Bestsellers week of October 2, 2014
The NPR Bestseller Lists are compiled from weekly surveys of close to 500 indepe
Books
Panetta: Fight Against Terrorism Will Be A Long, Sustained War
In a new memoir, Leon Panetta says he and other presidential advisers argued to leave some U.S. forces in Iraq after 2011. That might have left Iraq in better position to fight ISIS, he tells NPR.
'Ancillary Sword' Examines Life On The Fringes Of A Galactic Empire
Ann Leckie's eagerly awaited sequel to last year's Ancillary Justice quickly wraps up dangling plot threads, and sends heroine Breq on a brand new adventure, this time at the helm of her own ship.
Security Lapses Trigger Questions About What Secret Service Agents Do
The lapses by the elite presidential detail shined a spotlight on the agency. What does an agent do in a day? To find out, Rachel Martin talks to ex-agent Dan Emmett, author of Within Arms Length.
Book News: Agatha Christie And The Secret Of The Lost Lockbox Jewels
Long hidden in a common trunk, Christie's family jewelry is now heading to auction. And the day's secrets don't end there: J.K. Rowling also stirred Twitter with a cryptic hint about her new book.
A 'Post-Post-Colonial' Take On The Violent Birth Of Modern Jamaica
Marlon James' latest novel, A Brief History of Seven Killings, is not brief, and it contains many more than seven deaths. It's a portrait of Jamaica in the '70s, when gang warfare and reggae reigned.
Book News: Murakami Drops A New Story, Just As Nobel Week Begins
In "Scheherazade," he tells the tale of a captive listener — in more ways than one. Also: A big week to come includes the Nobel Prize announcement, "Super Thursday" and several notable books.
This 'Book Of Witches' Casts A Fascinating, Sobering Spell
A new Penguin compendium of documents relating to three centuries of witch trials lays the blame on fractured communities and cruel governments — and draws unsettling parallels to current events.
Deciphering The 'Priestly Mumbo-Jumbo' Of The Financial World
If you're mystified by terms like "Libor," "stagflation" and "Grexit," you should pick up John Lanchester's new book, How To Speak Money, which aims to untangle the tortured language of finance.
For Her First Trilogy, Jane Smiley Returns To Iowa, 'Where The Roots Are'
Smiley used to live in Iowa and says something about the place still pulls on her imagination. Her new book, Some Luck, begins on a family farm in 1920.