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Ali Smith's new book, Artful, began as a series of lectures on comparative literature, given at Oxford last year. The lectures have been given a fictional shell, the story of an unnamed narrator finding a cache of essays in the study of her dead lover. Reviewer John Wilwol calls Artful "superb."

Conservative Capitol Hill veteran Saxby Chambliss faced recent criticism from the right for seeking a bipartisan compromise on deficit issues, and for being among the first high-level Republicans to question fidelity to Grover Norquist's no-new-taxes pledge after the November elections.

But Republican leaders say there won't be a sudden about-face in policy, despite recent disappointments at the polls. The party is focusing on message, technology and grass-roots organizing at its meetings in Charlotte, N.C.

In Pakistan, anti-war marchers led by Pakistani cricket star-turned politician Imran Khan, are hoping to enter the tribal territory of South Waziristan Sunday to protest against U.S. drone attacks on Islamist militants there. NPR's Philip Reeves reports.

Steven Spielberg's biographical drama portrays the 16th president of the United States as a conflicted leader not above twisting arms and exploiting the system to get the right thing done.

In historic moves, Colorado and Washington state voted to legalize recreational use of marijuana on Tuesday. Its sale will be regulated and taxed, with some of the money going for drug education.

When North Korean leader Kim Jong Il died last month, few were sorry to see him go, except in neighboring China, where the state-run press ran a smiling photo of Kim and mourned the loss of a "friend." So why did China back one of the world's most loathed dictators and is now supporting his youngest son?

Moscow's recent deals with foreign oil companies are designed to maintain Russia as the world's No. 1 oil producer. The biggest deal, with Exxon Mobil, would put billions of dollars toward exploiting vast oil and gas reserves in Russia's Arctic waters.

Bassel Shehadeh was a young Syrian who gave up his studies at Syracuse University to return home to chronicle the fighting in his homeland. He was a budding filmmaker who lost his life when Syrian forces bombarded Homs.

Pictures of Saint Honore or (Saint Honoratus) from church iconography reinforce his baker background. He's holding his wooden peel, often with a few delicious-looking loaves of crusty French bread nearby.