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Crime In The City
2:00 am
Mon August 6, 2012

Author Peter James And Sidekick Track Seaside Crime

Credit Gareth Ransome
After turning over a book to his publisher, Peter James wakes up the next day and starts on the next one.

Originally published on Wed August 8, 2012 9:39 am

Any tour of Brighton, England, has to begin at the Royal Pavilion, according to crime writer Peter James. Built by a king for his mistress 200 years ago, its Taj Mahal-like spires are the city's best-known landmark.

James' latest novel, Not Dead Yet, features — spoiler alert! — a pivotal scene in the pavilion's dining room, with its one-and-a-half ton crystal chandelier. Without giving too much away — the book won't be released in the U.S. until November – let's just say it might have something to do with the aforementioned chandelier.

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Dead Stop
1:59 am
Mon August 6, 2012

In Warhol's Memory, Soup Cans And Coke Bottles

Originally published on Mon August 6, 2012 12:02 pm

Andy Warhol is often remembered as larger than life, but it's all too easy to miss where he's buried.

The pop artist's grave is in the modest St. John the Baptist Byzantine Catholic Cemetery, on a hill overlooking a highway about 20 minutes outside of downtown Pittsburgh.

Eric Shiner, director of the Andy Warhol Museum, says it's a pretty typical cemetery for Pennsylvanians with Eastern European roots.

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Author Interviews
12:53 pm
Sun August 5, 2012

A Story Of Ancient Power In 'The Rise of Rome'

Originally published on Mon August 6, 2012 3:11 pm

Over the past decade, there's been a revival in popular histories of ancient Rome; not the academic tomes once reserved for specialists and students, but books and movies designed for the rest of us.

Anthony Everitt has written three biographies about some of the major players in ancient Rome: Cicero, Augustus and Hadrian, all full of intrigue and treachery.

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Arts & Life
6:34 am
Sun August 5, 2012

Marilyn Monroe As An 'All-Around' Comedian

Marilyn Monroe died 50 years ago Sunday at the age of 36. Host Linda Wertheimer speaks with film expert Murray Horwitz about Monroe's film legacy and her comedic skills.

Author Interviews
6:34 am
Sun August 5, 2012

Murderous 'Thugs' From India To London

Guest host Linda Wertheimer talks with Tabish Khair about The Thing About Thugs, his new novel about the myths of murderous Indian cult of "thugees."

Animals
5:11 am
Sun August 5, 2012

Bat Calls Make Eerie Comeback As Techno-Like Beats

Originally published on Sun August 5, 2012 6:34 am

For the past five years, bats have been disappearing at an alarming rate, falling prey to a mysterious disease called white-nose syndrome. But they're making an eerie comeback in a new audio exhibit at a national park in Vermont. The exhibit features manipulated recordings of bat calls that are funneled through glass vessels hanging from a studio ceiling.

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Books News & Features
5:10 am
Sun August 5, 2012

In The E-Book World, Are Book Covers A Dying Art?

Originally published on Mon August 6, 2012 4:01 pm

In the olden days, a reader might pick up a book because the cover was exciting, intriguing, maybe even beautiful. But in the brave new world of e-books and e-readers, the days when an artist named Chip Kidd could make us reach for a book may be gone.

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Sunday Puzzle
11:03 pm
Sat August 4, 2012

Put Two Up Front For Two New Words

Credit NPR Graphic

Originally published on Sat August 11, 2012 5:26 pm

On-air challenge: You are given two five-letter words. Put the same pair of letters in front of each of them to complete two familiar seven-letter words. The letters that go in front will never be a standard prefix, like "re-." For example, given "quire" and "tress," the answer would be "ac" to make "acquire" and "actress."

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Author Interviews
3:42 pm
Sat August 4, 2012

The Thomas Eagleton Affair Haunts Candidates Today

Originally published on Mon August 6, 2012 11:51 am

Sometime before the end of the month, when Republicans hold their convention in Tampa, Fla., Mitt Romney will announce his vice presidential running mate.

There's a good chance the finalists for that spot are wading through mountains of paperwork, and answering deeply personal questions about finances, past statements, friendships — and medical history.

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Destination Art
6:32 am
Sat August 4, 2012

Columbus, Ind.: A Midwestern Mecca Of Architecture

Originally published on Sun August 5, 2012 10:43 am

Columbus, Ind., looks like any other small town, with its small shops and restaurants. But what sets this town apart is its architecture.

The Modernist buildings — mostly geometric and made of glass and steel — are not immediately visible, interspersed as they are with old, 19th-century, gingerbread-like structures; but more than 60 public buildings in Columbus have been built by a veritable who's who of modern masters — I.M. Pei, Eero and Eliel Saarinen, Cesar Pelli, Richard Meier, Harry Weese, Robert Venturi and James Polshek, to name a few.

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