Frank Herbert?s 1965 epic Dune was once the domain of sci-fi diehards. But in recent years, the book has crossed over into the mainstream. In today?s Books We?ve Loved, Andrew Limbong and B.A. Parker are joined by Throughline?s Ramtin Arablouei, who makes a personal case for the story?s appeal ? despite its density. Then, special guest, author Pierce Brown, shares whether he thinks Dune has reached Star Wars levels of cultural saturation.


Ramtin?s Recommendation: ?Rendezvous with Rama? by Arthur C. Clarke

Parker?s Recommendation: ?The Left Hand of Darkness? by Ursula K. Le Guin

Andrew?s Recommendation: ?Saga? by Brian K. Vaughn


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In two new novels, marriages are tested by unusual circumstances. First, in Ann Packer?s Some Bright Nowhere, a woman dying of cancer makes a big ask of her husband. In today?s episode, Packer speaks with NPR?s Mary Louise Kelly about the uncertainty of illness and what writers do between books. Then, Craig Thomas, the co-creator of How I Met Your Mother, is out with a novel. In today?s episode, he tells NPR?s Sacha Pfeiffer about That?s Not How It Happened, in which a feel-good movie threatens to destroy the family who inspired it.


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Rev. Jesse Jackson is well-known as an icon of the American Civil Rights Movement, a protégé of Martin Luther King Jr., and a steadfast activist ? but he has quite a past in electoral politics, too. A Dream Deferred charts Jackson?s rise to political prominence during his 1984 and 1988 presidential campaigns, as the first major Black candidate for U.S. president. In today?s episode, author and CNN anchor Abby Phillip talks with NPR?s Ayesha Rascoe about her debut biography, and how Jackson himself approached politics and activism with separate mindsets.

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Are all unreliable narrators self-aware? The answer might depend on the novel, but in Brandon Hobson?s The Devil Is a Southpaw, our primary narrator, Milton (a writer and artist) uses his prose to sew complexity and confusion into the narrative itself. In today?s episode, Hobson speaks with NPR?s Scott Simon about his newest novel, and the journey of crafting a story about two ex-convicts bound together through jealousy and the mutual dream of artistic success.


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When Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) won Pennsylvania?s Senate seat in 2022, Democrats saw him as a symbol of a new direction during the Trump era. Three years later, things are very different. His new memoir, Unfettered, discusses his mental health struggles, the stroke he suffered in 2022 and his relationship with the left. In today?s episode, Fetterman speaks with NPR?s Scott Detrow about the book and some of his disagreements with fellow Democrats.


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Modern life can make it tempting to return to simpler times, like a 16th-century Spanish convent. In the new book Convent Wisdom, academics Ana Garriga and Carmen Urbita look to the writings of Renaissance-era nuns for insights to apply to modern dilemmas. In today?s episode, the co-authors speak with NPR?s Ayesha Rascoe about the backstory behind the project and what makes these nuns of the past relevant today.


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Janie Crawford ? back in her hometown of Eatonville, Florida ? recounts a journey of self-discovery, structured around three marriages. Their Eyes Were Watching God is Zora Neale Hurston?s most celebrated work and a classic text of the Harlem Renaissance. In today?s Books We?ve Loved, Andrew Limbong and B.A. Parker, joined by R. Eric Thomas, discuss what makes this novel a coming-of-age story, despite its focus on a woman in her late 30s. And special guest Tayari Jones shares her take on Hurston?s relationship to folklore.


Eric?s Recommendation: ?Getting Mother's Body? by Suzan-Lori Parks

Parker?s Recommendation: ?Like Water for Chocolate? by Laura Esquivel

Andrew?s Recommendation: ?Tom Lake? by Ann Patchett


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NPR?s annual Books We Love guide is back for its 13th year, sharing over 380 hand-selected reads by NPR staff and critics. In today?s post-Thanksgiving episode, host Andrew Limbong joins Morning Edition and All Things Considered to chat about all things Books We Love. First, he shares some top non-fiction picks with NPR?s Michel Martin; among them Elizabeth Evitts Dickinson?s biography of American fashion designer Claire McCardell, who you might want to credit for those handy pockets on womenswear. Then, he talks fiction with NPR?s Scott Detrow, recommending titles such as Nnedi Okorafor?s Death of the Author.

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Some cookbooks don?t just provide recipes; they tell stories?and Nite Yun?s My Cambodia: A Khmer Cookbook is a perfect example. Yun discovered the rich history of her Cambodian-American heritage in the kitchen, and her debut cookbook tells these stories through her family?s most beloved recipes. In today?s episode, Yun talks with NPR?s Leila Fadel about her book?s unique creation process and the power of food to bring together families across generations and continents.


