Book News & Features

Some books Gina Gagliano worked on at Random House Graphic.

Books
Arts

Creators on the Cusp: Meet Gina Gagliano, comics crusader

5:01am July 07, 2022

by Etelka Lehoczky

At a time when comics and graphic novels were seldom released by mainstream publishers, Gina Gagliano worked tirelessly to put the genre on the radar. Now she's head of the Boston Book Festival.

Books
Arts

Here are the 14 books that NPR staff and critics are loving the most so far this year

7:37am July 02, 2022

by Miranda Mazariegos

Every year, we ask NPR staff and contributors to tell us about their favorite books. From a list of 167 books so far this year, here are the 14 that the most people chose as their top pick.

Books
Arts

8 books to enjoy at the beach this summer

5:49pm June 30, 2022

From light romance and short fiction to thrillers, here's a list of books that are perfect companions as you retreat to the beach or pool to catch a break from the summer heat.

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Books
Arts

Travel the world without leaving your home with these 10 books

5:06am June 30, 2022

From Lahore's red-light district and the streets of Mexico to a fantastical underwater land of Korean fable, here are some picks that can immerse you in worlds wholly unlike your own.

Books
Arts

Here are the Books We Love: 160+ great 2022 reads recommended by NPR

5:00am June 30, 2022

Books We Love is back early this year; for 2022, we're launching the first-ever summer edition, complete with 160+ recommendations from NPR staff and trusted critics.

'An Immense World' dives deep into the umwelt of animals

7:39am June 21, 2022

by Barbara J. King

Pulitzer prize-winning science journalist Ed Yong writes in a perfect balance of scientific rigor and personal awe as he invites readers to grasp something of how other animals experience the world.

Julie Andrews sang "The hills are alive" in the film version of The Sound of Music, but Hammerstein's letters reveal that a much bigger Hollywood star had lobbied hard to play Maria.

Oh, what a beautiful archive: Oscar Hammerstein's letters reveal his many sides

4:00pm June 20, 2022

by Bob Mondello

A thousand pages of correspondence by Oscar Hammerstein II, the lyricist for such musicals as Show Boat, Oklahoma!, Carousel and The Sound of Music are available to a wide public for the first time.

Books

In 'Human Resources,' a poet finds her voice by working on artificial intelligence

5:11am June 15, 2022

by Jeevika Verma

Ryann Stevenson's debut collection Human Resources won the Max Ritvo Poetry Prize. It looks at how technology both connects and separates us.

Books

Michigan prisons ban Spanish and Swahili dictionaries to prevent inmate disruptions

3:32pm June 02, 2022

by Michelle Jokisch Polo

Spanish and Swahili dictionaries are banned in Michigan prisons. An official says the ban is to prevent prisoners from being disruptive.

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Various books against a dark purple background

5 books that try to help explain the unexplainable: the U.S. gun violence epidemic

12:49pm June 02, 2022

by Fi O'Reilly

The problem of American gun violence is persistent and solutions are hard to come by. But here are 5 books that help put a face to the victims, explain how we got here and how we might get out.