Petra Mayer

Petra Mayer appears in the following:

Life Is Hard, So Why Not Wear Your Dog? Questions For Laura Zigman

Wednesday, March 04, 2020

Laura Zigman's compassionate, occasionally cringey and ultimately comforting new novel follows a middle-aged woman as she comes to terms with the ways her life hasn't turned out the way she'd hoped.

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'American Dirt' Publisher Cancels Author Tour After Threats

Wednesday, January 29, 2020

Flatiron Books, publisher of the controversial new novel, has cancelled the remainder of author Jeanine Cummins' book tour after what it called "specific threats" to both the author and booksellers.

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'This Isn't New': Questions For Tochi Onyebuchi, Author Of 'Riot Baby'

Sunday, January 26, 2020

Tochi Onyebuchi's slim, devastating novella follows a young man born amidst the chaos of the 1992 Rodney King riots — and his sister, whose terrifying magical powers can't protect him from racism.

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A Very Naughty Boy: Remembering Monty Python's Terry Jones

Wednesday, January 22, 2020

Comedian, author and filmmaker Terry Jones has died at the age of 77 after suffering from dementia. As part of Monty Python, he was known for his drag characters and for co-writing the "Spam" sketch.

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Next National Ambassador For Young People's Literature Is Named

Tuesday, January 14, 2020

Jason Reynolds is the seventh national ambassador for Young People's Literature. Reynolds will spend his two-year term traveling the country getting young people to tell their stories.

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'Harry Potter And The Cursed Child' Makes Its Magic The Old-Fashioned Way

Sunday, December 29, 2019

The creators of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child designed their show so it wouldn't look like the world Potterheads knew from the movies. They've documented that process in a new book, The Journey.

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It's Back! NPR Unveils 2019 Book Concierge

Tuesday, December 03, 2019

The NPR 2019 Book Concierge is here! It features more than 350 recommendations from NPR staffers and trusted critics.

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London's 'Mudlark' Pulls Treasure From The Thames

Sunday, November 10, 2019

"Mudlarks" were the people who made a living picking objects out of the mud along the River Thames. Writer Lara Maiklem follows in their tracks; she chronicles her journeys in a new book, Mudlark.

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Imprisoned As 'Immoral', A Lost Grandmother Inspired 'Evidence Of V'

Friday, October 25, 2019

Sheila O'Connor never knew her maternal grandmother, who was imprisoned in a state reform school when she became pregnant at 15. But now, she's reconstructed her grandmother's life in fictional form.

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Tracy Chevalier Says 'A Single Thread' Can Make All The Difference

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Chevalier's new novel follows one of the generation of "surplus women," who lost their men in World War I and had to make new lives for themselves — sometimes outside the bounds of convention.

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Hear Margaret Atwood Read From 'The Testaments,' Her Sequel To 'The Handmaid's Tale'

Wednesday, September 04, 2019

In this recording, exclusive to NPR, Atwood returns to the world of The Handmaid's Tale, reading from her long-awaited sequel. Some 15 years after the first book, it introduces a few new voices.

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We Did It For The LOLs: 100 Favorite Funny Books

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

We thought you might need a laugh right about now, so this year's summer reader poll celebrates all the books (and one short story, and a few uncategorizable gems) that make you laugh out loud.

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Comic-Con 2019, Day 3: Cosplay Day! (Plus, Yes, The Marvel Panel)

Sunday, July 21, 2019

At San Diego Comic-Con, fans strut their stuff in all kinds of costumes — some homemade, some elaborately professional. Even pets and little kids get in on the act.

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In 'Queen Of The Sea,' The Story Rides On Goatback

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Dylan Meconis' new graphic novel is set on a mysterious island off the coast of a country that's not quite Tudor England. It's an alternate history, loosely based on the youth of Queen Elizabeth I.

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Comic-Con 2019, Day 2: The Infamous Coffee Cup

Saturday, July 20, 2019

On the second full day of San Diego Comic-Con, highlights include the last-ever (maybe) Game of Thrones panel and the Eisner Awards, celebrating the best work in comics. (Also, some good cosplay.)

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San Diego Comic-Con Is Turning 50: Here's Its Origin Story

Friday, July 19, 2019

50 years ago, a bunch of teenaged comics fans got together to plan a convention, and what started with 300 people in a hotel basement became the pop culture juggernaut known as San Diego Comic Con.

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Comic-Con 2019, Day 1: Sleepless In San Diego

Friday, July 19, 2019

San Diego Comic-Con kicked off Thursday, with more than 130,000 attendees expected. Big draws of the day were Lin-Manuel Miranda and Arnold Schwarzenegger — and a surprise appearance from Tom Cruise.

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Judith Krantz, Queen Of The Sex And Shopping Novel, Dies At 91

Monday, June 24, 2019

Judith Krantz, queen of the 'sex and shopping' novel, has died at 91. Beginning with Scruples in 1978, she sold millions of books with her signature mix of high fashion, hot sex and female ambition.

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Summer Reader Poll 2019: Meet Our Expert Panelists!

Thursday, June 13, 2019

We've got fantastic judges for this year's summer reader poll! Alexandra Petri, Aparna Nancherla, Guy Branum and Samantha Irby will take your votes and curate a final list of 100 side-splitting reads.

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LOL — This Year's Summer Reader Poll Is All About Funny Books

Tuesday, June 11, 2019

Take these books ... please?! Our famous Summer Reader Poll is back, and this year we're celebrating funny books. What makes you laugh — or giggle, or even just snicker quietly? We want to know!

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