Book News & Features

As Beverly Cleary Prepares To Turn 100, Readers Cherish Memories

5:02pm April 11, 2016

Without Beverly Cleary there would be no Ramona Quimby, no Henry Huggins and no Ralph S. Mouse. Morning Edition celebrates the beloved children's book author who turns 100 years old on Tuesday.

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When It Comes To Talking Sex, Young Adult Books Can Be A Parent's Best Friend

6:55pm April 01, 2016

by Neda Ulaby

Today's young adult novels deal with consent, sexual assault and the pressures of sexting, among other things. For parents who aren't comfortable broaching those subjects, these books can help.

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British politician Winston Churchill and his wife, Clementine, make a toast upon their arrival in Switzerland in August 1946. Stories of Churchill's special relationship with alcohol are legendary — and champagne was his truest passion. A new book revea

Hitler Couldn't Defeat Churchill, But Champagne Nearly Did

11:06am April 01, 2016

by Nina Martyris

During the 1930s, as Hitler was rising to power in Germany, the man who would turn out to be his most implacable foe was drowning — in debt and champagne. A new book recounts the unbelievable excess.

Writer Jim Harrison set his stories in the American wilderness. "I like outside better than inside," he said.

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Jim Harrison, 'Legends Of The Fall' Author, Dies At 78

8:37am March 28, 2016

by Tom Vitale

The author — who wrote more than three dozen books, including the novels Dalva and True North and many collections of poetry — found freedom in the outdoors. He died Saturday in Patagonia, Ariz.

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Actor Henry Godinez as the philosophy professor Oscar Amalfitano, in "Part II: The Part About Amalfitano," from the Goodman Theatre's lengthy production of 2666.

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Have 5 Hours To Spare? See Bolaño's Epic '2666' Onstage

8:42pm March 15, 2016

by Derek John

Roberto Bolaño's posthumous novel 2666 weighs in at more than 900 pages — a challenging read, to say the least. Now Chicago's Goodman Theatre has adapted it as a 5 1/2 hour stage production.

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Bartender Sunny Balzano (left) transformed a longshoremen's bar in Red Hook, Brooklyn into a local institution. He's pictured above with Tim Sultan, who recounts Balzano's story in Sunny's Nights.

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Longtime Brooklyn Bartender Who Inspired 'Sunny's Nights' Has Died

5:39pm March 11, 2016

by Joel Rose

Sunny Balzano was the genial and eccentric proprietor of a beloved bar in Red Hook, Brooklyn. He died Thursday at 81, just weeks after the publication of a new book about his life and times.

When Apple launched its first iPad back in 2010, the company also unveiled an e-books marketplace. Federal courts say the company broke antitrust laws by setting prices with book publishers to target Amazon and its Kindle reader.

Supreme Court Denies Apple's Appeal On E-Books, Triggering Millions In Payments

2:43pm March 07, 2016

by Bill Chappell

Apple must now pay $400 million to e-book purchasers. The case's roots date back at least six years, when Apple sold its first iPad models and sought to compete with books giant Amazon.

Author Pat Conroy at a benefit reading for actor Frank Muller in 2002 in New York City.

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Remembering Pat Conroy, A Master Who Used His Tortured Life To Tell Stories

8:09pm March 05, 2016

by Tom Vitale

The best-selling author of The Prince of Tides died Friday evening at the age of 70. At his death he was concluding work on his latest book, Aquarius.

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Gary Shulze, 66, and Pat Frovarp, 75, sit in Once Upon A Crime, the Minneapolis bookstore they ran for 14 years. On when they first met: "Well, Gary was pretty doggone cute," says Frovarp. "There's no doubt about it."

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The Final Chapter Of A Tale Of Books, Love And Mystery In Minneapolis

7:14pm March 01, 2016

by NPR Staff

Gary Shulze and Pat Frovarp have run the beloved Once Upon A Crime bookstore for 14 years. They fell in love there, bought it together and married there. Now, they're retiring.

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A Writer-Engineer's Historical Fiction Hack: Add Dragons

9:27am February 27, 2016

by Ravenna Koenig

Before her first book, Naomi Novik was a programmer who wrote Napoleonic-era fan fiction on the side. Then she had an idea: "What could make the Napoleonic wars more exciting? Dragons!"

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