Robert Costa On 'Peril,' His New Book With Bob Woodward

Also this week, audiobook recommendations from PCHH, critics' picks and more

View this email online by Petra Mayer AP The big news in Book World this week was the release of Peril, the third in Bob Woodward's trilogy of books about the Trump administration -- though as our reviewer Ron Elving points out, Peril "turns out to be just as much about President Biden and how he got to be Trump's successor." Woodward's coauthor Robert Costa stopped by Morning Edition to talk to Steve Inskeep about the book. "Woodward and I realized that this system, the American system and also the Republican Party, [were] tested to the brink, and that peril remains," he says. "President Trump's a political figure who remains on the scene with immense political capital." Newsletter continues after sponsor message WIlliam J. Adams/Penguin Random House Our pal Sam Sanders at It's Been a Minute talked to author Brandon Taylor -- his story collection Filthy Animals was out earlier this year. Taylor used to spend most of his hours studying nematodes under a microscope as a grad student in biochemistry; now, he puts human foibles under his microscope. Sanders talked to Taylor about about his focus on the tensions of everyday relationships, writing from a Black and queer perspective -- and the fact that he says his intended audience is just a few friends. Taylor also talked to Weekend Edition's Scott Simon about the book, back in June, and one of the things they discussed was how the title story in Filthy Animals was inspired by Taylor's own life and his childhood friends. "I remember lying awake at night and just being on fire with love for the people I was closest to and not really knowing how to make sense of it, just knowing that it was, like, this almost sickness I couldn't get over," he said. "So, yeah, a lot of that definitely comes from my own coming of age in some respects."   Illustration by Angela Hsieh for NPR   But what if you don't want to actually READ a book? What if, at the end of a long, hot, weird summer, you just want to lie back and have someone tell you a story? Our pals at Pop Culture Happy Hour are here for you!  This week they're recommending their favorite fiction audiobooks, recordings that pair just the right narrator to the story for a truly transcendent experience. (Bobby Cannavale reading Richard Price's Lush Life? Sign me up!) Check out their recommendations here. And while I have you, I have to put in a word for the marvelous Mary Robinette Kowal, who's a voiceover artist AND an author. Her readings of her own Lady Astronaut books are well worth checking out. Finally this week -- Percival Everett's new The Trees mixes humor, horror and whodunnit in a story about a series of killings that call hauntingly back to the 1955 murder of Emmett Till. Critic Carole V. Bell calls the book "an incendiary device you don't want to put down." Richard Powers comes down from the treetops of The Overstory in his new Bewilderment, a sadder, smaller story about a troubled father and son mourning the loss of their wife and mother -- interleaved with Powers' gorgeous nature writing and clarion calls for change before we ruin the planet. Critic Heller McAlpin says "continues to raise bold questions about the state of our world and the cumulative effects of our mistakes." And let's end on a happier note with Michelle Quach's delightful YA romance Not Here to Be Liked. Despite the title, critic Alethea Kontis says you will, in fact, love this story of a prickly high school newspaper geek who has to deal with the charming, easygoing, less qualified guy she loses the top editor job to. And, okay, I'm burying the lede a little bit here -- but you'll hear more about this next week, I promise, because next week we're LAUNCHING A BOOKS PODCAST! Yep, you heard that right -- NPR's Book of the Day premieres next Wednesday, the 29th, with handy-dandy bite-sized daily episodes showcasing the best book interviews from our show, podcasts and archives. Get it wherever you get your podcasts (but not until next week)! — Petra Listen to your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to hear live radio from WBEZ (edit station). 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