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Books

'He Makes Us Love George Smiley:' Robert Harris On The Legacy Of John Le Carré
Nadav Kander

Review

'He Makes Us Love George Smiley:' Robert Harris On The Legacy Of John Le Carré

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with British writer Robert Harris about the legacy of John le Carré, whom he's called "one of the great post-war British novelists" and who died Saturday at age 89.

'He Makes Us Love George Smiley:' Robert Harris On The Legacy Of John Le Carré

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To Unlock Sublime Flavor, Cook Like A Scientist

Maldon salt flakes under a microscope. Food writer and recipe developer Nik Sharma is a molecular biologist by training, unlocking flavor with a scientific approach to cooking. Nik Sharma hide caption

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Nik Sharma

Short Wave

To Unlock Sublime Flavor, Cook Like A Scientist

What is flavor? Is it merely what your nose and tongue tell you? For cookbook author and recipe developer Nik Sharma, flavor is a full-body experience. Drawing upon his background in molecular biology, Nik brings scientific inquiry to the kitchen in his new cookbook, The Flavor Equation. In today's episode, Short Wave reporter Emily Kwong and producer Rebecca Ramirez cook two recipes from Nik's book and explore the scientific principles at work.

To Unlock Sublime Flavor, Cook Like A Scientist

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Book Concierge: Realistic Fiction Recommendations
Becky Harlan/NPR

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Book Concierge: Realistic Fiction Recommendations

Every year, NPR brings together some of the best books in a searchable, explorable guide called the Book Concierge. It can help you find exactly the read you're looking for. Today we're talking about some of the best realistic fiction picks that show up in this year's guide.

Book Concierge: Realistic Fiction Recommendations

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The Books That Got Away
NPR

Review

Code Switch

The Books That Got Away

Listen, a lot has happened this year, and it's no shock that some things may have slipped under the radar. So our resident book expert, Karen Grigsby Bates, took a virtual trip around the country to talk to independent book store owners about their favorite underappreciated reads of 2020.

The Books That Got Away

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In New Picture Book, Family Adds A 'Ninth Night Of Hanukkah'

From The Ninth Night of Hanukkah, by Erica S. Perl and Shahar Kober Shahar Kober/Sterling Children's Books hide caption

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Shahar Kober/Sterling Children's Books

Author Interviews

In New Picture Book, Family Adds A 'Ninth Night Of Hanukkah'

In Erica Perl's new children's book, a family's box of Hanukkah items are misplaced during a move. Their neighbors help them to make their holiday a success — so they add a ninth night to thank them.

In New Picture Book, Family Adds A 'Ninth Night Of Hanukkah'

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Cameras, Chaos And Cognac: How Bob Gruen Photographed The Spirit Of Rock 'N' Roll

Bob Gruen calls this 1970 photograph of Tina Turner "one of the best pictures I've ever taken." Bob Gruen/Bob Gruen Studios hide caption

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Bob Gruen/Bob Gruen Studios

Photography

Cameras, Chaos And Cognac: How Bob Gruen Photographed The Spirit Of Rock 'N' Roll

Fresh Air

Gruen has photographed countless rock stars, including the Rolling Stones, Chuck Berry, Tina Turner and John Lennon. "For me, rock 'n' roll is all about freedom," he says.

Cameras, Chaos And Cognac: How Bob Gruen Photographed The Spirit Of Rock 'N' Roll

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'Fresh Air' Critic Revisits The TV, Books And Movies That Helped Ease Lockdown

Micheal Ward and Amarah-Jae St. Aubyn are strangers who connect on the dance floor in Lovers Rock. Parisa Taghizadeh/Amazon Prime Video hide caption

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Parisa Taghizadeh/Amazon Prime Video

Review

Book Reviews

'Fresh Air' Critic Revisits The TV, Books And Movies That Helped Ease Lockdown

Fresh Air

From Lovers Rock to The Good Lord Bird, the titles on John Powers' year-end list didn't simply distract; they also delved into enduring questions of freedom, dignity and survival.

'Fresh Air' Critic Revisits The TV, Books And Movies That Helped Ease Lockdown

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The Sweet, Sweet Career Of Mariah Carey

Mariah Carey performs during the 2019 Billboard Music Awards. Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic for dcp/Getty Images hide caption

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Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic for dcp/Getty Images

Pop Culture Happy Hour

The Sweet, Sweet Career Of Mariah Carey

In 1990, a young woman with a big voice and equally big hair stepped onto the pop scene with her self-titled debut album, Mariah Carey. Thirty years later, she's as omnipresent as ever, thanks to a perennial holiday hit, a devoted fanbase, and recent memoir The Meaning Of Mariah Carey. What is it about Mimi that's made her one of our most enduring pop stars?

The Sweet, Sweet Career Of Mariah Carey

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'IRL' Author Says It's OK That We're Spending So Much Of Our Lives Online
Broadleaf Books

Author Interviews

'IRL' Author Says It's OK That We're Spending So Much Of Our Lives Online

In a new book, Chris Stedman asks what it means to be real in a time when humans are interacting in digital spaces more than ever.

'IRL' Author Says It's OK That We're Spending So Much Of Our Lives Online

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On A Tour Of 'America's Amazon,' Flora, Fauna And Glimpses Of Alabama's Past

A field of pitcher plants are nestled in a bog within the Mobile-Tensaw Delta. Ben Raines calls pitcher plants "carnivorous wonders" because they draw most of their nutrients from insects they kill and digest. Ben Raines hide caption

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Ben Raines

Environment

On A Tour Of 'America's Amazon,' Flora, Fauna And Glimpses Of Alabama's Past

A trip through the Mobile-Tensaw Delta offers a little bit of everything, from iris fields and gators, to Civil War history and the wreck of the last known ship to bring enslaved Africans to America.

On A Tour Of 'America's Amazon,' Flora, Fauna And Glimpses Of Alabama's Past

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In Michel Faber's Latest, The Disappearance (Isappearance?) Of The Letter 'D'
Hanover Square Press

Author Interviews

In Michel Faber's Latest, The Disappearance (Isappearance?) Of The Letter 'D'

Faber has created a world in which the letter d is starting to fade, imperiling things like dogs, doctors, dentists — and a girl named Dhikilo, who travels to a different world to solve the mystery.

In Michel Faber's Latest, The Disappearance (Isappearance?) Of The Letter 'D'

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Maureen Corrigan's 10 Books That Will Connect You In A Socially Distant Year
NPR

Review

Book Reviews

Maureen Corrigan's 10 Books That Will Connect You In A Socially Distant Year

Fresh Air

Sealed into our little Zoom boxes, masked when we're in contact with others, it's easy to feel separated from the world during the pandemic. These 10 books can help break through the solitude.

Maureen Corrigan's 10 Books That Will Connect You In A Socially Distant Year

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