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Author Robin Sloan has written short stories and worked for Twitter. His new book brings those two worlds together to argue that embracing digital culture doesn't mean you have to give up the treasured books — and values — of the past.

Barbara Kingsolver's seventh novel addresses global warming and the failings of public education through the story of a Tennessee woman whose thus-far disappointing life changes when 15 million monarch butterflies alight in the woods near her home.

NPR's longest-serving reference librarian, Kee Malesky, is the author of a new book, Learn Something New Every Day: 365 Facts to Fulfill Your Life. Malesky offers facts for each day of the year, from the landing on the moon to the invention of sliced bread.

Frances Ashcroft's new book details how electricity in the body fuels everything we think, feel or do. She tells Fresh Air about discovering a new protein, how scientists are like novelists and how she wanted to be a farmer's wife.

Journalists Donald Barlett and James Steele say a government commitment to free trade and an indifference to offshoring of jobs has crippled the middle class. And, they say, that situation is unlikely to change, no matter who wins this year's presidential election.

In his new book, The Fine Print: How Big Companies Use "Plain English" to Rob You Blind, author David Cay Johnston examines the fees that companies have added over the years that have made bills incrementally larger. He tells Fresh Air that companies are misusing language to "confuse people."

In his first novel, J.R. Moehringer writes from the point of view of Willie Sutton, whom he calls the "greatest American robber." Moehringer says writing historical fiction helped him deal with the anger he felt toward banks after the global financial crisis in 2008.

Author Shani Boianjiu's debut novel draws on her own military experience to tell the story of three young women in the Israel Defense Forces. Reviewer Alan Cheuse says the book has a refreshing frankness that's initially very appealing — but its episodic nature wears thin after a while.

Shani Boianjiu was just 18 when she, like most Israelis, served a mandatory two years in the Israeli Defense Forces. She's drawn from her experiences as a teenage soldier in her debut novel, The People of Forever Are Not Afraid.

Author Terry Pratchett is best known for his 39-book Discworld series, but his latest novel, Dodger, leaves the Disc behind for a lighthearted romp through Victorian London. Reviewer Tasha Robinson says Dodger shows an author wearing his not-so-secret soft heart on his sleeve.