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In Josh Ritter's first novel, Bright's Passage, a World War I soldier goes home to West Virginia and must protect himself and his infant son. The book contains Ritter's trademark combination of humor, gothic themes and fantastical imagery (an angel who inhabits the body of a horse).

Author Robert Lifton has confronted some of the most appalling historical episodes of the mid-20th century, from Chinese mind control to the psychology of Nazi doctors. In his new memoir, Witness to an Extreme Century, he talks about why he still has faith in humankind.

The season of pleasure reading is upon us, and the publishing world has readied a handful of thrilling titles to be released just in time for the summer heat. After surveying the crop, here are our picks for fun reading in the sun.

For three decades, Christian Gerhartsreiter claimed to be someone else. After fleeing his German hometown, he developed a series of false identities, moving up the social ladder as he moved across the U.S. Ultimately, he married a lawyer who believed he was a Rockefeller. Journalist Mark Seal talks about the mystery man at the center of his new book, The Man in the Rockefeller Suit.

In his new memoir, pro-nerd Simon Pegg talks Star Wars, comedy and the zombie apocalypse. And he weighs in on the ongoing genre controversy — the "schism in the church of the undead" — slow zombies versus fast zombies? Definitely slow zombies, Pegg says.

The best ideas don't always come from the loudest person in the room. Author Susan Cain urges us to listen to those who embrace quiet as a force for innovation.

We're taught to avoid doing things we'll regret for the rest of our lives, but why? Author Kathryn Schulz makes the case for cherishing our worst choices — like her tattoo.

Many of us see weeds as a pest, but nature writer Richard Mabey prefers to think of them as "vegetable guerrillas" and "forest outlaws." Mabey stands up for the incredibly adaptable and disreputable plants in his new book, Weeds.

Immerse yourself in these satisfying summer selections, from "new" India to post-"dot com" San Francisco to the streets of Brooklyn. Plus: a reissue of Kurt Vonnegut's novels and mysterious short fiction from E.L. Doctorow.

Are you top notch at code-cracking? If not, listen closely to this week's guest, a former C.I.A. agent, for tips on how to stay mysterious. We quiz his intelligence about fellow spy James Bond.