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From Spanish lullabies and moonlit nights, to the fluttering wings of a persistent little barn owl, NPR Music's Tom Huizenga and host Guy Raz spin a mellow mix of new releases.

Railroad tycoon Leland Stanford drove the golden spike that connected the country's first transcontinental line in 1869, setting off decades of fierce competition for routes to the Pacific. Historian Walter Borneman follows the rails in his new book, Rival Rails: The Race to Build America's Greatest Transcontinental Railroad.

The interview with the Daily Show host that was originally broadcast Oct. 4 has been re-edited for Friday's Fresh Air; it features material cut from the original broadcast because of time constraints.

What's the difference between wooden and plastic cutting boards? When should you throw out frozen fish? Harold McGee, an expert on the science of food and cooking, untangles these kitchen mysteries and more in his Keys to Good Cooking.

The British government is cutting nearly half a million public sector jobs over the next four years as part of a $130 billion cut in spending. Finance Minister George Osborne confirmed the cuts Wednesday in a widely anticipated announcement, saying the drastic budget cuts were the best way to reduce Britain's burgeoning debt.

David Grossman began working on his novel To the End of the Land while his son Uri was in the Israeli Army. He hoped it would protect him. It didn't. Uri was killed, and Grossman's fiction explores the fragility of families, nations and life itself.

The British government unveiled the largest planned cuts in public spending since World War II Wednesday. Britain's Treasury chief says he wants to cut more than $130 billion from the budget through 2015 in order to clear Britain's mounting debt.

The owners of the Boston Red Sox have finally acquired one of the world's most famous soccer clubs. After a ferocious boardroom battle, they've bought Liverpool Football Club, England's most successful team. But some people wonder if the new American owners realize what they have taken on. The port city of Liverpool is not like any other British city. It has its own distinctive subculture -- and some of the planet's most demanding, passionate and opinionated fans.

In his new memoir, Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Garry Wills explains his career as a lifelong observer. In Outside Looking In, he talks books, politics and family — and explains how his father's philosophy about the word "cannot" is one reason he became a conservative.

Comedian Mike Birbiglia has a disorder that makes him sleepwalk. He recounts his worst episode — as well as other painfully embarrassing moments — in his comedic memoir, Sleepwalk With Me.