Summer Thomad

NPR's Books We Love has reading recommendations from our staff and contributors. Today, we hear about three new romance novels: "An Arrow to the Moon," "Young Mungo" and "Ramon and Julieta."

Four NPR staffers recommend new novels in an early taste of our annual Books We Love round-up: "How High We Go in the Dark," "Vladimir," "Mecca" and "The Candy House."

When chef Pailin Chongchitnant realized that cable television wasn't ready for a Thai cooking show, she started her own on YouTube. On it, she breaks down some of the misconceptions about the cuisine.

The head of Save the Children in Afghanistan says it has been difficult to operate under the Taliban and their restrictions on women. Without humanitarian aid, he predicts serious casualties ahead.

NPR's Leila Fadel speaks with Chris Nyamandi, Country Director of Save The Children in Afghanistan about a restriction on girls' education and other threats to children's welfare under the Taliban.

Since 2016, Demi Adejuyigbe has made increasingly lavish videos dancing to the Earth, Wind and Fire hit "September." "It just feels like doing the impossible with a bunch of friends," he says.

NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with sports writer Lindsay Gibbs about Emma Raducanu and Leylah Fernandez, the two teen tennis players who will go head-to-head at the U.S. Open women's final on Saturday.

NPR's Ailsa Chang speaks with Roselyn Romero of the Associated Press about how college students are using forged vaccination cards to attend in-person classes, and what schools are doing to respond.

NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with Alejandro Delgado, enrollment director for the Austin Independent School District, about efforts to reregister students for in-person school this fall amid the pandemic.

NPR's Ailsa Chang speaks with professor of sports psychology Dr. Dan Weigand about how performing without spectators could affect athletes' performances at the 2021 Olympics.