Let.My.Love.Throw.A.Spark

Artist Anne Patterson hangs 20 miles of ribbon from cathedral ceiling, creating the illusion of multicolored light. 

YOU GUYS!! It’s ALIVE! The NPR Book Concierge is at your service — see what we’ve been working on the past few months, and more importantly, see our favorite books of 2013 in a fantastic new clickable searchable playable-with format. 

Want book club ideas that are also love stories? Funny cookbooks? Kids’ books for geeks? And of course, our own staff picks. Check it out!

Scott Anderson, the author of Lawrence In Arabia

Jesmyn Ward, the author of Men We Reaped

Review of The Book of Ages

Chimamanda Adichie, the author of Americanah

John Bradshaw, the author of Cat Sense

A. Scott Berg, the author of Wilson

Allie Brosh, the author/artist of Hyperbole and a Half

Review of Someone

Review of The Goldfinch

Review of Miss Anne in Harlem

Review of The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P

Review of The Infatuations

by Stuart Waterman of Nonfiction Addiction

We asked Stuart Waterman, founder of the Nonfiction Addiction community to pick his favourite reads of 2013:

Music Right Here Waiting by Edward McClelland The King of Oontz Oontz Oontz by Jessica Pressler Behind Kanye’s Mask by Jon Caramanica The Rock ’n’ Roll Casualty Who Became a War Hero by Clay Tarver

Hollywood The Rules of the Game by Anne Helen Petersen An Oscar Voter’s Brutally Honest Ballot (Anonymous, as told to Scott Feinberg)

Economics, Work & Society Suds for Drugs by Ben Paynter Are coders worth it? by James Somers Home Economics by Stephen Marche The Secret World of the Shipping Industry by Rose George The American Cloud by Venkatesh Rao Meet The Dread Pirate Roberts by Andy Greenberg

Fakery & Illusion The Professor, the Bikini Model and the Suitcase Full of Trouble by Maxine Swann The Prospect by Brandon Sneed A Pickpocket’s Tale by Adam Green

Media The Bad-Boy Brand by Lizzie Widdicombe

Women/Men What Being a Handyman Has Taught Me About Male Insecurity by Andy Hinds The Hair Down There by Caroline Rothstein

Famous People, Big Problems The End and Don King by Jay Caspian Kang My Gucci Addiction by Buzz Bissinger

Learning How and Why to Become a Lifelong Learner by Brett & Kate McKay

Technology & the Internet Emoticon, Emoji, Text by Tom McCormack Inside the fall of BlackBerry by Sean Silcoff, Jacquie McNish and Steve Ladurantaye I Am An Object Of Internet Ridicule, Ask Me Anything by C. D. Hermelin Two-Hit Wonder by D. T. Max Scrubbed by Graeme Wood What’s wrong with the modern world by Jonathan Franzen

Politics I Always Felt Sorry For Her Children by Russell Brand

History A Filthy History by Hunter Oatman-Stanford The True-Life Horror that Inspired Moby-Dick by Gilbert King

Crime The Poorest Rich Kids in the World by Danielle Levitt The Ghost Rapes of Bolivia by Jean Friedman-Rudovsky Carjack victim recounts his harrowing night by Eric Moskowitz Murder By Craigslist by Hanna Rosin A Loaded Gun by Patrick Radden Keefe

Nature Must Cats Die So Birds Can Live? by Jessica Pressler

Best Film:  HER Best Director: Spike Jonze, HER Best Actor: Bruce Dern, NEBRASKA Best Actress: Emma Thompson, SAVING MR. BANKS Best Supporting Actor: Will Forte, NEBRASKA Best Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer, FRUITVALE STATION Best Original Screenplay: Joel and Ethan Coen, INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS Best Adapted Screenplay: Terence Winter, THE WOLF OF WALL STREET Best Animated Feature: THE WIND RISES Breakthrough Performance: Michael B. Jordan, FRUITVALE STATION Breakthrough Performance: Adele Exarchopoulos, BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR Best Directorial Debut: Ryan Coogler, FRUITVALE STATION Best Foreign Language Film:  THE PAST Best Documentary: STORIES WE TELL William K. Everson Film History Award: George Stevens, Jr. Best Ensemble:  PRISONERS Spotlight Award: Career Collaboration of Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio NBR Freedom of Expression Award: WADJDA Creative Innovation in Filmmaking Award: GRAVITY

Top Films (in alphabetical order)

12 YEARS A SLAVE FRUITVALE STATION GRAVITY INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS LONE SURVIVOR NEBRASKA PRISONERS SAVING MR. BANKS THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY THE WOLF OF WALL STREET

Top 5 Foreign Language Films (In Alphabetical Order)

BEYOND THE HILLS GLORIA THE GRANDMASTER A HIJACKING THE HUNT

Top 5 Documentaries (In Alphabetical Order)

20 FEET FROM STARDOM THE ACT OF KILLING AFTER TILLER CASTING BY THE SQUARE

Top 10 Independent Films (In Alphabetical Order)

Men. Fashion icons. Men. Men who have worn button-down shirts for almost 2000 years. Men who were born wearing charity run promotional t-shirts and Heineken boxers. These are the men that have opinions on the outfits I choose to wear. According to this article on the HuffPost, these men—decked out in basketball shorts though they have not run for years—realllllly hate our clothing. They also believe that we need to hear about it. Oh! OH! Thank you, Oh Lord in And1 Sweatshirt From HS!  I greatly appreciate the advice! I only dress solely for you and old people, who seem to be the most vocal about my dresses!  Still, in the words of “CARRIE BRADSHAW” it got me to thinking. I’d like to explain myself. I don’t want you to think I don’t love you guys and need to look like a constant walking fuck machine for you! So I’ve come up with a counter-list, explaining why I wear the crazy trends I do: