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The Week's Best Stories From NPR Books This week: Meg Wolitzer's latest, Charles Frazier returns to the Civil War, the pressures of being the only black person in the room, a new Macbeth, and marriage-saving tips from a divorce lawyer.
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The Week's Best Stories From NPR Books

This week: Meg Wolitzer, Charles Frazier, Jo Nesbo, Nafissa Thompson-Spires and James Sexton.
Why Flying Is No Fun (And May Be More Dangerous)
Michal Krakowiak/iStockphoto.com

Author Interviews

Why Flying Is No Fun (And May Be More Dangerous)

Fresh Air

Airline veteran and writer William McGee says airlines' aggressive cost-cutting hasn't just added fees and hassles. He says they're taking steps that compromise safety — and regulators are letting it happen.

Why Flying Is No Fun (And May Be More Dangerous)

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Nora Ephron: From 'Silkwood' To 'Sally,' A Singular Voice

Author and screenwriter Nora Ephron died Tuesday in New York. She was 71. Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images hide caption

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Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images

Obituaries

Nora Ephron: From 'Silkwood' To 'Sally,' A Singular Voice

Nominated for multiple Oscars, the director and screenwriter gave us two of the most indelible scenes in contemporary cinema — and they're startlingly different.

Ephron: From 'Silkwood' To 'Sally,' A Singular Voice

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Dr. Karp On Parenting And The Science Of Sleep

Author Interviews

Dr. Karp On Parenting And The Science Of Sleep

Pediatrician Harvey Karp has treated thousands of kids over the course of his 30-year-career, and his popular series of parenting books are international best sellers. His latest is the Happiest Baby Guide to Great Sleep. And if you're a parent, you know he's really talking about your sleep.

Dr. Karp On Parenting And The Science Of Sleep

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Rich Reads: Historical Fiction Fit For A Queen
Harriet Russell

Critics' Lists: Summer 2012

Rich Reads: Historical Fiction Fit For A Queen

These five books will give you literary jet lag — a yearning to linger in the world of the author's imagination, and a reluctance to return to your own. The research is so deep it becomes invisible, and these writers are trusted guides, gently nudging and leading you through each tale.

Rich Reads: Historical Fiction Fit For A Queen

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Edible Fermentables: Wine, Beer, Cheese, Meat

Beer may be the oldest fermented beverage on the planet. iStockphoto.com hide caption

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iStockphoto.com

Author Interviews

Edible Fermentables: Wine, Beer, Cheese, Meat

Fresh Air

Fermentation guru Sandor Katz returns to Fresh Air for a lively discussion about cured meats, cheeses — and some fermented beverages (notably wine and beer).

Edible Fermentables: Wine, Beer, Cheese, Meat

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It's A Bird, It's A Plane, It's A New Superman Bio!

Christopher Reeve played Superman in Richard Donner's 1978 film. Larry Tye has written a new biography of the Man of Steel. Anonymous/AP hide caption

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Author Interviews

It's A Bird, It's A Plane, It's A New Superman Bio!

Fresh Air

For the past 80 years, the Man of Steel has endured in books, movies, radio serials, comic books and cartoons. "Americans embrace Superman partly because he captured so many things that are part of our psyche and part of our sense of ourselves," says biographer Larry Tye.

It's A Bird, It's A Plane, It's A New Superman Bio!

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Teenage Brain: Gateway To A 'Bright And Dark' World

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Review

PG-13: Risky Reads

Teenage Brain: Gateway To A 'Bright And Dark' World

For author Meg Wolitzer, John Neufeld's 1969 novel Lisa, Bright and Dark opened the door to more intense reads on mental illness. Has a book you've read ever acted as a gateway to harsher, truer or more literary novels? Tell us in the comments.

Teenage Brain: Gateway To A 'Bright And Dark' World

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A Future President Finds Himself In New Obama Bio

A new biography of President Obama provides a rare glimpse of him as a young adult. In Barack Obama: The Story, journalist David Maraniss chronicles the president's "classic search for home." AP hide caption

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Author Interviews

A Future President Finds Himself In New Obama Bio

In Barack Obama: The Story, journalist David Maraniss chronicles the president's "classic search for home." Maraniss says Obama's young life was defined by his experience of being an outsider — a feeling that stayed with him well into early adulthood.

A Future President Finds Himself In New Obama Bio

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Want A Winner? These Books Made The Critics' Cut
Harriet Russell

Critics' Lists: Summer 2012

Want A Winner? These Books Made The Critics' Cut

Lynn Neary talks to three critics about books you shouldn't miss. One critic says it's a particularly rich literary summer because in election years, publishers release the juiciest books before fall.

Want A Winner? These Books Made The Critics' Cut

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Sail Into Summer With Novel Picks From Alan Cheuse
Harriet Russell

Critics' Lists: Summer 2012

Sail Into Summer With Novel Picks From Alan Cheuse

Hang on tight. These five new works of fiction will take you on an exhilarating ride. Brace yourself for a noir he-said-she-said, an R-rated version of Marie Antoinette's life and death, a haunting tale from a back-to-nature commune and Toni Morrison's lush Home.

Sail Into Summer With Novel Picks From Alan Cheuse

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'Fermentation': When Food Goes Bad But Stays Good

Yogurt is produced by the bacterial fermentation of milk. "Bacteria in our gut enable us to live," says author Sandor Katz. "We could not survive without bacteria." iStockphoto.com hide caption

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Fresh Food

'Fermentation': When Food Goes Bad But Stays Good

Fresh Air

Self-described "fermentation revivalist" Sandor Katz says "the creative space" between fresh and rotten is the root of most of humanity's prized delicacies. His new book, The Art of Fermentation, explores the ancient culinary art form.

'Fermentation': When Food Goes Bad But Stays Good

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