Petra Mayer

A Bird-Watching Babe In The Woods Stumbles Toward Maturity

Petra Mayer — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 11:03:00 +0000

Oh no, I thought, cracking open Brian Kimberling's debut novel, Snapper. It's a collection of linked stories. Starring an aimless birdwatcher. Who drives an ancient, glitter-encrusted pickup truck named Gypsy Moth and has a grand passion for an honest-to-God Manic Pixie Dream Girl with red hair, floaty dresses, a flute and a killer pancake recipe. And her name is Lola. Lola! I was braced for a thorough beat-down with the dreaded Whimsy Hammer.

But then the book ...

Samba, Spiderbots And 'Summer' Love In Far-Future Brazil

Petra Mayer — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 15:27:00 +0000

In the 17th century, fugitive slaves founded a free community in the mountains of northeastern Brazil. They called it Palmares.

Questions For Alaya Dawn Johnson, Author Of 'The Summer Prince'

Petra Mayer — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 12:03:00 +0000

Alaya Dawn Johnson has written a number of novels for adults (including the delightful Zephyr Hollis series), and now she's venturing onto the young adult shelves with The Summer Prince, a complex science-fiction narrative set in post-apocalyptic Brazil. The action takes place in the city of Palmares Tres, which is entirely contained in a giant pyramidal structure on a bay, surrounded and fed by giant algae vats.

For 'Wheel Of Time' Fans, The Last Battle Is At Hand

Petra Mayer — Sun, 06 Jan 2013 11:15:00 +0000

It's the moment fantasy fans have been waiting for (really!): After more than 20 years, and 13 doorstopper volumes, the last book in the best-selling Wheel of Time series comes out Tuesday. The series unfolds an epic battle between good and evil — think Game of Thrones but more so: more characters, more magic, more tiny little world-building details, more everything.

And I've read all 14 of them. Plus the prequel.

Catching The 'Shadow' Of A Lost World

Petra Mayer — Sun, 07 Oct 2012 10:15:00 +0000

Photographer Edward Curtis started off his career at the tail end of the 19th century, making portraits of Seattle's wealthiest citizens. But a preoccupation with Native Americans and a chance encounter on a mountaintop triggered an idea: Curtis decided to chronicle the experience of the vanishing tribes — all of them. It was an unbelievably ambitious project that would define Curtis, his work and his legacy.

Writer Tim Egan has just completed a new biography of Curtis. It's called Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher: the Epic Life and Immortal Photographs of Edward Curtis.

A Mashup Of Mundane And Magical In 'Dragonslayer'

Petra Mayer — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 11:03:00 +0000

It's been a big year — well, a big few years — for young adult fiction, which I'm not going to complain about in the slightest; nothing beats a good YA novel for pure storytelling punch. But I might complain, just a little, about the overwhelming sameness of some of the plots. Dystopian futures, quiet-yet-spunky teenage girls, doomed love triangles — sound familiar? Suzanne Collins has a lot to answer for.

This Week's 5 Must-Read Stories From NPR Books

Petra Mayer — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 19:19:00 +0000

1. The Healing Power Of Stories

Cambodian author Vaddey Ratner was just a child when the Khmer Rouge came banging on the doors of her aristocratic family's compound in Phnom Penh.

Unicorns And Witches And Wild Mood Swings, Oh My!

Petra Mayer — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 11:03:00 +0000

Petra Mayer is an associate editor at NPR Books.

I love the My Guilty Pleasure series, I really do. But here's the thing — I don't think it's nearly guilty enough. It's like saying your guilty pleasure is '50s pulp novels, but only first editions. Or fried chicken, but only from this one perfect stall in the Taipei night market — not actually guilty at all.

Pack Your Bags For Six Flights Of Fantasy

Petra Mayer — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 11:03:00 +0000

Can't afford the gas to take a road trip this summer? Not willing to spend a month's rent flying somewhere that's probably overcrowded and rainy anyhow? Empty pockets forcing you to embark upon that unholy phenomenon — gulp — the staycation?

How nice, then, that even if you're stuck at home, you possess, for free, in your very own brain, a truly amazing capacity to escape. You can lose yourself in other worlds without leaving the house and certainly without shelling out to stand in a security line.