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Updated: 6 hours 46 min ago
Writing On The Sly, Nathaniel Rich's Secret Debut
It took over five years for Nathaniel Rich to finish his first novel — maybe because he was writing The Mayor's Tongue secretly, first as a college student, and then while writing film criticism during the day.
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Hardcover Fiction Bestsellers For Nov.12, 2009
Topping the list: Barbara Kingsolver's The Lacuna, Kathryn Stockett's The Help and Dan Brown's Lost Symbol. And making their list debut: John Grisham's Ford Coutnty and Kurt Vonnegut's Look at the Birdie.
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Two Graphic Novels Explain Science, Colorfully
Moving beyond traditional superheroes, two new graphic novels recount the epic tales of scientists and the research that made them famous. Ira Flatow talks with authors Michael Keller and Apostolos Doxiadis about their graphic novels on natural selection and logic.
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Obama's Half-Brother Recasts Story Of Their Father
One person who plans to meet with President Obama during his trip to China is his half-brother, Mark Obama Ndesandjo, who lives in China. Ndesandjo has recently released a semi-autobiographical novel, revealing the abusive nature of their father.
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Palin's Book Tells Of Trouble On GOP Ticket
In Going Rogue, the 2008 Republican vice-presidential candidate confirms reports of tension between her aides and those of Sen. John McCain. She says she was kept "bottled up" from reporters during the campaign.
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Hudson Landing An Engineering Miracle, Pilot Says
In January, pilot Chelsey "Sully" Sullenberger was hailed as a hero, after he glided his U.S. Airways plane — which had lost both engines — to a safe landing in the Hudson. In Fly by Wire, writer and former pilot William Langewiesche argues that it was the engineering of the plane, and not Sullenberger's skill, that made the "miracle" possible.
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Scalia Book Explores The Man Behind The Justice
In American Original: The Life and Constitution of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, author Joan Biskupic examines the justice's life as the son of Italian immigrants. She also explores his conservative views from interviews with him, his critics — and his writing. "His core essence comes out not so much in the majority opinion, but in his dissents," she says.
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Unlikely Word Origins Defined In 'Anonyponymous'
Did you know that the word "Frisbee" is derived from Mary Frisbie, a woman who made pies in Connecticut? Or that "silhouette" originated with Etienne de Silhouette, an 18th century French finance minister? John Marciano shines light on these and many other etymological mysteries in Anonyponymous: The Forgotten People Behind Everyday Words.
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