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Driving his Chevrolet Nova up and down Highway 61 in Mississippi, William Ferris stopped at churches and juke joints and penitentiaries to record the music he found. In his new book, Give My Poor Heart Ease, Ferris explores the legacy of the "The Blues Highway."

P. W. Singer explores the advances of robotics in warfare in his book Wired for War: The Robotics Revolution and 21st Century Conflict.

Jonathan Lethem's new novel, featuring a fatuous former child TV star and his stoner friend, swirls around aimlessly, lifted only occasionally by the author's dazzling prose.

Some books you simply can't keep to yourself. Glen Weldon shares the titles he's recommended this year — from a history of women in comics, to a collection of very short short stories — what unites these books is the urge they spark to send them out into the world so that they might sink their hooks into someone else.

The author talks about her blockbuster novel, The Lovely Bones, which features a surprising device: its main character, a young girl who has been murdered, narrates the book from the afterlife. Sebold's book is the basis for a new film by director Peter Jackson.

The Bauhaus was one of the most important and exciting social and artistic movements of post-World-War-I Germany. Founded by architect Walter Gropius, the movement lasted 14 years until the Nazis finally forced it to shut down. An astonishing exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art gives a thorough view of the precise but imaginative products of Bauhaus.

What makes a good book-club selection? Most of Lynn Neary's picks are quick reads. All are fiction. And, because some of the best conversations occur when people don't agree, a few are calculated to spark debate. So have a glass of wine, maybe a bite to eat, and let the discussions begin.

There's so much good jazz coming out on DVD now (old stuff, new stuff, TV concerts and documentaries) that it's more than anyone can follow. But Kevin Whitehead says that a few recent releases really caught his eye and ear.

The end of another year means another giant stack of books you missed during the past 12 months. Nancy Pearl, our favorite librarian, stops by to share recommendations that should keep old, young and 'tween readers content.

The act of passing on a passion is one of the greatest gifts you can give. Book critic Maureen Corrigan promises that the books on this list — mostly slim, unforgettable volumes about places or things that the writers themselves deeply love — are merrily infectious.