Books

This painting of Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart shows him at the keyboard at the age of 9.

Books
Arts

'Geography Of Genius' Explores How Surroundings Influence Ideas

5:18am January 10, 2016

by NPR Staff

Author Eric Weiner identifies Renaissance Florence, Classical Athens and Silicon Valley as "genius clusters." And he explains how the right amount of friction and competition can help geniuses thrive.

A survey from the Authors Guild reveals a 30 percent decline in author income since 2009.

Books
Arts

As Writers' Wages Wane In Digital Chapter, Authors Pen Demands

9:09am January 09, 2016

by Lynn Neary

Numbers show more authors are finding it hard to make a living income. Fresh off of fighting the Google Books case, the Authors Guild is now taking on author contracts in an open letter to publishers.

Queue Listen Now

75 Years Of 'Pal Joey'

8:13am January 09, 2016

Penguin Classics has published a 75th Anniversary presentation of the John O'Hara novel, and the libretto and lyrics of the musical. Scott talks to Thomas Mallon, who wrote the book's forward.

Books
Arts

'Steal The Sky' Puts A Swashbuckling Spin On Familiar Fantasy

6:05am January 09, 2016

by Jason Heller

Megan O'Keefe kicks off a new fantasy series with Steal the Sky, an adventure set in an arid land where rare-element powered airships sail above mining towns packed with charming crooks and con men.

Hitler's 'Mein Kampf' Is Back In German Bookstores After 70 Years

4:17pm January 08, 2016

by Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson

A new, annotated edition — complete with criticism — is the first publication of the notorious autobiography in Germany since the end of World War II.

Harold Pollack's index card of finance tips.

Can The Best Financial Tips Fit On An Index Card?

2:01pm January 08, 2016

by Chris Arnold

Yes, according to an economist who wrote a blog post that went viral in 2013. Now he has expanded the basics in a book, The Index Card.

Queue Listen Now

Books
Arts

Japanese Organizing Consultant Marie Kondo Takes America By Storm

6:33pm January 07, 2016

by Lauren Migaki

Marie Kondo has been called the Beyonce of tidying. The Japanese author has a cult-like following in the U.S. and her book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, has topped the best-seller lists.

Queue Listen Now

'NFL Confidential': Anonymous Player On Why He Loathes The League

6:07pm January 07, 2016

From concussions to domestic violence, a current pro football player tells all about what's it really like on the gridiron and beyond in NFL Confidential: True Confessions from the Gutter of Football.

Books
Arts

Catch This 'Midnight Taxi' To A Magical Brooklyn

7:00am January 07, 2016

by Amal El-Mohtar

The second volume in Daniel José Older's Bone Street Rumba series follows half-dead, all-haunted ghost slayer Carlos Delacruz as he investigates a series of grisly events in Brooklyn's Von King Park.

Books
Arts

'This Census-Taker' Is A Quiet Book With A Murderous Heart

5:14pm January 06, 2016

by Jason Sheehan

China Mieville's new novella feels like a fairy tale. It's set in an isolated hill village, where a young boy witnesses a terrible crime and meets a mysterious stranger who may (or may not) help him.