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My Name Is Lucy Barton

Simplicity And Restraint Make 'Lucy Barton' Shine

January 13, 2016 • Elizabeth Strout's new novel, about an estranged mother and daughter reconnecting during the daughter's illness, is a marvel of quiet simplicity. Reviewer Annalisa Quinn calls it "a true novel."

Your Heart Is a Muscle the Size of a Fist

'Your Heart Is A Muscle' Is A Florid, Ambitious Tale Of Protest

January 12, 2016 • Sunil Yapa's new novel follows a group of characters through the 1999 World Trade Organization protests in Seattle. Critic Michael Schaub praises Yapa's ambition, but says his execution is amateurish.

Ernest Hemingway

Revisiting The 'Last Interview' Of Ernest Hemingway, Philip K. Dick And Nora Ephron

Fresh Air

January 11, 2016 • A series of books published by Melville House gathers together the final interviews conducted with prominent deceased writers and thinkers. Critic Maureen Corrigan reviews the latest in the series.

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Alive, Alive Oh!

Memories Of A Long Life Return In 'Alive, Alive Oh!'

January 10, 2016 • British writer Diana Athill is 98 — by her own account, a very old woman. In this slim but lovely volume, she recounts the moments that have lingered: heartbreak, yes, but also hills of bluebells.

Steal the Sky

'Steal The Sky' Puts A Swashbuckling Spin On Familiar Fantasy

January 9, 2016 • Megan O'Keefe kicks off a new fantasy series with Steal the Sky, an adventure set in an arid land where rare-element powered airships sail above mining towns packed with charming crooks and con men.

Midnight Taxi Tango

Catch This 'Midnight Taxi' To A Magical Brooklyn

January 7, 2016 • The second volume in Daniel José Older's Bone Street Rumba series follows half-dead, all-haunted ghost slayer Carlos Delacruz as he investigates a series of grisly events in Brooklyn's Von King Park.

This Census-Taker

'This Census-Taker' Is A Quiet Book With A Murderous Heart

January 6, 2016 • China Mieville's new novella feels like a fairy tale. It's set in an isolated hill village, where a young boy witnesses a terrible crime and meets a mysterious stranger who may (or may not) help him.

The Past

Emily Bogle/NPR

Glittering 'Past' Channels Chekhov

January 5, 2016 • Tessa Hadley's new novel follows four siblings as they gather at a dilapidated family cottage for a bittersweet summer together. Critic Heller McAlpin praises Hadley's "wry compassion."

Jonathan Banks (left) and Bob Odenkirk star in the AMC series Better Call Saul, which tops David Bianculli's 2015 10-Best list.

Jonathan Banks (left) and Bob Odenkirk star in the AMC series Better Call Saul, which tops David Bianculli's 2015 10-Best list. Ben Leuner/Courtesy of AMC hide caption

toggle caption Ben Leuner/Courtesy of AMC

Fresh Air Weekend

Fresh Air Weekend: Our Critics Pick The Best TV, Books, Movies And Music Of 2015

Fresh Air

January 2, 2016 • David Bianulli picks the best TV shows of the year. Short books dominate Maureen Corrigan's best book list. David Edelstein recommends the year's best films. Ken Tucker assesses the best music of '15.

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cover

Courtesy of Subterranean Press

Harlan Ellison Returns With A 'Can'tankerous' New Collection

January 2, 2016 • The sci-fi legend is America's national curmudgeon — and his rage, humor and a little sadness are all on display in a new collection of short pieces, interspersed with thoughts about his 2014 stroke.

Shame and Wonder by David Searcy.

Ariel Zambelich/NPR

'Shame And Wonder' Is Light On Shame, Heavy On Wonder

December 31, 2015 • David Searcy's essay collection finds the marvelous in everything from classic cars to Scrooge McDuck. Though it lacks some leavening humor, it's a lovely argument for approaching the world with awe.

Dancing With the Devil in the City of God

The China Challenge

The Two-State Delusion

From NPR's International Desk: A Few Of Our Favorite Reads

December 30, 2015 • From ancient China to its modern rise, from the searing feuds of the Middle East to the cultural contradictions of Rio, our international staff offers up some of the best books of 2015. Enjoy.

Only Love Can Break Your Heart

Flawed But Readable 'Love' May Break Your Heart

December 30, 2015 • Ed Tarkington's debut, Only Love Can Break Your Heart, mixes mystery and coming-of-age in a lush Southern Gothic setting. Critic Bethanne Patrick says despite some missteps, it's beautifully written.

Sailor and Fiddler

'Sailor And Fiddler' Is A Lovely Coda To A Literary Career

December 29, 2015 • Herman Wouk says his new memoir will be his last book — at 100, he says, he is at last free of a lifelong to-do list. Critic Michael Schaub says the book is surprisingly short, but packed with charm.

Chinatown Kitchen

Cooking Class

At Home With Umami

Food

Cook Your Own Adventure: 11 Cookbooks For Kitchen Dreamers

December 16, 2015 • This year's cookbooks point to big dreams, and a kind of comfort with concepts once considered the province of professional cooks.

The Sympathizer

The Scapegoat

John Powers' List Of Books, CDs And DVDs He Wishes He Had Reviewed In 2015

Fresh Air

December 14, 2015 • Every year, critic John Powers finds himself compiling a list of praiseworthy work he's read, watched or heard that he neglected to mention on the radio. This year, he's sharing his "Ghost List."

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Sophia

A Motley Crew On A Wild Pilgrimage In 'Sophia'

December 13, 2015 • Michael Bible's slim new novel follows a jaded, drunken priest and his chess-master sidekick on a cross country journey, along with a crowd of misfits and outliers who help give the book its charm.

The Tsar of Love and Techno

Honeydew

A Manual for Cleaning Women

Maureen Corrigan's Best Books Of 2015: Short(ish) Books That Pack A Big Punch

Fresh Air

December 7, 2015 • This year, short stories and fragmented intense memoirs — along with the incredible true story of a short-haired dog — dominate Maureen Corrigan's best books list.

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The Blizzard

'The Blizzard' May Leave You Cold

December 5, 2015 • Vladimir Sorokin's surreal road trip novel follows a doctor rushing through a blizzard to deliver a vaccine to a zombie-plagued village — but that rich premise is let down by clunky, uneven prose.

Like Family

'Like Family' Rewards The Patient Reader

December 3, 2015 • Physicist-turned-author Paolo Giordano's new novel follows a couple adrift after their beloved housekeeper dies. Critic Heller McAlpin says the book is melancholy, but offers a subtle hope.

The Eternaut

Classic Sci-Fi Comic 'Eternaut' Fights The Power

December 2, 2015 • What should science fiction look like? That's a question that absorbed the creators of The Eternaut, an iconic comic about an alien invasion, first serialized in a Buenos Aires newspaper in the 1950s.

Your Brother's Blood

'Your Brother's Blood' Gives New Life To The Undead

December 1, 2015 • Zombie stories are everywhere, but David Towsey's new book takes an unexpected turn — to a gritty, far-future world with echoes of the American West, full of undead who still have hearts and souls.

The Whispering City

Barcelona's Women Make 'The Whispering City' Shine

November 29, 2015 • Two academics from Germany, writing as Sara Moliner, have recreated a sepia-toned 1950s Barcelona in this new mystery novel. Critic Bethanne Patrick says City's strength is in its variety of women.

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