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E. Lockhart understands the struggle of being a teenager. Her first novel We Were Liars was a standout YA hit of 2014, celebrated (and at times, criticized) amongst teens in particular for its twisty and devastating coming-of-age narrative set on a fictional island near Martha?s Vineyard. Lockhart returns to the East Coast for We Fell Apart, her third book in the series, crafting another summer tale of mystery and self-discovery. In today?s episode, Lockhart joins NPR?s Juana Summers to discuss her newest novel, and what we could all learn from teenagers ? and perhaps their reading habits too.

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In 2013, two young Hindu cousins killed a Muslim man in a rural part of Uttar Pradesh, India. What followed was a series of alternating violence in the region between Hindus and Muslims. Renowned comic journalist Joe Sacco's new book, The Once And Future Riot, investigates that conflict and the stories people tell themselves about what happened. In today?s episode, Sacco speaks with NPR?s Andrew Limbong about illustrating violence and the ?she-said, he-said? nature of this story.


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Justinian Huang?s new novel Lucky Seed is about a single, gay son pressured by his Taiwanese-American family to produce a male heir. In an interview with NPR?s All Things Considered, Huang tells NPR?s Ailsa Chang that his own family asked him to have a baby boy ? or else they would risk punishment in the afterlife. In today?s episode, Huang speaks with Chang about being the ?chosen one? in his family, the concept of ?hungry ghosts,? and how writing the book changed Huang?s relationship with his mother.


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Amy and Nick Dunn have the perfect life and are the perfect couple until they reach a breaking point, revealing their true selves. The book that spawned dozens of imitators but few peers, Gillian Flynn?s Gone Girl is this week?s read on the latest Books We?ve Loved. Andrew Limbong and B. A. Parker are joined by Greta Johnsen to divulge how this suspense thriller continuously brings fans back to this story. Special guest, Andrea Bartz, shares how being from the Midwest, like Flynn, is your best tool to write a mystery.

Greta?s Recommendation: ?Fates and Furies? by Lauren Groff

Parker?s Recommendation: ?My Sister, the Serial Killer? by Oyinkan Braithwaite

Andrew?s Recommendation: ?Liars? by Sarah Manguso

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Two new books examine how sex fits into suburban and small-town life, respectively. First, Erin Somers explores marriage and desire in her novel The Ten Year Affair. In today?s episode, she speaks with NPR?s Andrew Limbong about combining a multiverse plot with domestic fiction. Then, Robyn Royle knits a dozen short stories together in Sex of the Midwest, in which the residents of a small town receive an email inviting them to participate in a sex survey. In today?s episode, Royle tells NPR?s Scott Simon about the many misconceptions surrounding small-town life.


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Tareq Baconi is a Palestinian scholar best known for Hamas Contained: The Rise and Pacification of Palestinian Resistance. But in his new memoir Fire in Every Direction, the academic turns to more personal subjects, reflecting on three generations of displacement in his family. In an interview with NPR?s Morning Edition, Baconi speaks with NPR?s Leila Fadel about how silence ? around queerness, politics, and shame ? has shaped his family?s story.


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Gucci Mane?s new memoir Episodes covers a range of difficult topics: depression, mania, anxiety, drug abuse. There are even pages of the book that are blacked out to reflect the rapper?s gaps in memory. Writer Kathy Iandoli worked with Gucci on the project ? and she?s become the go-to writer for rappers looking to tell their stories. In today?s episode, Iandoli speaks with NPR?s Andrew Limbong about her collaboration with Gucci and her take on what draws musical artists to write books in the first place.


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You may have heard of a bog ? those wet, mucky environments found mostly in the northern temperate pockets of Canada or Europe ? but did you know that bogs can preserve human bodies for thousands of years? Anna North?s Bog Queen, part-history and part-mystery, explores the abiotic relationship between humans and what may be their greatest protector: the moss. In today?s episode, North sits down with NPR?s Scott Simon to discuss her newest novel, and the importance of caring for that which cares for us.


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Best-selling author Margaret Atwood says she originally rejected the idea of writing a memoir. But she warmed up to the idea after she began to think of a memoir as a recollection of ?stupid things you did, near-death events, catastrophes, and surprising highlights and jokes.? Now, at age 85, Atwood is out with Book of Lives. In today?s episode, she joins NPR?s Sacha Pfeiffer for a conversation that touches on the difference between memoir and biography, Canadian identity, and writing from the perspective of an ?Inner Advice Columnist.?


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James Baldwin?s recent centennial birthday allowed us to discuss one of his most celebrated novels, Giovanni?s Room. Andrew Limbong and B. A. Parker are joined by NPR?s Pop Culture Happy Hour?s Glen Weldon, examining the story of three lovers, chasing connection, love, and acceptance in 1950s Paris. Special guest Garth Greenwell also drops by to share how Giovanni?s Room made an impact on his work. 


Glen?s Recommendation: ?Florenzer? by Phil Melanson

Parker?s Recommendation: ?The Stranger? by Albert Camus

Andrew?s Recommendation: ?The Sun Also Rises? by Ernest Hemingway

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Two new biographies focus on legendary musical acts: the rock band The Cars and rapper Tupac Shakur. First, in the late 1970s, a Boston radio DJ played The Cars? demo tape ? and the band went on to inform rock music for decades. In today?s episode, author Bill Janovitz speaks with Here & Now?s Robin Young about his new book The Cars: Let the Stories Be Told. Then, Tupac was one of the most influential rappers of all time, but his life was cut short at age 25. In today?s episode, author Jeff Pearlman tells Here & Now?s Scott Tong about his new biography of the music artist Only God Can Judge Me.


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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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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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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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It?s been more than 30 years since Philip Pullman began the His Dark Materials series ? and now, that story is coming to a close. Pullman?s latest book The Rose Field follows the series? heroine Lyra Belacqua as she chases the same mystery she began unraveling as a child. In today?s episode, Pullman joins NPR?s Scott Detrow for a conversation that touches on organized religion, reimagining Lyra as an adult, and a central concept in the series ? Dust.

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The stories of mothers and daughters trying to connect with each other, across time, space and generations ? this is the centerpiece of Amy Tan?s The Joy Luck Club. This week, Andrew Limboong and B. A. Parker are joined by NPR?s The Indicator?s Wailin Wong to discuss how the desperation to bridge the divide between parent and child continues to be present in stories of immigrant families today. We are also joined by Jessamine Chan to discuss parenting in this present moment.


Wailin?s Recommendation: ?The Fox Wife? by Yangsze Choo

Parker?s Recommendation: ?Beloved? by Toni Morrison

Andrew?s Recommendation: ?Afterparties: Stories? by Anthony Veasna So


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Today?s episode features two new crime thrillers written by big names. First, Harlan Coben says he stopped in his tracks when Reese Witherspoon asked to collaborate on a novel. In today?s episode, the co-authors speak with NPR?s Mary Louise Kelly about their collaboration on Gone Before Goodbye. Then, I Love Dick author Chris Kraus took an autofiction approach to her crime novel The Four Spent the Day Together. In an interview with NPR?s Elissa Nadworny, Kraus describes the protagonist as ?me at the moment of the story.?


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After Harper Lee?s death in 2016, previously unpublished writing was discovered in her New York City apartment. The Land of Sweet Forever includes eight new short stories from the Pulitzer Prize-winning author. Lee wrote them a decade prior to To Kill a Mockingbird and some of the stories include early versions of Atticus and Scout, the characters who made her famous. In today?s episode, Here & Now?s Peter O?Dowd interviews The New Yorker?s Casey Cep, who edited the collection.


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Salman Rushdie lived for decades under a death sentence and survived a knife attack three years ago. His latest book The Eleventh Hour is his first work of fiction since that near-death experience. These short stories and novellas center around the end of life, what might come after, and the idea of personal legacy. In today?s episode, Rushdie joins Here & Now?s Scott Tong for a conversation that touches on mortality, changes to the author?s writing process, and his first ghost story.


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As a newborn, Ed Archie NoiseCat was found in an incinerator at a Catholic-run Indian boarding school. In a new book We Survived the Night, his son, Julian Brave NoiseCat, writes about this trauma in the broader context of Native history in the United States and Canada. The book blends memoir and reporting, exploring a culture of silence around Native stories. In today?s episode, Julian Brave NoiseCat speaks with NPR?s Michel Martin about his efforts to understand both his father?s story and Native identity.


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For almost three years, Karine Jean-Pierre was White House press secretary for the Biden-Harris administration. Her new memoir, Independent, explains her recent decision to leave the Democratic Party and identify as an independent. In today?s episode, Jean-Pierre joins NPR?s Michel Martin for a conversation about Democratic disunity, former President Biden?s health, and why she says her former party has failed Black women.


