January 22, 2012 When it comes to learning an instrument, children have the edge in many respects. Using himself as a guinea pig, psychology professor Gary Marcus resolved to find out whether nonmusical adults have any chance of turning things around.

Transcript

On Weekend Edition SundayPlaylist

January 21, 2012 In 1897, S.A. Andree took an unlikely approach to exploring the North Pole: As other Arctic adventurers tried to march, sail or sled to the northernmost point on Earth, Andree decided to fly in a hydrogen balloon. Alec Wilkinson tells the story of the ill-fated expedition in his new book, The Ice Balloon.

Transcript

On Weekend Edition SaturdayPlaylist

January 20, 2012 Smart, scintillating reads are hard to find — especially when you like your protagonists nerdy. Author Lev Grossman offers three great reads for the geeks in all of us.

Transcript

On All Things ConsideredPlaylist

January 19, 2012 Longtime Boston Globe reporters Michael Kranish and Scott Helman start their biography of Mitt Romney by examining his ancestors, many of whom played crucial roles in the development of the Mormon faith. The Real Romney also examines the candidate's political beliefs and his career in private equity.

Transcript

On Fresh Air from WHYYPlaylist

January 19, 2012 Science has a way of getting inside our heads — especially when it comes to the powers of the mind. Author and neurologist Alfredo Quinones-Hinojosa recommends three brilliant brain-teasing books.

Transcript

On All Things ConsideredPlaylist

January 19, 2012 On the verge of foreclosure, bankruptcy and divorce, a couple returns to the site of their honeymoon in a last-ditch effort to make things work.

Summary

January 17, 2012 In this chilling dystopian novel by Ben Marcus, the speech of children begins poisoning adults, and a married couple must consider abandoning their teenage daughter to save themselves.

Transcript

On All Things ConsideredPlaylist

January 17, 2012 What's wrong with saying "No problem" instead of "You're welcome"? Is it acceptable to answer a phone call with an email? In Would It Kill You To Stop Doing That?, Henry Alford goes on a quest for modern manners; he says most bad behavior is based in ignorance.

Transcript

On Talk of the NationPlaylist

January 18, 2012 Botanist Nicholas Money's book Mushroom takes readers inside the world of the fungal organisms that appear overnight on lawns, are occasionally poisonous and appear in everything from Alice in Wonderland to some lifesaving medications.

Transcript

On Fresh Air from WHYYPlaylist

January 17, 2012 Muslim groups want the Indian-born author of Satanic Verses to be denied entry into the country. Rushdie is due to attend the Jaipur Literary Festival there later this week.

Summary