KBAQ Book of the Month
Why Beethoven Threw the Stew
Why Beethoven Threw the Stew (by Steven Isserlis)
KBAQ's Randy Kinkel recommends "Why Beethoven Threw the Stew". A funny and factual guide to the lives, quirks and foibles of six of the great composers of classical music, written by Master Cellist Steven Isserlis. Written for kids, but in a way that adults can also enjoy and learn from, it's the KBAQ book of the month for June. Great for reading aloud!
Full story
NPR Book Reviews
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Americans Say Oui, Oui To Foreign Graphic Novels
Americans don't buy a lot of foreign novels, but go to any neighborhood bookstore and you'll find whole shelves devoted to international comics. In fact, more than half of the graphic novels sold in the U.S. are foreign-language imports.
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Are You Ready For The Summer? Camp, That Is
A new book titled <em>Camp Camp: Where Fantasy Island Meets Lord of the Flies</em> is an ode to the time of year when kids swarm to camps with appropriated Native American names and sweaty cabins filled with bunk beds and the spoils of independence.
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Carter's New Thriller Mixes Murder, Love And Politics
Novelist Stephen Carter, who is also a professor at the Yale Law School, says his latest novel, <em>Palace Council,</em> is a thriller, a conspiracy, a love story and historical fiction. And the process of writing it was "utterly exhausting."
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Books That Knock It Out Of The Park
Watching baseball and reading books have a lot in common. Both are made for the summer, require some investment of time and — the best part — involve a great deal of sitting. Alan Schwarz details his three favorite books on America's favorite game.
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'Dark Side' III: Is Rendition Still Taking Place?
The policy and program still exist, but whether they are actually being used seems doubtful, says <em>The New Yorker</em>'s Jane Mayer. She also tells Madeleine Brand why one man water boarded himself to find whether it was torture.
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Celebrating A Dutch Mystery Writer's Varied Life
Mystery novelist Janwillem Van de Wetering was once a motorcycle gang member in South Africa, an aspiring monk in Kyoto, Japan and a policeman in Amsterdam. The Dutch author of <em>The Hollow-Eyed Angel, The Blond Baboon</em> and <em>The Maine Massacre</em> died July 4 at the age of 77.
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Author Transforms Himself From Schlub To Stud
They may be considered clumsy and unattractive, but one author discovers that schlubs aren't necessarily losers.
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Joe Wambaugh: The Writer Who Redefined LAPD
Wambaugh, who spent years on the force, wrote the best-selling book <em>The Onion Field</em> in three months during a leave of absence from the department. Over the decades, his realistic and multidimensional portrayals of L.A. cops have helped tranform their public image.
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Excerpt: 'Hollywood Crows'
Excerpt From: 'Hollywood Crows' by Joseph Wambaugh
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How Sept. 11 Redefined Executive Power
Vice President Dick Cheney is the "most important person in America, that people have never heard of," says Jane Mayer, author of the book, <em>The Dark Side</em>. Cheney called the shots, she says in her expose of the Bush administration's role in detainee torture scandals.
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Searching For Bodies In Chelsea Cain's Portland
Crime writer Chelsea Cain sees danger lurking in the most pastoral corners of the polite Northwest city she calls home. Ketzel Levine dares to search for skeletons with the writer.
-
Paul Goldstein's Patently Thrilling Legal Drama
<em>A Patent Lie</em>, the new novel by Paul Goldstein, trumps John Grisham's work in every way — character, setting, plot and prose — and gives readers interested in the drama of a high-value legal case a great reward for their attention.
-
Tracing Torture Scandals Into The White House
How did the Bush Administration authorize extreme interrogation techniques? In Jane Mayer's book, <em>The Dark Side,</em> she explores the Bush Administration's role in detainee torture scandals.
-
A Manifesto For Young Republicans
The Republican Party has often been stereotyped as the party of wealthy, old white men. Conservative writers Ross Douthat and Reihan Salam think that can change. Their new book, <em>Grand New Party</em>, offers a vision for expanding the Republican base.
-
A Wickedly Wild West In Opium-Fueled 'Missy'
Almost every word of Chris Hannan's debut novel is a toothy treat. The rollicking tale of Dol McQueen is so festooned with 1862-era Wildly Western jargon it's tempting to read the whole thing aloud — in a brogue.
