Books

As the sixth film adaptation of “The Great Gatsby” opens in theaters across the country, literary critic Steve Almond says he re-reads the book every summer.

Author Josh Chetwynd thinks that the word “nice” has gotten a bad rap. He writes that nice gestures can be “powerful shorthand for the virtues we consider important.”

Writer Danny Heitman says literature can help people cope after the Boston Marathon bombings. He recommends five books that provide solace.

Pastor Jim Wallis is an active public religious leader, but last election season he went on a retreat. The result is his new book about “what religion forgets and politics hasn’t learned about serving the public good.”

Derek Sanderson helped the Boston Bruins win two Stanley Cups, and at one time was the world’s highest paid athlete. He dated Playboy bunnies and had his own TV show. But the fortune and fame took a toll.

Elizabeth Graver’s new novel “The End of the Point” follows a family from World War II to the end of the 20th century, in a fictional beach community on Cape Cod in Massachusetts.

Here & Now’s Alex Ashlock joins us from the finish line to tell us who the winners are. We also hear his talk with the author of a new book on the history of the world’s oldest marathon.

While he’s probably best known for his novel “Deliverance,” James Dickey is regarded as one of the finest poets of his generation. We speak with his journalist son Christopher Dickey.

When her young son’s cancer treatments destroyed his appetite, mother Danielle Cook Navidi invented nutrient-rich recipes that he could tolerate – and that eased his symptoms. She now has a cookbook.

Rita Moreno is a Hollywood legend, but she has also had a tumultuous life – an affair with Marlon Brando led to a suicide attempt, and she struggled with being typecast as the exotic ethnic performer.