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In Scent And Subversion, Barbara Herman explains how, at the turn of the 20th century, most perfumes were still just one note, floral. Then along came a fragrance that changed everything. "With Chanel No. 5," Herman says, "Coco Chanel said, 'A woman needs to smell like a woman, and not a rose.'"

Ben Marcus' new book, Leaving the Sea, is an experimental and challenging collection of stories. Reviewer J.P. O'Malley says there's not much of a through line to the stories, but that it doesn't matter: "If you enjoy writers like Samuel Beckett," he writes, "I'm sure you will love this collection."

Scandinavian crime novels have become so popular that some publishers even have a name for the genre — "Scandi-crime." Many of these books keep readers right on the edge of their seats. But reviewer Rosecrans Baldwin says Before I Burn by Gaute Heivoll takes a more subtle approach.

"The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are as much every U.S. citizen's wars as they are the veterans' wars," says Phil Klay, who served in Iraq. His debut story collection is called Redeployment.

Ross Klavan's novel follows two radio sidekicks in midcentury New York: golden-voiced straight man Ted Fox, who has an eye for a good-looking dame, and funnyman Jerry Elkin, a veteran of World War II.

Yiyun Li's latest novel is a coming of age novel set in the Tiananmen Square era in Beijing. Li spoke with NPR's Rachel Martin about lonely youth and China's post-Tiananmen generation.

"I'm not a fan of mysteries," says Isabel Allende. Strange words indeed from a woman whose mystery novel Ripper hits bookshelves this month. The renowned Chilean author talks about taking on a new genre and making it her own.

In Dragnet Nation, Julia Angwin describes an oppressive blanket of electronic data surveillance. "There's a price you pay for living in the modern world," she says. "You have to share your data."

It's been 15 years since acclaimed writer Lorrie Moore has brought out a new short story collection. Bark has some clunkers and some keepers, but critic Maureen Corrigan says it was worth the wait.

In their memoir Sliver of Light, Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd and Josh Fattal explain how they were captured on a road that bordered Iran, accused of spying and imprisoned for two years.