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When it comes to perceiving reality, "we are all magicians," writes Frederick Reiken in his new novel, Day for Night. Reiken's novel is full of narratives and narrators — nearly a dozen characters from all over the U.S. and the Middle East help tell this interwoven story.

Jim Shepard writes what he knows, but he also likes to write what he doesn't know. "I think literature is, in some ways, about the exercise of the empathetic imagination," Shepard says. "I'm always interested in stretching that capacity." You Think That's Bad is his latest collection of short stories.

One of the most promising video games of the year is out this week: L.A. Noire, a detective thriller set in late-1940s Los Angeles. Playing like an interactive movie, the game often focuses on conversation instead of violence.

When Alice Ozma was 9 years old, her father made a promise: to read to her every night for 100 nights. But once the pair met their goal, they didn't stop. The Reading Streak lasted 3,218 days — and finally ended on Alice's first day of college.

The famous daredevil broke more than 30 major bones in his career as a motorcycle jumper, but every wipeout just brought him more fans. A new biography looks at the outsize life and legend of the showman.

In their new book, Annoying: The Science Of What Bugs Us, NPR Science Correspondent Joe Palca and Science Friday's Flora Lichtman set out to examine why certain things — and people — drive us bananas.

Fran Ross' Oreo is an uproarious look at American identity, through the eyes of a biracial girl. The funny, poignant novel was largely ignored when it was published in 1974 — but writer Mat Johnson says the time for the quirky novel is now.

The famed writer doled out hundreds of letters to friends, enemies, multiple wives, ex-wives and lovers. Writer Rebecca Newberger Goldstein recommends a hefty collection of Bellow's works of correspondence — brimming with savory morsels of masterful prose.

Writer Hisham Matar, who was nominated for the Booker Prize for his book, In The Country of Men, speaks with Renee Montagne about writing and fiction in an unstable Libya.

Winter, more than any other season, has its own soundtrack: There's a nonstop loop of holiday tunes in every store you visit, and carolers in the town square. By the time late December rolls around, many people have had it. Author Tom Moon offers an alternative list of winter music.