Citizen K By Mark Singer (Nonfiction)
Knopf, reviewed by Charles Taylor
A New Yorker staff reporter describes being taken in by Brett Kimberlin, a prisoner who claimed to have sold pot to Dan Quayle.
Paris Noir: African Americans in the City of Light By Tyler Stovall (Nonfiction)
Houghton Mifflin, reviewed by David Futrelle
This elegant history relates how black American artists — including Richard Wright and James Baldwin — fled to mid 20th century Paris.
The Designated Mourner By Wallace Shawn (Fiction)
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, reviewed by Rob Spillman
A futuristic new play, about a society that purges its intellectuals, from the well-known actor and playwright.
Mrs. Ike: Memories and Reflections on the Life of Mamie Eisenhower By Susan Eisenhower (Nonfiction)
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, reviewed by Katharine Whittemore
A sentimental but often compelling retelling of the life of President Dwight Eisenhower's remarkable wife, written by her granddaughter.
Airframe By Michael Crichton (Fiction)
Knopf, reviewed by Mary Elizabeth Williams
Soon to be a major movie, no doubt, this novel of disaster in the skies is the latest from the author of "Jurassic Park."

Word by Word By Anne Lamott
When you need a little help from Upper Management, it's time to put a note in God's In-Box.

The Awful Truth By Cintra Wilson
Relearning to brainwash our nation's youth.

The Burnt-out Cook By Patric Kuh
Strip away their truffle oil and calamari rings, and Mediterranean restaurants are just glorified pizza parlors

The Surreal Gourmet By Bob Blumer
Sweet potato latkes: Potato pancakes California style.

Unzipped By Courtney Weaver
Do decrepit married people live vicariously through their single friends? Join the Unzipped discussion in Table Talk.

The Listress By Amy Wallace
The Unbearable Lightness of Being: Guess the weight of the average human male brain in this quiz from our trivia maven. The first to submit the correct answers wins a $25 gift certificate to Borders Books & Music.

• The Quest for the Giant Squid By Laura Miller
  In search of the world's most mysterious real-life monster, with marine artist and author Richard Ellis.
• Animal Magnetism By Sally Eckhoff
  The American passion for beasts peaks with an exotic equestrian show in the glass castle of New York.
• Bug mania By Milo Miles
  A swarm of books and one movie about the creepy, crawly creatures who enthrall and repel us.
  Plus: A gallery of exotic bugs.

Sparky vs. Dogbert By David Futrelle
In Tom Tomorrow's view, fellow cartoonist Scott Adams is no slashing critic of the corporate status quo — he's a creature of it.

Desktop warriors By Dan Shafer
The competition to control your desktop via component software — Microsoft's ActiveX, Apple's OpenDoc, and Java —is the kind of deep-code affair you're not supposed to worry about. Here's why you should.

Manhood and Madness at Harvard By D.T. Max
How Harvard students, then and now, created a new standard of manliness — and drove themselves crazy in the process.