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'Before I Burn' Uses Autobiography To Tell A Crime Story

7:14am January 03, 2014

by Rosecrans Baldwin

Scandinavian crime novels have become so popular that some publishers even have a name for the genre — "Scandi-crime." Many of these books keep readers right on the edge of their seats. But reviewer Rosecrans Baldwin says Before I Burn by Gaute Heivoll takes a more subtle approach.

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Early 20th century British maids worked long, hard days with little time off.

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Visible And Invisible: 'Servants' Looks At Life Downstairs

5:28pm January 02, 2014

Author Lucy Lethbridge explores the history of British servants through their diaries, letters and memoirs. She says, "What I found particularly fascinating was how ... butlers were so butlery"; the old caricature of the clever manservant and the silly master is one "butlers have appeared to play to the hilt."

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Don't Call It Fanfic: Writers Rework Their Favorite Stories

12:43pm December 27, 2013

by Lynn Neary

When writers finish a book, they may think they've had the last word — but sometimes another writer will decide there's more to the story, or more to a background character. NPR's Lynn Neary explores the fine old literary tradition of writing new stories based on existing books.

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Written In Secret Behind The Iron Curtain, 'Corpse' Is Revived

8:28pm December 25, 2013

by Alan Cheuse

An amazing book has surfaced from behind the Soviet-era Iron Curtain says our reviewer, Alan Cheuse. The book is Autobiography of a Corpse by Sigizmund Krzhizhanovsky.

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'Duck Dynasty' Attracts Christian Conservatives

11:13am December 20, 2013

by Lynn Neary

The patriarch of the Duck Dynasty family has been suspended indefinitely from the hit reality TV show on A&E because of his remarks about homosexuality. He made the comments to GQ magazine. The show has spawned a multi-million-dollar industry of related products and books.

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A prolific author, Paul Auster has published dozens of works of fiction, nonfiction and poetry.

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A Personal 'Report From The Interior' Of Author Paul Auster

1:32pm December 16, 2013

by NPR Staff

Writer Paul Auster explores his own intellectual and moral maturation in his new book Report from the Interior. It's his fifth book about his own life, but Auster says it's not himself he's interested in.

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Don't Hate The Players, Learn The Rules Of The Game (Theory)

6:44pm December 12, 2013

by Tim Harford

With Congress expected to pass its first bipartisan budget in years, renewed focus has fallen on the tactics that brought it about. These tactics may be puzzling (or alarming), but according to author Tim Harford, they're not new: They're rooted in game theory. He suggests reading Thomas Schelling's The Strategy of Conflict to learn more.

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Gov. Scott Walker Recounts First-Term Battles In New Book

12:51pm December 12, 2013

by NPR Staff

The Wisconsin Republican survived a recall effort last year after signing legislation that eliminated collective bargaining rights for most of the state's public employees. He writes about the political battle in Unintimidated: A Governor's Story and a Nation's Challenge.

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Browse more than 200 standout titles from 2013 selected by NPR staff and critics — including Maureen Corrigan.

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Need A Read? Here Are Maureen Corrigan's Favorite Books Of 2013

4:10pm December 11, 2013

by Maureen Corrigan

Fresh Air's book critic says it's just a fluke that 9 of the 11 titles she picked this year were written by female authors. Her favorites include a jumbo-sized Dickensian novel, a biography of Ben Franklin's sister, a comedy of manners, a stunning Scandinavian mystery and more.

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Frustrating Heroine Stars In Fresh, Feminist 'Nightingale'

3:33pm December 10, 2013

by John Powers

Nina Borg, the heroine of Death of a Nightingale, is a Red Cross nurse on a mission to save the dispossessed. But she neglects her own family as she rescues those in need in Agnete Friis and Lene Kaaberbol's elaborately plotted page-turner.

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