a stack of books.

This week in What We're Reading, we return to popular fiction, check out some short stories, and run with the space nerds.

If you're traveling this holiday season, you're likely to spot a few copies of Michael Crichton's final completed novel, Pirate Latitudes, which really does contain the line "Warm day for a hanging," and we have some thoughts on that. There are short stories from award-winners Ha Jin and Alice Munro, commented upon by familiar NPR voices Jacki Lyden and Lynn Neary. Finally, we'll peek at the latest installment of an intensely researched series on the Russian and U.S. space programs — this one looks at the history of U.S. attempts at unmanned systems.