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Books

A colorful, whimsical illustration showing a writing desk covered with tools used to write letters, including an inkwell, a letter opener, a feathered pen, scissors, stationery, stamps, washi tape, and a seal.

"Correspondence is a leap of faith, and that is part of what makes it wonderful," says Rachel Syme, author of Syme's Letter Writer: A Guide to Modern Correspondence. "You may never know if the person you are writing to will write you back." Illustration © by Joana Avillez, Reprinted with permission from Syme's Letter Writer by Rachel Syme/Clarkson Potter Publishers hide caption

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Illustration © by Joana Avillez, Reprinted with permission from Syme's Letter Writer by Rachel Syme/Clarkson Potter Publishers

Life Kit

The delightfully analog art of letter-writing

Tired of texting? Send your loved ones some snail mail instead. Rachel Syme, author of "Syme's Letter Writer: A Guide to Modern Correspondence," shares whimsical ways to start a letter-writing habit.

The art and pleasure of writing a letter

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The Dream Hotel
Pantheon

Review

Book Reviews

AI eavesdrops on your sleep in this nightmarish 'Dream Hotel'

Laila Lalami's dystopian novel centers on a woman who's been incarcerated because an algorithm flagged her as a crime risk. The Dream Hotel paints a grim picture about the ways our data can betray us.

AI eavesdrops on your sleep in this nightmarish 'Dream Hotel'

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Book covers of: Dorothy Parker: Poems and The Usual Desire to Kill: A Novel
NPR

Review

Book Reviews

These 2 funny books give readers a reason to smile in tough times

Dorothy Parker's posthumously published collection is Poems; Camilla Barnes' debut novel is The Usual Desire to Kill. Both affirm: sharp humor can be grounded in pain.

These 2 funny books give readers a reason to smile in tough times

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This is what living on Mars could do to the human body

An image of rocks on Mars. Biologist Kelly Weinersmith and cartoonist Zach Weinersmith spent four years researching what it would look like if humans lived here. NASA/JPL/Cornell hide caption

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NASA/JPL/Cornell

Short Wave

This is what living on Mars could do to the human body

As global warming continues and space technology improves, there is more and more talk about the growing possibility of a sci-fi future in which humans become a multiplanetary species. Specifically, that we could live on Mars.

This is what living on Mars could do to the human body

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Author Interviews

New book explores the real-life KGB spy program that inspired 'The Americans'

Fresh Air

In The Illegals: Russia's Most Audacious Spies and Their Century-Long Mission to Infiltrate the West, Shaun Walker shares how agents were trained to blend into a target country and pose as citizens.

New book explores the real-life KGB spy program that inspired 'The Americans'

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Melinda French Gates

"It takes philanthropy in concert with civil society and government — massive government funding — to change things ... " says Melinda French Gates. "Philanthropy cannot do it on its own." Jason Bell/Flatiron Books hide caption

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Jason Bell/Flatiron Books

Goats and Soda

Melinda French Gates on what billionaires with 'absurd' wealth owe back to society

Fresh Air

In a new memoir, French Gates writes about the end of her marriage to Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, and her ongoing philanthropic work, directing funds and attention to women's health initiatives.

Melinda French Gates on what billionaires with 'absurd' wealth owe back to society

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A spread of desserts found in the new cookbook, Malai

A spread of desserts found in the new cookbook, Malai Morgan Ione Yeager/Malai hide caption

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Morgan Ione Yeager/Malai

Interview highlights

Pooja Bavishi shares frozen treats from her South Asian-inspired cookbook 'Malai'

NPR's Leila Fadel visits Pooja Bavishi, the author of Malai, a South Asian-inspired frozen desserts cookbook, at her D.C. shop where they sample ice cream and make their own treat.

Pooja Bavishi shares frozen treats from her South Asian-inspired cookbook 'Malai'

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Josh Gad

Josh Gad at MaxFun HQ. Daniel Speer hide caption

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Daniel Speer

Bullseye with Jesse Thorn

Josh Gad

Josh Gad joins us to talk about his new memoir In Gad We Trust: A Tell Some. He also gets into what life was like growing up in South Florida, the one time he refuses to use his Olaf voice and winning three national titles in teen oratory competitions.

Listen to this Episode

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Do what you can. A new kids' book shows how even 'The Littlest Drop' helps
Interior illustrations © 2025 by Brian Pinkney

Picture This

Do what you can. A new kids' book shows how even 'The Littlest Drop' helps

A brave hummingbird does what she can to fight a fire in Sascha Alper's new book. It was one of the last projects illustrator Jerry Pinkney worked on before he died. His son Brian finished it for him.

PICTURE THIS: The Littlest Drop

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After 100 years, The Great Gatsby is still a staple of high school reading lists.

After 100 years, The Great Gatsby is still a staple of high school reading lists. Andrew Limbong/NPR hide caption

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Andrew Limbong/NPR

'The Great Gatsby' turns 100. What's it like teaching it today?

F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic novel has spent years on high school reading lists. How are literature professors teaching it today? And do students still find it relevant?

Teaching Gatsby at 100

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Who gets to be a critic? And why are some so "bad?"

Should we rethink what criticism should look like? Amr Bo Shanab/Getty Images hide caption

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Amr Bo Shanab/Getty Images

Perspective

It's Been a Minute

Who gets to be a critic? And why are some so "bad?"

Andrea Long Chu was once one of Brittany's favorite Sex and the City bloggers, and she's now a Pulitzer-winning critic. Andrea lends her critical eye to everything from the TV show Yellowstone to the work of Sally Rooney to pro-Palestinian protests and free speech. And she does it with wit, style, and fearlessness. Brittany chats with Andrea about her new book, Authority- a collection of some of Andrea's best work, along with two new essays. They discuss why art is a "fossil record" of desire, what kind of authority critics have, and why we might need to rethink what criticism should do for us.

Who gets to be a critic? And why are some so "bad?"

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A first edition of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby at the London International Antiquarian Book Fair on June 13, 2013.

A first edition of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby at the London International Antiquarian Book Fair on June 13, 2013. Oli Scarff/Getty Images hide caption

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Oli Scarff/Getty Images

100 years later, 'The Great Gatsby' still speaks to the troubled dream of America

Great works of art are great, in part, because they continue to have something to say to the present: They're both timebound and timeless. And, boy, does Gatsby have something to say to us in 2025.

100 years later, 'The Great Gatsby' still speaks to the troubled dream of America

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President Joe Biden debated former President Donald Trump on June 27, 2024. Biden's lackluster performance led to increased calls for him to drop out of the election.

President Joe Biden debated former President Donald Trump on June 27, 2024. Biden's lackluster performance led to increased calls for him to drop out of the election. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images hide caption

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Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Politics

Biden's closest advisers were in 'denial' about his decline, 'Uncharted' author says

Author Chris Whipple says Biden's family and closest advisers operated in a "fog of delusion" regarding his ability to serve another term: "There's no doubt that they were protecting the president."

Biden's closest advisers were in 'denial' about his decline, 'Uncharted' author says

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