Books

Books

'Fifty Shades' Is The One That Got Away. At Least From Me

5:06pm December 28, 2012

by Lynn Neary

Sometimes "the one that got away" is a book that actually was easy to overlook. And sometimes it's something you ignore until you just can't anymore. NPR's Lynn Neary finally comes to terms with the publishing sensation that is Fifty Shades of Grey.

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Arts

Colbert On Musical Moments And 'America Again'

4:23pm December 28, 2012

As part of our year-end wrap up, we are sharing the best Fresh Air interviews of 2012. Here we listen back to two interviews we did this year with Stephen Colbert. He talks about the presidential debates, his superPAC, Jesus Christ Superstar and Elvis Costello

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The Renaissance Man Who Got It All Wrong

1:03pm December 28, 2012

In A Man of Misconceptions: The Life of an Eccentric in an Age of Change, John Glassie writes of 17th-century Jesuit priest and scientist Athanasius Kircher, a renaissance man who studied magnetism, Mount Vesuvius, even the blood of plague victims. The only problem? His theories were often wrong.

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Penguin and Random House, two of the biggest players in publishing, announced in October that they would merge.

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Arts

Change Is The Only Constant In Today's Publishing Industry

9:40pm December 27, 2012

by NPR Staff

The publishing industry has been in flux for years. First chain stores, then Amazon, then e-books — all combined to create dramatic change. Industry consultant Mike Shatzkin outlines some of the biggest changes, like the recently announced merger of Penguin and Random House.

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Margaret Atwood has written 13 novels, including The Handmaid's Tale and Oryx and Crake.

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Arts

Margaret Atwood's Brave New World Of Online Publishing

9:40pm December 27, 2012

by NPR Staff

Charles Dickens wrote many of his greatest works in serial form, but serial publishing has fallen by the wayside since his day. Now, it's being revived online, and Margaret Atwood is publishing a future-dystopia novel called Positron in installments via the literary website Byliner.

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Publishers are finding that flexible pricing on e-books can help bring in new readers.

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Arts

E-Books Destroying Traditional Publishing? The Story's Not That Simple

9:40pm December 27, 2012

by Zoe Chace

Conventional wisdom says e-books are destroying the traditional publishing business model. But the story's not that simple. For one thing, flexible pricing allows publishers to hold what amount to one-day-only sales on any given title — which means more people will discover that book.

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About three-quarters of public libraries offer digital lending, but finding a book you want can be frustrating — every publisher has its own set of rules.

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Arts

Libraries And E-Lending: The 'Wild West' Of Digital Licensing?

9:40pm December 27, 2012

by NPR Staff

About three-quarters of public libraries offer e-books, according to the American Library Association. But finding the book you want to read can be a challenge when every publisher has its own licensing rules for libraries — and several major houses don't sell e-books to libraries at all.

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R.A. Dickey currently plays for the New York Mets. He was previously with the Seattle Mariners, Minnesota Twins, Texas Rangers and Milwaukee Brewers.

Sports
Books

R.A. Dickey On 'Winding Up' As A Knuckleballer

12:18pm December 27, 2012

New York Mets pitcher R.A. Dickey is currently the only knuckleball pitcher in the major leagues. His memoir, Wherever I Wind Up, explains how his life — and career — have mimicked the unpredictable trajectory of the difficult pitch he throws game after game.

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Joan Rivers says her material has only gotten stronger with age. "I always say, 'What are you going to do? Are you going to fire me? Been fired. Going to be bankrupt? Been bankrupt.'"

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Joan Rivers Hates You, Herself and Everyone Else

12:19pm December 26, 2012

Comedian Joan Rivers hates a lot of things. Her new book, I Hate Everyone, Starting With Me, details the things Rivers can't stand, from her appearance to obituaries to younger comedians who steal her gigs.

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The SciFri Book Club Tours 'The Planets'

11:36am December 26, 2012

The SciFri Book Club is touring the solar system, with Dava Sobel's 2005 The Planets. Call in with a review of the book. Plus Jim Green, director of planetary science at NASA, joins the club to give an update on what's happened planet-wise since the book was published.

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