Conversation Starters: 2011's Top 5 Book Club Picks
()These character-driven novels featuring fracturing families, intrepid scientists and one very plucky early American heroine will spark lively debate on everything from the unreliability of memory to scientific ethics.
![Shoppers look at a display at the Dadeland Mall in Miami on Nov. 25. Princeton professor Sheldon Garon says Americans spend too much and save too little compared to Europeans and Asians. Shoppers look at a display at the Dadeland Mall in Miami on Nov. 25. Princeton professor Sheldon Garon says Americans spend too much and save too little compared to Europeans and Asians.](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20111207154022im_/http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2011/12/06/shopping_02_sq.jpg?t=1323189362&s=11)
Why Americans Spend Too Much, Save Too Little
A professor says Americans don't sock away enough, especially compared with people in Europe.
()![Drama Drama](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20111207154022im_/http://media.npr.org/assets/bakertaylor/covers/d/drama/9780061734977_custom.jpg?t=1323107521&s=11)
Lessons From John Lithgow's Onstage 'Education'
In his memoir, Drama: An Actor's Education, Lithgow focuses on the years before he became famous.
()![Illustration: Books wrapped up to be given as gifts. Illustration: Books wrapped up to be given as gifts.](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20111207154022im_/http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2011/12/05/gift-books_sq.gif?t=1323113228&s=11)
From Tiny To Tome, The Best Gift Books Of 2011
There's a difference between great books and great gift books. Here are the titles to put bows on.
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