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Susan Stamberg presents the year's best books, picked by independent booksellers around the country. Selections range from gritty, free-verse fairy tales to ballerina photographs and a grim Southern story about a small town that would rather its ghosts remain at rest.

Scientists are developing new gigapixel cameras that take extremely high-resolution images with astonishing detail. Who needs to see the world with this kind of super-eye?

In 1994, Congress passed the most significant crime-fighting legislation in a generation. Now, policymakers are dialing back Clinton's tough-on-crime policies.

There are an increasing number of LGBT characters in mainstream superhero comics — but visibility isn't everything. NPR's comic-book guy Glen Weldon has a roundup of manga and independent graphic novels that offer a deeper and more nuanced portrayal of LGBT life.

Who says humor books can't be serious? Critic Heller McAlpin recommends some light but not weightless reads on mostly modern dilemmas: the pitfalls of class snobbery, what to do with those expensive higher degrees, the challenges of long marriages, and why otherwise rational women wear high heels.

Steven T. Seagle's new graphic novel, Genius, follows once-golden physicist Ted as he grapples with family troubles and malaise at work. Reviewer Glen Weldon says Genius is an "achingly felt portrait of man coming to terms with the role chance plays in human lives."

Even if you hate the holiday, any day is a good day for chocolate and a swoony romantic read. But NPR's romance guru Bobbi Dumas is an unabashed lover of Valentine's Day, and she celebrating by asking five of her favorite authors to recommend their favorite romances — and describe their own Valentine traditions.

For centuries, the memory of Jane Franklin has languished in brother Benjamin's shadow. While Ben is on currency and splashed across textbooks, Jane's life of curiosity and hardship has been forgotten. In Book of Ages, historian Jill Lepore draws a portrait of one of the American Revolution's "little women."

Typhoon Haiyan swept through the Philippines late last week, leaving behind devastation and plenty of questions yet to be answered. Authors Kevin Roose and Allan Gurganus suggest books that might provide readers with a glimpse past the week's ubiquitous headlines, to the human cost often left hidden.

In this novel about sadness and delusion, critic Harold Augenbraum says, "love ... tatters its own lovers." What's your favorite tragic novel? Tell us in the comments.

The magazine hasn't hit newsstands, but some say it glorifies alleged Boston bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. Rolling Stone's editor stands by the use of the photo to help tell the story of "an incredibly normal kid" who turned into "a monster."

When crime writer Karin Slaughter was struggling to find a good literary relationship, she turned to the Marcus Didius Falco series by Lindsey Davis. She learned about togas and scrolls and came away with a new template for a happy marriage.