Books

Margaret Howe Freydburg — seen here at 104 — was still writing and publishing well past her 100th birthday.

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Arts

Centenarian Poet Was A Fearless Guide To 'The Country Of Old Age'

8:00pm April 01, 2015

by NPR Staff

Poet and author Margaret Howe Freydburg died last week at 107; she wrote and published well past her 100th birthday. Her friend Nancy Slonim Aronie has an appreciation of a remarkable woman.

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Change Your Habits And You'll Be 'Better Than Before'

6:43pm April 01, 2015

NPR's Rachel Martin speaks with Gretchen Rubin about her new book, Better Than Before. It's her philosophy of how to create good habits and nix the bad ones.

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A Ghostly Chorus Narrates 'The World Before Us'

6:26pm April 01, 2015

by Jean Zimmerman

Aislinn Hunter's new novel tells two parallel tales of two young girls — both gone missing in the same place, a century apart. Reviewer Jean Zimmerman says the book's tough truths held her interest.

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A Filmmaker's Surreal Vision On The Page In 'Where The Bird Sings Best'

4:15pm April 01, 2015

by Juan Vidal

The multitalented Alejandro Jodorowsky turns to fiction (sort of) with a semi-autobiographical novel. Critic Juan Vidal calls it "brilliant, mad, unpredictable."

Jon Ronson's previous books include The Psychopath Test and The Men Who Stare At Goats.

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Jon Ronson Has Nothing To Be Ashamed Of, But What About The Rest Of Us?

3:12pm April 01, 2015

by Eric Weiner

His new book, So You've Been Publicly Shamed, looks at the ways social media shaming affects both the targets and those doing the shaming. Critic Eric Weiner calls it sharp-eyed and often hilarious.

Noomi Rapace stars as heroine Lisbeth Salander in the Swedish film adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

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From 'Dragon Tattoo' To The 'Spider's Web': Stieg Larsson's Heroine Returns

7:12am April 01, 2015

by Colin Dwyer

The late novelist's Millennium series is getting an addition, The Girl in the Spider's Web. The book, written by David Lagercrantz, just got its title and a U.S. release date: Sept. 1.

Models show designs by Oscar de la Renta at the 1973 Versailles show. De la Renta was one of the first American designers to sign on for the catwalk competition.

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How A 1970s Fashion Faceoff Put American Designers In The Spotlight

9:06pm March 31, 2015

by NPR Staff

In The Battle of Versailles, fashion critic Robin Givhan tells the story of the groundbreaking runway show that pitched French couture designers against American up-and-comers.

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'Lost Child' Author Caryl Phillips: 'I Needed To Know Where I Came From'

9:05pm March 31, 2015

by NPR Staff

"A part of me was beneath the surface and I had to discover it if I wanted to write with any clarity about myself," says Phillips. His novel The Lost Child brings Wuthering Heights into modern times.

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Actor Mark Rylance, seen here as Thomas Cromwell in Masterpiece's Wolf Hall, views Cromwell as a survivor who knows how to manipulate power to his advantage. "He has the mind of a chess player," Rylance says.

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'Wolf Hall' On Stage And TV Means More Makeovers For Henry VIII's 'Pit Bull'

8:39pm March 31, 2015

by Lynn Neary

Hilary Mantel's popular novels breathed new life into Thomas Cromwell's legacy. Now, between a play and a miniseries, there seems to be no limit to the blacksmith's son's potential for reinvention.

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'Little Washer Of Sorrows' Morphs The Mundane Into The Fantastic

10:03am March 31, 2015

by Jason Heller

Katherine Fawcett's short story collection is comfortably domestic, full of quiet drama and unfussy detail. Until you read further and discover the mermaids, monsters and lonely planets (literally).