complicated, But 'Love Is Love'

5:25pm May 27, 2015

In her memoir Whatever ... Love is Love, Bello describes the evolution of her "modern family," which includes her romantic partner (a woman), her adolescent son and her son's father.

Queue Listen Now

Cover art from Do No Harm, by Dr. Henry Marsh.

A Neurosurgeon Reflects On The 'Awe And Mystery' Of The Brain

4:59pm May 27, 2015

In his memoir Do No Harm, Henry Marsh confesses to the uncertainties he's dealt with as a surgeon, revisits his triumphs and failures and reflects on the enigmas of the brain and consciousness.

Queue Listen Now

From left: Recipe developer Esme Robinson, chef-owner Yotam Ottolenghi and Nopi head chef Ramael Scully hover over the electric stovetop while preparing a dessert in the Ottolenghi test kitchen in London.

Books
Arts

In This Test Kitchen, The Secret To A Great Cookbook Is Try, Try Again

4:48pm May 27, 2015

by Madhulika Sikka

Yotam Ottolenghi and his partner have a thriving food empire that includes wildly successful cookbooks. We go inside their London test kitchen as recipes are put through their paces.

Books
Arts

Fat Is Not A Four-Letter Word In 'Dietland'

3:53pm May 27, 2015

by Annalisa Quinn

There are different kinds of fat people in literature — funny or comforting, sometimes despicable. But Sarai Walker's Dietland gives us a new fat protagonist — complex, compelling and dangerous.

Librarian Nancy Pearl shares her selections of under-the-radar books that you may have missed.

Books
Arts

Beyond The Best-Sellers: Nancy Pearl Recommends Under-The-Radar Reads

12:17pm May 27, 2015

by Nancy Pearl

NPR's go-to books guru has sent Morning Edition host Steve Inskeep a stack of books — titles she thinks deserve more attention. Here are her fiction picks, to kick off your summer reading.

Queue Listen Now

Books
Arts

Author Margaret Atwood Contributes Manuscript To Future Library

7:54am May 27, 2015

by Andrew Limbong

As part of the Future Library project, Margaret Atwood's Scribbler Moon will not be read until 2114. Trees, that will be made into paper for that text, were planted last year in Norway.

Queue Listen Now

Books
Arts

Prolific Fantasy And Science-Fiction Writer Tanith Lee Has Died

7:35pm May 26, 2015

by Bill Chappell

Lee wrote dozens of books, including Don't Bite The Sun and Death's Master -- the latter of which was part of her popular Flat Earth series. She was 67.

A range of Darjeeling tea at Goomtee Tea Estate in Darjeeling, India.

Sip It Slowly, And Other Lessons From The Oldest Tea Book In The World

6:03pm May 26, 2015

by Jeff Koehler

Over 800 years before tea was known in the West, a Chinese master penned the The Classic of Tea. In it, he blends the practical with the spiritual and emphasizes rituals from cultivation to drinking.

Books
Arts

Learning To Love, And Forgive, In Brilliant 'Day'

5:52pm May 26, 2015

by Michael Schaub

Mat Johnson's funny, humane new novel follows a biracial man coming to terms with his identity — and the daughter he never knew about. Michael Schaub calls it a "beautiful, triumphant miracle."