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Author Dennis Lehane says he has always loved the clothes, cars and movies of the Prohibition era — which might be why he has set his new novel there. Live By Night doesn't tell the usual Prohibition story about whiskey smugglers — instead it heads south to Florida for a gritty tale of rumrunning.

James Salter is a master prose stylist whose deceptively simple sentences reveal the sensations and truth of experience. In All That Is, he conjures the life and times of Philip Bowman, who, returning to New York after World War II, pursues love and a publishing career, with unequal success.

Iraqi authorities are investigating an apparent attempt to burn down the headquarters of the Iraqi Transitional Government, situated in the heavily guarded Green Zone. Earlier this week, Prime Minister Jaafari announced a new national security plan.

Phyllis Chesler met Abdul-Kareem — a young, wealthy Muslim — in college. They fell in love, got married and, in 1961, traveled to his native Afghanistan together. There, Chesler soon found herself a virtual prisoner — an Afghan wife with no rights. An American Bride in Kabul is her memoir of that experience.

The agency is in charge of millions of acres in Colorado's mountains, but staff can hardly afford to live there. That's the impetus for a housing project on land in resort communities of the Rockies.

Each Lenten season, Christians travel to Rome to visit a different martyr's shrine each day. The pilgrim-worn path, which dates back to the dawn of Christianity, includes some of the city's most striking churches and historic art. Theologian George Weigel, author of Roman Pilgrimage, says the journey grounded his faith in real places and people.

Rising sea levels are destroying the fields and livelihoods of people on Sagar Island in the Bay of Bengal. Refugees arrived from a nearby island after it was swallowed up by waves. Scientists say climate change is a factor. Residents of the island, which is a sacred place for Hindus, say God is responsible.

After the United Nations voted overwhelmingly to recognize the Palestinians as a non-member state, Israel announced it would expand settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. If completed, the project would effectively divide the West Bank in two, according to the Palestinians.

As autumn kicks in, Swedish novelist Anne Swärd reflects on the magical, short-lived summers near the Arctic circle. In places where the sun doesn't set, she says, "light insomnia" makes the world dream-like. And in the Nordic novels she recommends, Arctic sunshine makes betrayals sharper, friendships more intoxicating and love more enthralling.

This week, there's fresh fiction from Pulitzer finalist Denis Johnson, novelist Tom Perrotta and newspaperman Pete Hamill; plus, travel editor Mark Adams explores Machu Picchu; Melissa Coleman reminisces about growing up off the grid; and Howard Means looks at the life of Johnny Appleseed.