December 28, 2011 Just in time for New Year's reading, Stewart O'Nan returns with a captivating look at the life of a widow, while Deborah Harkness offers a tale of magical mayhem unleashed by a manuscript at Oxford. In nonfiction, Karen Armstrong invites readers to deepen their compassion and Amy Chua offers a call to arms for "Tiger Mothers."

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December 26, 2011 We're often told that our teenage years are for forging our identities — even if it doesn't feel so great at the time. Author Jennifer Hubbard recommends a book that charts the complexities of growing up.

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December 25, 2011 Every year, the comedian's three young grandchildren visit him for Christmas. Problem is, "they're annoying," he says. So Cosby came up with a plan to calm the squabbling children and restore Christmas cheer to his household.

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On All Things ConsideredPlaylist

December 23, 2011 Jessica Fellowes, author of a new book about the successful series Downton Abbey, talks about the story of the Crawleys and the world they inhabit.

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On All Things ConsideredPlaylist

December 25, 2011 Alex Schmidt's grandparents say that the best Jewish food they've ever eaten came from Mexico. They remember a legendary husband-and-wife catering team who made downtown Mexico City feel like the shtetls of Eastern Europe. Schmidt visits her grandmother to find out more about fusing two culinary traditions.

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On Weekend Edition SundayPlaylist

December 22, 2011 Susan Jane Gilman recommends behind-the-scenes reads about the rich and famous — by a rock star, a hotel concierge, a stuntman and a Brat Packer, all offering backstage passes to their glamorous lives. Entertaining and star-studded, they make for perfect holiday escapism — with a cocktail (or two) in hand.

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On All Things ConsideredPlaylist

December 24, 2011 The New Testament is constantly being re-interpreted from a variety of perspectives — from feminists, to socialists, to traditionalists; there's even a version as seen through the prism of Star Wars. Now you can add to the collection The Jewish Annotated New Testament, the first annotated version of the New Testament from an entirely Jewish point of view.

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On All Things ConsideredPlaylist

December 22, 2011 Our comics blogger provides his picks for the best comics and graphic novels of 2011, with a minimum of caveats.

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December 22, 2011 In The Dead Witness, Michael Sims presents stories from the early days of detective fiction, revisiting classics and introducing readers to a raft of lesser-known writers, many of them women.

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On Morning EditionPlaylist

December 21, 2011 Critic Dan Kois selects the standout graphic novels of the year, which include books from France and Japan, explicit picaresques, hard-boiled mysteries, memoirs, fairy tales and new twists on old classics.

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