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Westerns are seemingly back in the culture. With the popularity of the television series Yellowstone and musical artists like Beyoncé?s Cowboy Carter winning Album of the Year, it feels like we need to dust off our spurs and dig into this week?s book selection, Charles Portis? True Grit. Andrew Limbong and B. A. Parker speak with NPR?s Morning Edition host, Michel Martin about how young Mattie Ross goes on the adventure of a lifetime with her father?s gun and hunger for vengeance ? and how Portis? young female lead illustrates real-world consequences. 

This week's recommendations:

Andrew: Blood Meridian, Cormac McCarthy

Parker: Anne of Green Gables, Lucy Maud Montgomery

Michel: Harriet the Spy, Louise Fitzhugh


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In today?s episode, "King of Horror" Stephen King reflects on his sobriety, the sequel to The Shining and a novel he co-wrote with his son. First, The Shining came out in 1980, but King didn?t publish the sequel ? Doctor Sleep ? until more than 30 years later. In a 2013 interview, the author spoke with NPR?s David Greene about revisiting his iconic characters. Then, King and his son Owen co-wrote Sleeping Beauties after Owen approached his father with an idea for the book?s premise. In today?s episode, we revisit a 2017 conversation between the father-son duo and NPR?s Mary Louise Kelly.


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After Mexico?s war for independence, a new bride finds herself alone in a haunted house surrounded by people who don't believe her. Isabel Cañas' debut novel The Hacienda blends romance, terror, and the supernatural to tell a story infused with Mexican culture. In a 2022 interview with Weekend Edition Sunday, Cañas told Ayesha Rascoe about the novel?s themes ? colonialism, social status, the syncretism of Catholicism and indigenous practices ? and her own fear of the dark.


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With stories like ?The Lottery? and The Haunting of Hill House, Shirley Jackson was one of the great horror authors of the 20th century. In 2012, Ruth Franklin wrote a biography of the writer called Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life. In today?s episode, we revisit a conversation between Franklin and NPR?s Linda Wertheimer. They talk about Jackson?s childhood, domestic life, and her unique ability to see "extraordinary evil? under the surface of ordinary life.


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Mary Shelley?s Frankenstein, written in 1818, permeated our cultural imagination in a way few stories have. With a new film adaptation directed by Guillermo del Toro out now, we?re revisiting a 2012 conversation about the Gothic classic. In today?s episode, NPR?s Rachel Martin speaks with Princeton English professor Susan Wolfson, who co-edited an annotated version of the book. They discuss Frankenstein?s representation in pop culture, film, and television ? and Wolfson?s favorite depiction of the monster.


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Novelist Anne Rice was known for her supernatural tales about vampires, witches, and ghosts. In 1976, she gained notoriety for Interview with the Vampire, the first book in The Vampire Chronicles series. In today?s episode, we revisit a 2003 conversation between Rice and NPR?s Liane Hansen about Rice's novel 'Blood Canticle' ? and the spirits that haunted the author?s own home.


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Do you ever get the feeling that you?re watching or reading? a lot about vampires? With the 20th anniversary of the Twilight book series upon us, plus the fact that one of the year?s biggest films, Sinners, happens to be a vampire movie, we feel like we can?t escape them - but maybe we don?t want to! On this week?s episode of Books We?ve Loved, Andrew Limbong and B.A. Parker are joined by longtime NPR editor Barrie Hardymon to talk all things Interview with the Vampire ? including how author Anne Rice established the pensive prototype of the vampire as we know it today. 


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Today?s episode features new memoirs by journalists who aren?t afraid to connect deeply with their subjects. First, in Paper Girl, Beth Macy travels back to her hometown, Urbana, Ohio. In today?s episode, she tells NPR?s Ailsa Chang about the socioeconomic and cultural changes she found there. Then, Susan Orlean is known for going deep on niche subjects, like orchid enthusiasts or umbrella inventors. In today?s episode, she talks with NPR?s Scott Simon about her memoir Joyride and how she came across her best-known stories.


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As Israeli forces invaded Gaza in 2023, Palestinian journalist Plestia Alaqad kept a diary. Her writing is a record of the 45 days she spent reporting on the ground during the invasion until she evacuated. Now, she?s published her diary as a book called The Eyes of Gaza. In today?s episode, Alaqad joins NPR?s Lelia Fadel for a conversation about the journalist?s memories of home both before and after the conflict.


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The scholar Nicholas Boggs has a new perspective on James Baldwin. The new biography Baldwin: A Love Story considers how the writer and Civil Rights leader?s lovers might?ve shaped him. In today?s conversation with NPR?s Michel Martin, Boggs argues Baldwin provided a dynamic model for how we relate to other people ? both in platonic and romantic relationships.

