The Best of NPR Books for July 13, 2017

[NPR]( [View this email in your browser]( [NPR Books]( This week: Faster than a speeding bullet, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, it's our super-sized super summer reader poll! 100 favorite comics and graphic novels, all in one handy list for your reading pleasure -- plus lots of associated content for nerds of all ages and tastes. Also this week, Mat Johnson talks about pressing on after a computer glitch ate 100 pages of his new novel. We revisit Walden Pond as Henry David Thoreau turns 200, check in with Eloise at the Plaza Hotel and investigate a new museum exhibit about the great Octavia Butler. This newsletter is taking a break next week, since Your Correspondent will be at San Diego Comic-Con -- but we'll be back the week after with all kinds of good stuff. Summer Reader Poll 2017: Comics And Graphic Novels [Let's Get Graphic: 100 Favorite Comics And Graphic Novels]( We asked readers to name their favorite comics and graphic novels, and we got thousands of answers. Now, with the help of our expert panel, we've curated a list to keep you flipping pages all summer. [Read this story]( The Week's Best Stories From NPR Books [If Thoreau Were Alive, He'd Be 'Shouting From The Rafters,' Biographer Says]( Henry David Thoreau, author of Walden and Civil Disobedience, was born 200 years ago in 1817. Biographer Kevin Dann says the philosopher's ideas about individual sovereignty remain relevant today. [Read this story]( All Tech Considered [A Novelist Forces Himself To Press On After Losing 100 Pages In A Tech Glitch]( Mat Johnson's recent hard-drive failure wasn't the first time he experienced data loss. This time, despite losing more work than ever before, he's less panicked: "I can write new words," he says. [Read this story]( Book News & Features ['Eloise At The Museum' Tells The Story Behind The Beloved Mischief-Maker]( The 6-year-old children's book character struck a chord when she debuted in the 1950s. Now a new exhibition shines a light on how Eloise came to be. [Read this story]( Code Switch [Octavia Butler: Writing Herself Into The Story]( An exhibit at the Huntington Library shows visitors how famed science fiction writer Octavia Butler created a career for herself in a genre that had few women and even fewer African-Americans. [Read this story]( NPR | 1111 N. Capitol St. NE | Washington, DC 20002 | [Privacy Policy]( This message was sent to {EMAIL} based on your NPR email subscriptions. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you may [unsubscribe]( at any time. [NPR](