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Fans of Middle Earth tend to fall in love with The Hobbit as children, says self-described "Tolkien professor" Corey Olsen. But once they move on to The Lord of the Rings, they never come back. That's a great shame, he says, so he's written his own book to honor the classic fantasy novel.

Each week, guests and hosts on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour share what's bringing them joy. This week: the Goosebumps TV series, New Blue Sun from André 3000, and Matt Rogers' Christmas album.

In a sleepy town in the Ozarks, population 300, one woman is trying to turn the local public library into a hub for learning. She's one of thousands of librarians around the country working to bring a sense of community to isolated areas.

Hawaii is the only U.S. state to have once been an independent monarchy. Its last queen, Lili'uokalani, fought the influence of the white sugar planters who controlled most of the islands. But they managed to overthrow her and annex Hawaii to the United States in 1898.

The young poet Christina Rossetti is haunted by the ghost of her uncle in steampunk pioneer Tim Powers' latest, an elegant supernatural thriller rife with literary references.

Emmy-nominated actress Amy Poehler talks to Ari Shapiro about her role as an aspiring local politician on the NBC comedy Parks And Recreation.

Latino stories matter through Hispanic Heritage Month and beyond. The NPR One team has podcast recommendations that are as varied and important as the community they come from.

Novelist Colson Whitehead envisions zombies in Manhattan, while Donald Ray Pollock returns to gritty southern Ohio. In nonfiction, Ben Mezrich recounts the heist of moon rocks from NASA, and Mark Hertsgaard looks ahead to the next 50 years of climate change.

For its 20th anniversary, the DC Jazz Festival featured performances throughout the Washington, D.C., area culminating in a weekend jam-packed with performances stretched across several venues at The Wharf in Southwest Washington.

Mariah Carey, Cher, Sinéad O'Connor, Mary J. Blige and Sade are on the latest inductee shortlist. It's notable for an institution long focused on white male artists.