From recalling names and faces to trauma and healing- memory plays an important role in nearly every aspect of life. Dr. Charan Ranganath is a leading memory research scientist and psychologist, his bestselling book “Why We Remember” is reviewed on this week’s

From pro wrestling and Pokémon to Insane Clown Posse and Jerry Springer, a new book looks at the low culture of the late ’90s revealing a continuing impact on current American culture and society. “1999: The Year Low Culture Conquered America and Kickstarted Our Bizarre Times”, hear an interview with the author, Nebraska journalist Ross Benes.

An interview with Dawn Logsdon, one of the film makers behind the new PBS documentary, “Free For All: The Public Library”. A films exploring how libraries are deeply woven into the fabric of American communities large and small.

There are only so many hours in a day, as the saying goes. That’s the focus of a new book that addresses fundamental questions about how we live. On this week’s “All About Books” a look at, “Meditations for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts” by Oliver Burkeman.

A Latina woman attending an ivy league college feels a connection to an artist who died under mysterious circumstances in New York years before. “Anita de Monte Laughs Last: a Novel” by Xochitl Gonzalez is a witty look at power, love and art. Hear a review on

Two pioneering tech companies and their CEOs are competing over the development of artificial intelligence: Sam Altman of OpenAI and Demis Hassabis of DeepMind. Lost in this race for control are the threats their creators are ignoring. That’s the story found in “Supremacy: AI, ChatGPT, and the Race that Will Change the World” by Parmy Olson.

A mother struggling with sobriety moves herself and young daughter to live with a reclusive mountain man of Alaska’s wilds. Author Eowyn Ivey’s new novel “Black Woods, Blue Sky” is about love, the lure of wild places and the dangers found there.

A presidential candidate is assassinated at San Francisco’s swanky Claremont Hotel in 1944. Homicide detective Al Sullivan was having a drink in the bar downstairs. This begins the historical thriller “The Golden Gate” by Amy Chua. Hear a review of this best-selling author’s debut novel.

Political columnist Max Boot took on the task of writing a monumental biography of conservative icon Ronald Regan. Combining interviews with the President’s aides, friends and family as well as newly available documents, this new biography details Regan’s life beyond just the political years. Hear a review of “Reagan: His Life and Legend” by Max Boot

On a harsh but beautiful island off the coast of Wales, a young woman looks after the home for her father and younger sister after their mother dies. In the novel “Whale Fall” by Elizabeth O’Connor, the dreams of venturing out into a bigger world come into conflict with community obligations.