The 2026 Booker Prize shortlist is ‘writing at its best’
This year’s shortlist is made up of former Booker winners and debut authors, with tales spanning a wide range of genres, from historical fiction to campus novel to dystopian fiction.
New DNA analysis adds evidence Jefferson fathered children with Sally Hemings
A lock of hair, 15 years of sleuthing and a 200-year-old question. In History by a Hair, Smithsonian Institution scholar Richard Kurin follows the DNA trail back to Thomas Jefferson.
For Hollywood agent Ari Emanuel, success is all about ‘being relentless’
Ari Emanuel’s memoir Roll the Calls tells of rising from the mailroom to the head of a Hollywood talent agency.
New book by Princess Diana’s brother prompts war of words with King Charles III
A new book by the late Princess Diana’s brother, Charles Spencer, has made headlines with damning allegations about King Charles III. Buckingham Palace responded with a strongly-worded statement.
A new cookbook pays tribute to two New Orleans staples
At Bayou Bar, music and food go hand in hand. Which is why a new cookbook from chef Brian Landry and bandleader Peter Harris has recipes from the menu and stories from the musicians who play there.
Editor Rose Friedman, who helped shape NPR’s cultural coverage, dies at 38
Friedman was in her early 20s when she landed her first position as an editorial assistant at NPR. She became an editor and reporter, and a co-creator of the annual Books We Love reading guide.