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Steve Martin became famous as an actor and comedian. Lately, though, he's gaining accolades for another talent: writing. Martin's latest book is The Pleasure of My Company. He talks with NPR's Neal Conan about life on the stage and the page and takes your calls.

Author Alissa Quart says the idea of the self-made person is fiction.

The two lions of jazz played music together and practiced Buddhism together for more than half a century.

Microsoft has plenty of reasons to want to acquire online giant Yahoo — 80 billion reasons, in fact. Online ad revenues are expected to double by 2010, reaching $80 billion, and Microsoft is eager to get into the game — if for no other reason than to slow rival Google's historic growth.

Ken Rudin, NPR's political editor, discusses the history-making win in the Louisiana gubernatorial race; Rep. Bobby Jindal will become the nation's youngest governor and the first Indian-American to head a U.S. state's government.

The chaos following the assassination of Pakistan's opposition leader Benazir Bhutto may mean the parliamentary elections she planned to contest will be postponed. Government officials are due to decide Tuesday whether to go ahead with the vote now scheduled for next week.

Moby Dick, Ulysses and The Sound and the Fury can cause cold sweats just by coming up on a syllabus, but author Jack Murnighan swears that these classics are packed with humor.

As Americans view volcanic activity at Mount St. Helens with awe and unease, tourists are flocking to Indonesia and the site of one of history's most spectacular volcanic blasts. Hear NPR's Michael Sullivan.

The second mystery by Mette Ivie Harrison boasts details about contemporary Mormon life that most of us aren't privy to. NPR's Karen Grigsby Bates says His Right Hand is is her "one that got away."

Neurologist Oliver Sacks has spent a career investigating the brain and its capacity to confound humans. In Musicophilia, he examines the powers of music through case studies he's gathered from patients, musicians and everyday people.

A new collection of short stories traces the coming of age of three sisters in Uganda. Author Doreen Baingana address issues of class, religion and cultural identity in Tropical Fish: Stories Out Of Entebbe. She talks with NPR's Jennifer Ludden.

In Maryland, schools experiment with using comic books as learning tools. The program illustrates an ongoing debate: do teachers give students a challenge, or offer less difficult material that is more likely to spark their interest?

It's summertime, and the kitchen is too hot for big-time baking — and ice cream just won't cut it for everyone. Cookbook author Dorie Greenspan shares ideas for quick and easy desserts that take advantage of summer's bounty.

The journey of life is made up of a series of choices. But how much do the elements of chance and luck have to play when making those life choices? Author Cristina Garcia explores these ideas in her latest novel, A Handbook to Luck.

The Supreme Court's new term begins just as one of the justices tells his life story. In a new autobiography, called My Grandfather's Son, Clarence Thomas unapologetically recounts the battle over his nomination in 1991.

For thousands of years, the Psalms have been a powerful part of Jewish and Christian liturgy. In translation, they contain some of the most memorable lines ever written in English. Robert Alter has published a new translation of the Psalms.

In May, Seattle librarian Nancy Pearl pored through her shelves and pulled down several books that she said are read by a few but deserve wider attention. Well, there are more where they came from. Pearl is back with another armload of what she calls "under-the-radar" books.

Vera Wang, the high-end fashion designer, is launching a low-end line of clothing for the retailer Kohl's early next month. She's following in the footsteps of dozens of other luxury makers.

Many young people in Japan have become hermits — retreating into worlds that consist of little more than their rooms. And that's difficult for families. Michele Norris talks with Michael Zielenziger, author of Shutting Out the Sun: How Japan Created Its Own Lost Generation.

Michael Vitez and Tom Gralish's new book, Rocky Stories: Tales of Love, Hope and Happiness at America's Most Famous Steps captures the stories of people who've run up the front steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Poet Brian Turner served as a sergeant in the US Army's Third Stryker Brigade in Iraq. Here, Bullet, collects the poems through which he reflects the experience of war.

The Iraq war has increased the threat of terrorism by spreading the jihadist threat to Muslim communities that were less radicalized before the invasion, argues Daniel Benjamin. He's co-author of a new book, The Next Attack, and a former National Security Council staffer in the Clinton administration.

This weekend's Indianapolis 500 boasts only the fourth woman ever to qualify for the legendary race. Steve Inskeep talks with Janet Guthrie, the first woman to break the gender barrier at Indianapolis. Her new book is Janet Guthrie: A Life at Full Throttle.

A new book offers picnic advice for those frustrated by urban life — or by picnics themselves. The Urban Picnic has guidance about everything that can go on a blanket, from food and drink to music. Its authors say their goal is to help people have a good time, simply.

Southwestern New Mexico is littered with rock art and artifacts from long-gone ancient cultures. Doug Fine goes on a trek through the desert back country with a local man who sleuths out hidden "rock art" sites.