If you've ever wondered whether NPR hosts actually read the books featured on the air, the answer is: yes. Morning Edition host and Pittsburgh native David Greene talks about some of the more memorable reads he's encountered while prepping for author interviews and foreign assignments.
Maria Semple, Where'd You Go, Bernadette?
When her notorious, hilarious, volatile, talented, troubled and agoraphobic mother goes missing, teenager Bee begins a trip that takes her to the ends of the Earth to find her, in this new novel from the author of This One is Mine.
-NPR
Angus Roxburgh, The Strongman: Vladimir Putin and the Struggle For Russia
Draws on firsthand accounts in a portrait of Russia under the leadership of Vladimir Putin that considers how the nation has not been the democratic ally hoped for by the West, offering insight into Putin's political history and his aspirations for a post-Communist Russia.
-NPR
William Zinsser, Spring Training
Zinsser (On Writing Well, Willie and Dwike, etc.) hits a four-bagger once again with this delightful, poky look at baseball's annual warm-up. Why spring training? It's the only baseball topic Zinsser can think of that hasn't been written to death. Why the Pittsburgh Pirates? It had to be a middle-American team with a long history, and from his beloved National League. So Zinsser finds himself in Brandenton, Fla., a podunk town where Dizzy Dean once pumped gas, snuggling up to the brash, upcoming Pirates of 1987.
-Kirkus Reviews
