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Books: Book Reviews, Book News, and Author Interviews NPR's brings you news about books and authors along with our picks for great reads. Interviews, reviews, and much more.

Books

Saturday

Author Interviews

'A Fatal Inheritance' follows a family's struggle with cancer across generations

NPR's Scott Simon talks to Larry Ingrassia, former managing editor of the Los Angeles Times, about his latest book, "A Fatal Inheritance," which details his family's struggle with cancer.

'A Fatal Inheritance' follows a family's struggle with cancer across generations

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Author Interviews

Peter S. Beagle on his new novel, the hero's journey, and why villains talk so much

A reluctant hero's quest, a can-do princess, and an evil wizard who just can not shut up: NPR's Scott Simon talks with Peter S. Beagle about his new novel, "I'm Afraid You've Got Dragons."

Peter S. Beagle on his new novel, the hero's journey, and why villains talk so much

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Thursday

Author Interviews

A new book celebrates author Kazuo Ishiguro and singer Stacey Kent's collaboration

Author Kazuo Ishiguro and jazz singer Stacey Kent turned a friendship into a songwriting collaboration. Sixteen lyrics have been compiled in a new book The Summer We Crossed Europe in the Rain.

A new book celebrates author Kazuo Ishiguro and singer Stacey Kent's collaboration

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Writer Carvell Wallace on past pain and forgiveness: Letting go is 'always available'
Macmillian

Author Interviews

Writer Carvell Wallace on past pain and forgiveness: Letting go is 'always available'

Fresh Air

Wallace is known for his celebrity profiles, but his new memoir, Another Word For Love, is about his own life, growing up unhoused, Black and queer, and getting his start as a writer at the age of 40.

Writer Carvell Wallace on past pain and forgiveness: Letting go is 'always available'

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Wednesday

Tuesday

Author Interviews

Novelist Claire Messud excavated her family history. A fictional book is our reward

Novelist Claire Messud comes from a family of writers. Her latest novel is inspired by her grandfather's handwritten book. In it, she excavates generations of family history through fiction.

Novelist Claire Messud excavated her family history. A fictional book is our reward

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Author Interviews

Miranda July's new book asks: Is middle-age a cliff or a mountain peak?

Miranda July's latest novel, "All Fours," explores the transitional period of middle age and menopause through the journey of one unnamed protagonist.

Miranda July's new book asks: Is middle-age a cliff or a mountain peak?

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The miracle of middle age with Miranda July

Author Miranda July poses next to her novel, "All Fours" Elizabeth Weinberg/Amazon hide caption

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Elizabeth Weinberg/Amazon

Perspective

It's Been a Minute

The miracle of middle age with Miranda July

Our culture is full of stories about what it's like to be young: to find yourself, to fall in love, to leave home. But there aren't nearly as many scripts for what middle age might look like, especially for women. This week, host Brittany Luse is joined by author and filmmaker Miranda July, whose new novel 'All Fours' dives deep into the mystery and miracle of being a middle aged woman.

The miracle of middle age with Miranda July

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Alice Munro, Nobel Prize-winning short story author, dies at 92

Canadian author Alice Munro as she receives a Man Booker International award at Trinity College Dublin, in Dublin, Ireland, on June 25, 2009. Peter Muhly/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Peter Muhly/AFP via Getty Images

Obituaries

Alice Munro, Nobel Prize-winning short story author, dies at 92

The Canadian writer was known for her masterfully crafted short stories. Throughout her long career, she earned a number of prestigious awards including the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2013.

Alice Munro, Nobel Prize-winning short story author, dies at 92

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System of a Down's Serj Tankian on his memoir, why a new album hasn't come since 2005

Serj Tankian, singer for System of a Down Travis Shinn/Hachette Books hide caption

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Travis Shinn/Hachette Books

Author Interviews

System of a Down's Serj Tankian on his memoir, why a new album hasn't come since 2005

System of a Down singer Serj Tankian covers fleeing the Lebanese Civil War as a child, advocating for recognition of the Armenian Genocide, and why his band hasn't made a new album since 2005.

System of a Down's Serj Tankian on his memoir, why a new album hasn't come since 2005

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Monday

'Brotherless Night,' an ambitious novel about Sri Lankan civil war, wins $150K prize
Random House

Book News & Features

'Brotherless Night,' an ambitious novel about Sri Lankan civil war, wins $150K prize

The Carol Shields Prize for Fiction is a relatively new literary award given to women and nonbinary authors. This year's winner is V.V. Ganeshananthan for her book Brotherless Night.

'Brotherless Night,' an ambitious novel about Sri Lankan civil war, wins $150K prize

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Kathleen Hanna on life as a 'Rebel Girl,' and the joy of expressing anger in public

"When I first started being in Bikini Kill, I thought of myself as a feminist performance artist who was in a punk band," Kathleen Hanna says. Rachel Bright/Ecco hide caption

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Rachel Bright/Ecco

Music Interviews

Kathleen Hanna on life as a 'Rebel Girl,' and the joy of expressing anger in public

Fresh Air

The Bikini Kill frontwoman pioneered the "riot grrrl" movement in the 1990s. "I thought of myself as a feminist performance artist who was in a punk band," Hanna says.

Kathleen Hanna on life as a 'Rebel Girl,' and the joy of expressing anger in public

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Claire Messud's sweeping novel borrows from her own 'Strange Eventful History'
W. W. Norton & Company

Review

Book Reviews

Claire Messud's sweeping novel borrows from her own 'Strange Eventful History'

Fresh Air

Messud draws from her grandfather's handwritten memoir as she tells a cosmopolitan, multigenerational story about a family forced to move from Algeria to Europe to South and North America.

Claire Messud's sweeping novel borrows from her own 'Strange Eventful History'

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