Nonfiction: In ‘The Second Mountain,’ David Brooks Chronicles His Journey Toward Faith
Surrender of self, the Op-Ed columnist says, can awaken love and connection and lead to a life of deep commitment.
Fiction: Love, Sex and Robots Collide in a New Ian McEwan Novel
“Machines Like Me” asks if synthetic humans could spark enlightenment or ease pain — and whether it’s a good idea to invent stuff that could eat your lunch.
'Lie With Me' Captures The Wistfulness Of First Love, And First Loss
Philippe Besson's novel — ably translated from the French by Molly Ringwald — chronicles a painful teenaged heartbreak, followed by grown-up ennui. It's a well-worn but very well-told tale.
(Image credit: Beth Novey/NPR)
For 'Juliet The Maniac,' Healing Had To Come From Within
Juliet Escoria's autobiographical novel is a heartfelt, raw story about surviving mental illness and learning to cope with inner demons. It's not a comfortable read — but it is a powerful one.
(Image credit: Petra Mayer/NPR)
What Don't You Talk About With Your Mom?
A book of essays from a diverse, accomplished array of writers reveals the ways our mothers fail us and we fail them — and poses the question of how much a tough conversation could close those rifts.
(Image credit: NPR)
Nonfiction: Karl Ove Knausgaard Reflects on the Man Who Gave Us ‘The Scream’
Siri Hustvedt reviews “So Much Longing in So Little Space: The Art of Edvard Munch.”
For National Poetry Month, Perspectives On Poetry, Identity And Inspiration
April is the most poetic month, and we're celebrating by asking poets Hanif Abdurraqib, Yanyi, and Franny Choi to talk about what inspires them to write, and how poetry helps express identity.
(Image credit: Kate Sweeney)
Nonfiction: A Manifesto for Opting Out of an Internet-Dominated World
Jenny Odell is an artist who wants us to learn to detach from social media. In “How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy,” she shows us a way.
In 'I Was Their American Dream,' It's Culture, Not Color That Matters
Even as NPR editor Malaka Gharib makes light of herself in her high-spirited graphical memoir, her wisdom about the power and limits of racial identity is evident in the way she draws.
(Image credit: Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC)
Ali Smith's 'Spring' Unfolds Like A Fern
The latest volume in Smith's seasonal quartet revisits some of her familiar themes — the bleakness of contemporary politics, loss, fractured families, nature and art — yet still feels spring-fresh.
(Image credit: Beth Novey)
Nonfiction: Oliver Sacks’s Final, Posthumous Work
“Everything in Its Place” features essays that are actually all over the place.
Poetry: In ‘The Octopus Museum,’ Brenda Shaughnessy Sees a Cephalopod Future
Haunted by climate change, the poet’s postapocalyptic fifth collection envisions a world where humans have ruined things for everyone.
The Checkup: In Classic Children’s Books, a Window to Childhood in Past Centuries
Rare children’s books, made available online through the Library of Congress, show both the constants and the evolution in children’s literature.
Essay: Why Are There So Many Books About Dogs?
There are more than 70,000 dog books on Amazon, in every conceivable genre. What do they say about our relationship with canines?
Whatever Your Feelings On Football, 'Fumbled' Scores Big
Alexa Martin is married to a former NFL player, and she puts that experience to good use in her latest football romance — a witty, sexy story about a determined single mom rediscovering an old love.
(Image credit: Berkley)
How A 'Mama's Boy' And His Mama Found A Path Beyond Politics
Screenwriter Dustin Lance Black's new book is a memoir of his relationship with his mother, and how they found a way forward after he came out as gay and left the Mormon church that she loved.
(Image credit: Beth Novey)
In 'Any Other Place,' Struggling With The Feeling That Something's Not Right
Most of the people Michael Croley's debut story collection feel like they don't belong, even in the places they call home — and Croley conjures that unsettled feeling in understated, beautiful prose.
(Image credit: Blair)
A Bouquet Of Poets For National Poetry Month
Looks like this year, April showers brought April flowers. As in, a bouquet of outstanding poets. So stop and smell the roses, my friends.
(Image credit: LA Johnson/NPR)
This Graphic Novel Brings Gaiman's 'American Gods' To Chilly Life
Artist Scott Hampton has a big job in this second volume of an ambitions, three-book adaptation of Neil Gaiman's American Gods: Depict Gaiman's deadly serious characters without making them quaint.
(Image credit: Dark Horse)
'Inspection' Doesn't Quite Live Up To Its Surprising Premise
Josh Malerman's latest imagines two towers full of boys and girls, raised in isolation and ignorance of the opposite sex, but spends too much time creating a world and not enough on its consequences.
(Image credit: Del Rey)
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