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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.

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!.

Lemony Snicket, a.k.a. Daniel Handler, gained a dedicated following of young readers with his darkly funny A Series of Unfortunate Events books. Now the Baudelaire orphans have made the big screen. Handler tells NPR's Michele Norris about his own childhood fears and adult apprehensions.

Reviewer Alan Cheuse offers his annual recommendations for holiday gift-giving. This year's list includes novels of travel on Earth and in space, new versions of tales from the Bible, Africa and Mesopotamia, and collections of poetry and song.

Creative cooking is not only for the restaurant chef, but for those cooking at home as well. NPR's Michele Norris speaks with Michael Lomonaco, author of Nightly Specials, a book that aims to inspire spontaneity in the kitchen.

In the first of a series to help with the mad dash of holiday cooking, Alton Brown, host of The Food Network show '"Good Eats" and author of "I'm Just Here for More Food," offers some baking tips. He explains the secrets and science behind a perfect pie crust.

A new cookbook from food writer Marlena Spieler gives a makeover to the ultimate comfort food. With combinations like mozzarella, fig jam and prosciutto, and sage sausage with jack, Grilled Cheese: 50 Recipes to Make You Melt makes the classic sandwich even better. NPR's Jennifer Ludden joins Spieler in the kitchen.

Amos Oz's latest is A Tale Of Love And Darkness, a memoir of growing up in Jerusalem in the turbulent 1940s and '50s, when a war-torn Israel was achieving statehood. Oz's home life was as intense as the world outside. The book follows Oz through his mother's suicide to a growing interest in politics and writing.

An article in Audubon Magazine recalls the 19th century effort that ended the feather trade. Until a public outcry stopped the practice, thousands of birds across North America were slaughtered to provide decorations for women's hats. Hear Jennifer Price, author of the article, and NPR's Jennifer Ludden.

After a chart-topping and occasionally controversial music career, she s now turning out children s books publishing four in just over a year. The newest is The Adventures of Abdi. The others are The English Roses, Mr. Peabody's Apples and Yakov and the Seven Thieves. Her fifth, Lotsa de Casha, is due out in April 2005.