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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.

In 'Talk to Me,' the grandson of a former Haitian president uncovers family secrets

7 mins; February 25, 2025

Mark Greaney takes on geopolitics in the latest installment of the Gray Man series

8 mins; February 24, 2025

New books from Reid Hoffman and Bill Gates look at tech revolutions past and future

17 mins; February 21, 2025

In 'Idle Grounds,' a pack of children searches the woods for their missing cousin

8 mins; February 20, 2025

A new memoir from Ira Madison III is more than just 'Pure Innocent Fun'

8 mins; February 19, 2025

'Life Hacks for a Little Alien' follows a lonely girl's pursuit of an ancient tome

7 mins; February 18, 2025

A new book from Peter Beinart asks Jewish people to reimagine the Israeli state

11 mins; February 17, 2025

Two novels from Charmaine Wilkerson explore cultural inheritance in Black families

16 mins; February 14, 2025

Indie-rock artist Neko Case opens up about her childhood in a new memoir

8 mins; February 13, 2025

'Bronshtein in the Bronx' is a fictional account of Leon Trotsky's New York exile

8 mins; February 12, 2025

In Ali Smith's 'Gliff,' two children flee capture in an authoritarian near-future

7 mins; February 11, 2025

In a new book, Chris Hayes argues that attention is our most endangered resource

7 mins; February 10, 2025

'The Serviceberry' and 'Birding to Change the World' draw lessons from nature

20 mins; February 07, 2025

'The Interpreter' is a story about children who act as translators for their parents

12 mins; February 06, 2025

With 'Dare I Say It,' Naomi Watts aims to help menopausal women feel less alone

8 mins; February 05, 2025

Andy Corren's memoir 'Dirtbag Queen' expands on a viral tribute to his mother

9 mins; February 04, 2025

A new novel follows the love lives of three generations of Palestinian American women

7 mins; February 03, 2025

'Final Girl Support Group' and 'Witchcraft for Wayward Girls' center women in horror

18 mins; January 31, 2025

Rusty Sabich comes out of retirement in Scott Turow's thriller 'Presumed Guilty'

8 mins; January 30, 2025

'Unassimilable' makes a radical case against assimilation for the Asian diaspora

9 mins; January 29, 2025

'Parks 2' is a book of photos and essays focused on the National Parks

5 mins; January 28, 2025

Han Kang's latest novel 'We Do Not Part' deals with hidden chapters of Korean history

8 mins; January 27, 2025

New novels from Emma Knight and Anita Desai explore the dual identities of mothers

15 mins; January 24, 2025

'How to Change' is a behavioral economist's guide to habit formation

10 mins; January 23, 2025

'Amazing Grapes' was Pulitzer-winning illustrator Jules Feiffer's final book

8 mins; January 22, 2025

Betül Tunç's new cookbook shares the recipes behind her viral dough videos

10 mins; January 21, 2025

Amanda Gorman's 'Girls on the Rise' makes the case that girls are stronger together

9 mins; January 20, 2025

In new memoir, Brooke Shields talks aging, beauty and an unwanted medical procedure

12 mins; January 17, 2025

In 'Welcome to Pawnee,' Jim O'Heir reflects on his time on 'Parks and Recreation'

8 mins; January 16, 2025

Kate Kennedy's 'Cello' is part memoir, part musical detective story

10 mins; January 15, 2025

'The Rest Is Memory' is a novel inspired by photos taken at Auschwitz

7 mins; January 14, 2025

Mark Lilla's new book explores the psychology and consequences of willful ignorance

5 mins; January 13, 2025

'No Place to Bury the Dead', 'The Hunter' ask what lengths you'll go for others

12 mins; January 10, 2025

Daylight is something to celebrate in 'The Shortest Day'

6 mins; January 09, 2025

'Small Things Like These' draws from the true story of Ireland's Magdalene Laundries

10 mins; January 08, 2025

A new book examines millennial nostalgia and the economic consequences of Y2K

7 mins; January 07, 2025

'A Kwanzaa Keepsake and Cookbook' is an updated exploration of Kwanzaa's traditions

10 mins; January 06, 2025

'King: A Life' and 'A Day in the Life of Abed Salama' are Pulitzer Prize winners

16 mins; January 03, 2025

In 'All Fours,' Miranda July tackles love, sex and reinvention in middle age

7 mins; January 02, 2025

Salman Rushdie's memoir 'Knife' recounts his attack and recovery

16 mins; January 01, 2025

Kaveh Akbar's novel 'Martyr!' is a journey of identity, addiction and poetry

8 mins; December 31, 2024

Percival Everett centers a new voice in 'James,' a retelling of 'Huckleberry Finn'

15 mins; December 30, 2024

BONUS: A biography and a memoir reexamine Jimmy Carter's extraordinary life

13 mins; December 30, 2024

'Gather Me' and 'Subculture Vulture' are memoirs told through books and subcultures

16 mins; December 27, 2024

'The Hanukkah Magic of Nate Gadol' is a mythical take on the Jewish holiday

5 mins; December 26, 2024

'General Sherman's Christmas' captures the war-time holiday in Savannah 150 years ago

7 mins; December 25, 2024

New cookbook 'Jiggle!' aims to bring gelatin back in style

10 mins; December 24, 2024

'Dylan Goes Electric!' is the book behind Timothée Chalamet's new Bob Dylan biopic

10 mins; December 23, 2024

Two books, two very different takes on Christmas stories

17 mins; December 20, 2024

'When Southern Women Cook' is a diverse portrait of the American South's food culture

