Book News & Features

A Bookstore In England Issues A Despondent Tweet — And Enjoys An Unexpected Boost

4:40pm January 16, 2020

After a bookstore in England sent out a glum tweet about its worst sales day in memory, people inundated the store with new orders. NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with longtime employee Robert Sansom.

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Books

Writer John McPhee Explains His 'Old-Man Project'

4:14pm January 14, 2020

by Melissa Block

Author John McPhee tells us why he is undertaking what he calls an "old-man project" — writing about the scraps of unwritten stories he's thought about over the years.

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Books

Romance Writers Of America Leadership Resigns

4:36pm January 09, 2020

by Karen Grigsby Bates

The president and executive director of Romance Writers of America stepped down Thursday. The powerful trade organization has been roiled by weeks of controversy over treatment of writers of color.

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Books
Arts

'Creatures' Examines The Heartbreak Of Being Human

10:00am January 09, 2020

by Michael Schaub

Crissy Van Meter's debut novel is so assured, it's hard to believe it's a debut. It's the story of a young woman dealing with her mother and her difficult family history on the eve of her wedding.

Books

The Plain Janes Are Back

4:31pm January 08, 2020

by Bill O'Driscoll

The Plain Janes were the heroes of two acclaimed comic books published in 2007 and 2008. The female high schoolers stood apart from male-centric comics of their time. Now they're back in book form.

Books

Elizabeth Wurtzel, Bestselling Author Of 'Prozac Nation,' Dies At 52

5:40pm January 07, 2020

Bestselling author Elizabeth Wurtzel was 27 when Prozac Nation, her sensational memoir of a difficult life complicated by depression, was published. Wurtzel had cancer. She died Tuesday at age 52.

Items From Steinbeck's Storage Locker To Be Auctioned Off Next Month

6:43am January 02, 2020

Boxes of personal belongings once owned by Nobel Prize-winning author John Steinbeck will soon be up for auction. Among the items, a telegram from President John F. Kennedy.

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Books

Sonny Mehta, Publishing Industry Giant, Dies At 77

6:23am January 01, 2020

by Rose Friedman

Sonny Mehta, editor in chief at publisher Knopf, died on Monday after complications from pneumonia. He published books by John le Carré, Toni Morrison, Pope John Paul II and Patti Smith.

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Fry Bread, by Kevin Noble Maillard and Juana Martinez-Neal

Books
Arts

A Holiday Feast Of 'Fry Bread'? Yes, Please!

11:15am December 30, 2019

by Juanita Giles

Our kids' books columnist, Juanita Giles, gave her daughter Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story for Christmas; she says the book's depiction of food and history mirrors her family's experiences.

Cursed Child's duel scene between Harry and Draco relies on human-powered special effects.

Books
Arts

'Harry Potter And The Cursed Child' Makes Its Magic The Old-Fashioned Way

8:21am December 29, 2019

by Petra Mayer

The creators of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child designed their show so it wouldn't look like the world Potterheads knew from the movies. They've documented that process in a new book, The Journey.