Book News & Features

Author John Irving says his new book was inspired by photos of young circus performers in India and Mexico.

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John Irving Always Knows Where He's Going

12:43pm November 03, 2015

by Lynn Neary

Irving's latest novel is Avenue of Mysteries. He tells NPR's Lynn Neary that he thinks about each book for a long time — and he doesn't start writing until he knows what the ending will be.

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J.K. Rowling Explores Perils Of Fame In New Robert Galbraith Novel 'Career Of Evil'

9:58am November 02, 2015

by NPR Staff

J.K. Rowling has just published her third mystery under the pseudonym. This time, detective Cormoran Strike and his beautiful assistant are battling a serial killer — and their own dark pasts.

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Disney's Snow White has a scene in which the beautiful queen/stepmother turns into an old hag. Scholar Maria Tatar says it's "probably more frightening for adults than children because it compresses the aging process into about 20 seconds."

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Why Are Old Women Often The Face Of Evil In Fairy Tales And Folklore?

6:02pm October 28, 2015

by Elizabeth Blair

Evil stepmothers, witches and crones: When they aren't poisoning princesses, they're mangling mermaids or trying to eat children. One writer traces these villains' roots to a fear of female power.

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Lauren Groff Used 'Fates And Furies' To Bring 'Feminine Rage' Into Light

9:23am October 27, 2015

by NPR Staff

Drawing from experiences living in the South and wanting to counter older portrayals, the author of Morning Edition's latest book club pick sought to craft "a strong woman who doesn't self-destruct."

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Amazon is struggling to track down and eliminate catfishing scams on Kindle e-books and is suing people who allegedly wrote fake reviews on its site.

Books

Don't Necessarily Judge Your Next E-Book By Its Online Review

7:16pm October 26, 2015

Online scams known as catfishing and astroturfing produce fake reviews for e-books published under fake names or generate false praise for restaurants. In either case, it pays to be skeptical.

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Generations of children have leaned over the side of this bridge for a game of Poohsticks in the real-life Hundred Acre Wood.

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'Natural World:' In Which We Make An Expotition To The Hundred Acre Wood

6:33pm October 26, 2015

by NPR Staff

The Natural World of Winnie the Pooh is a new book about Ashdown Forest, the place that inspired A.A. Milne to create his classic children's tales. NPR's Ari Shapiro visits with author Kathryn Aalto.

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This Weekend, Hoist A Pint With The 'Young Skins'

4:51pm October 25, 2015

by NPR Staff

Colin Barrett's debut collection deals with some dismal topics. But Tessa Hadley, who picked the book for our Weekend Reads series, praises the Irish writer's "lovely, high-flown, playful" writing.

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Critic Juan Vidal says this copy of The Metamorphosis, a gift from his uncle, was a life-changing experience.

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Happy (?) Birthday, Gregor Samsa: 'The Metamorphosis' Turns 100

7:03am October 25, 2015

by Juan Vidal

Critic Juan Vidal says Kafka's classic tale of alienation — published 100 years ago this month — helped bring about a metamorphosis in his own life (though rather more positive than Gregor Samsa's).

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Arts

A Dark And Stormy Night: Why We Love The Gothic

7:03am October 24, 2015

by Genevieve Valentine

Inspired by the new film Crimson Peak, critic Genevieve Valentine digs into our enduring love for stormy nights, eerie castles, romantically exotic monsters, swooning maidens and all things Gothic.

Why are blurbs still around — and still, at least among publishers, so popular?

Forget The Book, Have You Read This Irresistible Story On Blurbs?

2:05pm October 23, 2015

by Colin Dwyer

Those snippets of praise on book covers have been around for over 150 years (at least). But how do they get there — and why? The answers are more complicated, and compelling, than you might think.