Why Beethoven Threw the Stew (by Steven Isserlis)
KBAQ's Randy Kinkel recommends "Why Beethoven Threw the Stew". A funny and factual guide to the lives, quirks and foibles of six of the great composers of classical music, written by Master Cellist Steven Isserlis. Written for kids, but in a way that adults can also enjoy and learn from, it's the KBAQ book of the month for June. Great for reading aloud!
Full story
NPR Book Reviews
-
Americans Say Oui, Oui To Foreign Graphic Novels
Americans don't buy a lot of foreign novels, but go to any neighborhood bookstore and you'll find whole shelves devoted to international comics. In fact, more than half of the graphic novels sold in the U.S. are foreign-language imports. -
Are You Ready For The Summer? Camp, That Is
A new book titled <em>Camp Camp: Where Fantasy Island Meets Lord of the Flies</em> is an ode to the time of year when kids swarm to camps with appropriated Native American names and sweaty cabins filled with bunk beds and the spoils of independence. -
Carter's New Thriller Mixes Murder, Love And Politics
Novelist Stephen Carter, who is also a professor at the Yale Law School, says his latest novel, <em>Palace Council,</em> is a thriller, a conspiracy, a love story and historical fiction. And the process of writing it was "utterly exhausting." -
Books That Knock It Out Of The Park
Watching baseball and reading books have a lot in common. Both are made for the summer, require some investment of time and — the best part — involve a great deal of sitting. Alan Schwarz details his three favorite books on America's favorite game. -
'Dark Side' III: Is Rendition Still Taking Place?
The policy and program still exist, but whether they are actually being used seems doubtful, says <em>The New Yorker</em>'s Jane Mayer. She also tells Madeleine Brand why one man water boarded himself to find whether it was torture. -
Celebrating A Dutch Mystery Writer's Varied Life
Mystery novelist Janwillem Van de Wetering was once a motorcycle gang member in South Africa, an aspiring monk in Kyoto, Japan and a policeman in Amsterdam. The Dutch author of <em>The Hollow-Eyed Angel, The Blond Baboon</em> and <em>The Maine Massacre</em> died July 4 at the age of 77. -
Author Transforms Himself From Schlub To Stud
They may be considered clumsy and unattractive, but one author discovers that schlubs aren't necessarily losers. -
Joe Wambaugh: The Writer Who Redefined LAPD
Wambaugh, who spent years on the force, wrote the best-selling book <em>The Onion Field</em> in three months during a leave of absence from the department. Over the decades, his realistic and multidimensional portrayals of L.A. cops have helped tranform their public image. -
Excerpt: 'Hollywood Crows'
Excerpt From: 'Hollywood Crows' by Joseph Wambaugh -
How Sept. 11 Redefined Executive Power
Vice President Dick Cheney is the "most important person in America, that people have never heard of," says Jane Mayer, author of the book, <em>The Dark Side</em>. Cheney called the shots, she says in her expose of the Bush administration's role in detainee torture scandals. -
Searching For Bodies In Chelsea Cain's Portland
Crime writer Chelsea Cain sees danger lurking in the most pastoral corners of the polite Northwest city she calls home. Ketzel Levine dares to search for skeletons with the writer. -
Paul Goldstein's Patently Thrilling Legal Drama
<em>A Patent Lie</em>, the new novel by Paul Goldstein, trumps John Grisham's work in every way — character, setting, plot and prose — and gives readers interested in the drama of a high-value legal case a great reward for their attention. -
Tracing Torture Scandals Into The White House
How did the Bush Administration authorize extreme interrogation techniques? In Jane Mayer's book, <em>The Dark Side,</em> she explores the Bush Administration's role in detainee torture scandals. -
A Manifesto For Young Republicans
The Republican Party has often been stereotyped as the party of wealthy, old white men. Conservative writers Ross Douthat and Reihan Salam think that can change. Their new book, <em>Grand New Party</em>, offers a vision for expanding the Republican base. -
A Wickedly Wild West In Opium-Fueled 'Missy'
Almost every word of Chris Hannan's debut novel is a toothy treat. The rollicking tale of Dol McQueen is so festooned with 1862-era Wildly Western jargon it's tempting to read the whole thing aloud — in a brogue.
