'Eclipse'
By Richard North Patterson
Reviewed by Alan Cheuse

'Postcards From Tomorrow Square: Reports From China'
By James Fallows
Reviewed by Ross Terrill

'Lark and Termite'
By Jayne Anne Phillips
Reviewed by Malena Watrous

'The Uncrowned King: The Sensational Rise of William Randolph Hearst'
By Kenneth Whyte
Reviewed by Richard M. Abrams

Islands Of Imagination
Remote islands play central roles in three new science fiction, fantasy and horror releases.

'The Invention of Air: A Story of Science, Faith, Revolution, and the Birth of America'
By Steven Johnson
Reviewed by Troy Jollimore

Must-Reads Of 2008
The best nonfiction books as well as fiction and poetry books of 2008. Plus: Notable Bay Area books of 2008.

Tells It Like It Is Jamming with Hendrix or playing with Dylan, Al Kooper covers it all in his memoir "Backstage Passes & Backstabbing Bastards."

Penned By Poets
Beat icon Gary Snyder talks about "The Selected Letters of Allen Ginsberg and Gary Snyder."

On God and Gays Prop. 8's passing has author Richard Rodriguez thinking about religion, homosexuality.

Cat Got Her Heart
Librarian author Vicki Myron has a new cat in her life.

Memoir Canceled Writer Herman Rosenblat admits his Holocaust tale is not true. Previous story.

Capitalism For Good
Michael Kinsley's "Creative Capitalism" explores how the economic system can be a driver for social change.

Little And Lost "I Sit and Stay: A Survival Guide for Kids (and Parents, Too!)" teaches kids how to respond if they're lost.

Poem For A President
President-elect Barack Obama picks poet Elizabeth Alexander to read at his inauguration.

Completely Quincy Quincy Jones' new book is a lavishly produced volume of photos and memorabilia.

What Doesn't Kill You
Lucy Autrey Wilson's morbid almanac, "Cause of Death," considers the many ways one could bite the dust.