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
-
New Book Collects Copp Children Stories
Scott Simon speaks with Weekend Edition's Daniel Pinkwater, about a new book called <em>Jim Copp, Will You Tell Me A Story?</em> The book is a collection of three of Copp and Ed Brown's stories for children, put in book form for the first time.
-
Palin Autobiography Reissued
Scott Simon takes a moment to note that a biography of Sarah Palin, Republican vice presidential nominee, has been quickly reissued. The book reveals Palin's favorite meal: moose stew.
-
Novel's Young Narrator Tells Family's Story
Author Matthew Kneale discusses his new book <em>When We Were Romans,</em> the story of a mother and her two young children who flee London to stay with friends in Rome. Kneale wrote the book from the point of view of a nine-year-old.
-
Shaw's Graphic Take On Ordinary Family Drama
<em>Bottomless Belly Button,</em> Dash Shaw's portrait of good people with a desperate, bourgeois dignity, is a welcome break from the comic genre's usual angst-ridden post-modernity.
-
Novel On Islam's Prophet Finds New Publisher
Independent publisher Beaufort Books agrees to publish <em>The Jewel of Medina</em> after Random House backs out. Random House had feared Sherry Jones' historical novel about the Prophet Mohammed and his wife, Aisha, could be offensive to Muslims.
-
Bacardi Biography Details The 'Fight For Cuba'
Tom Gjelten's new book, <em>Bacardi and the Long Fight For Cuba,</em> threads the history of the family-owned Bacardi Rum Co. together with that of the nation in which it was founded.
-
'Scattershot' A Bipolar Family Portrait
In his memoir, <em>Scattershot,</em> David Lovelace chronicles what he calls "the family sickness." Terri Cheney joins the discussion and shares details from <em>Manic</em>, a chronicle of her own struggle with bipolar disorder.
-
Whodunits Pack Literary Punch
Two new novels take on the same theme: murder. Donald Pfarrer's <em>A Common Ordinary Murder</em> is at once both harrowing and exultant. John Darnton's <em>Black & White and Dead All Over</em> is for those who like a little satire with their blood.
-
Russian Literary Boom Linked To Authoritarianism
Literary critics feared that after the Soviet collapse, the easy availability of popular romance novels and thrillers would seduce Russian readers away from deeper works. Now they attribute a literary revival to the country's new authoritarianism.
-
'Book Of Lies' Examines Superman's Story
Brad Meltzer's new novel threads together the biblical story of Cain and Abel with the actual details of <em>Superman</em> creator Jerry Siegel's life.
-
An Imperfect But Epic 'America'
A young man enters a world of power and privilege when he is summoned to live on the estate of the local industrial baron in Ethan Canin's epic <em>America America.</em>
-
Poking Fun At The 'Stuff White People Like'
In a new book based on his popular blog, Christian Lander tracks the trends and tendencies of white people, from fair-trade organic coffee to vintage T-shirts.
-
A Breezy, 'Contrarian' View Of Marriage
In a delightful new book, journalist Susan Squire traces the first 5,000 years of marital behavior and reveals just how much of a historical odd couple love and marriage are.
-
Unraveling A Father's Secrets And 'Sorrows'
Siri Hustvedt's new novel, <em>The Sorrows of an American,</em> begins one winter day when two adult children uncover a mysterious letter among their late father's papers. Hustvedt tells Jacki Lyden that the book draws from her own father's unpublished memoir.
-
'Glazed America:' For The Love Of Doughnuts
Anthropologist Paul Mullins considers the history of the doughnut in his new book, <em>Glazed America</em>. Mullins uses the doughnut to trace America's consumer culture.
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
-
New Book Collects Copp Children Stories
Scott Simon speaks with Weekend Edition's Daniel Pinkwater, about a new book called <em>Jim Copp, Will You Tell Me A Story?</em> The book is a collection of three of Copp and Ed Brown's stories for children, put in book form for the first time. -
Palin Autobiography Reissued
Scott Simon takes a moment to note that a biography of Sarah Palin, Republican vice presidential nominee, has been quickly reissued. The book reveals Palin's favorite meal: moose stew. -
Novel's Young Narrator Tells Family's Story
Author Matthew Kneale discusses his new book <em>When We Were Romans,</em> the story of a mother and her two young children who flee London to stay with friends in Rome. Kneale wrote the book from the point of view of a nine-year-old. -
Shaw's Graphic Take On Ordinary Family Drama
<em>Bottomless Belly Button,</em> Dash Shaw's portrait of good people with a desperate, bourgeois dignity, is a welcome break from the comic genre's usual angst-ridden post-modernity. -
Novel On Islam's Prophet Finds New Publisher
Independent publisher Beaufort Books agrees to publish <em>The Jewel of Medina</em> after Random House backs out. Random House had feared Sherry Jones' historical novel about the Prophet Mohammed and his wife, Aisha, could be offensive to Muslims. -
Bacardi Biography Details The 'Fight For Cuba'
Tom Gjelten's new book, <em>Bacardi and the Long Fight For Cuba,</em> threads the history of the family-owned Bacardi Rum Co. together with that of the nation in which it was founded. -
'Scattershot' A Bipolar Family Portrait
In his memoir, <em>Scattershot,</em> David Lovelace chronicles what he calls "the family sickness." Terri Cheney joins the discussion and shares details from <em>Manic</em>, a chronicle of her own struggle with bipolar disorder. -
Whodunits Pack Literary Punch
Two new novels take on the same theme: murder. Donald Pfarrer's <em>A Common Ordinary Murder</em> is at once both harrowing and exultant. John Darnton's <em>Black & White and Dead All Over</em> is for those who like a little satire with their blood. -
Russian Literary Boom Linked To Authoritarianism
Literary critics feared that after the Soviet collapse, the easy availability of popular romance novels and thrillers would seduce Russian readers away from deeper works. Now they attribute a literary revival to the country's new authoritarianism. -
'Book Of Lies' Examines Superman's Story
Brad Meltzer's new novel threads together the biblical story of Cain and Abel with the actual details of <em>Superman</em> creator Jerry Siegel's life. -
An Imperfect But Epic 'America'
A young man enters a world of power and privilege when he is summoned to live on the estate of the local industrial baron in Ethan Canin's epic <em>America America.</em> -
Poking Fun At The 'Stuff White People Like'
In a new book based on his popular blog, Christian Lander tracks the trends and tendencies of white people, from fair-trade organic coffee to vintage T-shirts. -
A Breezy, 'Contrarian' View Of Marriage
In a delightful new book, journalist Susan Squire traces the first 5,000 years of marital behavior and reveals just how much of a historical odd couple love and marriage are. -
Unraveling A Father's Secrets And 'Sorrows'
Siri Hustvedt's new novel, <em>The Sorrows of an American,</em> begins one winter day when two adult children uncover a mysterious letter among their late father's papers. Hustvedt tells Jacki Lyden that the book draws from her own father's unpublished memoir. -
'Glazed America:' For The Love Of Doughnuts
Anthropologist Paul Mullins considers the history of the doughnut in his new book, <em>Glazed America</em>. Mullins uses the doughnut to trace America's consumer culture.
