Each week, the guests and hosts on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour share what's bringing them joy. This week: The Last of Us, The Looney Tunes Show and Ice Merchants.

Otsuka has recently been awarded the Carnegie Medal for Excellence for her novel about a Japanese American woman who's lost much of her memory to dementia. Originally broadcast Feb. 22, 2022.

Daniel Black's essays call for an overhaul of the U.S. criminal justice system, of the Black church, of the way Black people see themselves, and of the country itself — and do so with authority

Phone and electric car batteries are made with cobalt mined in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Cobalt Red author Siddharth Kara describes the conditions for workers as a "horror show."

As the marketing of soda and fast food ramps up around the world, the companies involved forge partnerships to help the poor. The new book 'Junk Food Politics' casts a critical eye at their efforts.

The pale daylight and early darkness of winter create a space for stories — in particular for stories that ask the reader to mull themes and ideas that can sometimes be difficult.

The former president has made good on his threat to sue the Washington Post reporter over his use of interview recordings. The lawsuit seeks nearly $50 million in damages.

Hot Dog, by Doug Salati, is about an overheated pup who finds his calm on a trip to the beach. Freewater, by Amina Luqman-Dawson, is about two enslaved children finding freedom.

Dr. Henry Marsh felt comfortable in hospitals — until he was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer. "I was much less self-assured now that I was a patient myself," he says. His book is And Finally.

The creator of the KonMari method says there are other things that spark joy besides a totally tidy home.

Each week, the guests and hosts on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour share what's bringing them joy. This week: Gabrielle Zevin's Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris, and more.

Jordan Harper's hardboiled plot centers on a "black-bag publicist" who works for a prestige crisis management firm, putting out fires and quieting scandals for Hollywood's elite.

Selby Wynn Schwartz's debut, longlisted for the 2022 Booker Prize, is partly a love letter to Virginia Woolf and poet Sappho, partly a work of literary criticism and partly a speculative biography.

Pamela Anderson, the Playboy Playmate and TV star who became one of the most famous sex symbols of all time, has written a book about herself. And it was her sons who gave her the idea.

Oliver James is a TikTok star who pledged to read 100 books this year. He has had a lot of difficulty with reading since he was a child and is now teaching himself at age 34.