NPR's Book of the Day

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.

Episodes

Alexis Okeowo’s ‘Blessings and Disasters’ is an ode to Alabama’s complicated history

August 19, 2025 • 8 mins
Alexis Okeowo grew up in Alabama. But it wasn’t until they left for college that Okeowo realized the strong stereotypes outsiders held about their home state. With their new book Blessings and Disasters, the New Yorker staff writer blends memoir and reporting to tell an alternate history of Alabama. In today’s episode, Okeowo speaks with NPR’s Emily Kwong about those who are often excluded from the state’s history, including the Po...
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‘Dwelling’ fictionalizes the American housing crisis with elements of fairy tale

August 18, 2025 • 9 mins
In Emily Hunt Kivel’s new novel Dwelling, a mass eviction in New York City throws a young woman’s life into chaos. Suddenly homeless, Evie relocates to Gulluck, Texas, where she moves into a giant cowboy boot, the only rental property she can afford. In today’s episode, Kivel joins NPR’s Adrian Ma for a discussion about how she approached American capitalism through the lens of fairy tales.


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For the authors of ‘Reading Van Gogh,’ ‘Black in Blues,’ art opened a door to meaning

August 15, 2025 • 22 mins
In today’s episode, the authors of two recently released nonfiction books search for meaning in art. First, Elizabeth Barks Cox’s Reading Van Gogh: An Amateur’s Search for God chronicles her infatuation with the painter’s writings, especially those on spirituality. In today’s episode, Cox joins Here & Now’s Lisa Mullins for a conversation that touches on the artist’s eye for beauty and despair – and why the author says she fell “a ...
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In ‘Human Nature,’ Kate Marvel bridges the gap between climate science and emotions

August 14, 2025 • 8 mins
Kate Marvel is a climate scientist who has testified before Congress and served as lead author of the U.S. National Climate Assessment. But in her new book Human Nature, she takes a different approach to climate change, exploring the crisis through nine emotions. In today's episode, the scientist and author speaks with NPR’s Scott Simon about watching the world end through computer models, pushing back against emotional neutrality,...
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Jason Mott’s new novel ‘People Like Us’ is metafiction that was almost memoir

August 13, 2025 • 9 mins
In 2021, Jason Mott won the National Book Award for Hell of a Book. Now, he’s out with a new novel called People Like Us, in which two Black writers navigate life in the United States in an era of gun violence. Mott says the book is loosely based on himself – and leans into the audience’s tendency to conflate authors with the stories they write. In today’s episode, Mott talks with NPR’s Ayesha Rascoe about his personal relationship...
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‘Sloppy’ author Rax King says she’s inspired by writers who did their best work sober

August 12, 2025 • 8 mins
Author Rax King says her new book of essays Sloppy is unified by themes of “addiction and bad habits.” King has been sober from alcohol and cocaine for three years and in these essays, she openly shares her sobriety journey. In today’s episode, King speaks with NPR’s Juana Summers about why the author doesn’t see addiction as a shameful secret, King’s relationship with her dad, and learning to generate creativity without substances...
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A new mystery novel by Liza Tully pairs a green assistant with a seasoned detective

August 11, 2025 • 9 mins
In a new murder mystery, a young woman, Olivia Blunt, is eager to impress her new boss, a no-nonsense detective named Aubrey Merritt. This intergenerational pairing is at the center of The World’s Greatest Detective and Her Just Okay Assistant, the latest novel from Liza Tully, which is the pen name of author Elisabeth Brink. In today’s episode, Tully joins NPR’s Ayesha Rascoe for a conversation that touches on why the author chose...
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2 new books were inspired by dark moments in Japanese and Japanese American history

August 8, 2025 • 17 mins
Authors Tracy Slater and Julia Riew published two very different books last month that were inspired by a similar time in history. First, Together in Manzanar is set during the incarceration of Japanese Americans following Pearl Harbor. The book tells the real-life story of a mother who had to decide whether to go to a concentration camp with her 3-year-old Japanese American son or stay back with her daughter, who was white. In tod...
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‘The Feather Detective’ is a biography of Roxie Layboune, forensic ornithologist

August 7, 2025 • 8 mins
In 1960, a commercial flight was struck by a flock of birds, resulting in a deadly crash. Evidence was sent to the Smithsonian, where a woman named Roxie Laybourne successfully identified the species of bird involved. That case began her career as the first forensic ornithologist – and Laybourne’s work is the subject of Chris Sweeney’s new book, The Feather Detective. In today’s episode, Sweeney joins NPR’s Scott Simon for a conver...
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In Lisa Smith’s ‘Jamaica Road,’ a young girl searches for belonging in 1980s London

August 6, 2025 • 10 mins
Lisa Smith’s debut novel Jamaica Road is a coming of age story and romance set in 1980s London. The story follows Daphne, a young girl born to a Jamaican family, and her best friend Connie over the course of 12 years as they contend with love, hatred and some historical events in British history. In today’s episode, Smith talks with Here & Now’s Deborah Becker about growing up as “the posh Black girl,” writing patois, and a surpris...
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‘Algospeak’ looks at algorithms' transformative impact on how we speak on and offline

