NPR's Book of the Day
NPR's Book of the Day

NPR's Book of the Day

NPR

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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 – we've got an author who will speak to you, all genres, mood and writing styles included. Catch today's great books in 15 minutes or less.

Recent Episodes

Brit Barron's new book is a guide on maintaining relationships in a polarized world
NOV 14, 2024
Brit Barron's new book is a guide on maintaining relationships in a polarized world
We live in a time where it can be difficult to maintain good relationships with people with opposing views. While writing her new book, Do You Still Talk to Grandma?, Brit Barron saw everyone around her struggling to hold this tension while connecting with the people they love. Her book is a guide to navigating those relationships with our loved ones – even when we disagree with them. In today's episode, she talks with NPR's Deepa Fernandes about binary thinking, the issue of social media, and our need to belong.

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10 MIN
With 'Mystical Lotería,' Yvette Montoya reimagines a traditional Latino party game
NOV 13, 2024
With 'Mystical Lotería,' Yvette Montoya reimagines a traditional Latino party game
Author Yvette Montoya didn't grow up playing Lotería, but she discovered the classic Latino party game in college. There, she fell in love with Lotería itself, but also the vibrant art and imagery of its boards and card decks. Now, Montoya has reinvented her own version of the bingo-like game with Mystical Lotería, a game set and book that give the traditional version a spiritual twist. In today's episode, Montoya talks with NPR's A Martínez about incorporating brujería–her witchcraft practice–into Mystical Lotería. They also discuss the resurgent interest in ancestral veneration within Latino culture, the need to move beyond Western healing modalities, and Día de Los Muertos.

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7 MIN
A parenting book by author Kelley Coleman focuses on the care of disabled children
NOV 12, 2024
A parenting book by author Kelley Coleman focuses on the care of disabled children
Parents of disabled children are responsible for navigating a number of complex systems, from educational services and accommodation to medical care. Author Kelley Coleman, whose son has an undiagnosed genetic syndrome, says that parenting a disabled child can be hard–but hard is not bad. That's the central framework of her book, Everything No One Tells You About Parenting a Disabled Child, which came out earlier this year. In today's episode, Coleman speaks with Here & Now's Deepa Fernandes about their joyful and difficult parenting moments, how to access the support needed for kids to thrive, and teaching self-advocacy.

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9 MIN
A shocking discovery follows an artist's death in Paula Hawkins' 'The Blue Hour'
NOV 11, 2024
A shocking discovery follows an artist's death in Paula Hawkins' 'The Blue Hour'
Author Paula Hawkins is best known for her 2015 novel The Girl on the Train. Her new book, The Blue Hour, is also a thriller, this time set on a remote but idyllic Scottish island. The novel focuses on the death of artist Vanessa Chapman, who leaves behind her diaries and a piece of art that sets off a shocking discovery. The story that follows involves secrets, lies and murder. In today's episode, Hawkins speaks with Here & Now's Deborah Becker about how the ownership and interpretation of Vanessa's legacy is disputed among the book's other characters. They also discuss the complexity of long-term female friendships, how women are treated in the public eye and the unreliability of our own narratives.

To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookoftheday

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10 MIN
'Tías and Primas' and 'Linguaphile' are new nonfiction books on family and language
NOV 8, 2024
'Tías and Primas' and 'Linguaphile' are new nonfiction books on family and language
Two new nonfiction books blend research and memoir to explore ideas of family, language and culture. Prisca Dorcas Mojica Rodríguez's Tías and Primas draws on her experience being raised in a large Nicaraguan family, one that she describes as messier than the typical nuclear model. Her relationships with her mother, cousins, and aunts shaped her view of the world and the female archetypes that exist within Latin American culture. In today's episode, Rodríguez speaks with NPR's A Martínez about how nuance is lost in Latina stereotypes, the cultural significance of ghost encounters, and practicing critique from a place of love. Then, Julie Sedivy is a linguistics and psychology professor who started speaking five languages before first grade. Growing up in diverse linguistic environments inspired her memoir Linguaphile, which explores the relationship between language, emotion and life. In today's episode, she speaks with NPR's Eric Westervelt about the way linguistic divisions reflect our social reality and the surprising strengths of the aging brain.

To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookoftheday

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16 MIN