Two new books delve into our primal desire to feel valued and worthy of attention. By Jennifer Szalai In “The Oak and the Larch,” Sophie Pinkham examines a vast history and culture through the ...

November 24, 2025 • Our annual reading guide returns with 380+ new titles handpicked by NPR staff and trusted critics. Find 13 years of recommendations all in one place — that's more than 4,000 great ...

January 29, 2026 • The Bardo is a Tibetan Buddhist idea of a suspended state between life and death. Saunders explored the concept in his 2017 novel, Lincoln in the Bardo, and circles back to it again ...