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Today?s episode centers an important voice in the still-unfolding story of Jeffrey Epstein. Virginia Roberts Giuffre survived abuse at the hands of Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, and a number of powerful men. Giuffre died by suicide earlier this year. But before her death, she wrote a memoir called Nobody?s Girl. In today?s interview with NPR?s Leila Fadel, Giuffre?s collaborator on the project, Amy Wallace, and her brother, Sky Roberts, share what it was like for Giuffre to write about what she endured.

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Ken Liu is a big name in science fiction. His latest novel All That We See or Seem takes place in a world that?s not too different from ours. But in the book, AI is more embedded in day-to-day life and one character uses it to guide collective dream experiences. In today?s episode, Liu speaks with NPR?s Andrew Limbong about the novel?s hacker protagonist, dreams as knowledge, and how human patterns influence technology.


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This year, readers around the world are celebrating Jane Austen?s 250th birthday. On the inaugural episode of Books We?ve Loved, hosts Andrew Limbong and B.A. Parker are joined by Pop Culture Happy Hour?s Linda Holmes to discuss Austen?s seminal novel Pride & Prejudice. The trio weighs in on how the romance genre continues to reference the book?s ?enemies to lovers? story ? and why the tale?s leads Lizzie Bennet and Mr. Darcy still make us and laugh and swoon even today.  Special guest romance novelist, Casey McQuiston also drops by to share how Austen?s legacy provides inspiration for their own work. 


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Today?s episode features two new cookbooks that solidify family legacies through food. First, NPR?s Ailsa Chang joins Peter and Kathy Fang for a meal at House of Nanking in San Francisco. There, they discuss the father-daughter duo?s new cookbook named after the famed family restaurant. Then, Sami Tamimi?s cookbook Boustany celebrates vegetables in Palestinian cooking. In today?s episode, the chef and author speaks with Here & Now?s Robin Young about recipes from the book, which now serve as a record of what?s been lost during starvation and war in Gaza.


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Dutch Golden Age painter Maria van Oosterwijck and her assistant, Gerta Pieters, lived side by side in 17th century Amsterdam, Pieters having started out as van Oosterwijck?s maid. Victoria Redel?s new historical novel I Am You fictionalizes their story, exploring their personal and working relationships. In today?s episode, Redel tells Here & Now?s Robin Young about expanding on what we know about the women ? and whether it?s plausible they were lovers.


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David McCloskey keeps writing spy thrillers ? and the plots keep coming true. In the opening of his latest novel The Persian, Israel has just launched a surprise attack on Iran. But the author says he had already finished writing by the time conflict broke out between the two nations earlier this year. In today?s episode, McCloskey speaks with NPR?s Mary Louise Kelly about working at the intersection of reality and fiction, and having his work reviewed by the CIA.


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Jeannie Vanasco?s memoir A Silent Treatment is about the period her mother spent living in the basement apartment of Vanasco?s home. Sometimes, Vanasco?s mother would stop communicating altogether. The silent treatment could last a few days ? but once, it lasted six months. In today?s episode, the author speaks with NPR?s Scott Simon about how she came to understand her mother?s retreat.


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Ning is the manager of a nail salon where all of the workers wear a nametag with the same name ? Susan. Pick A Color takes place over a single day at the salon and it?s the first novel by Souvankham Thammavongsa. In today?s episode, the poet and short story writer speaks with NPR?s Scott Simon about Ning?s background as a prizefighter, what Thammavongsa has observed as a salon customer, and the author?s distinction between knowledge and intelligence.


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Welcome to Books We've Loved, a new limited series from Book of The Day. Every episode, we will dig into some of our favorite books, to make the case for picking up a book from the past. Hosted by Book of the Day?s Andrew Limbong and Code Switch?s B.A. Parker, they will be your guides through these timeless stories. Bringing on NPR voices and book nerds far and wide, they will discuss titles by authors like Anthony Bourdain, James Baldwin, and Jane Austen, and asking their guests questions like ? why can?t they get this book out of their head? How did this book shift a paradigm, shake the culture, or change their life? And, most importantly, why should you read it now? 


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Today?s episode features two mystery novels with special twists. First, The Killer Question is a story told via emails, WhatsApp messages and texts. When a new trivia team becomes suspiciously successful, egos are hurt and a body is found in the river. In today?s episode, author Janice Hallett joins NPR?s Scott Simon for a conversation about the mystery that unfolds. Then, Kill Your Darlings is a novel written in reverse: The murderer is revealed in the first chapter. In today?s episode, author Peter Swanson talks with NPR?s Mary Louise Kelly about the marriage at the center of the story.


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