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Rob Sheffield had his life pulled out from him 16 years ago when his wife died suddenly of a pulmonary embolism. He overcame his grief through singing karaoke, and tells about it in his new book, "Turn Around Bright Eyes: The Rituals of Love and Karaoke."

The author admits he was once weary of e-book publishing, but when he found himself writing a novella — too short for a book, too long for a magazine — he decided to test it out. He says he's happy with the experience, both economically and artistically.

The Ireland native is best known as a filmmaker — he directed The Crying Game, Interview with the Vampire and the Showtime series The Borgias — but he began his career as a writer. His 1980 novel, The Past, has been reissued in the United States.

Scientist and writer Bill Streever is fascinated by the extremes at both ends of the thermometer. In Cold, he visited some of the chilliest places on Earth. Now, in his latest book, Heat, he travels to the world's very hot spots.

Tracy Chevalier's latest novel, The Last Runaway, is the story of a young Quaker girl's move to America. Author Dolen Perkins-Valdez says it's a richly wrought and evocative tale.

What makes a memorable character? It is the one who changes the most throughout the book? The one who makes a personal discovery? Or is it simply the most eccentric who we love? Actor Simon Pegg says that for his favorite literary protagonist, all three apply.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt was subject to the kind of vitriol we often see directed at Barack Obama today. But some of FDR's opponents didn't stop at talk: a new book details a starting plot to overthrow FDR and replace him with a fascist military government.

It's easy to become resentful when life is too mundane or throws an unsavory curveball. Author Monica Ali knows that sometimes we need to get a fresh perspective. For this she insists you read One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn.

Renee Montagne talks to Sylvie Kauffmann, editorial director of the French newspaper Le Monde, about the debate over whether to publish photos of terrorists.

Journalist Michael Kinsley was diagnosed when he was in his 40s. Now in his 60s, he says he feels like he's "a scout for his generation." His new book is Old Age: A Beginner's Guide.