NPR's Book of the Day
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NPR's Book of the Day
In need of a good read? Or just want to keep up with the books everyone's talking about? NPR's Book of the Day gives you today's very best writing in a snackable, skimmable, pocket-sized podcast. Whether you're looking to engage with the big questions of our times – or temporarily escape from them –...
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Revisiting ‘Kitchen Confidential’
Anthony Bourdain published his memoir Kitchen Confidential in 2000 as a little-known chef. In the 25 years since its publication, his writing – and su...
‘How a Game Lives,’ ‘How to Save the Internet’ show the best and worst of life online
Two new books delve into the best and worst corners of the internet. First, Jacob Geller creates YouTube essays about art, literature, film, video gam...
A new book of poems by Kate Baer wrestles with the realities of middle age
NPR’s Scott Detrow and poet Kate Baer share a favorite bookstore in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. They recently met there to discuss Baer’s new poetry col...
In 'The Unveiling,' a disastrous cruise becomes an opportunity for cultural reckoning
Even if you’re scared of cruise ships, don’t turn away from Quan Barry’s The Unveiling. When film scout and photographer Striker boards an Antarctic c...
Deborah Willis on her seminal history of Black photography, reissued 25 years later
Deborah Willis is one of the foremost authorities on Black photography. The MacArthur “genius award” winner has dedicated her career to cataloging and...
In ‘Best Offer Wins,’ an ambitious millennial is driven mad by the homebuying process
Marisa Kashino used to report on the real estate industry in Washington, D.C. That experience inspired her debut novel, Best Offer Wins, which follows...
Revisiting Frank Herbert’s ‘Dune’
Frank Herbert’s 1965 epic Dune was once the domain of sci-fi diehards. But in recent years, the book has crossed over into the mainstream. In today’s...
In new novels, marriages are tested by a last request and a moment in the spotlight
In two new novels, marriages are tested by unusual circumstances. First, in Ann Packer’s Some Bright Nowhere, a woman dying of cancer makes a big ask...
Abby Phillip’s 'A Dream Deferred' chronicles Jesse Jackson’s rise to political esteem
Rev. Jesse Jackson is well-known as an icon of the American Civil Rights Movement, a protégé of Martin Luther King Jr., and a steadfast activist — but...
'The Devil Is a Southpaw' is a story within a story — or so its narrator says
Are all unreliable narrators self-aware? The answer might depend on the novel, but in Brandon Hobson’s The Devil Is a Southpaw, our primary narrator,...
John Fetterman on his new memoir, his mental health, and disagreements with his party
When Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) won Pennsylvania’s Senate seat in 2022, Democrats saw him as a symbol of a new direction during the Trump era. Three...
A new book looks to the writings of Renaissance-era nuns for advice on life today
Modern life can make it tempting to return to simpler times, like a 16th-century Spanish convent. In the new book Convent Wisdom, academics Ana Garrig...
Revisiting ‘Their Eyes Were Watching God’
Janie Crawford – back in her hometown of Eatonville, Florida – recounts a journey of self-discovery, structured around three marriages. Their Eyes Wer...
A Claire McCardell biography and an AI sci-fi are among NPR’s top book picks of 2025
NPR’s annual Books We Love guide is back for its 13th year, sharing over 380 hand-selected reads by NPR staff and critics. In today’s post-Thanksgivin...
'My Cambodia: A Khmer Cookbook' is Nite Yun’s love letter to food and family
Some cookbooks don’t just provide recipes; they tell stories—and Nite Yun’s My Cambodia: A Khmer Cookbook is a perfect example. Yun discovered the ric...
'We Were Liars' author returns for more teenage catharsis in 'We Fell Apart'
E. Lockhart understands the struggle of being a teenager. Her first novel We Were Liars was a standout YA hit of 2014, celebrated (and at times, criti...
Comic journalist Joe Sacco on his portrait of deadly riots in Uttar Pradesh, India
In 2013, two young Hindu cousins killed a Muslim man in a rural part of Uttar Pradesh, India. What followed was a series of alternating violence in th...
Justinian Huang’s new novel follows a Taiwanese-American family intent on a male heir
Justinian Huang’s new novel Lucky Seed is about a single, gay son pressured by his Taiwanese-American family to produce a male heir. In an interview w...
Revisiting ‘Gone Girl’
Amy and Nick Dunn have the perfect life and are the perfect couple until they reach a breaking point, revealing their true selves. The book that spawn...
'The Ten Year Affair,' 'Sex of the Midwest' look at the role of sex in domestic life
Two new books examine how sex fits into suburban and small-town life, respectively. First, Erin Somers explores marriage and desire in her novel The T...
'Fire in Every Direction' is a personal work by Palestinian scholar Tareq Baconi
Tareq Baconi is a Palestinian scholar best known for Hamas Contained: The Rise and Pacification of Palestinian Resistance. But in his new memoir Fire...
Kathy Iandoli on Gucci Mane’s memoir and becoming the go-to writer for rappers
Gucci Mane’s new memoir Episodes covers a range of difficult topics: depression, mania, anxiety, drug abuse. There are even pages of the book that are...
'Bog Queen' cherishes Earth’s mossy wetlands and the bodies they preserve
You may have heard of a bog — those wet, mucky environments found mostly in the northern temperate pockets of Canada or Europe — but did you know that...
Margaret Atwood on what finally made her agree to write a memoir
Best-selling author Margaret Atwood says she originally rejected the idea of writing a memoir. But she warmed up to the idea after she began to think...
Revisiting ‘Giovanni's Room’
James Baldwin’s recent centennial birthday allowed us to discuss one of his most celebrated novels, Giovanni’s Room. Andrew Limbong and B. A. Parker a...
Music biographies 'The Cars,' 'Only God Can Judge Me' balance greatness and tragedy
Two new biographies focus on legendary musical acts: the rock band The Cars and rapper Tupac Shakur. First, in the late 1970s, a Boston radio DJ playe...
John Grisham brings a money-hungry lawyer to center stage in 'The Widow'
In The Widow, his 52nd novel and counting, author John Grisham returns to one of his cherished topics: lawyers. But not the type of lawyer one would h...
In 'A Guardian and a Thief,' a mother’s love for her family threatens her own morals
Megha Majumdar’s new novel takes place in a near-future Kolkata struck by climate change. There, one family’s possibility of escape is jeopardized whe...
Tochi Onyebuchi’s 'Racebook' is a 'personal history' of a less serious time online
Tochi Onyebuchi remembers when the internet was fun. The science fiction and fantasy author says he initially existed online as a “skinless, raceless...
Philip Pullman’s new novel follows ‘The Golden Compass’ heroine into young adulthood
It’s been more than 30 years since Philip Pullman began the His Dark Materials series – and now, that story is coming to a close. Pullman’s latest boo...
Revisiting ‘The Joy Luck Club’
The stories of mothers and daughters trying to connect with each other, across time, space and generations – this is the centerpiece of Amy Tan’s The...
Reese Witherspoon, Harlan Coben and Chris Kraus are out with new crime thrillers
Today’s episode features two new crime thrillers written by big names. First, Harlan Coben says he stopped in his tracks when Reese Witherspoon asked...
These previously unpublished Harper Lee stories were discovered in her NYC apartment
After Harper Lee’s death in 2016, previously unpublished writing was discovered in her New York City apartment. The Land of Sweet Forever includes eig...
In 'The Eleventh Hour,' Salman Rushdie writes about morality, revenge and ghosts
Salman Rushdie lived for decades under a death sentence and survived a knife attack three years ago. His latest book The Eleventh Hour is his first wo...
Julian Brave Noisecat’s 'We Survived the Night' is part memoir, part Native history
As a newborn, Ed Archie NoiseCat was found in an incinerator at a Catholic-run Indian boarding school. In a new book We Survived the Night, his son, J...
Karine Jean-Pierre’s new memoir 'Independent' explains why she left the Democrats
For almost three years, Karine Jean-Pierre was White House press secretary for the Biden-Harris administration. Her new memoir, Independent, explains...
Revisiting Charles Portis’ True Grit
Westerns are seemingly back in the culture. With the popularity of the television series Yellowstone and musical artists like Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter...
Stephen King on 'The Shining' sequel and the novel he co-authored with his son
In today’s episode, "King of Horror" Stephen King reflects on his sobriety, the sequel to The Shining and a novel he co-wrote with his son. First, The...
In 'The Hacienda,' the protagonist is trapped in a haunted house – and her marriage
After Mexico’s war for independence, a new bride finds herself alone in a haunted house surrounded by people who don't believe her. Isabel Cañas' debu...
Shirley Jackson’s biographer on the writer’s ability to find evil in the ordinary
With stories like “The Lottery” and The Haunting of Hill House, Shirley Jackson was one of the great horror authors of the 20th century. In 2012, Ruth...