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Elmore Leonard doesn't care to be characterized as a mystery writer. The author of Get Shorty, Maximum Bob and 52 Pickup, says he writes crime novels that delve into the bad-guy characters from the get-go rather than having them suddenly appear in the last act. NPR's Brian Naylor interviews the best-selling author on Weekend Edition Sunday.

The seafaring adventure Master and Commander, starring Russell Crowe, sails into theaters Friday. Like the Patrick O'Brian novels on which it is based, the film strives for historical authenticity on every last detail, including sound effects. NPR's Michele Norris talks with sound designer Richard King.

Thirty years after the publication of his book Cathedral, David Macaulay returns to the construction of sacred spaces with his new book Mosque. NPR's Liane Hansen joins the author for a conversation at the Islamic Center in Washington, D.C.

Nowadays, most of us regard candy as a guilty pleasure, but during the Great Depression, sugary confections were marketed as healthy and inexpensive meals. That's just one of the interesting tidbits author Beth Kimmerle shares in her new book, Candy: The Sweet History. NPR's Michele Norris talks with Kimmerle.

One hundred years ago, F. Schuyler Mathews published a field guide of wild birds. He transcribed their songs into musical notation and tried to capture their essence in prose. A new book celebrates Mathews' work and the birds that inspired him. Hear NPR's Melissa Block.

Kevin Spacey's revival of the Eugene O'Neill play A Moon for the Misbegotten opens Monday on Broadway. He initially staged the play in his role as artistic director for the historic London theater the Old Vic.

After 49 years of entertaining Las Vegas audiences with their racy production numbers, the Folies Bergere showgirls prepare for their final performance.

Body Worlds, a new exhibit at the California Science Center in Los Angeles, Calif., is packing in crowds of the curious. The exhibit features human cadavers preserved through a new process called "plastination," then posed in revealing ways.

Hostile questioning and a tense exchange with a fellow Republican, Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, mark Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's appearance before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

A tale about an all-too common disease – and why we need to talk about it.