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Contemporary authors have a habit of lazily shoplifting plots and characters from 19th-century fiction — especially the works of Jane Austen. But even though Allegra Goodman's latest novel, The Cookbook Collector, is a modern riff on Sense and Sensibility, her homage quickly comes to have a glorious life of its own.

Welcome to the 21st century, where we're all connected, all the time. Whether or not this is a good thing is the subject of Hamlet's Blackberry, a new book by William Powers that takes a magnifying glass to the "conundrum of connectedness" -- and looks to the past to find ways to deal with information overload.

Almost half of the fish we eat has been raised on farms — and the genetic modification of fish is increasing. Paul Greenberg writes about changes in the fishing industry — and what the future holds for our dinner tables — in his new book, Four Fish: The Future of the Last Wild Food.

From urban rooftops to suburban ranches, apiaries are hip. As the ranks of backyard beekeepers grow, they're reporting some mysterious and sometimes disturbing behaviors, including the disappearance of whole hives. And what about the honey? Is it really good medicine, or just a sweet treat?

Alongside China's astonishing economic boom, an almost unnoticed religious boom has been taking place. The collapse of the communist ideology created a void that has left many Chinese looking for a value system. NPR looks at the trend in a five-part series beginning Monday on All Things Considered.

Statistically speaking, Kendra and Brian Cosom were unlikely candidates for marriage. The 2000 census reports nearly double the number of unmarried African-Americans as compared to whites. Marriage rates are even lower in low-income, black neighborhoods like theirs. Married a year, the couple is learning that staying together takes much more than love.

Potluck dinners, as anyone who's attended one knows, can be anything but lucky. It doesn't have to be that way — just ask Chris Kimball, host of PBS' America's Test Kitchen. For his new book, Kimball collected classic and heirloom recipes for tasty potluck dishes.

Apple plans to hold a press conference Friday to discuss the latest iPhone amid complaints that if users hold the phone over a certain spot, signal strength is drastically reduced. Consumer Reports magazine has refused to endorse the phone until the problem gets fixed.

President Obama and the Democrats scored another major legislative victory Thursday. The Senate passed a broad bill to overhaul financial regulations. The measure rewrites the rules for Wall Street to try to avoid crises like the 2008 economic meltdown. This time the Democrats got a little help from Republicans.

The new health law will compel insurers to pay for all sorts of preventive and screening services that are supported by strong evidence.