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The latest novel from best-selling English author Nick Hornby, A Long Way Down, focuses on a group of suicidal people who accidentally meet atop a tall building — and how that meeting changes their fates. He also writes "Stuff I've Been Reading," a column for The Believer magazine. Many of Hornby's novels have been made into films, including About a Boy, High Fidelity and Fever Pitch.

The authors of a new book, Hungry Planet, set out to see how families in 24 regions feed themselves each week. They wanted to see how globalization, migration and other factors affected the diets of communities around the world.

Poet Billy Collins says the central theme of poetry is death. He manages to ruminate on this in a manner both whimsical and poignant in his latest collection, The Trouble with Poetry: And Other Poems.

Even history's most famous composers raided their own works for themes and ditties to use in future works. They also borrowed from the works of their predecessors. Renee Montagne talks with music commentator Miles Hoffman about famous musical leftovers.

Author and actor Martin Moran's new memoir is The Tricky Part: One Boy's Fall from Trespass into Grace. As a boy, he was sexually abused by a male counselor at a Catholic boys' camp. Nearly 30 years later, Moran went to see the man again at a convalescent home.

A new book, The Sinatra Treasures, celebrates the life of the legendary crooner with never-before-seen photographs, music and pull-out mementos from the Sinatra Family archives. NPR's Liane Hansen talks with Frank Sinatra, Jr. about his father.

Pulitzer prize-winning author Michael Chabon's new book follows the sleuthing adventures of an elderly Sherlock Holmes. It's called The Final Solution: A Story of Detection. Chabon explains how the Sherlock Holmes mysteries inspired him as a child and how writing a mystery novel is similar to creating his other works. Hear Chabon and NPR's Steve Inskeep.

Iraq's National Assembly votes to extend its deadline to draft a constitution by one week. The extension was agreed to after Kurdish leaders requested more time; feverish last-minute talks failed to resolve contentious issues, from the role of Islamic law to regional autonomy.

Puzzle master Will Shortz quizzes one of our listeners, and has a challenge for everyone at home. (This week's winner is Kathy Emerson from Brunswick, Maine. She listens to Weekend Edition on member station WMEA in Portland.)

Officials in Pakistan now say as many as 40,000 may have been killed in Saturday's earthquake, and the toll could go higher. Neighboring India also saw an impact, with widespread damage and at least 2,000 killed. Relief from donor countries is beginning to trickle in, but more is needed.