The term brain rot first appeared in Henry David Thoreau's famous Walden, according to the Oxford University Press. How did he use it — and what might he have made of its modern meaning?
Every year, we ask NPR staff and book critics to share their favorite titles in our annual Books We Love guide. Behind the scenes, it's fun to spot trends and see what gets nominated again and again.
Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel says she had to consider whether she is a "feminist." She joined NPR's Mary Louise Kelly to discuss her new memoir, Freedom.
Books We Love returns with 350+ new titles handpicked by NPR staff and trusted critics. Find 12 years of recommendations all in one place — that's nearly 4,000 great reads.
An authoritative artist has many rules for his still life painting. Too bad! Because the mouse, the dragon, the knight, and the princess are here to break them in this raucous new picture book.
Everett's novel James is a retelling of Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn. The prestigious literary prize also awards the best in non-fiction, poetry, translated literature and young people's literature.
Athens writer Rebecca McCarthy's biography of author Norman Maclean chronicles both her personal experiences with him and what she learned about his life through research.
In her new cookbook, "Life's Too Short to Stuff a Mushroom," chef and TV host Prue Leith reveals clever cooking tricks and shortcuts from her 65-year culinary career.
Sometimes, the right book shows up just at the right time. Our book critic encountered two such books this week: Water, Water, by Billy Collins, and The Dog Who Followed the Moon, by James Norbury.
Samantha Harvey has won the 2024 Booker Prize for her science fiction novel Orbital. The novel follows six international astronauts as they orbit the Earth for one day of their nine-month space mission.
In the first interview about his new book The City and its Uncertain Walls, the celebrated author also talks with NPR about his age and finding beauty in isolation.
With 23 short essays on creatures ranging from the wombat to the spider, Katherine Rundell's new book is essential reading for anyone whose wonder could use a jumpstart.
Since publishing Annihilation and the subsequent Southern Reach novels, VanderMeer has become a poster child for fiction confronting climate change. Now he’s back with a highly anticipated prequel.
