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How about an electrified birthday cake or a steaming martini? A new book shows you how to turn your food into edible science experiments. Your kitchen is like a home laboratory, says one author, why not have fun with it?

The world economy has created a new class of global engineers. AnnaLee Saxenian, the dean of the School of Information at the University of California, Berkeley, has written a new book about this group. Deborah Amos talks to her about The New Argonauts.

As Shanghai undergoes a radical facelift, tens of thousands of residents are forcibly displaced from their homes each year. Many say real-estate developers are conspiring with officials to seize property for little or no compensation.

Once upon a time, it was fashionable to adore all things French. Those days are gone — remember "freedom fries"? — but author Danielle Trussoni is convinced that there are plenty of Americans who still love French culture, fashion and food. Trussoni recommends three books about France — all with a certain je ne sais quoi.

David Remnick has a nearly impossible task in his new biography of Barack Obama: writing "the most complete account yet" of the most famous man on the planet. The well-written and well-researched book may be ahead of its time; the events in it are so familiar right now that its scholarship may resonate better in 20 years.

Heat author Bill Buford finds "his McGee" indispensable — that is, Harold McGee's essential tome On Food and Cooking. "McGee is the most important person alive writing about food," Buford says.

Food writer Nigella Lawson knows that the holiday season can be overstuffed with planning and decorating. She offers Renee Montagne two recipes — chocolate chip chili and a Christmas-y rocky road — to help keep things warm and simple.

Can inspiration hit too close to home? Author Alex Gilvarry chronicles the challenges of trying to emulate famed writer Norman Mailer — while staying in Mailer's old house.

China is suffering through its worst heat wave on record. Cities are cutting power and provinces are seeding clouds, hoping for rain.

NPR's Steve Inskeep talks to Max Seddon, Moscow bureau chief for The Financial Times, about a weekend car bombing outside of Moscow that killed the daughter of a key ally of President Putin.