Stacey Abrams' new thriller

Also this week: Mother trees, critics' picks and more

View this email online by Petra Mayer It's pretty well known at this point that Stacey Abrams used to write romance novels -- and now, on top of everything else she does, she's found time to write a thriller. While Justice Sleeps was inspired by a quirk in the Constitution: When someone with a lifetime appointment -- say, a Supreme Court justice -- becomes incapacitated, there's no way to remove them. "Luckily, I started the book more than a decade ago and I had an extraordinary editor," she tells Weekend Edition's Lulu Garcia-Navarro. Check out their conversation here! Brendan George Ko/Penguin Random House From the halls of power, we venture out into the forest with ecologist Suzanne Simard, author of  the new memoir Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest.  Trees are "social creatures" that communicate with each other in ways humans can learn from, Simard tells our pals at Fresh Air. They're actually linked by underground networks of fungi that resemble networks in our own brains -- and when one tree is injured by insects, it can send out chemical warning signals to its neighbors.  More mind-blowing tree facts here! (Seriously, read through, it really is mind-blowing.) Newsletter continues after sponsor message Photographer/Source You might not think that reality TV could provide poetic inspiration (and I say this as someone who watches a lot of it) -- but you'd be wrong. Kate Durbin's new collection Hoarders was inspired by the show of the same name.  "When we watch reality TV shows there can be judgment that comes along with it and a lack of understanding," she tells Morning Edition poetry maven Jeevika Verma. "And one of my primary goals is to achieve some level of understanding," about why people hoard and what their chosen objects say about them. Read more here. Finally this week -- in Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie's new Notes on Grief, "one of our century's most gifted artists of language makes visceral the experience of death and grieving," says critic Hope Wabuke. Reviewer Fran Wilde says that in Son of the Storm, a new fantasy novel by Suyi Davies Okungbowa, "ambition and intrigue cause surprises on nearly every page as characters reach for power in unpredictable and nuanced ways." And Rachel Cusk follows up her acclaimed Outline trilogy with Second Place, about a woman's obsession with a truculent painter; critic Heller McAlpin says "the drama of the ruthless artist is not new, but as plumbed by the ever-probing Cusk, it still feels rich." I hope books bring you what you need this week! — Petra Stream your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream. What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: books@npr.org Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can sign up here. Looking for more great content? Check out all of our newsletter offerings — including Music, Pop Culture, Code Switch and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to Books emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy