Her love life was in chaos. The solution? Giving up sex After a bad breakup, writer Melissa Febos decided to abstain from sex and dating for a year. She didn't realize how much it would change her life. She tells her story in a new book, The Dry Season. Marielle Segarra
The novel 'The Girl I Was' asks: What if we got a re-do? Jeneva Rose, author of The Perfect Marriage, has given new life to her first novel, which was previously self-published. It's about a woman who travels back in time and meets her 18-year-old self. Andrew Limbong
Wrongly convicted, he became 'The Jailhouse Lawyer' — and helped free himself While serving a life sentence for a murder he was eventually exonerated of committing, Calvin Duncan studied law and helped many wrongfully convicted prisoners. His memoir is The Jailhouse Lawyer. Terry Gross
Seattle author Kim Fu sees you and all your anxieties in this story collection The KUOW Book Club is continuing its summer reading series with Seattle Public Library this month. We're reading Kim Fu's collection of short speculative fiction stories, "Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century." Katie Campbell
By land and by sea, these new nonfiction books will carry you away Helen Whybrow's memoir, The Salt Stones, is a closely-observed account of her life as a shepherd. In A Marriage at Sea, Sophie Elmhirst tells the true story of a couple adrift on a rubber raft. Maureen Corrigan
Liza Tully discusses her new mystery novel and sympathy for 'just okay' assistants Olivia Blunt gets a job of working with a sleuth, but can she keep it? NPR's Ayesha Rascoe talks with Liza Tully about her new mystery, "The World's Greatest Detective and Her Just Okay Assistant."
Does listening to an audiobook count as reading? One debate that's sure to draw a lot of strong opinions and hot takes — does listening to an audiobook count as reading? (This story originally aired on July 7 on All Things Considered.) Andrew Limbong
'I want to write myself into existence,' says 'Colored Television' author Danzy Senna was born a few years after Loving v. Virginia legalized interracial marriage. "Existing as a family was a radical statement at that time," she says. Originally broadcast Sept. 3, 2024. Terry Gross
How the National Enquirer inspired an ambitious work of speculative fiction Sequoia Nagamatsu's 2022 speculative fiction hit "How High We Go in the Dark" may not be your typical summer read, but hear me out: The sunshine makes it easier to see the intricately woven silver linings throughout. Katie Campbell
A young novelist takes on misconceptions about teen moms in 'The Girls Who Grew Big' Mottley's latest novel follows three young women as they navigate pregnancy and motherhood in a small town in Florida. She sees the novel as an extension of her work as a doula. Tonya Mosley