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Slaughter is a master of the thriller genre; her latest book, Broken, is full of twists and turns and technical details. In the latest installment of our "Thrilled to Death" series, Slaughter talks with NPR's Michele Norris about the stories that keep her in suspense.

A new biography tells the story of Buck's Chinese childhood, as the daughter of zealous missionaries. In Pearl Buck in China, Hilary Spurling makes a compelling case for a reappraisal of Buck's fiction — transforming her from dreary "lady author" into woman warrior.

On the opening day of her confirmation hearings, Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan vowed to serve with a "commitment to evenhandedness, principle and restraint." She said the court must also "recognize the limits on itself and respect the choices made by the American people."

Sebastian Mallaby's book is an expert primer on hedge funds — the "Ferraris of finance" — and a detailed portrait of Wall Street's daredevils. Reviewer Susan Jane Gilman says More Money Than God is illuminating ... and infuriating.

From sporting events to prostate exam results — if there's one thing you'll learn from Beth Raymer's new gambling memoir, Lay the Favorite, it's that some people will bet on just about anything.

President Obama may not have cleaned up the oil spill yet -- but on Wednesday he succeeded in extracting a big financial commitment from BP. After a four hour meeting with BP executives at the White House, the oil giant agreed to put $20 billion in an escrow fund to pay the claims of Gulf residents hurt by the spill.

Garden writer Bonnie Blodgett didn't know what her sense of smell meant to her — until she lost it. Her new book, Remembering Smell, describes what it's like to live in the world without being able to smell it — from the sweet aromas of springtime to the stench of sour milk.

From endless book signings to heated arguments with booksellers, author M.J. Rose knows the value of self-promotion. NPR's Lynn Neary joins Rose on the road for a taste of what it means to be a writer in today's new world of publishing.

The Daily Beast editor-in-chief joins NPR's Steve Inskeep for another chat about the best reading she's been doing lately — books and articles about an iconic Depression-era photo, campaign promises and a country that has a way of flying too close to the sun.

In his long career as a sports columnist, Rick Reilly has covered the biggest games, including the Super Bowl and World Series. But for his new book, Sports from Hell, Reilly sought out the championships of decidedly less conventional sports, such as bull poker, chess boxing and jarts.