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David Gilbert's new novel & Sons chronicles the life of a Salinger-like writer and, yes, his troubled sons, against the backdrop of the New York literary world. Reviewer Mary Pols says the book is "seductive and ripe with both comedy and heartbreak."

Pirates, pokers and alleged demonic origins — the history of rum is filled with raucousness and rebellion. To celebrate National Rum Day, we bring you tales from this drink's past, including its laudable origins as a food waste solution.

Bridget Lancaster and Jack Bishop advise using ripe fruit, extra-firm tofu and poking your hamburgers so they don't puff up like tennis balls.

Kimberly Rae Miller grew up among piles of junk. Doors wouldn't close, stacks of paper turned to sludge, and the pool was filled with muck; her father was an extreme hoarder. In her new memoir, Coming Clean, Miller writes candidly about the chaos in her home.

When Joel Goldman was diagnosed with a medical condition that makes him shake and stutter, he quit his law practice and started writing novels inspired by true crime in the Kansas City area. Eventually, he gave his disorder to FBI Agent Jack Davis, one of his main characters.

Goliarda Sapienza's sprawling, posthumously published epic, The Art of Joy, follows the life of Modesta, born in Sicily on the first day of the 20th century. Reviewer Maria Russo says the book lacks editing, but that ultimately doesn't matter to a story of such "scale and seductive libertinism."

Journalist Alfredo Corchado covers Mexico for the Dallas Morning News. His new book, Midnight In Mexico, is part memoir and part recent history of the upheaval in the country. He talks to Fresh Air about the power of the cartels, the rampant corruption and the hopes for the future of Mexico.

Eleven-year-old Luz uses a journal and a deck of cards to gradually tell her dramatic — and traumatic — story. Mario Alberto Zambrano says his debut novel, Loteria, was inspired by the Mexican card game he played growing up.

The 19th-century courtesan died at 23 of tuberculosis, but her legacy inspired a successful play, several movies and the great Italian opera La Traviata. In The Girl Who Loved Camellias, Julie Kavanagh tracks her journey from Normandy peasant girl to romantic heroine.

Read an exclusive excerpt of David Rakoff's last novel, Love, Dishonor, Marry, Die, Cherish, Perish, a set of humane, witty interlocking vignettes in verse that illustrate the scope of the 20th century, from 1920s Chicago meatpackers to dissatisfied 1980s yuppies.