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NPR's Book of the Day

NPR's Book of the Day

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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.Copyright 2021 NPR - For Personal Use Only Art Literary History & Criticism
Episodes
  • John Grisham brings a money-hungry lawyer to center stage in 'The Widow'

    John Grisham brings a money-hungry lawyer to center stage in 'The Widow'
    Nov 13 2025
    In The Widow, his 52nd novel and counting, author John Grisham returns to one of his cherished topics: lawyers. But not the type of lawyer one would hire if they’d like to keep their money safe. Simon Latch is a small town lawyer sick of equally small cases, until he finds himself in charge of drafting a will for an enormously wealthy widow. Will Simon keep her wealth an untouched secret, or attempt to turn a profit for himself? In today’s episode, Grisham talks to NPR’s Sacha Pfeiffer about this legal thriller-turned-murder mystery, and the age-old lie that every lawyer tells at least once.


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    9 mins
  • In 'A Guardian and a Thief,' a mother’s love for her family threatens her own morals

    In 'A Guardian and a Thief,' a mother’s love for her family threatens her own morals
    Nov 12 2025
    Megha Majumdar’s new novel takes place in a near-future Kolkata struck by climate change. There, one family’s possibility of escape is jeopardized when their passports are stolen. A Guardian and a Thief, a finalist for the 2025 National Book Award, weaves together their plot with the story of their burglar. In a conversation with Here & Now, Majumdar tells Jane Clayson that hope isn’t always noble in situations of crisis.


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    11 mins
  • Tochi Onyebuchi’s 'Racebook' is a 'personal history' of a less serious time online

    Tochi Onyebuchi’s 'Racebook' is a 'personal history' of a less serious time online
    Nov 11 2025
    Tochi Onyebuchi remembers when the internet was fun. The science fiction and fantasy author says he initially existed online as a “skinless, raceless entity” until he experienced a shift around 2012. His new memoir Racebook traces this shift to the shooting death of Trayvon Martin and subsequent acquittal of the man who killed him. In today’s episode, Onyebuchi speaks with NPR’s Juana Summers about online forums, early Twitter, and the other communities that made the early internet so satisfying.


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    9 mins
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brilliant! beautifully written and narrated.
I was transported back to Italy in the exquisite descriptions of villages, pensions and characters.

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