1) Anne-Marie Slaughter recommends Three Books about China, which look at that nation's leaders, economy, and its past; 2) Tennis great Billie Jean King's new book "Pressure is a Privelege" revisits the historic battle of the sexes game with Bobby Riggs; 3) Writer Tony Giardina says you must read "Movie Love in the Fifties" by James Harvey; 4) "My Mercedes Is Not For Sale" by Dutch journalist Jeroen van Bergeijk shows that nearly everyone in Africa wants to buy one; 5) Children's book author Lauren Child, creator of the characters Clarice Bean, and Charlie & Lola

1) Vientiane, the capital city of Laos is the setting for Colin Cotterill's "Dr. Siri" mystery novels; 2) 2008 is the year of Richard Wright's centennial - Juan Williams speaks with Julia Wright, daughter of the author of "Black Boy" and "Native Son"; 3) Three Books with "Bark and Bite" for the dog days of summer; 4) Writer Walter Dean Myers tries to convey the African American experience in fiction to another generation; 5) "Cuisines of the Axis of Evil and Other Irritating States" by Chris Fair brings together the foods and politics of Iran, Iraq and North Korea

1) "The Obama Nation" by Jerome Corsi is hitting bookstore shelves and bestseller lists - despite factual inaccuracies; 2) A deeper look at the political "Swift-booking" industry; 3) In "Warrior Girls" Michael Sokolove explores the risk of injuries faced by young female athletes; 4) A continuing fight over the rights to some of John Steinbeck's most famous books; 5) Historian Jason Goodwin uses the Istanbul of the past in his mystery novels, including his latest, "The Snake Stone"; 6) Alan Cheuse reviews "The Gift of Rain" and "Mosquito" - two novels set in Southern Asia

1) Matt Beynon Rees sets his new mystery, "The Samaritan's Secret" in Nablus, in the occupied West Bank; 2) The owner of a bookstore in Decatur, Georgia is soliciting funds from customers to help pay bills; 3) Writers from Santa Cruz attempt to capture the play of light and sun on the Pacific Ocean; 4) Alan Cheuse reviews Nobel prize winner Doris Lessing's new novel "Alfred & Emily"; 5) Publication of the controversial historical novel "The Jewel of Medina" by Sherry Jones was postponed over concerns of offending Muslims

1) Morning Edition's "Crime in the City" series goes to Glasgow, Scotland with the novelist Denise Mina, whose protagonist is the depressive Maureen O'Donnell; 2) "In Lincoln's Shadow" chronicles the race riots of Springfield, Illinois that erupted a century ago; 3) Michael Chabon's alternate-history novel "The Yiddish Policeman's Union" wins this year's Hugo award for Science Fiction; 4) George Orwell's diary reconceived as a blog, with each entry posted 70 years to the day later; 5) Patricia Nell Warren writes about the lives of gay athletes in her upcoming book "The Lavender Locker Room"