Arts & Life

Books
Arts

When Good Kids Go Feral, Bloody 'Brood' Hits Its Stride

1:02pm October 15, 2014

by Colin Dwyer

Gratuitous, gore-soaked and reveling in poor taste, Chase Novak's Brood is a true B-movie sequel — and just as fun. But despite its body count, the book still could have used a little more blood.

Lena Dunham and Allison Williams star in Girls, one of several popular HBO shows that stand-alone streaming could include.

Arts

HBO Without Cable, Coming In 2015

12:28pm October 15, 2014

by Linda Holmes

HBO has announced that beginning in 2015, it will offer what many have long wanted: access to HBO without having cable.

J.K. Simmons plays brutal music teacher Terence Fletcher in Whiplash.

J.K. Simmons Won't Throw A Chair At Your Head, But His Character Might

10:40am October 15, 2014

NPR's Audie Cornish speaks with actor J.K. Simmons about his much buzzed about performance as a brutal music teacher in the new film Whiplash.

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Australian author Richard Flanagan, 2014's Man Booker Prize winner, holds his book The Narrow Road to the Deep North at the Royal Festival Hall in London on Monday.

Australian Novelist Richard Flanagan Awarded Booker Prize

10:26am October 15, 2014

by Lauren Hodges

The head of the judge's committee says The Narrow Road to the Deep North, the story of POWs in World War II forced to build the Thailand Burma Railway, is a "magnificent novel of love and war."

Definitely not traditional: two colorful takes on porridge, from Friday's London Porridge Championships.

Porridge Aficionados Vie To Make Theirs The Breakfast Of Champions

10:19am October 15, 2014

by Rich Preston

Once derided as Scottish food better suited to horses than people, porridge these days is more cool than gruel. In the U.K., competitions have porridge lovers battling with their best recipes.

Books
Arts

Book News: Big Names And A Few Surprises Among National Book Award Finalists

9:28am October 15, 2014

by Colin Dwyer

The prominent literary prize narrowed its nominees to 20 writers — a mix of heavyweights and many new ones. And across the Atlantic, Richard Flanagan won Britain's biggest award, the Man Booker Prize.

Arts

'Letters Of Note' Finds Lessons In Candid Correspondence

10:18pm October 14, 2014

For a week-long series on letter writing, Audie Cornish speaks to Shaun Usher, author of Letters of Note: An Eclectic Collection of Correspondence Deserving of a Wider Audience.

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Arts

The Man Who Casts The Metal For The Master Sculptors

8:15pm October 14, 2014

by Karen Michel

If you're an artist with an idea for a metal masterpiece, you'd probably turn to Dick Politch to cast it. His foundry has done works for over 500 artists. We get a look at an exhibit of his creations.

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A handful of restaurants across the U.S. are experimenting with no-tipping models, opting instead to charge higher set prices for menu items and give their servers higher hourly pay.

Customers Can Keep The Tip — Which Might Please Restaurant Workers

3:45pm October 14, 2014

by Alan Greenblatt

A handful of restaurants are experimenting with no-tipping models, guaranteeing their servers a base level of pay. So far, satisfaction is up and turnover is down.

The November issue of Cosmopolitan magazine.

Arts

Editor: New 'Cosmo' Woman Is 'Interested In Mascara And The Middle East'

2:12pm October 14, 2014

by NPR Staff

"Men are allowed to talk about sports relentlessly, and yet we still take them seriously," says Cosmo's Joanna Coles, so women should be able to talk about fashion and politics.

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