NPR's Book of the Day Folgen

The author Ann Patchett has talked about her decision to focus on her writing and to forgo entering the world of motherhood. But in her latest book, Tom Lake, the main character Lara made a different choice: She chose being a mother over pursuing acting and the fame that may have come with it. In today's episode, Patchett speaks with NPR's Mary Louise Kelly about the decision to make Lara a mother who is reveling in time spent with her daughters, sharing the tale of one seminal summer before they were born.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Two new books ask how we might protect vulnerable ecosystems in the Amazon rainforest and Hawaii. First, journalist Dom Phillips was reporting in the Amazon when he and a colleague were shot and killed. Phillips was in the middle of writing a book – and now, that project, How to Save the Amazon, has been completed by his widow and a team of contributors. In today's episode, Alessandra Sampaio, Phillip's widow, and co-author Jonathan Watts join NPR's Ari Shapiro to discuss the challenges they faced in completing the book. Then, Sara Kehaulani Goo's new book, Kuleana, chronicles her family's effort to hold onto ancestral land in Hawaii. In today's episode, she speaks with NPR's Michel Martin about her own complex relationship with Hawaii and what tourists might consider before they visit.To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookofthedayLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In Hal Ebbott's debut novel, Among Friends, two wealthy New York families are spending a weekend in the country. They've gotten together for decades – but one act ruptures their close ties. In today's episode, Ebbott tells Here & Now's Asma Khalid that he's drawn to story premises where a lot happens in a tightly-contained space. They also discuss Ebbott's interest in writing about an event's aftermath more than the event itself, his decision to write a world where marriage orbits friendship, and how he landed on the book's ending.To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookofthedayLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy