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John Keats' famous 1816 sonnet "On First Looking into Chapman's Homer" celebrated the recent discovery of Uranus — the first new planet to be found in more than a thousand years. In fact, says author Richard Holmes, the scientific discoveries of the Romantic age inspired generations of great artists and their work.

In the mid-19th century, more than a million Irish fled the potato famine in search of a better life. But the fate they met aboard so-called "coffin ships" headed to the New World was often as bad as what they left behind. Not so for those lucky enough to find their way onto one ship. Kathryn Miles tells the story in her book, All Standing.

Her new collection, Stone Mattress, features characters still shaped by events in their youth. She's also working on a project that's all about the future: a book that won't be read for a century.

Karen Russell has set her latest story in a terrible future where insomnia has become a national crisis. Sleep Donation is a digital download from a new publisher called Atavist Books.

Lefties get a bad rap — they're sometimes called untrustworthy or insincere, and some dubious studies even claim they die young. Author Rik Smits sets out to debunk those claims in a new book, The Puzzle of Left-handedness.

Have you ever had the feeling that you've overstepped your boundaries? Author Tim Wu has — or, at least, he's read about it. He recommends three books on the disastrous consequences it can have. Tell us about a time you should have known your limits in the comments section.

Herman Koch's new novel The Dinner asks the uncomfortable question: How far will you go to protect your family? Two couples gather for dinner to discuss their teenaged sons, who've most likely committed a terrible crime. Will they report it? Or will they cover it up to keep their sons safe?

For some people, Feb. 14 is not all hearts and candy. Without a sweetheart, the holiday can be dreary. For those not in love this year, author Alex Gilvarry prescribes three books that will cure the worst of those Valentine's Day blues.

Argentine author César Aira's newest novel, The Miracle Cures of Dr. Aira, is the story of a doctor's quest for miracle cures for imagined illnesses — and to defeat his wicked archnemesis, the sinister Dr. Actyn. Reviewer Pablo Medina says it's worth a read.

There are countless memorable New Yorker magazine covers. But for every one that appears on the newsstand, countless more end up in the rejection pile. Now, a new book collects some of the best rejected covers and explains why they didn't make the cut.

In his book A Demon of Our Own Design, Richard Bookstaber argues that the financial markets have grown so big and complex that understanding the real risk of an investment is nearly impossible and that big crashes like 1987 are almost inevitable.

Author Dinaw Mengestu is among a generation of Ethiopian Americans whose families fled the East African nation in the 1970s and '80s. Now their writing, music and art are adding a new chapter to the epic of American immigration.

In his short life, 1960s producer-songwriter Bert Berns made an indelible mark. He made many hits, but a changing industry brought tension to the studio, as told in the new book, Here Comes the Night.

Over ten years before Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in the major leagues, a little-known baseball team went to bat with players both black and white. Journalist Tom Dunkel writes about the team from Bismarck, N.D., in his new book Color Blind.

Across the northern tier of the US, mushroom hunting--particularly for the prized morel mushroom--is coming into full swing. Commentator Julie Zickefoose revels in the mushrooms that populate her woodland and sizzle on the stovetop.

Reading Kelly Link's writing isn't really like reading at all — it's more like experiencing the strangest dream of your life. Writer Karen Russell says the uncanny short stories are genre-bending, mind-blowing masterpieces of the imagination that draw on fable and myth to achieve an unbearably painful realism.

Kamila Shamsie's tale of a young Englishwoman's entanglement with the people and mountains of Peshawar is an epic tale stretching from ancient Persia to the waning days of the British Empire.

Amy Bloom's new novel follows two half-sisters from a disastrous stint in 1920s Hollywood, to happiness with an unexpected, impromptu family group in the disruptive years around World War II.

It's literary awards season. The Nobel, the National Book Awards shortlists, and the Man Booker Prize were all recently announced. Author Jason Sheehan recommends some reading on all this reading.

The Night of the Hunter is a much-loved film, but author Julia Keller says the book it is based on is even better — a forgotten masterpiece. Do you have a favorite book that became a movie? Tell us in the comments.

When aspiring Broadway actress Catherine and World War II vet Harry first lock eyes on the Staten Island Ferry, everything changes — but their lives together won't be easy. Mark Helprin delivers an old-fashioned love story, and an ode to 1940s New York, in his novel In Sunlight and in Shadow.

The last thing a grad student needs is another reading list, but don't worry — this one will help. Author Adam Ruben recommends three titles that will help you get through the languorous slog of post-baccalaureate education.

In his new book, Methland: The Death and Life of an American Small Town, Nick Reding describes how methamphetamine transformed the town of Oelwein, Iowa — and how the town attempted to combat the epidemic.

The combination of writing talent and juicy material on display in Sean Wilsey's memoir Oh the Glory of It All is what has author Curtis Sittenfeld singing its praises to others. The people and places described "come explosively and thrillingly alive," says the author of Prep.

The FBI has been tracking Hezbollah fundraising in the United States for years. But there is debate within law enforcement circles over whether the group would launch attacks on U.S. soil.