New In Paperback

April 1-7: An MIA Mom, A Deluded Romance And Homegrown Terrorism

In softcover fiction, Maria Semple chronicles a daughter's search for her missing mother, Jess Walter imagines a glimmering but futile courtship, and Lionel Shriver delivers a tongue-in-cheek take on terrorism. In nonfiction, Victoria Sweet recounts her unusual medical training.

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Best Books Of 2012

10 Books To Help You Recover From A Tense 2012

2012 was a very jittery year — what with the presidential election, extreme weather events and the looming "fiscal cliff." Fresh Air critic Maureen Corrigan found that her favorite fiction and nonfiction this year directly confronted the atmospheric uncertainty of the age.

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Book Reviews

'Beautiful Ruins,' Both Human And Architectural

Jess Walter's latest novel spans decades and traverses the Atlantic to create a kaleidoscopic collection of "beautiful ruins." Characters include a hotelier, a young script reader and real-life movie star Richard Burton. NPR's Maureen Corrigan says the book is a "literary miracle."

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Best Books Of 2009

Maureen Corrigan's Best Books Of 2009

Many of the picks from Fresh Air's book critic look back at tough times from earlier eras, or lives upended by disaster. The best books of the year include a work of nonfiction that reveals the hidden fantasy land of a founder of American industry, and a novel that doesn't apologize for the bad behavior of its characters. Plus, a bonus mystery pick.

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Excerpts: Best Books 2009

Excerpt: 'The Financial Lives Of The Poets'

Day-to-day tragedy collides with modern internet culture in this novel about love, poetry, and life 2.0. Jess Walter's The Financial Lives Of The Poets manages to be just the right balance of satire and heart.

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Novel Ideas

Jess Walter: Juggles Different Writing Styles

Jess Walter is the author of four novels. His latest, The Zero, is a finalist for the 2006 National Book Award. Walter is also an investigative reporter. He lives in Spokane, Washington.

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Caution: These Books May Make You Skip Work

There are some books that are so good that you just can't get on with your life until you've turned the last page. Nancy Pearl offers books that make it tempting to call in sick just to be able to read to the end without stopping.

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Book Reviews

Books 2005: Maureen Corrigan's Favorites

Fresh Air book critic Maureen Corrigan lists her favorite books of 2005, including novels by Mary Gaitskill and Kazuo Ishiguro, and memoirs by Joan Didion and J.R. Moehringer.

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