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Author Paul Auster reads "Auggie Wren's Christmas Story." The short story has no Santa Claus, no Christmas tree, and no brightly wrapped packages. And yet there's plenty of giving.

The book "On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen" has become a reference tool for many cooks. Now author Harold McGee has revised and updated the book. It's an exposition of food and cooking techniques, delving into technology and history.

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.

On Dec. 23, 1954, Boston doctors gave a kidney to a 23-year-old man in the first successful long-term transplant of a human organ. Transplants have since saved more than 400,000 lives. Dr. Joseph Murray and his first donor recall the event.

In her latest book, best-selling humor writer Jill Conner Browne — better known as the Sweet Potato Queen — shares her insights on men, classifying them into handy spud categories (Mr. Right is a Spud Stud.) NPR's Debbie Elliott caught up with the Queen and her sparkling, tiara-wearing fans.

One of the last novelty-item factories in the country, the S.S. Adams Company in Neptune, New Jersey, manufactures joy buzzers, whoopee cushions, and cans of jumping snakes. Mark Newgarden, author of Cheap Laffs: The Art of the Novelty Item, and NPR's Petra Mayer take a tour.

With guidance from his mother and grandmother, chef Alton Brown developed an flair in the kitchen early. In the final installment of our holiday baking series, he offers some last-minute tips. And NPR's Jennifer Ludden gets some kitchen wisdom from her own grandmother, Marion Otte.

Dozens of Arabic language interpreters working with U.S. forces in Iraq have been killed over the course of the war. NPR's Philip Reeves profiles one translator who feels like a constant target.

Why do some cakes seem to go so well on the way into the oven, but come out as disastrous sinkholes? The Food Network's Alton Brown solves the mysteries of cake-baking in the second of our series of holiday baking tips. He talks with NPR's Jennifer Ludden.

The roots of gospel music are not well-documented. Early recordings were lost. Stories behind the songs weren't written down. A new book recounts the history of the beloved American art form. NPR's Michele Norris talks with Robert Darden, author of People Get Ready!.