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5 Under-The-Radar Reads From Librarian Nancy Pearl

10:22am December 19, 2014

by NPR Staff

Pearl shares the books she loved this year that you might not have heard of. Her list includes a Hollywood satire, two thrillers, a young adult novel and a nonfiction book about World War I.

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TED speakers share their ideas about creativity and the writing process.

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Playlist: Writers On Writing

9:38am December 19, 2014

by NPR/TED Staff

In this playlist, TED speakers explore the nature of creativity, the source of a good story, and the impact of the written word.

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Browse More Than 250 Standout Titles From 2014 Selected By NPR Staff And Critics — Including Maureen Corrigan

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Sometimes You Can't Pick Just 10: Maureen Corrigan's Favorite Books Of 2014

1:12pm December 18, 2014

by Maureen Corrigan

This year, Fresh Air's book critic rejects the tyranny of the decimal system and picks 12 titles published in 2014 — all with characters, scenes and voices that linger long past the last page.

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Author Of 'Clifford' Children's Books Dies At 86

9:07pm December 17, 2014

by Neda Ulaby

The creator of Clifford The Big, Red Dog died last Friday . Norman Bridwell wrote about 150 Clifford books that were translated into 13 languages and sold nearly 130 million copies.

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How Author John Safran Lost A Year In Mississippi

7:51pm December 17, 2014

God'll Cut You Down is a new book based on the tangled true story about the murder of a white supremacist by a black hustler. NPR's Rachel Martin speaks with the book's author, John Safran.

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The original, 1963 cover of Clifford the Big Red Dog. "[I] was shocked when it was accepted for publication, because I'd never written anything before," said Norman Bridwell.

'Clifford The Big Red Dog' Creator Bridwell Dies At 86

2:26pm December 17, 2014

by Bill Chappell

More than 50 years after he came up with a story about a huge dog, author Norman Bridwell has died. In 2012, Bridwell told NPR he had been shocked when his idea was accepted for publication.

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Between World Wars, Gay Culture Flourished In Berlin

1:32pm December 17, 2014

In Gay Berlin, Robert Beachy describes the rise of a gay subculture in the 1920s and '30s, how it contributed to our understanding of gay identity and how it was eradicated by the Nazis.

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In a blog post, Neal Stephenson says it's time that people develop a new medium, "one in which three-dimensionality is a reality and not just an illusion laboriously cooked up by your brain."

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Book News: Sci-Fi Writer Signs On As 'Chief Futurist' For Secretive Startup

1:01pm December 17, 2014

by Colin Dwyer

Neal Stephenson, author of Snow Crash, said he'll be assuming the role at the augmented reality company Magic Leap, which recently landed $542 million in investments from Google and other tech giants.

25 Years Ago, 'Darkness Visible' Broke Ground Detailing Depression

11:29am December 17, 2014

Renee Montagne talks to writer Andrew Solomon, who has chronicled his own battle with depression, about how William Styron's work opened up discussions of mental illness.

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Murakami's 'Library' Is Dark, Creamy And Grainy At The Same Time

5:12pm December 15, 2014

Alan Cheuse reviews "The Strange Library" by Haruki Murakami.

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