Books

Remembering Ian Whitcomb, An Eccentric Singer-Songwriter Who Became An Author

1:45pm May 14, 2020

by Terry Gross

Whitcomb, who died April 19, had the 1965 novelty hit, "You Turn Me On," but soon after devoted himself to writing books about early American popular music. Originally broadcast in 1988.

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Wuhan Diary: Dispatches from a Quarantined City, by Fang Fang

'Wuhan Diary' Brings Account Of China's Coronavirus Outbreak To English Speakers

12:01am May 14, 2020

by Emily Feng

Before COVID-19 engulfed the Chinese city of Wuhan, Fang Fang was already an award-winning novelist. But her chronicle of the lockdown of her hometown might be her most lasting work.

Doctor With Rare Disease And No Answers Decides To Find His Own Cure

2:02pm May 13, 2020

by Dave Davies

David Fajgenbaum was diagnosed with Castleman disease as a medical student. In Chasing My Cure, he recounts crowd-sourcing his own treatment with a global network of doctors, scientists and patients.

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Books
Arts

'Here We Are': What Would Philip Roth Have Made Of All This?

2:02pm May 13, 2020

by Maureen Corrigan

Benjamin Taylor, one of Roth's closest friends during the last decades of his life, has written a memoir that rekindles Roth's voice: brilliant, profane, and so very funny.

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Olivia Laing, author of Funny Weather, at the Barbican in London in February.

Books
Arts

'Funny Weather' Asks What Art Can Do In A Crisis

4:59am May 13, 2020

by Annalisa Quinn

At her best, Olivia Laing turns criticism into an elevated form of hospitality: Like a good party host, she introduces you to someone, tells you what she likes about them, then leaves you to it.

Books

Writer Thomas Pierce Suggests A Book To Read During The Pandemic

4:59pm May 12, 2020

American author Thomas Pierce shares how the coronavirus crisis has affected his writing and what he has been reading during the pandemic.

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Michael Arceneaux's previous book, I Can't Date Jesus, centered on his experiences growing up black, gay and Catholic in Texas.

Books
Arts

Saddled With Student Loans, Bestselling Author Worries, 'I Don't Want To Die Poor'

2:08pm May 12, 2020

by Terry Gross

Michael Arceneaux graduated from Howard University in 2007 with more than $100,000 of private student loan debt. He reflects on how that debt has shaped his life in a new book of essays.

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Books
Arts

For May, 3 Romantic Getaways — To Normalcy

7:00am May 12, 2020

by Maya Rodale

As the lockdown stretches on, we bring you three books that offer an escape to a time when people could gather — and fall in love — in a shop, at a book club, or even in an office.

Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World, by Dr. Vivek Murthy

In 'Together,' Former Surgeon General Writes About Importance Of Human Connection

4:47pm May 11, 2020

by Rachel Martin

Dr. Vivek Murthy tells NPR: "The reality is that loneliness is a natural signal that our body gives us, similar to hunger, thirst. And that's how important human connection is."

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Books
Arts

Murderbot Makes A Triumphant (And Cranky) Return In 'Network Effect'

7:00am May 10, 2020

by Steve Mullis

Martha Wells' freethinking robot stars in its first full-length adventure, remaining just as misanthropic and TV-obsessed as ever, even as it attempts to figure out who kidnapped it and its friends.