Books

In childhood, "telling stories was crucial to my existence and indeed to my survival," writer and cultural critic Clive James said. He died Sunday at age 80.

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Arts

Clive James, Writer, TV Host And Cultural Critic, Dies At 80

7:25pm November 28, 2019

by Elizabeth Blair

"Fiction is life with the dull bits left out." That is just one of the many clever observations of the writer, TV host and cultural critic Clive James. He died Sunday in Cambridge, England.

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Prince Wanted To 'Break The Mold Of The Memoir,' Says His Co-Writer

1:16pm November 28, 2019

by Terry Gross

The musician left behind an unfinished memoir when he died in '16. Dan Piepenbring, his co-writer, struggled to make The Beautiful Ones happen in Prince's absence. Originally broadcast Oct. 28, 2019.

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Books

Holiday Civility Tips From Author Of 'We Need To Talk'

6:29am November 28, 2019

With impeachment in the news, spending Thanksgiving with family and friends who disagree on politics might generate anxiety. NPR's Rachel Martin talks to Celeste Headlee, author of We Need to Talk.

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Chad Spangler, co-owner and bartender at Service Bar in Washington, D.C., serves up one of his favorite fall drinks on the menu called The Golden Apple. It's made with homemade Jonah Gold apple juice, apple brandy and a spiced butter syrup.

Books

'Last Call' Goes Behind The Scenes At Bars, Giving A Glimpse Of Post-Shift Rituals

9:28pm November 27, 2019

Last Call, a new book by author Brad Thomas Parsons, examines the rituals behind closing time at dozens of bars around the country. Parsons asks bartenders what their final drink would be.

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Books

Cartoonist Lynda Barry: Drawing 'Has To Come Out Of Your Body'

4:42pm November 27, 2019

by Etelka Lehoczky

Comic artist Lynda Barry has a new book, Making Comics, and a MacArthur Genius Grant (though she says she hung up on the MacArthur folks repeatedly because she thought it was a robocall).

Fusion GPS Founders On Russian Efforts To Sow Discord: 'They Have Succeeded'

2:11pm November 26, 2019

by Terry Gross

During the '16 campaign, Glenn Simpson and Peter Fritsch hired former British intelligence agent Christopher Steele to investigate Trump's involvement with Russia. Their new book is Crime in Progress.

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Books

The Last Decade Has Been Tumultuous For The Publishing Industry

7:33am November 26, 2019

by Lynn Neary

The publishing story of the 2010s was digitization. Publishers and booksellers were terrified but at the end of the decade, e-books proved a boon.

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Confessions of a Dork Lord, by Mike Johnston

Books
Arts

Don't Like Harry Potter? Come To The 'Dork' Side

7:00am November 26, 2019

by Juanita Giles

Our kids' books columnist Juanita Giles has a secret: Her kids don't care about Harry Potter. But they do like Mike Johnston's relatably hapless boy wizard Wick, star of Confessions of a Dork Lord.

President Donald Trump walks to the Oval Office of the White House on Nov. 25.

Neal Katyal Lays Out Legal Argument For Trump Impeachment, Pointing To 'Core Bribery'

9:27pm November 25, 2019

by Rachel Martin

In an interview with NPR about 'Impeach,' the former acting U.S. solicitor general said that when it comes to Ukraine, President Trump put "his personal interests over those of the American people."

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'Broke': How Detroit Residents Maneuvered The City's Bankruptcy

7:57am November 25, 2019

NPR's Steve Inskeep talks to bankruptcy expert Jodie Adams Kirshner about how Detroit residents have navigated life during and after the city's bankruptcy. Kirshner's new book is called Broke.

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