Change Your Habits And You'll Be 'Better Than Before'
NPR's Rachel Martin speaks with Gretchen Rubin about her new book, Better Than Before. It's her philosophy of how to create good habits and nix the bad ones.
Books
A Ghostly Chorus Narrates 'The World Before Us'
Aislinn Hunter's new novel tells two parallel tales of two young girls — both gone missing in the same place, a century apart. Reviewer Jean Zimmerman says the book's tough truths held her interest.
A Filmmaker's Surreal Vision On The Page In 'Where The Bird Sings Best'
The multitalented Alejandro Jodorowsky turns to fiction (sort of) with a semi-autobiographical novel. Critic Juan Vidal calls it "brilliant, mad, unpredictable."
Jon Ronson Has Nothing To Be Ashamed Of, But What About The Rest Of Us?
His new book, So You've Been Publicly Shamed, looks at the ways social media shaming affects both the targets and those doing the shaming. Critic Eric Weiner calls it sharp-eyed and often hilarious.
From 'Dragon Tattoo' To The 'Spider's Web': Stieg Larsson's Heroine Returns
The late novelist's Millennium series is getting an addition, The Girl in the Spider's Web. The book, written by David Lagercrantz, just got its title and a U.S. release date: Sept. 1.
How A 1970s Fashion Faceoff Put American Designers In The Spotlight
In The Battle of Versailles, fashion critic Robin Givhan tells the story of the groundbreaking runway show that pitched French couture designers against American up-and-comers.
'Lost Child' Author Caryl Phillips: 'I Needed To Know Where I Came From'
"A part of me was beneath the surface and I had to discover it if I wanted to write with any clarity about myself," says Phillips. His novel The Lost Child brings Wuthering Heights into modern times.
'Wolf Hall' On Stage And TV Means More Makeovers For Henry VIII's 'Pit Bull'
Hilary Mantel's popular novels breathed new life into Thomas Cromwell's legacy. Now, between a play and a miniseries, there seems to be no limit to the blacksmith's son's potential for reinvention.
'Little Washer Of Sorrows' Morphs The Mundane Into The Fantastic
Katherine Fawcett's short story collection is comfortably domestic, full of quiet drama and unfussy detail. Until you read further and discover the mermaids, monsters and lonely planets (literally).
How 'One Nation' Didn't Become 'Under God' Until The '50s Religious Revival
Kevin Kruse's book looks at how industrialists in the '30s and '40s recruited clergy to preach free enterprise. And under the Eisenhower administration, Christianity and capitalism moved center stage.