Arts & Life

Books
Arts

'Lovesongs' Examines What It Means To Come Home

11:27am March 29, 2014

A new novel, Shotgun Lovesongs, interlaces the stories of friends who keep returning to each other, to grasp hold of where they are in the world. NPR's Scott Simon talks with author Nickolas Butler.

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Ila (Emma Watson) and her husband, Shem, are two passengers aboard the ark built by Noah to escape God's flood in Noah, Darren Aronofsky's imagining of the biblical tale.

Arts

Send Out The Doves: 'Noah' Lands On Solid Ground

6:42pm March 28, 2014

by Bob Mondello

Critic Bob Mondello says Darren Aronofsky's take on the story of Noah and the flood mixes wild invention and digital magic to create a surprisingly credible biblical epic.

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Books
Arts

An Ode To Our Newest Neighbor: Biden, The Pink Dwarf Planet

6:34pm March 28, 2014

In honor of the newly discovered planet, 2012 VP113, aka Biden, author Jason Sheehan recommends First Light by Richard Preston and Andy Weir suggests the short story "Flatlander," by Larry Niven.

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Books
Arts

In 'Storied Life,' Characters Come With A Reading List

6:34pm March 28, 2014

by NPR Staff

At its heart, Gabrielle Zevin's new novel is a love letter to the joys of reading. Each chapter starts with the title of a book or short story, essentially introducing characters by what they read.

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Arts

'The Good Wife' Delivers A Game-Changing Stunner

2:20pm March 28, 2014

by David Bianculli

Last Sunday, the CBS drama delivered something major and unexpected. If you don't know what happened, and don't wish to, you may not want to listen, but Fresh Air's critic has a lot to say about it.

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Arts

In 'Noah,' Earth And The Bible Get A Computer-Generated Reboot

2:20pm March 28, 2014

by David Edelstein

Darren Aronofsky's latest film is a big-budget Bible story called, simply, Noah. Russell Crowe plays the title character, and the movie also features Jennifer Connelly and Emma Watson.

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Books
Arts

Book Review: 'How To Dance As The Roof Caves In'

6:25pm March 27, 2014

by Tess Taylor

Poet Tess Taylor reviews Nick Lantz's third poetry collection, How to Dance As The Roof Caves In.

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Over the course of Breaking Bad, Walter White (Bryan Cranston) metamorphosed from a high school chemistry teacher to a notorious outlaw.

Arts

From Walter White To LBJ, Bryan Cranston Is A Master Of Transformation

3:15pm March 27, 2014

While Breaking Bad fans were watching him portray Walt in the series' final episodes, Cranston was already reinventing himself — playing Lyndon B. Johnson in the play All the Way.

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Books
Arts

It Was The Best Of Sentences ...

2:41pm March 27, 2014

by NPR Staff

Editors at The American Scholar magazine picked the 10 best sentences from fiction and nonfiction, with authors ranging from Toni Morrison to James Joyce.

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Books
Arts

In Karen Russell's World, Sleep Is For The Lucky Few

10:14am March 27, 2014

by Alex Gilvarry

Karen Russell has set her latest story in a terrible future where insomnia has become a national crisis. Sleep Donation is a digital download from a new publisher called Atavist Books.

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