12 mins; December 19, 2024

Alizah Holstein writes about the complex echelons of academia in 'My Roman History'

12 mins; December 18, 2024

In 'Kingdom of No Tomorrow,' a young woman joins the Black Panther Party

5 mins; December 17, 2024

Colson Whitehead's novel 'The Nickel Boys' comes to the big screen

6 mins; December 16, 2024

Two books explore phases of female life, girlhood and womanhood

18 mins; December 13, 2024

In Zahid Rafiq's debut short story collection, the future of Kashmir is uncertain

7 mins; December 12, 2024

Remembering Nikki Giovanni, poet and icon of the Black Arts Movement

12 mins; December 11, 2024

Author of Wampanoag history discussed her children's book and erasure

10 mins; December 10, 2024

There is such a thing as too much quality time in Weike Wang's 'Rental House'

7 mins; December 09, 2024

2 new nonfiction books explore the impact of cultural forces in the world of music

16 mins; December 06, 2024

Haruki Murakami's longtime editor spills the tea on working with the master

14 mins; December 05, 2024

In new memoir, Angela Merkel details her time as Germany's first woman chancellor

11 mins; December 04, 2024

A game design company has mysterious forces at play in the new YA thriller 'Darkly'

7 mins; December 03, 2024

In comedian Youngmi Mayer's new memoir, laughter is a lifeline

7 mins; December 02, 2024

'Pig Years' and 'What the Chicken Knows' consider the interior worlds of farm animals

19 mins; November 29, 2024

A new cookbook from food journalist Mark Bittman invites kids into the kitchen

8 mins; November 28, 2024

In 'Growing Up Urkel,' actor Jaleel White reflects on a career-defining role

8 mins; November 27, 2024

NPR staffers pick their favorite reads of the year

4 mins; November 26, 2024

Bonnie Kistler's new thriller explores ageism from the lens of a murder

7 mins; November 25, 2024

Two nonfiction books take critical views of bankruptcy and microlending systems

23 mins; November 22, 2024

'Say Nothing' tells the story of 'The Troubles' through one woman's murder

8 mins; November 21, 2024

In 'Citizen,' former President Clinton reflects on his post-White House years

7 mins; November 20, 2024

In a new version of 'The Cake Bible,' Rose Levy Beranbaum updates a culinary classic

10 mins; November 19, 2024

In the new novel 'Pony Confidential,' a crime-solving pony seeks revenge

8 mins; November 18, 2024

Two new books on Johnny Carson and Shirley MacLaine offer intimate views of celebrity

19 mins; November 15, 2024

Brit Barron's new book is a guide on maintaining relationships in a polarized world

10 mins; November 14, 2024

With 'Mystical Lotería,' Yvette Montoya reimagines a traditional Latino party game

7 mins; November 13, 2024

A parenting book by author Kelley Coleman focuses on the care of disabled children

9 mins; November 12, 2024

A shocking discovery follows an artist's death in Paula Hawkins' 'The Blue Hour'

10 mins; November 11, 2024

'Tías and Primas' and 'Linguaphile' are new nonfiction books on family and language

16 mins; November 08, 2024

'Big Jim and the White Boy,' a new graphic novel, reinterprets a Mark Twain classic

8 mins; November 07, 2024

Stanley Tucci records 12 months of eating in his food diary 'What I Ate in One Year'

7 mins; November 06, 2024

In Winsome Bingham's 'The Walk,' a community bands together to head to the polls

7 mins; November 05, 2024

Bob Woodward's new book 'War' invites readers into a world of back-channel diplomacy

11 mins; November 04, 2024

'Patriot' is a posthumous memoir by the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny

14 mins; November 01, 2024

'American Scary' documents a cultural obsession with horror in the United States

10 mins; October 31, 2024

In 'Ottolenghi Comfort,' Yotam Ottolenghi takes an expansive view of comfort food

10 mins; October 30, 2024

Al Pacino's memoir 'Sonny Boy' is a story of adventure, starting in the South Bronx

8 mins; October 29, 2024

Palestinian poet Mosab Abu Toha bears witness to war in 'Forest of Noise'

7 mins; October 28, 2024

Rebecca Yarros on literary tropes, writing through chronic illness and 'Fourth Wing'

19 mins; October 26, 2024

In new children's books from Trevor Noah and Travis Jonker, adventure is not far off

18 mins; October 25, 2024

A new biography portrays Queen Elizabeth II as the British public's emotional anchor

7 mins; October 24, 2024

'How Women Made Music' reexamines the history of music with women at its center

6 mins; October 23, 2024

With a new cookbook, TikTok creator Owen Han aims to perfect the art of the sandwich

8 mins; October 22, 2024

'The Indian Card' explores the question of Native identity in the United States

8 mins; October 21, 2024

Food meets family in new books from Ina Garten and Stephen Colbert

18 mins; October 18, 2024

'Twenty-Four Seconds from Now' is a love story for Black boys–and everyone else, too

8 mins; October 17, 2024

In 'In Praise of Mystery,' U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón looks to the stars

7 mins; October 16, 2024

Malcolm Gladwell revisits old ideas in a new book, 'Revenge of the Tipping Point'

7 mins; October 15, 2024

Han Kang, winner of the 2024 Nobel Prize in literature, on her novel 'The Vegetarian'

6 mins; October 14, 2024

American Library Association president Cindy Hohl on why book bans are hard to stop

18 mins; October 11, 2024

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