Books

Books
Arts

'Sage' Is A Naturalist's Guide To The Historic Rabbits Of Waterloo

10:15am June 03, 2015

by Jason Sheehan

Leona Francombe's debut novel is all about rabbits: They eat, they sleep, and they think about the battle of Waterloo. Reviewer Jason Sheehan says it's a lovely story that sometimes lacks a point.

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Arts

A 'Pinch' Of Magic Seasons This Half-Fantastical Neighborhood History

7:03am June 03, 2015

by Alan Cheuse

Steve Stern's slice of the mythical South is the Pinch, a hardscrabble immigrant neighborhood of northwest Memphis where the Torah trumps the King James Bible and the rabbis have magical powers.

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Arts

A Publishing Insider Turns The Page On A Bygone World In 'Muse'

6:35pm June 02, 2015

by Lynn Neary

Poet and publisher Jonathan Galassi knows just about everyone in his industry, and a lot of them turn up in his debut novel, Muse. Lynn Neary talks to Galassi about the writing (and publishing) life.

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Books

Book Review: 'Lifted By The Great Nothing,' Karim Dimechkie

6:35pm June 02, 2015

by Alan Cheuse

NPR's Alan Cheuse reviews a debut novel, Lifted by the Great Nothing, by Karim Dimechkie.

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Psychologist Traci Mann calls willpower "a mythical quality and certainly not something that can be relied upon for weight loss."

In 'Eating Lab,' A Psychologist Spills Secrets On Why Diets Fail

6:01pm June 02, 2015

by Jean Fain

Diets will rarely lead to significant or sustainable weight loss, Traci Mann argues in a new book. Instead, she suggests trying proven mental strategies for reaching your "leanest, livable weight."

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Arts

You'll Be Caught Fast By This Delightful 'Fly Trap'

2:57pm June 02, 2015

by Heller McAlpin

Fredrik Sjöberg's wry memoir celebrates the beauty of limitations, tiny wonders and intense focus; in Sjöberg's case, a focus on the hoverflies he studies on his home island of Runmarö in Sweden.

A Tome For Peruvian Food, By Its Most Acclaimed Ambassador

2:42pm June 02, 2015

by NPR Staff

Gaston Acurio is the world's premiere cheerleader for Peruvian cuisine, and he has just written a cookbook. It features 500 recipes from around the country — including more than 20 kinds of ceviche.

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Novelist Saul Bellow, shown shortly after he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1976, also won the National Book Award — three times — and the Pulitzer Prize.

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Arts

A Century After His Birth, Saul Bellow's Prose Still Sparkles

2:23pm June 02, 2015

by Tom Vitale

Bellow's centennial is being marked with reprints and a new biography. Today, critics still savor his metaphor-rich prose; his son remembers the personal pain the great writer caused.

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Michelle Goldberg is a senior contributing writer for The Nation.

Those Yoga Poses May Not Be Ancient After All, And Maybe That's OK

2:02pm June 02, 2015

In her new book, Michelle Goldberg traces the Western practice of yoga to a Russian woman named Indra Devi. Goldberg says that many of the poses in modern yoga can't be traced beyond 150 years ago.

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Books

Four Books That Deliver Unexpected And Delightful Surprises This Summer

1:16pm June 02, 2015

by Maureen Corrigan

Travel (near and far), literary souvenirs and the crucial companionship of humankind's best friend are the subjects of the books on Maureen Corrigan's early summer reading list.

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