Book News & Features

Marvel has put half-African-American, half-Latino teen Miles Morales in the Spider-Man suit.

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Marvel's Half-Black, Half-Latino Spider-Man Is Going Mainstream

2:34pm June 29, 2015

by NPR Staff

"It won't be [that] Miles is Spider-Man with an asterisk or some kind of adjective or adverb attached to it," says writer Brian Michael Bendis. "He is going to be Spider-Man — just Spider-Man."

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Played by Olivier or not — Heathcliff was really kind of a jerk by romance hero standards.

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Alpha, Beta, Heathcliff — An Alphabet Of Romance Heroes

10:30am June 27, 2015

by Lynn Neary

As part of the NPR Books Summer of Love series, Lynn Neary digs into the history of the romance hero, the difference between alpha and beta heroes, and why Heathcliff is really kind of a jerk.

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The Craft Sequence: Please Do Judge These Books By Their Covers

7:03am June 27, 2015

by Amal El-Mohtar

This weekend, the NPR Books Time Machine rewinds Max Gladstone's Craft Sequence. Critic Amal El-Mohtar was drawn in by great cover art and discovered a sharp, smart, unusual urban fantasy series.

A group of dads from Project Fatherhood join author Jorja Leap to celebrate the publication of her book, Project Fatherhood: A Story of Courage and Healing in One of America's Toughest Communities.

'Project Fatherhood': In A Struggling Neighborhood, Dads Are Helping Dads

2:39pm June 25, 2015

by Karen Grigsby Bates

A dedicated group of fathers in Los Angeles is working to help neighborhood dads do better by their children and their community.

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Summer Of Love: Meet Our Expert Panelists!

1:20pm June 22, 2015

by Petra Mayer

While our intern plugs away at tallying the 18,000 nominations that came in for the summer reader romance poll, we thought we'd introduce you to the expert panelists who'll help shape the final list.

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This Weekend, 'Caminar' Navigates Horrors With Poetry

10:26am June 22, 2015

by NPR Staff

In this installment of our Weekend Reads series, author Meg Medina selects Skila Brown's novel in poems Caminar, which follows a young boy who survives the slaughter of his village in Guatemala.

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Pilgrims leaving Canterbury, from text of the end of the Prologue to The Canterbury Tales, by Geoffrey Chaucer.

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Longest Thou To Go On Summer Pilgrimage? Chaucer Hath Advice

10:19am June 22, 2015

by LeVostreGC

Our favorite medieval advice columnist returns, dispensing knowledge on everything from avoiding sunburn to glamping to road trip etiquette. And "slushy icye thinges," the best of all summer treats.

Words Made Flesh: Literature And The Language Of Prayer

7:03am June 21, 2015

by Juan Vidal

No American writer has been able to pin down the intersection of faith, prayer and art like Flannery O'Connor. Critic Juan Vidal reflects on her Prayer Journal, and the faith that words can live.

Simon Armitage frowns with dignity after being awarded the Commander of the British Empire medal at Buckingham Palace in 2010. Though he began the nomination process for the Oxford post as an underdog, he emerged from the ensuing drama with the professors

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After Verses Turn To Versus, Poet Emerges With Renowned Oxford Post

5:47pm June 19, 2015

by Colin Dwyer

If you didn't know better, you might mistake the hubbub for American politics. But amid the fickle endorsements and dust-ups, poet Simon Armitage won election as the newest Oxford professor of poetry.

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Tell Us About Your Favorite Romances — It's The NPR Books Summer Of Love!

5:12pm June 19, 2015

by Petra Mayer

This year our famous summer reader poll is all about romance. Whether you like contemporary, historical, suspense or inspirational, we want to hear about your favorite Happily Ever Afters!