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What to read this summer, according to our NPR colleagues Jul 03, 2026

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Summer can be a great time to catch up on reading. If you’re looking for recommendations, the NPR Books team is out with a list of some of our staff’s favorite reads of 2026 so far. In today’s episode, NPR’s Elissa Nadworny and Book of the Day producer Chloee Weiner discuss some of their favorite fiction and nonfiction picks from the list, including The Missed Connection by Tia Williams, The Shampoo Effect by Jenny Jackson and In Trees: An Exploration by Robert Moor.
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Judy Blume says she doesn't miss writing … but she’s very glad she wrote Jul 02, 2026

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Over 50 years, Judy Blume wrote an incomparable set of books for young readers, including Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret, Deenie, Tiger Eyes, Tales Of A Fourth Grade Nothing and Blubber. But she doesn't write books anymore. Scott Simon spoke with Blume at the Santa Fe International Literary Festival in May, where they reflected on her life and career. In today’s episode, they speak about how Blume traded felt art pieces for a typewriter, her new career as a bookstore owner and why Margaret will always be 12.
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In 'Names Have Been Changed,' a criminal on the run confesses her story on a podcast Jul 01, 2026

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Ophir led an unremarkable life until her best friend pulled her into the scam. After 10 years on the run from the Singapore police, she’s assumed new identities, losing sight of herself along the way. She decides to tell her story anonymously through a confessional podcast, but longs to be acknowledged for who she really is. In today’s episode, author Yu-Mei Balasingamchow joins Weekend Edition’s Ayesha Rascoe to discuss her debut novel Names Have Been Changed. They talk about the novel's exploration of diaspora, the "Singlish" vernacular and what Balasingamchow hopes readers will learn about Singapore.
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A new book argues Elon Musk is the architect of a new world view Jun 30, 2026

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A new book argues that Elon Musk has an influence in the 21st century similar to what Henry Ford had in the 20th. He's not just a businessman, but the architect and proponent of a world view. Historian Quinn Slobodian and tech writer Ben Tarnoff make this argument in a new book called Muskism: A Guide for the Perplexed. In today’s episode, Slobodian speaks with Morning Edition’s Michel Martin about the parallels between Muskism and Fordism, Musk’s upbringing in South Africa under apartheid and the metamorphosis of his politics.
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Tom Perrotta’s novel 'Ghost Town' revisits a New Jersey childhood from a bygone era Jun 29, 2026

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In Tom Perrotta’s new novel, a successful writer named Jimmy Perrini is invited to return to his hometown in suburban New Jersey. The invitation takes him back to a difficult summer when he was in eighth grade and had just lost his mother to cancer. Ghost Town revisits that 1970s summer, one colored by strip malls, troublemakers, the Vietnam War, an Ouija board, and racial tensions in Perrini’s white, working-class town. In today’s episode, Perrotta speaks with Here & Now’s Robin Young about the bygone era of his own childhood.
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New biographies recount how The Rolling Stones and Soundgarden changed rock music Jun 26, 2026

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The Rolling Stones and Soundgarden are two of the most influential bands in the history of rock – and two new books tell their stories. The Rolling Stones by Bob Spitz is a history of the band, but also of drugs, women and feuds. In today’s episode, the author gives Here & Now’s Indira Lakshmanan a behind-the-scenes look at songs like “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” and “Gimme Shelter.” Then, Soundgarden guitarist Kim Thayil joins Morning Edition’s A Martínez for a conversation about A Screaming Life, which tells the story of the band from its roots in Seattle’s grunge scene.
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Laverne Cox on her childhood, 'Walden' and her new memoir 'Transcendent' Jun 25, 2026

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Laverne Cox became a breakout TV star at 40 with a starring role in Orange Is the New Black. Since then, she’s become an advocate and role model for trans people, which she says means “invit[ing] people to see trans people as human beings.” In today’s episode, Cox joins All Things Considered’s Ailsa Chang for a conversation about her new memoir Transcendent. They discuss Cox’s childhood in Alabama, how reading Walden provided her with important language and what it was like to find creative success later in life.
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In 'The Jellyfish Problem,' an introverted scientist is called in to help an island Jun 24, 2026

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Author Tessa Yang describes her The Jellyfish Problem protagonist as an "introverted, know-it-all dork." In the novel, Jo, a marine biologist, gets a call from her unrequited college crush, Nadia, who has a request. Nadia lives on a remote island, where they’re having a problem with a giant creature. Can Jo help? In today’s episode, Yang speaks with NPR’s Elissa Nadworny about similarities between Jo and the story’s central monster – and whether this book makes a good beach read.
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Sen. Chris Murphy wants the left and right to fix the country’s 'spiritual rot' Jun 23, 2026

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Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut believes there is a “spiritual rot” festering in the country – and he wants the left and right to come together to resolve it. His new book Crisis of the Common Good argues the United States worships profit over people. In it, he takes aim at corporations, billionaires and super PACs. In today’s episode, he speaks with Morning Edition’s Leila Fadel about addressing financial inequality in the United States and what Democrats can learn from Donald Trump about messaging.
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In 'Contrapposto,' the meaning of love and the meaning of art go hand-in-hand Jun 22, 2026

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Novelist Dave Eggers (A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, The Circle) has a new novel out: Contrapposto. It’s a decade-spanning romance of sorts, between two devoted creatives whose careers in the art world bring them together and tear them apart — repeatedly. As Cricket and Olympia navigate their relationship, the age-old question remains: what is art, really? In today’s episode, Eggers joins NPR’s Ailsa Chang to discuss Contrapposto, the inspiration behind the book, and how Eggers himself approaches the ‘meaning’ of art.
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