Arts & Life

Reality and Other Stories, by John Lanchester

Books
Arts

The Stories In 'Reality' Have Some Bite

7:00am March 11, 2021

by Michael Schaub

John Lanchester's sharp new story collection considers the dark side of technology, from smartphones to selfie sticks. But you don't have to be a Luddite to appreciate this smart, scary book.

Jane Curtin, from left, Chevy Chase, Bill Murray, Gilda Radner and Laraine Newman in February 1978.

Books
Arts

From SNL To SpongeBob, Laraine Newman Chronicles 'Interesting Times'

5:59am March 11, 2021

by Elizabeth Blair

Newman was a founding member of the improv group The Groundlings and an original Saturday Night Live cast member. She's voiced dozens of animated characters and has just published a new audio memoir.

The Postscript Murders, by Elly Griffiths

Books
Arts

Books Hold The Key To 'The Postscript Murders'

5:45pm March 10, 2021

by Mary Louise Kelly

The woman who turns up dead at the start of Elly Griffiths' new novel billed herself as a "murder consultant" for writers. Griffiths says she was inspired by her aunt, who enjoys thinking up murders.

Cassette tapes gave new control to music fans, allowing them to create and share their own collections of songs in a cheap and easily portable format.

Lou Ottens, Inventor Of The Cassette Tape, Has Died

4:43pm March 10, 2021

by Bill Chappell

"Next time you make that perfect playlist on Spotify or send a link to share a song, you can thank Lou Ottens," documentary filmmaker Zack Taylor told NPR.

Books
Arts

In 'The Empathy Diaries,' Sherry Turkle Considers The Burden Of Family Secrets

1:45pm March 10, 2021

by Dave Davies

MIT professor Sherry Turkle was 27 when she learned that her estranged father had conducted psychological experiments on her when she was a child. She looks back on her childhood in a new memoir.

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Books
Arts

Story Collection Puts A Ghostly Spin On Digital 'Reality'

12:58pm March 10, 2021

by Maureen Corrigan

Cell phones, social media and smart houses feature prominently in John Lanchester's Reality and Other Stories. A year into the pandemic, the collection speaks eerily to our tech-dependent lives.

Books
Arts

The Weird World Of 'Cosmogony' Is Immensely Inviting

7:00am March 10, 2021

by Lily Meyer

In her first collection, Lucy Ives proves herself — and we mean this as a compliment — a real literary weirdo. Her stories are strange without ever performing strangeness, baffling yet precise.

Books
Arts

'The Ghost Variations': A Different Take On What It Means To Be Haunted

7:34pm March 09, 2021

NPR's Ailsa Chang speaks with Kevin Brockmeier about The Ghost Variations, a collection of 100 ghost stories that ponders what haunts us in this life and might make us linger in the next.

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The world of Roblox has become a popular escape during the pandemic.

Arts

Roblox Goes Public — What's Roblox? Ask Anyone With Kids.

5:49pm March 09, 2021

by Mandalit del Barco

Roblox, the online gaming platform, is going public on Wednesday. During the pandemic lockdown it's become a virtual playground, and the company has seen a surge in users, with millions now active.

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Katie Engelhart details the right-to-die movement in her new book, The Inevitable. She says that many patients in the U.S. are forced to act alone, without telling friends and family, because they fear their loved ones will be prosecuted after the fact.

Inside The Fight For The Right To Die: Logistical And Ethical Challenges

3:46pm March 09, 2021

by Terry Gross

Katie Engelhart explores the complexity of physician-assisted death in the book The Inevitable. She says patients seeking to end their own lives sometimes resort to veterinary drugs from overseas.

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