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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
  • 'The Irish Goodbye' and 'Frog' are micro-memoirs and essays about everyday life

    'The Irish Goodbye' and 'Frog' are micro-memoirs and essays about everyday life
    Mar 6 2026
    In today’s episode, two authors tackle everyday experience through short-form writing. First, The Irish Goodbye is a collection of micro-memoirs by the poet Beth Ann Fennelly. In these recollections, she considers childhood, marriage, and old friends – and she told NPR’s Scott Simon about the immense difficulty she had writing about her sister’s death. Then, Anne Fadiman joins Simon to discuss Frog: and Other Essays, in which she takes on topics like a printer, an unpettable pet, M&Ms, and the rules of grammar.


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    18 mins
  • 'An American Marriage' author Tayari Jones is out with a new novel 'Kin'

    'An American Marriage' author Tayari Jones is out with a new novel 'Kin'
    Mar 5 2026
    Tayari Jones, author of the 2018 novel An American Marriage, says her next book was supposed to be about gentrification in the American South. But while writing her draft, Jones says she realized the backstory of that project was actually the real story. That’s how her new historical fiction novel Kin was born. The book follows two cradle friends who grow up without mothers in Honeysuckle, Louisiana and must navigate life in the Jim Crow South. In today’s episode, Jones tells NPR’s Ayesha Rascoe about how she tapped into something “older than herself” in order to write this story.


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    11 mins
  • Andrew Krivak’s novel 'Mule Boy' takes readers inside a Pennsylvania coal mine

    Andrew Krivak’s novel 'Mule Boy' takes readers inside a Pennsylvania coal mine
    Mar 4 2026
    Author Andrew Krivak grew up hearing stories about his grandfather, who died in a coal mine collapse in the early 1900s. These stories inspired Mule Boy, a novel about a 13-year-old who survives a deadly accident at a Pennsylvania mine. The story takes place during a 24-hour period in which the boy, now an old man, reflects on what took place there. In today’s episode, Krivak joins NPR’s Scott Simon for a conversation about being the grandson of Slovak immigrants, the trio brought together in Mule Boy, and the way Krivak tried to mimic oral storytelling in the novel.


    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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    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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