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More than a mere chronicler armed with facts and dates, Sam Roberts is a nonfiction writer with the heart of a novelist; he's writing about buildings — but he does so while telling engaging stories.

Frances de Pontes Peebles' new novel about two women in Brazil — and later Hollywood — who take the music world by storm can sometimes slip into corniness, but it's a genuinely exciting read.

Robin Sloan's latest is a beautiful, small, sweet, quiet book that takes a deep dive into the world of food, underground restaurants and markets, and the magic power of a good sourdough starter.

Erin Lee Carr's memoir about her relationship with her dad, David Carr, provokes gratitude and empathy — but she fails to investigate herself with the rigor she brings to her own journalism.

Late lunches and literary rock stars: Such were the early days of publishing house Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Elissa Schappell says Boris Kachka's Hothouse (an expose of this cherished publisher) is a star-studded tell-all about the "good old, bad old days."

Most people have never heard of Watershed, but the Columbus, Ohio, rock band has been doggedly touring and recording for a quarter-century. A new memoir by founding member Joe Oestreich profiles a life on the road, powered more by passion than optimism.

Gordon's Lord of Misrule and Smith's Just Kids were the big winners at the National Book Awards in New York. We were there to capture the laughter, the tears and the free caviar.

In Kevin Wilson's first novel, husband-and-wife conceptual artists stage elaborate public acts of "choreographed spontaneity" — to the embarrassment of their children. Wilson's inventive energy makes The Family Fang a strange, wonderful and refreshing read in the summer heat.

In Maher's The Fields, a 14-year-old in 1980s Dublin confronts his father's illness, a girlfriend's mental breakdown and abuse by a priest. But the novel balances these catastrophes with jokes that are both funny and brave. Maher tells NPR about New Age "binjy-banjy," kissing and teenage love.

Harlequin editor Patience Bloom maps romance novels onto her own loves in Romance Is My Day Job — from tragic heroes and beta males to the one true Mr. Right. Reviewer Bobbi Dumas says Bloom doesn't quite pull off the romance novel parallel — but most readers will find something to identify with in this brave and likable woman.