Author Interviews
Learning 'Sri Lankan Home Cooking' A Family Affair
()A child of Sri Lankan immigrants, music journalist S.H. "Skiz" Fernando, Jr. grew up eating Sri Lankan food. But he didn't master the art of the cuisine until he moved to Sri Lanka and enlisted the help of his aunts. Fernando shares the results in Rice and Curry: Sri Lankan Home Cooking.
![detail from the jacket detail from the jacket](http://web.archive.org./web/20111230210949im_/http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2011/12/30/garden_sq.jpg?t=1325263035&s=11)
Resisting Hitler's Rise 'In the Garden of Beasts'
In The Garden of Beasts chronicles William Dodd's years as U.S. ambassador to Germany from 1933-37.
()![A page from Bumble-ardy A page from Bumble-ardy](http://web.archive.org./web/20111230210949im_/http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2011/12/21/bumbleardy_sheriff_sq.jpg?t=1324493562&s=11)
Maurice Sendak: On Life, Death And Children's Lit
An orphaned pig longs for a birthday party in Bumble-ardy,the newest work from Sendak, who is 83.
()![At 29,029 ft. above sea level, Mount Everest — also called Mount Chomolungma — is the highest mountain on Earth. At 29,029 ft. above sea level, Mount Everest — also called Mount Chomolungma — is the highest mountain on Earth.](http://web.archive.org./web/20111230210949im_/http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2011/12/28/istock_000011611236large_sq.jpg?t=1325121011&s=11)
True Grit: 'Into The Silence' Scales Everest
Wade Davis tells the story of the British climbers who tried to scale Mount Everest in the 1920s.
()John Brown: The 'Midnight Rising' Of A Violent Abolitionist()
![American abolitionist John Brown led the 1859 raid on Harpers Ferry, Va. That takeover and the man behind it are the subjects of historian Tony Horwitz's new book, Midnight Rising. American abolitionist John Brown led the 1859 raid on Harpers Ferry, Va. That takeover and the man behind it are the subjects of historian Tony Horwitz's new book, Midnight Rising.](http://web.archive.org./web/20111230210949im_/http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2011/12/27/johnbrown.jpg?t=1325089356&s=1)
December 27, 2011 John Brown, the man who led the 1859 raid on Harpers Ferry, Va., may be among the most polarizing figures in American history. To some, he's a traitor and terrorist; to others, he's a hero. Tony Horwitz discusses his book Midnight Rising: John Brown and the Raid That Sparked the Civil War.
Bill Cosby Enlists Santa's Staff For A Silent Night()
!['I Didn't Ask to Be Born (But I'm Glad I Was)' 'I Didn't Ask to Be Born (But I'm Glad I Was)'](http://web.archive.org./web/20111230210949im_/http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2011/12/22/9780892969203_1681x2544.jpg?t=1324589133&s=1)
December 25, 2011 Every year, the comedian's three young grandchildren visit him for Christmas. Problem is, "they're annoying," he says. So Cosby came up with a plan to calm the squabbling children and restore Christmas cheer to his household.
A Jewish Perspective On The New Testament()
![A worn copy of the Bible. A worn copy of the Bible.](http://web.archive.org./web/20111230210949im_/http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2011/12/24/bible_promo.jpg?t=1324756882&s=1)
December 24, 2011 The New Testament is constantly being re-interpreted from a variety of perspectives — from feminists, to socialists, to traditionalists; there's even a version as seen through the prism of Star Wars. Now you can add to the collection The Jewish Annotated New Testament, the first annotated version of the New Testament from an entirely Jewish point of view.
'The Dead Witness': Classic Victorian Crime Fiction()
![Michael Sims, editor of The Dead Witness, resurrects long-forgotten Victorian crime writing. Michael Sims, editor of The Dead Witness, resurrects long-forgotten Victorian crime writing.](http://web.archive.org./web/20111230210949im_/http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2011/12/21/simsbydenniswile.jpg?t=1324511198&s=1)
December 22, 2011 In The Dead Witness, Michael Sims presents stories from the early days of detective fiction, revisiting classics and introducing readers to a raft of lesser-known writers, many of them women.
NPR's Backseat Book Club
'Breadcrumbs': Young Readers Follow A Wintry Tale()
![Breadcrumbs Breadcrumbs](http://web.archive.org./web/20111230210949im_/http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2011/12/20/breadcrumbscover.jpg?t=1324401122&s=1)
December 20, 2011 Anne Ursu's novel is a modern-day fairy tale set in the snowy woods near Minneapolis. In the latest installment of NPR's Backseat Book Club, Ursu explains that Breadcrumbs was inspired by her own childhood memories of white winters in Minnesota.
In 'Fielding,' Baseball Meets The White Whale()
![Chad Harbach jokes that after his success with his book about baseball, hockey, golf and ping-pong are next. Chad Harbach jokes that after his success with his book about baseball, hockey, golf and ping-pong are next.](http://web.archive.org./web/20111230210949im_/http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2011/12/20/glove.jpg?t=1324407407&s=1)
December 19, 2011 Chad Harbach's debut novel, The Art of Fielding, is as much about literary fiction as it is about baseball. The book follows a talented college shortstop destined for big-league stardom — until a routine throw goes wrong and his life starts to fall apart.