Before his death in 2008, Michael Crichton was among the world's best-selling authors. Three years after Crichton died, a new Crichton novel is being published in hopes that it will be a best seller. It was not completed before Crichton's death and was finished by novelist Richard Preston. But Micro displays the familiar science fiction of Crichton's work.
Dan Brown, author of the blockbuster The Da Vinci Code, is back with his first novel in four years. Inferno follows academic hero Robert Langdon on a chase through Italy as he attempts to avert a biological catastrophe.
Designer Katie Shelly's upcoming cookbook offers 50 illustrated recipe "blueprints" for basic meals — from simple snacks to more hefty dishes like eggplant Parmesan. She hopes they'll inspire any level of cook to improvise in the kitchen.
The bipartisan immigration overhaul proposed by the Senate's Gang of Eight has been the target of scores of amendments. So far, the bill has largely held its own, but its prospects for getting through Congress are uncertain.