Hey, it's NPR's Book at the Day. I'm Andrew Limbaugh. We talk a lot about series of books on here,

an eye-opening ones, smart ones, thought-provoking ones, even funny and light-hearted ones.

But today we wanted to bring you two short-story collections that are kind of playful. Yeah, I guess that

would be the right word. In both interviews, you can

hear the author sort of revel in the sandbox of their heads. In a bit, we'll hear from Helen

Oyeh, me, about her 2015 book, What Is Not Yours, is Not Yours, that uses keys in both

literal and metaphorical ways. But first, I wanted to let you in on a little NPR secret.

Producers love getting hosts to say wild stuff.

There's nothing funnier than hearing someone transition from a piece about inflation or

something to talking about radioactive cockroaches and Hitachi Magic Wands.

But NPR's Mary Louise Kelly pulls it off in her interview with author Gwen Kirby

about her book, Shit Cassandra Saw.

It's tempting to try to maximize your productivity.

Cross everything off your to-do list as fast as you can so you can finally rest.

But...

Getting more efficient is not going to lead to this moment of peace because there'll always be more.

Best-selling author Oliver Berkman on why changing your approach to life starts with facing your

mortality. Listen to the TED Radio Hour on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.

If I told you that Gwen Kirby's debut collection of short stories was wild, that would not

begin to capture it. There's one in which the female characters grow fangs and become

radioactive cockroach warriors seeking revenge on men who annoy them. There's one titled

Mary Reid is a cross-dressing pirate,

...