Books

Getty Images
Book News: Amazon Launches An Imprint For Short Fiction
December 5, 2013 | NPR · Also: Queer theorist José Esteban Muñoz has died; Norway is digitizing books written in Norwegian; Gary Shteyngart spices up 19th century British literature.
 

Courtesy of Nina Subin
Book News: Manil Suri Takes Bad Sex In Fiction Award
December 4, 2013 | NPR · Also: Joyce Carol Oates on Mike Tyson; remembering the Egyptian poet Ahmed Fouad Negm; NPR launches a “Book Concierge.”
 

NPR Staff
NPR’s Book Concierge: Our Guide To 2013′s Great Reads
December 4, 2013 | NPR · NPR staff and critics selected more than 200 standout titles. Now it’s up to you: Choose your own adventure! Use our tags to search through books and find the perfect read for yourself or someone else.
 

iStockphoto
The Top 5 Reasons We’re Taking A Break From Lists
December 4, 2013 | NPR · In the past five years, NPR has brought you 80-plus year-end book lists. This year, we’ve decided to change it up. Introducing NPR’s Book Concierge: our guide to more than 200 of 2013′s great reads.
 

Courtesy of Three Rivers Press
A Holiday Photo Book That Puts Families In An ‘Awkward’ Position
December 4, 2013 | NPR · Matching long johns. Kick lines in skis. Peeing on Santa’s lap. Every family has these cringe-worthy moments, immortalized on film, that embody the particularly joyous brand of awkward that the holidays bring. And thanks to Mike Bender, co-author of Awkward Family Holiday Photos, the rest of us can rubberneck.
Windows Media | MP3 | NPR Player | Add to NPR Player
 

Getty Images
Underground Cities And ‘Ghost’ Miners: What Some People Do For Gold
December 3, 2013 | NPR · South Africa’s Mponeng gold mine is a 2.5-mile-deep network of chutes and tunnels that employs about 4,000 miners. Of course, that number doesn’t include the miners who wander its tunnels clandestinely, stealing and refining ore. In a new book, journalist Matthew Hart investigates why gold and crime sometimes go hand in hand.
Windows Media | MP3 | NPR Player | Add to NPR Player
 

AP
Ted Williams: A Perfectionist Ballplayer With Many Demons
December 3, 2013 | NPR · The hitter had a swing so pure and flawless that Mickey Mantle would watch him take batting practice. But he was also a tormented soul who hurt a lot of people, including himself. Ben Bradlee Jr. delivers a deeply personal account of Williams’ life in The Kid.
Windows Media | MP3 | NPR Player | Add to NPR Player
 

Bodleian Libraries and Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana
Book News: Ancient Texts From Vatican And Bodleian Libraries Digitized
December 3, 2013 | NPR · Also: Marina Warner considers sea monsters; Apple gripes about its court-appointed monitor; Ian Rankin on being paid to write.
 

Moving Fables Of Gods, Men, Love And Monsters In ‘Early Earth’
December 3, 2013 | NPR · Isabel Greenberg’s new Encyclopedia of Early Earth weaves a human love story into a quasi-Biblical creation tale, full of capricious gods, feckless shamans and more-or-less doomed love. Reviewer Glen Weldon says the graphic novel is full of tasty visual gags, and “lands with an emotional impact you likely won’t see coming.”
 

Dec. 2-8: Doorbell Ringers, A Heat Seeker And One Witty Ghost
December 2, 2013 | NPR · In softcover fiction, Ellen Meister resurrects a literary icon, Ryan McIlvain sends elders door to door, and William H. Gass strikes the key to an identity crisis. In nonfiction, Monte Reel tells of the Victorian who chased after gorillas, and Bill Streever explores the thermometer’s upper frontiers.
 

 

Comments are closed.

News

U.S. Economy Grew At 3.6 Percent In Third Quarter; Jobless Claims Dip
December 5, 2013 | NPR · U.S. real gross domestic product rose from a 2.5 percent gain in the second quarter. And the number of people filing first-time claims for unemployment insurance fell to 298,000 last week.
 

Granite Mountain Hotshots
$559K Fine Set For Safety Failures In Deadly Arizona Wildfire
December 5, 2013 | NPR · Arizona’s worker safety commission imposes multiple fines on the state’s forestry unit, with the largest coming for “willful serious” violations that left firefighters in dangerous positions. The Yarnell Hill fire killed 19 elite firefighters in June.
 

AFP/Getty Images
Militants Launch Deadly Attack On Yemen’s Defense Ministry
December 5, 2013 | NPR · At least 20 people were killed in the violence, in which a gun battle followed a large explosion. No group claimed responsibility for the attack, but several analysts have noted that it resembles the operations of Al-Qaida.
 

Arts & Life

Getty Images
Book News: Amazon Launches An Imprint For Short Fiction
December 5, 2013 | NPR · Also: Queer theorist José Esteban Muñoz has died; Norway is digitizing books written in Norwegian; Gary Shteyngart spices up 19th century British literature.
 

Telemundo/NBC Universal
Telemundo’s ‘Highly Unusual’ Resurrection of ‘El Señor’
December 4, 2013 | NPR · Telemundo announced that its telenovela El Señor de los Cielos (Lord of the Skies) will be back for an unheard of second season. This is a radical departure from traditional telenovelas, which have a clear beginning and a definitive ending.
 

The Washington Post/Getty Images
Mushroom Foraging: When The Fun(gi) Hunt Gets Out Of Hand
December 4, 2013 | NPR · Foraging for fungi and other wild edibles has grown in popularity in the U.S. and abroad in recent years, fueled by guidebooks, Internet buzz and hype from chefs. As a result, some known mushroom hunting grounds are taking a beating.
 

Music

Courtesy of the artist
Patrick Cornelius: Live At Berklee
December 4, 2013 | WBGO · After releasing his fourth album earlier this year, the alto saxophonist premieres a new set of compositions: a suite for jazz octet inspired by A.A. Milne’s poetry for children. He visits his alma mater on Dec. 11 to introduce the music in a live broadcast.
 

Courtesy of the artist
Brian Blade Fellowship: Live At The Village Vanguard
December 4, 2013 | WBGO · One of the world’s great percussionists leads a band driven by decades-long friendships, emotionally resonant anthems and flying drumsticks. With a new album on the way, the Fellowship reunites in New York for a week. Watch a live webcast on Dec. 10.
 

Courtesy of the artist
On Becoming Llewyn Davis, A Hero Who Excels At Failing
December 4, 2013 | NPR · Actor Oscar Isaac disappears into the title role of the new Coen brothers film, Inside Llewyn Davis, a black comedy about a ’60s folk singer who just can’t make it, no matter what he does. He speaks with NPR’s Melissa Block about playing the less-than-likable character.
Windows Media | MP3 | NPR Player | Add to NPR Player
 

Get the KRCC iPhone App

The Writer's Almanac

Radiolab