Books

Ninety percent of what we wear, eat and consume is carried by container ships like this one at the state-run Jaya Container Terminal of Sri Lanka's port of Colombo.

Books
Arts

Shipping: The 'Invisible Industry' That Clothes And Feeds You

4:38pm August 14, 2013

Rose George spent several weeks aboard a container ship to research Ninety Percent of Everything, her book about the shipping industry. She writes, "There are more than one hundred thousand ships at sea carrying all the solids, liquids and gases that we need to live."

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Books

E-Books Strain Relations Between Libraries, Publishing Houses

2:23pm August 13, 2013

by Lynn Neary

E-books have changed the world of publishing in fundamental ways. The business model that encouraged publishers to support the work of public libraries has changed to such an extent that this relationship has been stressed to the point of non cooperation.

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Justin St. Germain teaches at the University of New Mexico.

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Arts

Heading West: The Gritty, Luminous 'Son Of A Gun'

8:17pm August 12, 2013

by Julia Keller

If the town of Tombstone, Ariz., sounds familiar, it probably has to do with what happened there in 1881 — the year of the infamous gunfight between lawman Wyatt Earp and a rival gang. A new memoir by Justin St. Germain weaves the story of the O.K. Corral into another, more personal tale.

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Arts

Addictive 'Infatuations' Takes A Metaphysical Look At Crime

1:48pm August 12, 2013

by John Powers

Spanish novelist Javier Marías is well-known in Europe, but not as popular in the United States. Critic John Powers says Marías' latest work — an unsettling, slightly sinister twist on the mystery novel — ought to raise the author's profile here in America.

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Choire Sicha co-runs the website The Awl. Very Recent History is his first book.

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Arts

Party Like It's 2009: Life And Friendship In The Great Recession

5:23pm August 11, 2013

by Alex Espinoza

When the economy's dropping like an anvil, young professionals have to find ways to make do — and having friends always helps. Reviewer Alex Espinoza says Choire Sicha's Very Recent History is an insightful tale of friends weathering a tough economy in the big city.

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Arts

'Dork Diaries' Reveal Secrets Of 'Not-So-Fabulous' Teen Life

7:13pm August 08, 2013

by NPR Staff

Rachel Renee Russell's very popular series stars a not-so-popular protagonist. The Dork Diaries are written by Nikki Maxwell, a misfit at a new school. Russell was inspired to write the books after seeing her own daughters struggle with the "dork" label during their teenage years.

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Poor Donna Reed: Her Mary would have ended up working in a library — shudder — if not for the matrimonial intervention of Jimmy Stewart's George Bailey. Happily, 1946's It's a Wonderful Life isn't the only lens through which pop culture assesses the w

Books
Arts

Libraries' Leading Roles: On Stage, On Screen And In Song

4:04pm August 08, 2013

by Bob Mondello

In the latest installment of our library series, NPR's Bob Mondello visits some notable libraries in popular culture: Jorge Luis Borges' Library of Babel; Lucien's Library in Neil Gaiman's The Sandman; and the stacks in Buffy, Hogwarts, Doctor Who and Fahrenheit 451.

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Books
Arts

2012 Election Was 'Collision' Between Two Americas

4:05pm August 06, 2013

by NPR Staff

In his new book, Washington Post correspondent Dan Balz offers an insider's account of the forces that shaped the political strategies of Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, and the flaws and misfires that led to Romney's defeat. He discusses the 2012 campaign and the future of the Republican Party.

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Rear view of a young guy walking down a city street.

Books
Arts

'Love Affairs' Of A Hip, Young Literary Hound Dog

12:18pm August 06, 2013

by Maureen Corrigan

The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P. is a debut novel about a sharp and assured young man living among young, aspiring literary types in Brooklyn. Book critic Maureen Corrigan says never before has a novel made her feel so grateful to be middle-aged.

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According to author David Epstein, hitters like the Los Angeles Angels' Albert Pujols look at the movement of the pitcher's shoulder, torso or hand to help them hit the ball.

Talent Or Skill?: Homing In On The Elusive 'Sports Gene'

11:59pm August 05, 2013

Do big league hitters have naturally faster reflexes? Are African-Americans predisposed to be better athletes? In his new book, Sports Illustrated's David Epstein says science now has answers — or at least insights — to all these questions.

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