Writer Thoreau warned of brain rot in 1854. Now it's the Oxford Word of 2024 The term brain rot first appeared in Henry David Thoreau's famous Walden, according to the Oxford University Press. How did he use it — and what might he have made of its modern meaning? Bill Chappell
What's the KUOW Book Club reading in December? The KUOW Book Club is reading "The Egg and I" by Betty MacDonald this month. Katie Campbell
A preview of NPR's Books We Love The 2024 edition of NPR's Books We Love is here — 350 titles recommended by critics and NPR staff. Andrew Limbong
Angela Merkel and the future of NATO under a second Trump term Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel says she had to consider whether she is a "feminist." She joined NPR's Mary Louise Kelly to discuss her new memoir, Freedom. Erika Ryan
NPR's 'Books We Love' returns. 5 books for your Pacific Northwest reading list If you're reaching for a great read right now, NPR has the thing for you: the 2024 "Books We Love." Katie Campbell
'I think of my body as a teacher,' says Marine who struggled with disordered eating During her years as a military linguist, Bailey Williams pushed her body to extremes. Her new book is Hollow: A Memoir of My Body in the Marines. Tonya Mosley
Sonora Jha concludes 'The Laughter' with brutality and a warning This is KUOW's book club, and we just finished reading Sonora Jha's "The Laughter." Katie Campbell
'Charlie Chaplin vs. America' explores the accusations that sent a star into exile Author Scott Eyman explains how Chaplin was smeared in the press, condemned for his alleged communist ties and banned from returning to the U.S. Originally broadcast Oct. 24, 2024. Terry Gross
What humanity could learn from natural ecosystems, according to a botanist In her new book The Serviceberry, botanist Robin Wall Kimmerer argues that humans would be wise to learn from the circular economies of reciprocity and abundance that play out in natural ecosystems. Michael Levitt
Sonora Jha is a master of paranoia and tension in 'The Laughter' This is KUOW's book club, and we just read through the first half of Sonora Jha's "The Laughter," her novel that recently won the 2024 Washington State Book Award for Fiction. Katie Campbell
