Arts

Pages

Books
4:23 pm
Thu December 27, 2012

Libraries And E-Lending: The 'Wild West' Of Digital Licensing?

Credit iStockphoto.com
About three-quarters of public libraries offer digital lending, but finding a book you want can be frustrating — every publisher has its own set of rules.

Originally published on Thu December 27, 2012 9:40 pm

Have you ever borrowed an e-book from a library? If the answer is no, you're a member of a large majority. A survey out Thursday from the Pew Internet Project finds that only 5 percent of "recent library users" have tried to borrow an e-book this year.

About three-quarters of public libraries offer e-books, according to the American Library Association, but finding the book you want to read can be a challenge — when it's available at all.

Read more
Food
4:20 pm
Thu December 27, 2012

'Dirt Candy': A Visual Veggie Cookbook With A Memoir Mixed In

Originally published on Thu December 27, 2012 9:40 pm

The Ones That Got Away series: There were so many good arts and entertainment stories in 2012 that we couldn't get around to reporting on everything as it was released. So this week, our arts reporters are circling back to look at books, movies, TV shows and trends that we should have paid more attention to.

Amanda Cohen's Dirt Candy is a graphic novel, vegetarian cookbook and memoir. But because it's all of those things, it's also not exactly any of them — so it fell between the cracks.

Read more
Arts & Life
2:23 pm
Thu December 27, 2012

At The End Of The Day, Cliches Can Be As Good As Gold

Transcript

CELESTE HEADLEE, HOST:

So I'm wondering, how often have you actually counted your chickens before they'd hatched, or maybe thrown up a single stone and then hit two birds, not to mention having one of those critters in your hand that was worth two of them in the bush. Cliches are very often denounced as the most over-used and contemptible phrases in the English language.

Read more
Television
11:51 am
Thu December 27, 2012

Aaron Sorkin: The Writer Behind 'The Newsroom'

Originally published on Thu December 27, 2012 12:18 pm

As part of our year-end wrap up, we are sharing the best Fresh Air interviews of 2012. This interview was originally broadcast on July 16, 2012.

Aaron Sorkin's HBO drama The Newsroom follows the inner workings of a fictional cable network trying to challenge America's hyperpartisan 24/7 news culture. It's a typical Sorkin drama, complete with fast-paced dialogue, witty scenes and a strong ensemble cast.

So why a newsroom?

Read more
Best Books Of 2012
7:03 am
Thu December 27, 2012

Courage And Curiosity: The Best Heroines Of 2012

Credit / Nishant Choksi

Originally published on Sun December 30, 2012 12:45 pm

The most dangerous trait a woman can possess is curiosity. That's what myths and religion would have us believe, anyway. Inquisitive Pandora unleashed sorrow upon the world. Eve got us kicked out of paradise. Blight on civilization it may be, but female curiosity is a gift to narrative and the quality my five favorite heroines of the year possess in spades.

Read more
Digital Life
3:29 am
Thu December 27, 2012

In Rapid-Fire 2012, Memes' Half-Life Fell To A Quarter

Originally published on Thu December 27, 2012 4:34 am

Author Interviews
3:25 am
Thu December 27, 2012

Shake It Up! Vintage Cocktails Are Ripe For Revival

Originally published on Thu December 27, 2012 4:34 am

It's the holiday season and for some people that means celebrating with friends, family and cocktails. But instead of settling for the standard martini or Manhattan, author and historian Lesley Blume suggests you reach for a taste of bygone cocktail culture.

In Let's Bring Back: The Cocktail Edition, Blume outlines more than 100 lesser-known oldies that are both delicious and delightful. She joins NPR's David Greene to discuss cocktail history and how to make vintage recipes part of a modern-day party.

Read more
Author Interviews
5:32 pm
Wed December 26, 2012

'Law & Order' Meets Tom Clancy In Dick Wolf's First Novel

Credit MMXII James Chen Photographer, Santa Barbara / William Morrow
Dick Wolf is an Emmy Award-winning writer, producer and creator of the TV series Law & Order.

Originally published on Wed December 26, 2012 7:24 pm

If Dick Wolf's record in television is any indication, his debut novel, The Intercept, could be the first of dozens.

These days, Wolf says, episodes of the Law & Order franchise he created run or rerun an average of 109 times a week. He jokes with NPR's Robert Siegel that one secret to the series' longevity is how many of the shows originally aired at 10 p.m.

"The reason it repeats so well, in my opinion," he says, "is because half the audience has fallen asleep and can't remember: How does this end?"

Read more
Movie Interviews
3:54 pm
Wed December 26, 2012

'Hyde Park': An FDR Portrait That's More Fiction Than Fact

Originally published on Wed December 26, 2012 7:24 pm

This week, we've truth squadded the recent biopics Hitchcock and Argo, and today, we turn to Hyde Park on Hudson. The new film tells the story of a love affair between Franklin Delano Roosevelt and his distant cousin Margaret "Daisy" Suckley. But how much of this is fact and how much is fiction?

Read more

Pages