NPR's Book of the Day

John F. Kennedy once wrote a book called Profiles in Courage, which highlighted senators throughout history who made unpopular but politically brave decisions. Journalist Jacob Weisberg took inspiration from this premise, but his new book Profiles in Cowardice instead identifies people and institutions that have enabled President Trump as he’s tested the limits of executive power. In today’s episode, Weisberg joins Morning Edition’s Steve Inskeep for a conversation about the law firm leaders, university presidents, court authorities and politicians who Weisberg sees as examples of “civic cowardice.”

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The Grand Alpine Hotel is majestic, nestled high in the Swiss Alps with snow perfect for skiing. But one morning, a dead body is discovered in one of the gondolas on its first run – and before long, no one can get off the mountain. That's the opening of Murder At The Grand Alpine Hotel. If it sounds like an Agatha Christie novel, well, that's because it almost is. It's by British mystery writer Lucy Foley and is the first authorized Miss Marple novel in 50 years. In today’s episode, Foley spoke with NPR’s Debbie Elliott about how the author channeled Agatha Christie in her writing.

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Ben Macintyre is a master of espionage stories that are true. His latest project is based on a case study taught in MI6, the British foreign intelligence service. Redwood follows a KGB spy who offers valuable secrets to Britain while working in Iran during the height of the Cold War. In today’s episode, the author joins Weekend Edition’s Scott Simon for a conversation that touches on the spy’s surprising motivations, the contentious history between Russia and Britain in Iran and the fear of nuclear confrontation that hangs over the story.

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R.F. Kuang, author of popular books like Yellowface and Babel, is out with a more personal novel. Taipei Story follows Lily Chin, a Chinese-American college student who travels to Taipei for a summer language intensive. While there, she struggles with complicated feelings about language, identity and the thread of her family’s story. In today’s episode, Kuang talks with Here & Now’s Indira Lakshmanan about how the author relates to Lily, her own relationship to speaking Chinese and her interest in writing across genres.

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Two new romance novels subvert expectations about the genre. In Tropesick, Katie and Tyler are old acquaintances who are reunited as writing partners. In today’s episode, author Lauren Okie chats with All Things Considered’s Juana Summers about structuring the novel with different tropes, writing a rivals-to-lovers setup and how Okie balanced metafictional elements with the story’s natural plotline. Then, a former pop star and her psychology professor become intertwined in Extracurricular. Author Rachel Lynn Solomon spoke with Summers about what drew her to the forbidden romance subgenre.

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