NPR: Books Podcast

Stories in this episode: 1) Lynn Neary speaks with two doctors who are also fiction writers — Abraham Verghese and Terrence Holt — about the link between medicine and writing literature. 2) The work of an agency known as DARPA is the topic of ...

Stories in this episode: 1) Food writer Nigella Lawson says one of the best ways to be warm and comfortable during winter is to indulge in rich, tasty foods that some might call guilty pleasures. 2) In his new book, 'Eating Animals,' Jonathan Safran Foer ...

Stories: 1) Jeff Kinney's book series centers on a smart-mouthed sad sack who just can't seem to win. 2) Walmart, Amazon and Target are cutting the price of some best-selling books. 3) 'What to Expect When You're Expected' is a tongue-in-cheek take on ...

Stories in this episode: 1) Amy Efaw's new novel, 'After,' tells the story of a girl who tries to murder her newborn baby. 2) The Institute of Noetic Sciences president realized recently she's the heroine in Brown's new novel. 3) Jeff Kinney's latest ...

Stories in this episode: 1) Once the center of an obscenity trial, William S. Burroughs' novel 'Naked Lunch' chronicles heroin addiction. 2) Ex-Wife Of D.C. Sniper, Mildred Muhammad says the sniper wanted to kill her and divert suspicion to a crazed ...

Stories in this episode: 1) Audrey Niffenegger, the author of 'The Time Traveler's Wife' says she's attracted to themes of death and dying. 2) The Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Richard Russo recommends four fictional takes on office life. 3) In 'Read ...

Stories in this episode: 1) Writer John Geiger chronicles phantom presences that lead to safety in his new book, 'The Third Man Factor: Surviving the Impossible. 2) Jon Krakauer's latest book sheds new light on the death of NFL player turned soldier Pat ...

Stories in this episode: 1) Susan Stamberg talks with linguist Deborah Tannen who interviewed 100 women (including her own big sisters) for her new book. 2) Lorrie Moore's new novel is a powerful tale of a young college student who becomes a nanny. 3) ...

Stories in this episode: 1) 'Dying Up Here' Chronicles Golden Age Of Stand-Up 2) Doctorow's Fictional Take On Real-Life Eccentricity 3) 'Reading Rainbow' Reaches Its Final Chapter

Stories in this episode: 1) Ready to become engrossed in a good book? Try these mysteries you may have missed. 2) A new interactive novel allows readers to e-mail and telephone characters from the book. 3) Tina Brown, the Daily Beast editor talks about ...

Stories in this episode: 1) Lev Grossman's new novel reads like a Harry Potter tale, but with more shades of gray. 2) Children's book author Lesley Blume recommends timeless books that both kids and parents will enjoy. 3) Fancy a cozy whodunit set in the ...

1) David Balducci writes crime novels that take place in Washington, D.C.. 2) A writer for The Onion talks about his new memoir and how marrying his humor and his depression makes for an insane, dark comedy. 3) Crime writer Gabriel Cohen takes us on a ...

Stories in this episode: 1) Despite the economic downturn, one kind of story is still selling better than many other forms of adult fiction. 2) In a kind of supermarket Cinderella story, a cashier in France has become a literary sensation. 3) 'Young ...

Stories in this episode: 1) The murder of wildlife activist and filmmaker Joan Root was never solved, but her life and violent death is the subject of a new book, 'Wildflower: An Extraordinary Life and Untimely Death in Africa'. 2) Writer Neil Gaiman ...

Stories in this episode: 1) Author Colin Ellard says you can train yourself to be more conscious of your surroundings. 2) Author Jag Bhalla discusses the unique turns of phrase that different cultures use. 3) In a new book, Nick Reding describes why the ...

Stories in this episode: 1) 'Touch' tells of the conflicting accounts that arise after a girl is groped on a school bus. 2) Author Gigi Levangie Grazer talks about her new novel, 'Queen Takes King.' 3) 'The Photographer' is an unusual graphic novel that ...

Stories in this episode: 1) Retrace the strands that led to a lot of current American satire, and you end up at Harvey Kurtzman. 2) Nikita Khrushchev starred in his own travel comedy back in 1959. Peter Carlson's new book, 'K Blows Top,'documents the ...

Stories in this episode: 1) Filmmaker Guillermo del Toro's new novel merges vampire folklore with the very modern paranoia over pandemics. 2) Looking to cozy up with some good books? Librarian Nancy Pearl has some great suggestions. 3) A multivolume ...

Stories in this episode: 1) This year's selections take readers from the great outdoors to the inside of a Scrabble factory. 2) Google's new e-book plan could give the Amazon Kindle a run for its money by the end of this year. 3) Haunted by memories of ...