Books

Books
Arts

Literary fiction dominates Maureen Corrigan's 2021 Best Books list

7:01am December 13, 2021

by Maureen Corrigan

Fresh Air book critic Maureen Corrigan says 2021 was a spectacular year for literary fiction. As such, her annual Best Books list is exclusively composed of novels and short story collections.

Books

Anne Rice, author of 'Interview with the Vampire,' dies at 80

5:54am December 13, 2021

by Elizabeth Blair

Anne Rice, the novelist whose best-selling gothic tales, reinvented the blood-drinking immortals as tragic antiheroes, died Saturday due to complications from a stroke, her son Christopher Rice said.

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Vivian Maier, renowned 20th century photographer, was unknown until her death in 2009

8:00am December 12, 2021

by Don Gonyea

Don Gonyea speaks with author Ann Marks about her biography documenting Vivian Maier's life as a street photographer who didn't gain notoriety until she after she died in 2009.

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Books

Black descendant of Thomas Jefferson explores her ancestors' legacy in new book

5:15pm December 11, 2021

NPR's Michel Martin speaks with Gayle Jessup White about her book, Reclamation: Sally Hemings, Thomas Jefferson, and a Descendant's Search for Her Family's Lasting Legacy.

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Amos McGee Misses the bus, written by Philip C. Stead and illustrated by Erin E. Stead

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Arts

Return to a world of caring and kindness, in 'Amos McGee Misses the Bus'

11:57am December 11, 2021

by Samantha Balaban

In Erin and Philip Stead's follow-up to 2010's A Sick Day for Amos McGee, the fastidious zookeeper gets help from his animal friends to finish his chores, so they can go on an exciting outing.

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Books

Looking for a laugh? Here are some of NPR's favorite funny books of 2021

8:20am December 11, 2021

Want to read and laugh? From NPR's yearly reading list, Books We Love, four NPR staffers offer their suggestions.

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Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors reacts after the Phoenix Suns missed a basket during a game Dec. 3.

From Steph Curry to 'Squid Game,' this year-end list will surprise and delight you

1:39pm December 10, 2021

by John Powers

As the year draws to a close, critic John Powers singles out seven revelatory people or things that made 2021 a little brighter. At the top of his list? Basketball star Steph Curry.

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New podcast asks whether the novel 'Jane Eyre' is relevant for readers today

11:28am December 10, 2021

The podcast "On Eyre" asks the question: Does 'Jane Eyre' still have something to impart to modern readers? NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with the podcast's hosts, Vanessa Zoltan and Lauren Sandler.

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Karthika Nair (left) and Marilyn Hacker (right)

Books
Arts

Two poets chronicle their friendship and isolation during the pandemic

9:57am December 10, 2021

by Jeevika Verma

Marilyn Hacker and Karthika Nair were under lockdown in Paris only miles apart from each other. A Different Distance compiles the almost daily poems they wrote from March 2020 to March 2021.

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Books
Arts

'The Veiled Throne' keeps the flame of the Dandelion Dynasty burning on every page

4:08am December 10, 2021

by Jason Sheehan

A thousand pages is a lot. But there's Ken Liu's voice to hold onto in this third installment of his epic — beautifully deployed and fully in command of the language of his imaginary universe.