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In his new book, journalist Gregory Johnsen charts the rise of Yemen as a haven for al-Qaida and explores the recent history of radical Islam in the Arabian Peninsula. The death of Osama bin Laden, he says, had more of an effect on the U.S. psyche than it did on people in Yemen.

This holiday season, instead of settling for the standard martini, historian Lesley Blume suggests you reach for a taste of bygone cocktail culture. She offers tips for picking the right antique elixir, as well as the original recipe for one of Ernest Hemingway's favorites.

New York Times editor Sam Sifton has this important piece of Thanksgiving advice: Forget innovation. No ham, no swordfish, no beef tenderloin, just turkey and pie. His new book, Thanksgiving: How to Cook It Well, provides recipes for a simple, stress-free holiday meal.

In his new collection, Tenth of December, short-story master George Saunders' quirky blend of dystopian fiction and dark satire is tempered by a new gravity. Critic Michael Schaub calls the book Saunders' best yet, filled with stories that are "as weird, scary and devastating as America itself."

After a 25-year-long legal battle, the FBI has released the final documents relating to its surveillance of John Lennon in the 1970s. Historian Jon Wiener first requested the files in 1981 for a book on Lennon. He discusses the contents of the now-declassified files.

Our latest pick for NPR's Backseat Book Club is The Red Pyramid, a tale of two kids who must rescue the world from Egyptian gods. Author Rick Riordan, a former schoolteacher, combined his obsession with books with his passion for mythology to write this book about ordinary kids doing heroic things.

In 2009, New York Post reporter Susannah Cahalan was hospitalized for one horrific month because of a rare disorder. After recovering, she remembered almost nothing about the ordeal, so she decided to find out what happened. Her new book provides a remarkable reconstruction of the events of her sickness.

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Katherine Boo spent more than three years in Mumbai's Annawadi slum. In her book Behind the Beautiful Forevers, she profiles people living in extreme poverty — right in the shadow of luxury hotels. On Wednesday, the book won the National Book Award for nonfiction.

Athanasius Kircher, a 17th-century Jesuit priest, was a renaissance man in name and deed. He strove to learn about almost everything. Unfortunately, many of his inventions and theories were pure nonsense. John Glassie writes about Kircher in his new book, A Man of Misconceptions.

Lois Duncan's 1979 novel, Daughters of Eve, takes revenge to a whole new level. Author Mary Stewart Atwell explains why this classic novel is still relevant. Do you have a favorite story of revenge that goes too far? Tell us in the comments.