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NPR's Book of the Day 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.
NPR's Book of the Day

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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.

Most Recent Episodes

Kevin Kwan explores race and identity in 'Sex and Vanity' and 'Lies and Weddings'
Doubleday

Kevin Kwan explores race and identity in 'Sex and Vanity' and 'Lies and Weddings'

Today's episode features two interviews with Kevin Kwan, author of the Crazy Rich Asians series. First, former NPR host Lulu Garcia-Navarro spoke to the writer in 2020 about Sex and Vanity, exploring identity through the lens of a biracial character and setting a new trilogy between Europe and the U.S. Then, Here & Now's Robin Young asks Kwan about his newest novel, Lies and Weddings, and his thoughts on the fascination with wealth and power in literature.

Kevin Kwan explores race and identity in 'Sex and Vanity' and 'Lies and Weddings'

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A new book examines Alexander Hamilton's plan for public debt
Farrar, Straus and Giroux

A new book examines Alexander Hamilton's plan for public debt

Alexander Hamilton, the first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, is somewhat of a pop culture phenomenon thanks to a hit musical about his life. But a new book called The Hamilton Scheme dives into a less-known part of Hamilton's legacy — his vision for public debt. In today's interview, author and historian William Hogeland speaks with NPR's Steve Inskeep about why Hamilton considered higher loans to be paid by the federal government a good thing, and how that can be traced to today's relationship between China and the United States.

A new book examines Alexander Hamilton's plan for public debt

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In 'Do I Know You?,' a science reporter tackles her own face blindness
Little, Brown Spark

In 'Do I Know You?,' a science reporter tackles her own face blindness

When science reporter Sadie Dingfelder mistakes a complete stranger in the supermarket for her own husband, she realizes something's up. The tests and research that follow result in a face blindness diagnosis and her new book, Do I Know You?. In today's episode, she speaks with NPR's Ayesha Rascoe about the different experiences of consciousness everyone has, and how understanding the brain's capacities opens up a whole new world of neurodiversity.

In 'Do I Know You?,' a science reporter tackles her own face blindness

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Yangsze Choo's 'The Fox Wife' explores gender, murder and folklore in the 1900s
Henry Holt and Co.

Yangsze Choo's 'The Fox Wife' explores gender, murder and folklore in the 1900s

Yangsze Choo says she doesn't thoroughly plan out her novels – her newest, The Fox Wife, blossomed from that core idea behind the title, of a woman who also happens to be a fox. But beyond that, it's a story about a mother avenging her child, about a murder investigation in early 20th century China, and about family curses. As the author tells NPR's Scott Simon, foxes hold a wide range of intrigue and mystery in Chinese, Korean and Japanese legends — and it's these traits that broke open a whole world of secrets for her characters.

Yangsze Choo's 'The Fox Wife' explores gender, murder and folklore in the 1900s

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Kara Swisher's memoir 'Burn Book' reflects on a career covering Silicon Valley
Simon & Schuster

Kara Swisher's memoir 'Burn Book' reflects on a career covering Silicon Valley

Journalist Kara Swisher, who's been covering the internet and the tech industry for decades, says she's not surprised when people like Steve Jobs or Elon Musk lie to her — but what she says they sometimes don't realize is how much they lie to themselves. Her new memoir, Burn Book, recounts what she's learned in conversation with some of the brightest minds in Silicon Valley. In today's episode, Swisher tells NPR's Steve Inskeep that as disillusioned as she is with how much harm the industry has caused, she's still optimistic about the future of tech and AI.

Kara Swisher's memoir 'Burn Book' reflects on a career covering Silicon Valley

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Morgan Talty examines Native identity in 'Night of the Living Rez' and 'Fire Exit'

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Tin House Books

Morgan Talty examines Native identity in 'Night of the Living Rez' and 'Fire Exit'

Today's episode features two interviews with author Morgan Talty. First, a conversation with NPR's Melissa Block about his 2022 collection of short stories, Night of the Living Rez, and how he navigates the weight of representation for the Penobscot Nation. Then, NPR's Andrew Limbong asks Talty about his new novel, Fire Exit, which takes place in the same cinematic universe as his former book but follows a white man trying to make sense of his place within an Indigenous community.

Morgan Talty examines Native identity in 'Night of the Living Rez' and 'Fire Exit'

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Carys Davies tackles communication, isolation and the Scottish Clearances in 'Clear'
Scribner

Carys Davies tackles communication, isolation and the Scottish Clearances in 'Clear'

In the 1840s, a Scottish minister named John Ferguson accepts the task of traveling to a remote island to evict Ivar, the only man who lives there. When Reverend Ferguson falls off a cliff, Ivar brings him back to life — and the two find a common understanding even as they realize they don't speak the same language. That's the basis of Carys Davies' new novel, Clear. In today's episode, NPR's Scott Simon asks the author about how she discovered a real-life extinct language called Norn, and how the historic Highland Clearances of Scotland inspired the events of the book.

Carys Davies tackles communication, isolation and the Scottish Clearances in 'Clear'

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In 'The Extinction of Irena Rey,' translators search for a missing author
Bloomsbury Publishing

In 'The Extinction of Irena Rey,' translators search for a missing author

Eight translators from eight countries travel to a Polish forest to begin adapting famed author Irena Rey's newest book into their respective languages. But when Irena Rey disappears, a competitive, ego-fueled search unravels in the surrounding woods and within each person. In today's episode, author Jennifer Croft speaks with NPR's Scott Simon about her new novel, The Extinction of Irena Rey, and how her own experience as an International Booker Prize-winning translator sparked an interest in the drive and desires of the people tasked with "shapeshifting" a text into their own tongue.

In 'The Extinction of Irena Rey,' translators search for a missing author

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'Memory Piece' follows female friendships over several decades
Riverhead Books

'Memory Piece' follows female friendships over several decades

Memory Piece, the latest novel from National Book Award finalist Lisa Ko, kicks off in the 1980s with three teenage girls who find a deep connection to one another. Into the1990s and eventually the 2040s, the book delves into their growth as individuals and friends. In today's episode, Here & Now's Deepa Fernandes speaks with Ko about how art, gentrification and activism plays a role in each woman's life, and how memory and interdependence helps them find hope for their futures.

'Memory Piece' follows female friendships over several decades

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'Hard by a Great Forest' is a novel about returning home decades after fleeing war
Riverhead Books

'Hard by a Great Forest' is a novel about returning home decades after fleeing war

The story of Saba, the protagonist of Leo Vardiashvili's novel Hard by a Great Forest, is much like the author's own. A young boy flees the Soviet Republic of Georgia with his father and brother as the country is ravaged by a war. Decades later, when his father goes back to their homeland and promptly disappears, Saba must face his family's past – and immense loss – in an effort to find him. In today's episode, Vardiashvili tells NPR's Scott Simon about being separated from his own family, and the feeling of time-travel he felt when he finally made his way back to Georgia.

'Hard by a Great Forest' is a novel about returning home decades after fleeing war

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