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Book reviews and concert previews brought to you by Betsy Burton, co-owner of The King's English Bookshop, and Austen Diamond, producer of 13% Salt. Books & Beats airs Saturdays at 7:35 a.m. and 9:35 a.m. during NPR's Weekend Edition.

Books & Beats: May 16, 2015

Courtesy of the Artist
Ed Sheeran perfoms at Energy Solutions Arena on Tuesday, May 19.

In God Help the Child (Knopf), the latest offering from Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winning novelist Toni Morrison, the life of a lovesick fashion icon is intertwined with another woman's release from prison. Reviewer Betsy Burton says "The story line, eviscerating at times, can take us by surprise... The imagery is cinematic, the writing fluid, evocative, yet more pared down than in Morrison's previous work."

Austen Diamond chronicles the meteoric rise of Ed Sheeran, from his humble beginnings as an opening act at the South by Southwest music festival to his duet with Elton John. You can see Sheeran on Tuesday, May 19, at Energy Solutions Arena.

Check out Purity Ring, too.  They'll be at The Depot on Monday, May 18.

And Los Lonely Boys play at The State Room on Thursday, May 21.

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