NPR

Book reviewer Alan Cheuse selects the highlights of this holiday season: futuristic dystopias; things that go bump in the night; portraits from Norman Rockwell's America; gay New York; a celebration of our immigrant adventures; one writer's journey to manhood; and, of course, Long John Silver.

Carl Kasell will read his final newscast on December 30 and devote his on-air energies to NPR’s quiz show, Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me. “We don't know what'll happen now that he doesn't have to maintain a facade of dignity and objectivity,” writes Wait Wait host Peter Sagal, who offers this tribute.

NPR science producer Jason Orfanon is in southern Chile, preparing for a five-week trip to the Antarctic. He’s planning to blog and tweet his adventure for us, and he’s just posted his first dispatch.

Its alluring crimson fruit makes it an enduring star of the Thanksgiving centerpiece, but Asiatic bittersweet is strangling trees across New England. In many states, it's illegal to collect or move the invasive vine.

One of the most popular programs on Iraqi TV these days is Hotline, a call-in show that allows viewers to take their problems directly to the highest government officials. It offers an unprecedented chance for ordinary Iraqis to confront their government.

Thanksgiving is just days away, and for many Americans, that means taking to the highways. This week, NPR looks at ways to improve road safety. Today: the testing and technologies that are making vehicles safer.

The longtime journalist chats with his son as part of StoryCorps' National Day of Listening project, which encourages people to sit down with a loved one the day after Thanksgiving and record a meaningful conversation.

Evan Ratliff eschewed his identity and picked up a new one, challenging Wired readers to find him in 30 days in a contest sponsored by the magazine. Lured by a cash prize, readers mobilized online in a mad dash to locate Ratliff — who got a little too cocksure for his own good.

The renowned rapper has finally issued his seventh album — his first in 10 years. Here, he reflects on the early breakthroughs that earned him his living-legend status, and talks about delivering a conscious message in his new work.

Sarah Ruhl's impish new play, which opened Nov. 19 at Broadway's Lyceum Theatre, is in fact about sexuality. But it's just as much about intimacy, she says.

"The major labels, the indie labels backed by majors, the RIAA on their leash, and so on -- took up a lot of resources," guest blogger DJ/rupture writes about the last decade. "I want the giants to fall even faster so we can see what weird flowers start blooming in the spaces left vacant."

As we wrap up our series on the decade in music, we have a final question for you: how will we listen to music in the year 2020?

New York's Museum of Modern Art has curated a major retrospective of drawings created by director Tim Burton. It contains hundreds of creations from throughout his career, including little-known short films, sketches of unrealized projects and seven new pieces created just for the show.

An NPR tradition, the Friday before Thanksgiving is the time for Susan Stamberg to share her weird-sounding — but delicious — recipe for cranberry relish. This year, she's found a real fan: food expert Ruth Reichl.