August 5, 2025 • 8 mins
Words like "rizz" and "skibidi" didn’t exist just a few years ago, but now they’re used and understood by millions of people. In his new book, Algospeak, linguist and content creator Adam Aleksic argues our language is evolving at a rapid pace. And he says this is driven in large part by social media algorithms that amplify linguistic trends. In today’s episode, Aleksic speaks with NPR’s Adrian Ma about the engagement treadmill, in...
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Katie Yee's 'Maggie' approaches a tough diagnosis - and a marriage's end - with humor

August 4, 2025 • 10 mins
In Katie Yee's debut novel 'Maggie; Or, a Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar,' the unnamed protagonist is contending with the end of her marriage and a breast cancer diagnosis. But these topics are approached with humor, which Yee says is essential to stay sane. In today's episode, the author joins Here & Now's Asma Khalid for a conversation about the relationship women have with their bodies, the affair at the center of the novel, an...
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New books by Irene Vega, Tim Weiner chronicle changes to federal agencies under Trump

August 1, 2025 • 16 mins
Two new books add context to changes at federal agencies under the Trump administration. First, Irene Vega interviewed 90 ICE agents over a number of years for her book Bordering on Indifference. In today's episode, she speaks with NPR's A Martínez about the frequent tension between agents' professional and personal backgrounds. Then, Tim Weiner's new book The Mission considers how the CIA is reimagining the art of espionage in the...
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'On Her Game' is Christine Brennan's portrait of basketball star Caitlin Clark

July 31, 2025 • 9 mins
In 2024, ratings for the NCAA women's basketball final topped the men's final by 4 million viewers – and Caitlin Clark was largely responsible. American sports fans fell in love with the athlete and Clark, now with the Indiana Fever, went on to become a star. Christine Brennan's new book On Her Game looks at the athlete's role in U.S. sports and culture. In today's episode, Brennan talks with NPR's Scott Simon about Clark's time pl...
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Short story collection 'Heart Lamp' is the winner of the International Booker Prize

July 30, 2025 • 12 mins
Heart Lamp, this year's International Booker Prize winner, is the first short story collection to receive the award. It is also the first time the prize has been awarded to an author writing in Kannada and a translator from India. The collection tells the stories of women living in southern India against a backdrop of poverty and patriarchal systems. In today's episode, author Banu Mushtaq and translator Deepa Bhasthi join Here & N...
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In Sophie Elmhirst's 'A Marriage at Sea,' a couple tries to keep themselves afloat

July 29, 2025 • 8 mins
In 1972, Maurice and Maralyn Bailey set out from England to sail around the world. Partway through the voyage, a whale knocked a hole in their boat, leaving the couple stranded at sea. A Marriage at Sea, a new book by Sophie Elmhirst, chronicles how the Baileys struggled to survive for months as they awaited rescue. In today's episode, the author speaks with NPR's Mary Louise Kelly about the Baileys' story.

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Through politics, fiction and her latest novel, Stacey Abrams aims to inspire action

July 28, 2025 • 7 mins
Avery Keene has unraveled international conspiracies and investigated mysteries involving the Supreme Court, but now she's focused on what could be a deadly side of artificial intelligence. That's the setup for the novel Coded Justice, the latest legal thriller by Stacey Abrams, former Georgia State Representative and two-time gubernatorial candidate. In today's episode, Abrams joins NPR's Michel Martin for a conversation about the...
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'No Sense in Wishing' and 'Hit Girls' consider the way culture shapes identity

July 25, 2025 • 17 mins
Two new books explore how culture shapes our identity. First, Lawrence Burney's essay collection, No Sense in Wishing, is an appreciation of the arts and artists that shaped him as he grew up in Baltimore. In today's episode, he speaks with NPR's Juana Summers about his influences, from Gil Scott Heron to local Baltimore rappers. Then, Nora Princiotti's Hit Girls takes a serious look at the impact of female pop stars from the 2000s...
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After 20 years, Mary Jo Bang has completed her translation of Dante's 'Divine Comedy'

July 24, 2025 • 8 mins
About 20 years ago, Mary Jo Bang read a poem that inspired her to take on a translation of Dante's Divine Comedy. At first, she began with just three lines – but two decades later, she's completed all three parts: "Inferno," "Purgatorio" and "Paradiso." In today's episode, she joins NPR's Ari Shapiro for a conversation about translating Dante into contemporary language, why English is a "rhyme-poor" language, and the parallels betw...
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Mark Kurlansky's novel 'Cheesecake' was inspired by a recipe from ancient Rome

July 23, 2025 • 6 mins
In Mark Kurlansky's novel Cheesecake, a Greek family living on Manhattan's Upper West Side sets out to follow a recipe dating back to ancient Rome. What results is a block-wide battle to make the best cheesecake, set against the backdrop of a quickly-changing neighborhood. In today's episode, Kurlansky talks with NPR's Scott Simon about coming across the oldest written recipe, the food writer's relationship to fiction, and Kurlansk...
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